bilby

bilby
The bilby is either of two Australian bandicoots, especially the rabbit-eared bandicoot Macrotis lagotis, a burrowing marsupial of woodlands and plains of drier parts of mainland Australia, The word is a borrowing from Yuwaalaraay, an Aboriginal language of northern New South Wales (between Walgett and Lightning Ridge). The word first appears in English in 1885 in Once a Month (Melbourne): There are several kinds of burrowing animals.. everywhere... The most remarkable is the Bailby - some call it Billby - about the size of a rabbit. The bilby is known as dalgite in Western Australia and pinkie in South Australia. In recent years there have been attempts to replace the Easter bunny with the Australian bilby. At Easter it is now possible to buy chocolate bilbies.

Australian idioms. 2014.

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  • bilby — /ˈbɪlbi / (say bilbee) noun (plural bilbies) either of the rabbit eared bandicoots of the genus Macrotis, of the regions west of the Australian Great Dividing Range: 1. , ) the greater bilby, Macrotis lagotis; dalgyte. 2. , ) Also, SA, pinkie.… …  

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  • Bilby Award Winners — The Bilby Award is awarded annually by the Queensland s Branch of the Children s Book Council Awards.cite web |title= What are the BILBY awards? |publisher= Children s Book Council of Australia (Qld Branch) Inc |url=… …   Wikipedia

  • Bilby, Nottinghamshire — infobox UK place country = England static static image caption= latitude= 53.34 longitude= 1.05 official name = Bilby population = shire district=Bassetlaw shire county= Nottinghamshire region= East Midlands constituency westminster= post town=… …   Wikipedia

  • bilby — noun (plural bilbies) Etymology: Yuwaalaraay (Australian aboriginal language of northern New South Wales) bilbi Date: 1888 either of two burrowing nocturnal bandicoots (Macrotis lagotis and M. leucura) having a long tapered muzzle and large… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • bilby — /bil bee/, n., pl. bilbies. See rabbit bandicoot. Also, bilbi. [1900 05; < Yuwaalaraay (Australian Aboriginal language of N New South Wales) bilbi] * * * …   Universalium

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