Where “Shearer” Comes From
A shearer is a person who shears sheep for wool. Shearing has been central to the history of rural Australia, which became one of the world’s major wool producers.
The best and fastest shearer in a shed is called the “gun” shearer. The Shearers’ Strike of 1891 in Queensland was a famous labour dispute.
“He worked as a shearer for years.”
How Aussies Actually Use It
You’ll hear it in farm life, history and bush poetry.
In Real Life
Shearing season was once a major event, with teams of shearers travelling from station to station. Work in the shearing shed was fast and tough, paid by the number of sheep sheared. Shearers appear in many Australian songs and poems. Today, shearing is still an important skill, and competitions celebrate the best shearers.
Quick Questions
What does gun shearer mean?
The fastest, most skilled shearer in a shed.
What was the 1891 Shearers’ Strike?
A major labour dispute in Queensland that helped shape the Australian labour movement.
Say It Like an Aussie
Say it: SHEER-er.
In conversation:
- The shearers arrive next week.
- He’s the gun shearer in the shed.
- Shearing is hard work.
Good to know: The “gun shearer” is the fastest and best shearer in the shed. Shearing is physically demanding work.
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