Meanings
plural brickfielders
- AustraliaA hot, dry, dusty wind of southern or central Australia.
A southerly buster would blow — a Sydney brickfielder;[…].
1914, Henry Mills Alden, Thomas Bucklin Wells, Harper's Magazine, volume 129, page 5083 more examples
Returning home, he discovers that the house is full of sand ; that the brickfielder has even insinuated itself between the leaves of his books ; that at dinner he will probably find that his favourite dish has been spoiled by the brickfielder.
1845, J. O. Balfour, A Sketch of New South Wales, page 5Then he had to concentrate his efforts on a smooth descent through the swirling gusts of the brickfielder.
1986, Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact, volume 106, numbers 1-4, page 60Hot spells many days in duration, with temperatures daily exceeding 100°F. (38°C), often take place while the brickfielder blows.
2005, Ajay Kumar Ghosh, Dictionary of Geography, page 45
Origin
From the location name Brickfield Hill, after the hill in Surry Hills (now in inner Sydney) from the direction of which a hot wind blew into Sydney in its early days. The term spread to Melbourne by circa 1850, and to central Australia by circa 1900, then to Western Australia.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
brickfielder. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brickfielder
“brickfielder.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brickfielder. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “brickfielder,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brickfielder.
Source: brickfielder on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.