Meanings
- AustraliaNew ZealandUKinformalpluralplural onlyA style of tightfitting men's swimming costume cut like underwear briefs that covers the buttocks and groin but not the legs and reveals the bulge of the genitals; especially worn in surf lifesaving and in swimming races.
Next, on with his favourite budgie smugglers. His sequined posing pouch. No winky shrinkage for him.
2023 April 21, John Crace, “Psycho goes down raging: the liberal wokerati finally get to Raab”, in The Guardian, →ISSN4 more examples
Roughly, the rule goes: if you have just swum, are planning to swim soon or are reasonably proximate to a place where others are swimming, then your budgie smugglers are perfectly acceptable.
2006 July 9, Annabel Crabb, “UK learns rules of Texas hold 'em”, in The Sydney Morning Herald"Mr Baillieu has popped out of the water in his budgie-smugglers, but he doesn't reckon that climate change is a problem," Garrett scoffed. "I mean, give me a break."
2006 November 23, Stuart Rintoul, “Bracks's walk was on the wild side”, in The Australian“If you think that men in budgie smugglers don’t look good, well all the blokes in this race still have it and they looked great,” she joked.
2012 January 11, Amy Findlay, “Awesome Ironman!”, in Milton Ulladulla TimesA MAN has been fined and banned from recreational fishing in Victoria after confusing his budgie smugglers for abalone smugglers.
2012 January 12, Kate Starke, “Smuggler hid illegal abalone in underpants”, in Herald SunSynonyms: banana hammock, bikini, cock jocks, competition briefs, dick pointers, dick togs, nut huggers, posing briefs
- pluralplural of budgie smuggler (“small bag attached to the belt”)
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA style of tightfitting men's swimming costume cut like underwear briefs that covers the buttocks and groin but not the legs and reveals the bulge of the genitals; especially worn in surf lifesaving and in swimming races.
Origin
A jocular reference to a man's tight-fitting swimming costume or swimsuit appearing as if he has a budgerigar concealed inside it, i.e. his bulging genitals.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
budgie smugglers. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/budgie%20smugglers
“budgie smugglers.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/budgie%20smugglers. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “budgie smugglers,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/budgie%20smugglers.
Source: budgie smugglers on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.