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joey


same as bindi or bindi-eye. When you stand on them you hop about like a kangaroo (or joey): Did you stand on a joey? Compare bindi-eye, bindy, jo-jo, prickle.

Contributor's comments: When I was a kid we called 'bindi-eyes' 'joeys' in Newcastle. My husband thought this was very strange because in Wollongong where he grew up 'joeys' were the great big version of the prickly things in grass. Now my kids think we're both strange because no one has even heard of 'joeys'!

Contributor's comments: When I was growing up in the 1950s, we'd tread warily at the time of year when the grass was covered in "joeys". I'd noticed that in other areas they were called "bindis" and that "bindis" were encroaching linguistically.