David Zapatka
Friend, word-lover, and bridge player, Jim Nulty, whose career path led him to Perth, Australia, offered this word from his overseas experience.
Cobber cob·ber, noun. A cobber is an Australian and New Zealand slang term for a close friend, mate or companion. It is the equivalent to “buddy” or “pal” in American English. It is often used as a direct, affectionate form of address between men as in “G’day cobber!”
Origin and Etymology—The origins of cobber are something of a linguistic puzzle and etymologists have long debated its true roots. The most widely discussed theory suggests it may derive from the Yiddish word khaver, meaning “friend” or “comrade,” which itself traces back to the Hebrew ḥāḇēr, also meaning “friend.” A Yiddish source may seem unlikely at first glance, but there are several terms in Australian English that are thought to derive from Yiddish, including doover (“thingummyjig”), shicer (“unproductive mining claim”), and shickered (“drunk”). It is likely that these terms, as well as cobber, found their way into London slang particularly through the Jewish population living in the East End. From there, it traveled down under via British migrants into Australian English.
First Known Use—The earliest known use of cobber is from 1888, appearing in the Sportsman, a Melbourne publication. The word was firmly planted in Australian vernacular by the close of the nineteenth century, a product of the colonial melting pot of migrants, gold rush workers and convict-era settlers who blended their languages into something distinctly Australian.
Cobber used in a sentence:
“He’s been my cobber since we were kids growing up in Queensland.”
“G’day cobber, pull up a chair and have a cold one with us!”
Cobber used on the web:
“When a man gets old, he likes a little comfort, cobber.”—The Tale of a Trooper, Clutha N. MacKenzie, 1921
“Boy, am I glad to see you… Where the hell have you been, my dear bloody cobber?”—Under the Southern Cross by George W. Adams, 2009
Cobber is an Australian and New Zealand word for “mate” or “friend,” but its cultural reach extended well beyond casual conversation. The word became a badge of national identity particularly during the two World Wars when Australian soldiers, known as Diggers, used it constantly in the trenches to refer to their fellow fighters. The spirit of cobber, loyal, egalitarian, and unpretentious, captured something essential about the Australian ethos of mateship.
Today, cobber is considered somewhat dated and more likely to appear in a period novel or affectionate nod to the past than in everyday speech. But for a word born of Hebrew, polished by Yiddish and made famous by Australians, that is quite the journey, cobber.
Do you have a special cobber in your life? Jim Nulty is certainly one of mine. Share your favorite cobbers with our readers. Please submit your experiences or any word you may like to share along with your insights and comments to dzapatka@wbhsi.net.