Meanings
- AustraliaNew ZealandinformalOn or to the other side of the Tasman Sea.
The rate of arrivals fluctuates with the relative economic fortunes of each country, but since the late 1960s, faster growth, higher wages, greater job opportunities and a stronger dollar have been an economic magnet drawing New Zealanders across the ditch.
2016, Peter Mares, Not Quite Australian: How Temporary Migration Is Changing the Nation, →ISBN
Origin
By analogy with across the pond, and the fact that the Tasman Sea is much smaller than the Atlantic Ocean.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
across the ditch. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/across%20the%20ditch
“across the ditch.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/across%20the%20ditch. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “across the ditch,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/across%20the%20ditch.
Source: across the ditch on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.