Australian History

Similarly 'fossick', which now means 'to rummage or search around or about', has its origin on the goldfields. The word fossick comes from British dialect where it meant 'to obtain by asking, to ferret out'.

On the goldfields it had two meanings: ... 'to steal gold from other diggers, especially from an unattended claim' ...The transferred usage was often ironic: 'If one in want of a dinner called at his neighbour's tent at mutton time he would be a fossicker'. But it is the first meaning which has survived into contemporary Australian English.
Australian National Dictionary Centre, Gold

Cheers

Doug

Sorry, not the expression I am looking for Doug

Another clue

I came about because of the actions of a very small minority

bushranger = A criminal of the 1800s who lived in the bush and robbed people, especially travellers.

Cheers

Doug

Watchunder = Chunder ( spew , up chuck )

Doug,Doug,Doug, you should know by now that I'm more devious than to have an easy answer like that ]
The minority group were doing something similar to bush rangers, but it was legal

dam it said:

Watchunder = Chunder ( spew , up chuck )

Click to expand...

No mate, but what they were trying to do had a few people spewin

Cop/copper

1. police officer; 2. profit or gain: He could sell it now and make a cop out of it"; "taking a cop; 3. catch out doing something illegal; bust: copped us nicking apples; 4. receive or obtain: cop a feel; copped a gong; 5. accept resignedly; put up with: Would you cop a deal like that?; 6. be allotted; receive: She copped more than her fair share"; "cop a fine of $200"; "he dished it out and he copped it; 7. steal (Old English coppian - lop, steal)

Is this any closer xcvator

Cheers

Doug

Sorry Doug 8.( 8.( getting colder

The person that actually coined the phrase had a habit of referring to himself in the 3rd person in his writings

xcvator said:

Sorry, not the expression I am looking for Doug

Another clue

I came about because of the actions of a very small minority

Click to expand...

with noble ambitions

Would it be to do with

" Buying a Furphy " ?

Have heard 2 different stories 1 / a Furphy water tank from Shepparton in 1850 's was a poor copy of a Murphy tank
2/ a mob was selling poor quality beer around the goldfields brewed in a Furphy tank which made
everyone crook ?

Rafferty's Rules

everything is a mess and mixed up, done all wrong, with no rules at all

Still trying

Cheers

Doug

Bootlegger

The clues so far

I am an expression from the mid 18th century

I came about because of the actions of a very small minority

The minority group were doing something similar to bush rangers, but it was legal

but what they were trying to do had a few people spewin

The person that actually coined the phrase had a habit of referring to himself in the 3rd person in his writings

with noble ambitions

New clue
You really have to peer into the clues and hints

And all those clues will lead you to an australian mythical creature, maybe

Is the clue about the mid 18th century correct? That is before European settlement of Australia, ie in the mid 1700's, say 1740 to 1760 or so.

DrDuck said:

Is the clue about the mid 18th century correct? That is before European settlement of Australia.

Click to expand...

Shyte, sorry mid 19th century , please don't whip me too hard :8 :8 between 1840 and 1860

would it be by chance the practice of forced labour by unscruplous sea captains..'Pressed 'into service, Blackbirding or being 'SHANGHAI-ED.

nah, nothing to do with the sea, quite the opposite

Dry as a dead drongos donger

haha I think you mean 'DINGO'..YER Drongo....hehe