Words & TermsWork, bush and rural life
currency lad
An Australian-born man in the early colonial period.
In a sentence
In this historical or contextual use, “currency lad” means an Australian-born man in the early colonial period.
Where it came from
The Australian National Dictionary Centre documents currency lad from the 1820s as a native-born colonial identity label contrasted with British-born 'sterling'.
- Initial era
- 1800–1899
- Where used
- Australian use; no narrower regional pattern established