Australian Slang for "lookout" person in a gang

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

For various reasons I have been attempting to remember the Australian slang word for the person in a gang whose role was to be the lookout. The lookout warned the other gang members - who were up to no good - if someone like the Police came near them. I keep drawing a blank in my head on what the slang word was.

Can anyone remember what the slang word for a lookout is? Thank you in advance.

Kind regards
Lionel

[Ferret]

Cockatoo

[Saitch]

Cockatoo

Spot on! All these years of knowing the term and, thanks to Lionel's question, it just occurred to me that it may have been a Gang-Gang!

[BradC]

Cockatoo

I once new a girl who'd seen a ....

[Lionelgee]

Hello BradC, Ferret and Saitch,

Thank you for identifying the term as a "Cockatoo" - I had the inkling that it was a bird - however, my brain kept coming back to 'stool pigeon'. However it is not an Australian slang word and it also not a very desirable state to be in.

Kind regards
Lionel

[JDNSW]

Cockatoo apparently is used in this way because the white cockatoo, when most of the flock is on the ground, busy eating the grain just planted, or similar, has at least one on a high perch such as a dead tree, who kicks up a fuss when a predator is seen approaching, so that the flock can get airborne and be able to escape.

[RANDLOVER]

I wonder if cockatoos have different calls for airborne and earth bound predators like meerkats.

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

On a continuing quest for equivalent Australian slang term for different roles within gangs. United States terms like "patsy" and "fall guy" are easily found for a gullible member or slower member of a gang who is not quick enough to recognise the need to take evasive action and they get caught in the act committing a crime. Sometimes this member of the gang is deliberately set up to get caught. Meanwhile the other quicker members of the gang successfully make their escape.

Is there an Australian slang word for Patsy/Fall guy? You know a polite slang word that will not need to be censored.

I wonder if anyone has ever written a guide book for the names of Australian gang members' roles? Perrone & White, (2000) suggest that, "over 150 years ago, the Cabbage Tree Hat Mob, one of the prominent “youth gangs” of the time, reputedly annoyed respectable Sydneysiders". The Cabbage Tree Hat Mob featured at the start of a History of the Rocks book that I bought in my youth during one of my frequent visits to the Rocks in Sydney. Having grown bored with living in Goulburn, I would take the morning train to Sydney. I would spend the day walking around and then catch the last train out of Central Station back home to Goulburn. It used to be a very good day out. Yes - living in Goulburn I did that trip a number of times! I unfortunately parted company with that book when I moved away from Goulburn. From memory the book had a lot of detail about the nature and operations of gangs in the Rocks.

By the way - there is a detailed article about the Cabbage Tree Hat available by clicking this link - Accessed 9th May 2025
The Cabbage Tree Hat - Iconic Headwear of Australia's Early Settlers (https://www.freesettlerorfelon.com/cabbage_tree_hats.html)

Unemployment aye! How come this old Styx song keeps playing in my mind? Too Much Time On My Hands https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XcKBmdfpWs
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XcKBmdfpWs)
Well that was a nice little break from searching and applying for jobs in the attempt to keep ahead of the apparent run of waking up each morning and receiving a rejection email for a job that I had previously applied for. It is not the way to start the day that I would recommend anyone doing. Back to the quest...

Vintage Bon Scott's AC/DC sum it up pretty well in their old song Down Payment Blues
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFyGuuJJfKU


Plus, it is good to mooch on to Ride On and enjoy the nice blues guitar rifts while applying for a new job ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFUGvdxuQGQ



Kind regards
Lionel

(Perrone, S. & White, R. (2000). Young people and gangs. Trends & issues in crime and criminal justice no. 167. Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology. Young people and gangs | Australian Institute of Criminology (https://www.aic.gov.au/publications/tandi/tandi167))

[NavyDiver]

Hello All,

On a continuing quest for equivalent Australian slang term for different roles within gangs. United States terms like "patsy" and "fall guy" are easily found for a gullible member or slower member of a gang who is not quick enough to recognise the need to take evasive action and they get caught in the act committing a crime. Sometimes this member of the gang is deliberately set up to get caught. Meanwhile the other quicker members of the gang successfully make their escape.

Is there an Australian slang word for Patsy/Fall guy? You know a polite slang word that will not need to be censored.

I wonder if anyone has ever written a guide book for the names of Australian gang members' roles? Perrone & White, (2000) suggest that, "over 150 years ago, the Cabbage Tree Hat Mob, one of the prominent “youth gangs” of the time, reputedly annoyed respectable Sydneysiders". The Cabbage Tree Hat Mob featured at the start of a History of the Rocks book that I bought in my youth during one of my frequent visits to the Rocks in Sydney. Having grown bored with living in Goulburn, I would take the morning train to Sydney. I would spend the day walking around and then catch the last train out of Central Station back home to Goulburn. It used to be a very good day out. Yes - living in Goulburn I did that trip a number of times! I unfortunately parted company with that book when I moved away from Goulburn. From memory the book had a lot of detail about the nature and operations of gangs in the Rocks.

By the way - there is a detailed article about the Cabbage Tree Hat available by clicking this link - Accessed 9th May 2025
The Cabbage Tree Hat - Iconic Headwear of Australia's Early Settlers (https://www.freesettlerorfelon.com/cabbage_tree_hats.html)

Unemployment aye! How come this old Styx song keeps playing in my mind? Too Much Time On My Hands https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XcKBmdfpWs
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XcKBmdfpWs)
Well that was a nice little break from searching and applying for jobs in the attempt to keep ahead of the apparent run of waking up each morning and receiving a rejection email for a job that I had previously applied for. It is not the way to start the day that I would recommend anyone doing. Back to the quest...

Vintage Bon Scott's AC/DC sum it up pretty well in their old song Down Payment Blues
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFyGuuJJfKU


Plus, it is good to mooch on to Ride On and enjoy the nice blues guitar rifts while applying for a new job ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFUGvdxuQGQ



Kind regards
Lionel

(Perrone, S. & White, R. (2000). Young people and gangs. Trends & issues in crime and criminal justice no. 167. Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology. Young people and gangs | Australian Institute of Criminology (https://www.aic.gov.au/publications/tandi/tandi167))

'Sucker' or 'mug' perhaps.

[Ferret]

I once new a girl who'd seen a ....

Perth girl?... Maybe I know her. I have a friend who counts them.

[scarry]

Noisy bloody things.Friends of ours had a group of them wreck their balcony railing while they were on holiday overseas.
Chewed it to pieces,it was huge money to fix,no insurance as it was "vermin" damage.

My son has them at his place,they eat the Qld nuts,so must have very strong beaks.

[BradC]

Perth girl?... Maybe I know her. I have a friend who counts them.

Dubai. Emirates hostess :)

[Lionelgee]

'Sucker' or 'mug' perhaps.

Hello Navy,

Both one of those almost naturalised American imports to Australia I think. You know cultural imperialism and gullible natives who do not value their own culture.

Kind regards
Lionel

[Saitch]

Noisy bloody things.Friends of ours had a group of them wreck their balcony railing while they were on holiday overseas.
Chewed it to pieces,it was huge money to fix,no insurance as it was "vermin" damage.

My son has them at his place,they eat the Qld nuts,so must have very strong beaks.

They crack and eat the inside of our peaches, off the tree. I've got to be quick to get any fruit.[bigsad]

[350RRC]

Hello All,

....................

Is there an Australian slang word for Patsy/Fall guy? You know a polite slang word that will not need to be censored.

.............................
Kind regards
Lionel

(Perrone, S. & White, R. (2000). Young people and gangs. Trends & issues in crime and criminal justice no. 167. Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology. Young people and gangs | Australian Institute of Criminology (https://www.aic.gov.au/publications/tandi/tandi167))

A Dutto.

[RANDLOVER]

Dubai. Emirates hostess :)

Perhaps she's named Marsu an acquaintance of Austen Tayshus and his mate Al?

[JDNSW]

Noisy bloody things.Friends of ours had a group of them wreck their balcony railing while they were on holiday overseas.
Chewed it to pieces,it was huge money to fix,no insurance as it was "vermin" damage.

My son has them at his place,they eat the Qld nuts,so must have very strong beaks.

When I was working in the middle of the Simpson, I think it was, sixty years ago, one of the crew had one as a pet. Its specialty was eating the camp wiring. Of course, it chewed on anything else that seemed chewable, but that was what really attracted attention.

[Tins]

They would eat the walnuts off my tree where I used to live. Here they just eat the house. Well, they did until I used chilli oil on the cedar.
We have big flocks of the things. Gee they make a racket. Neighbours' cat was right up a tree and about six of the things harassed it for ages, flapping around, screeching all the while. There's a local picnic ground where the tourists used to feed the Kingies and rosellas. Not anymore, cockies have taken over. Funny to watch the tourists try to pat them ( you can with the Kingies ). Strong beaks indeed.

[V8Ian]

Corellas are the worst. When I lived in Karumba they would return to the same massive gum tree, every year, to strip it of every leaf. Damn noisy buggers too.

[JDNSW]

Large flocks of them turn up here every harvest. A lot of them become casualties of failing to get off the road quick enough when eating spilled grain along the roads.

[austastar]

Hi,
A house south of Hobart, made of red cedar boards, had to be wrapped in bird wire mesh to protect it against their destructive amusement.
Cheers

[austastar]

Hi,
Shared album - Dave Lees - Google Photos (https://photos.app.goo.gl/eacJPv98SuFPJdaz7)

Our balcony circus some years ago.

Cheers