blackboys

Noun

blackboy (plural blackboys)

1. (Australia, obsolete, offensive, possibly) An Aboriginal boy or servant.
   • A moment later he beckoned the blackboy to his side, and when he arrived pointed to the ground. The boy gesticulated in answer, and then both pulled their horses to a standstill and waited for me to come up.1898, Guy Boothby, Billy Binks—Hero, republished in Ken Gelder, Rachael Weaver, The Anthology of Colonial Australian Adventure Fiction, page 118
2. (Australia, informal) Any plant in the genus Xanthorrhoea, native to Australia.
   • As with many things, the pioneers followed the natives in the use of the Blackboy. They also found that the gum possessed some property that will cure dysentery and other internal complaints. The gum was also used for dyeing, tanning and varnishing.1946, Walkabout, volume 13, page 49

   Synonyms:

   balga, grasstree, grass tree, yakka