Meaning & use
budgie smugglers
Last updated
Meaning
nounpluralinformalhumorousAustralianBritish
Tight men's swimming trunks that fit closely like underwear and leave very little to the imagination.
Grammar: Used only in the plural; to talk about one item, say 'a pair of budgie smugglers'.
Patterns
- a pair of budgie smugglers
- wear budgie smugglers
- in his budgie smugglers
He turned up at the beach in a bright red pair of budgie smugglers.
The comedian wore budgie smugglers for the whole show, and the audience loved it.
Some swimmers prefer budgie smugglers because they don't slow you down in the water.
Common combinations
- a pair of budgie smugglers
- He bought a pair of budgie smugglers for his holiday.
- wear budgie smugglers
- You can't wear budgie smugglers at the public pool.
- in budgie smugglers
- The lifeguard was standing in budgie smugglers.
- tight budgie smugglers
- Those tight budgie smugglers look uncomfortable.
Synonyms and how they differ
- Speedos
- A common trademarked brand name often used informally for this kind of swimwear; 'budgie smugglers' is more humorous and specifically Australian/British.
- swimming trunks
- A general term for men's swimwear, which can be loose or tight; 'budgie smugglers' always means the very tight kind.
Commonly confused: budgie smugglers or budgerigar?
budgie smugglers vs budgerigar
A small Australian parrot, often called a 'budgie'. 'Budgie smugglers' gets its name from the way the tight trunks look like a small bird tucked into the front.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'budgie smugglers' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The term refers to tight men's swimming trunks, so it fits a beach holiday. Option An is wrong because they are men's swimwear, not typically worn by women to a wedding. Option C describes birds, confusing the word with 'budgerigar'. Option D is also about birds, not clothing.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “budgie smugglers”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.