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sloppy joe


Long-sleeved sweatshirt: I'm gonna wear my sloppy joe tonight because it's getting cold.

Editor's comments: Are these called "sloppy joes" all over Australia?

Contributor's comments: No, in Victoria it's a windcheater. Only in NSW is it a sloppy joe.

Contributor's comments: In Qld my mother always used this name - I think it must have been a brand name at some stage. In WA they call the same type of thing a "windcheater".

Contributor's comments: I have always used the term sloppy joe, never sweatshirt. However, I think it might mean something a bit rude in New Zealand, because whenever I used it over there, the word usually provoked gales of laughter!

Contributor's comments: I've heard the term sloppy joe used in Melbourne. It appeared on TV ads for certain clothing stores. However, I've only heard it used in conjunction with womens clothing, not men's. The word was widely known at my school (in Melbourne), especially by the American exchange students, who know that it meant something different here than in the US.

Contributor's comments: I agree with the comment that 'windcheater' was a common name for a form of pullover in south west WA in the 50's and 60's. I think it was a brand name, and referred generically (I thought) to a style which had a fleecy interior and a smooth exterior. However, 'sloppy joe' was not an unusual term for a form of the garment which was extra large and shapeless. I also agree with the Victorian contributor who thinks the term referred (at least at first) to female apparel. I always thought the term was an American import just as were 'sweatshirt' and 'sweater'.

Contributor's comments: "Sloppy joe" is definitely not an American import -- in America, a "sloppy joe" is a hamburger, made with loose mincemeat cooked in a tomato sauce - the meat often spills out of the hamburger bun, making them very "sloppy" to eat...

Contributor's comments: In the New England area of NSW in the fifties and sixties we used both terms. Sloppy Joe referred to a sort of loose jumper ( but not a woollen jumper ). A windcheater was a type of jacket with a zip at the front.