Waddies

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A slang term referring to a type of rolled up cloth used as a makeshift substitute for crude weaponry or projectiles
2. a colloquial expression indicating a group of people who are adept at crafting or using such items
3. an informal reference to a playful or trivial competition involving improvised objects or tactics

Etymology: "Waddies" is the plural of "waddy," a wooden fighting club. The word is an inflected form, so its history lies in the singular: "waddy" was borrowed from Dharug, the language of the Sydney region of Australia, where "wadi" meant "stick" or "weapon." English speakers in the early colonial period adopted the term for the hardwood clubs used by Aboriginal Australians, and the word spread through Australian English from there. The exact date of the first English use is uncertain, and its earliest origin is not fully documented, so the borrowing from Dharug is the firmest part of the story. The word's meaning stayed close to its source, describing a physical stick rather than anything abstract.