Word.ws English Dictionary

Belyando spew

Belyando spew noun: an illness afflicting shearers, characterised by vomiting after meals and presumed to have been due to the hard work of shearing bent over in stifling heat (though more likely due to a local grass).

Noun

Belyando spew (uncountable)

  1. (Australia, obsolete, slang) An illness afflicting shearers, characterised by vomiting after meals and presumed to have been due to the hard work of shearing bent over in stifling heat (though more likely due to a local grass).
    • Filariasis, anchylostomiasis, tropical anaemias, and the many and varied tropical disorders, from malaria and dengue to Barcoo rot and Belyando spew, await the application of modern research methods to place them on the necessary footing to render prophylaxis and treatment more satisfactory[…].1908, Australasian Medical Association, Australasian Medical Gazette: The Journal of the Australasian branches of the British Medical Association, volume 27, page 25
    Synonyms:
    Barcoo sickness, Barcoo spew, Barcoo vomit, Burdekin vomit

Synonyms of Belyando spew

  • Barcoo sickness
  • Barcoo spew
  • Barcoo vomit
  • Burdekin vomit

Origin of Belyando spew

Ultimately of Australian Aboriginal derivation; named for the Belyando River of central Queensland. The expression dates from no later 1891, from when it was in use in a shearer′s song.

Questions about Belyando spew

What does Belyando spew mean?
Belyando spew means an illness afflicting shearers, characterised by vomiting after meals and presumed to have been due to the hard work of shearing bent over in stifling heat (though more likely due to a local grass).
What part of speech is Belyando spew?
Belyando spew is a noun.

Words near Belyando spew in the dictionary

  1. Belwood
  2. Belwoods
  3. bely
  4. belyana
  5. belyanas
  6. Belyando spew
  7. belyankinite
  8. belye
  9. Belyea
  10. Belyeas
  11. belyed

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: Belyando spew (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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