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A bum steer

Posted by Paul Guthrie on June 14, 2000

In Reply to: A bum steer posted by Michelle Calder on June 13, 2000

: My father was a New Zealander and would use this phrase in the context 'would I ever give you a bum steer?'
: Where does this expression come from and what does it mean?

This expression is also quite common in Australia.
My understanding of 'bum steer' is - to be led astray, intentionally or unintentionally, by mis-leading or wrong information.
i.e. 'bum' meaning 'no good', and 'steer' meaning to 'guide in a particular direction'.

Actually I've just found it in the Macquarie (Australian) dictionary, and it just says 'incorrect information or advice'.

I am always interested in the 'alternate imagery' of a phrase, in this case it would be 'buttocks cattle' ('bum' also being the word for buttocks here in Australia). It seems that such phrases are always overlayed, subtly or unconsciously, with the alternate imagery. In this case I don't know whether the imagery is useful or misleading!?

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