In Australian, New Zealand, and Falkland Islands English, a smoko (also "smoke-o" or "smoke-oh") is a short, often informal break taken during work or military duty, although any short break such as a rest or a coffee or tea break can be called a smoko. Among sheep shearers in Australia, the smoko is a mid-morning break, between breakfast and lunch, in which a light meal may be eaten.[1]
There is a town in Victoria, Australia called Smoko, which "gained its name in 1865 because gold seekers regularly stopped here for a smoke and a rest on their way to and from the goldfields".[2]
The term is believed to have originated in the British Merchant Navy,[3] and was in use as early as 1857.[4] The term is still in use in the British Merchant Navy today. The tradition of a smoko in the Australian sense seems to have begun amongst sheep shearers in the 1860s.[5]
Although a slang term, the word "smoko" has been used in government writing and industrial relations reports to mean a short work break.[6] The term achieved broader awareness in the United States and United Kingdom following the popularity of the song “Smoko” by Australian band The Chats.[7]
- ^ McDonald, Roger (1992). Shearers' Motel. Sydney: Picador. ISBN 0-330-27351-5.
- ^ Mevissen, Andrew (4 June 2006). "Weird place names". The Age. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
- ^ Lind, Lewis James (1982). Sea Jargon: A Dictionary of the Unwritten Language of the Sea. Sydney: Kangaroo Press. ISBN 0-949924-22-9.
- ^ Ayto, J.; Simpson, J., eds. (1992). The Oxford Dictionary of Modern Slang. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- ^ "The Australian Tobacco Timeline" (PDF). University of Sydney. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 October 2009. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
- ^ "Glossary of common industrial relations terms". Department of Employment and Industrial Relations (Queensland). Archived from the original on 28 March 2010. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
- ^ Scott, Tim (21 February 2018). "The Chats tell us how they cooked up Smoko". Red Bull. Retrieved 22 June 2021.