goanna

English
Varanus varius (common goanna)

Etymology

A respelling in Australia of guana, from iguana.[1] Rhyming slang sense rhyming on colloquial pronunciation 'pianner'.[2]

Pronunciation
  • Rhymes: -ænə

Noun

goanna (plural goannas)

  1. Any of various monitor lizards native to Australia.
    • 2022, Meg Mooney, Northern Territory Literary Awards, page 33:
      I'll think of how the kids come alive walking around sandplains / reading tracks, looking for goannas, digging up witchetty grubs / collecting berries, branches of bush medicines.
  2. (Australia, rhyming slang) A piano.

Hyponyms

Translations

References
  1. 2001, Susan Butler, The Dinkum Dictionary : The Origins of Australian Words, Text Publishing, →ISBN.
  2. 2004, James Lambert, The Macquarie Slang Dictionary, Sydney: Macquarie Library.

Anagrams
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