Bloke is a slang term for a . It is used in the UK and Southern Africa, is widely used in Australia and New Zealand, and also used in the US. An example of use would be "Jim is a good bloke." The earliest known usage is from the early 19th century, derived from an earlier slang term used in the 18th century. There is considerable discussion among experts about the words ultimate origin with multiple theories. The term gained in use during the 20th century and influenced Australian culture with a popular work by called "". The term was used to reinforce a populist image of the female Prime Minister of Australia , whose partner () was called "First Bloke".

 Origin

The word first appears in early 19th century England possibly, according to , as a variation of the slang term gloak, which itself was a variation of an older slang term buzzgloak, meaning pickpocket. Originally bloke was criminal jargon (or ) for a man of station, someone who was not a criminal, as in: "I stole the bloke's watch right off em." The ultimate origin ofgloak or bloke is not entirely clear. Some believe it derives from the Celtic word ploc, a large, bull-headed person.

 Etymology

According to Quinion, and , bloke probably derives either from the , language of the (gypsies), or from , a secret language of Welsh and Irish . These languages have roots with the Hindi loke, a man. Lexicographer conjectured the word loke was the original but an unspecified word "too low for mention" was the cause of a b- added in slang. The (OED) says the word is of "Origin unknown" but adds: " compares 'Gypsy and Hindi loke a man.'" The OED's first cited use is in 1861.

 History

The earliest found usage, according to Quinion, is from 9 April 1829 in the court papers of the in the trial of 17-year old John Daly who was charged with housebreaking. It appears in the transcript once as blake and once as bloke. (Daly was found guilty and hanged). In 1839, H. Brandon included it in his book Poverty, Mendacity and Crime but spelled it bloak and defined it as "a gentleman". After the early 1850s, the term becomes more widely used in literature including by and to mean a man of any class, which is the meaning most popular today. The OED adds a specialist usage in naval slang from 1914 onwards for the commander of a warship, shown as "the Bloke" with a capital "B" in its examples.Moncler Online

In Australia, where it was used early on, the term meant "the boss" or someone of status. In the US the term was in use by the late 19th century and is still not entirely extinct. Some Americans used it the sense of a stupid or worthless person.The stupid person sense may originate with the Dutch blok, a fool, which is where comes from.

 Influences in Australian culture

An article in states "'The Bloke' is a certain kind of Australian or New Zealand male" and goes on to describe "the Classic Bloke" as "not a voluble beast. His speech patterns are best described as infrequent but colorful." He is "pragmatic rather than classy....does not whinge" and "knows how to take a beating".Moncler Jakker

In art, one of the most influential uses of bloke was by Australian poet , whose verse collection "" was published in 1915, "revealing as it did to Australians their own slang and culture of the common people." The comedic work is one of the most widely read books of verse in Australia. According to the , which examines the popularity of words in published sources over time, bloke increased in popularity starting around the turn of the century and reached a peak around 1950 before leveling off around 1960 at a flat level up to 1999. The term remains popular into the 21st century, as evidenced in many published titles such as Bloke: A Cookbook (2010), and Bloke (2009) "the story of an ordinary man who discovers he's not so ordinary," and numerous other titles that use bloke.Moncler ned Frakker Kvinder

Archetypal Australian blokes in the media have included actor , and his fictitious movie character , and . Brendan O'Neill, writing for , refers to the rugged quality of "Aussie blokes" , , and as fitting them to play Hollywood's "edgier superheroes" better than their "waxed and plucked" American counterparts.Discount Moncler Jakker 

In politics, the term was used as a populist phrase to replace "First Lady" with "First Bloke". Following the which installed as the first female Prime Minister of Australia on 24 June 2010, media outlets began to focus on her , , with the first reference to him as the "First Bloke" appearing in newspapers three days later. Whilst the term was originally used in jest, in time it became a common and accepted term of reference to Matheison, particularly with regard to his involvement in volunteer and charity work.Kb Moncler