Definition

Noun: * A bag, typically made of cloth or canvas, used for carrying food, especially one carried by a traveler, itinerant worker, or swagman in the Australian bush.

Usage

The word "tucker-bag" is a compound noun. It is used to refer specifically to the container for carrying "tucker" (Australian and New Zealand slang for food). It is strongly associated with the historical figure of the swagman, an itinerant worker who traveled the Australian outback.

Examples

• The old swagman slung his tucker-bag over his shoulder and continued down the dusty track.
• Before setting off on the long walk, she packed some damper and tea into her tucker-bag.
• In the famous folk song "Waltzing Matilda," the swagman is described as having a tucker-bag.

Advanced Usage

• The term evokes a specific historical and cultural image of 19th and early 20th-century Australian rural life. It is less commonly used in modern, everyday contexts but remains a recognizable part of Australian English heritage.

Variants and Related Words

• Tucker (noun, Australian/NZ slang): Food.
  • After a hard day's work, he was ready for some good tucker.
• Swag (noun, Australian): A bundle of personal belongings, including a bedroll, carried by a swagman. It is distinct from, but often carried alongside, a tucker-bag.
• Tuckerbox (noun): A box for storing or carrying food, often associated with a horse-drawn wagon or a fixed location like a camp, rather than being carried personally like a tucker-bag.

Synonyms

• Food bag
• Provender bag (archaic)
• Knapsack (though this is more general and can carry non-food items)

Related Idioms

• "To have a full tucker-bag": Figuratively, to be well-supplied or successful.
  • After the successful harvest, the farmers all had a full tucker-bag.

Noun

1. a bag used for carrying food
   • the swagman filled his tuckerbag