Quartz reefer means: A person gold miner or prospector working on a quartz reef.. The word is mostly archaic or historical; you will only encounter it in old texts, period drama, or school history rather than current teen conversation. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
quartz reefer
(AU, obsolete) A person gold miner or prospector working on a quartz reef.
Definitions
Australia
#1·Apr 27, 2026AUS
(AU, obsolete) A person gold miner or prospector working on a quartz reef.
The strong, earnest quartz reefer, carrying with him a well-filled swag, and enough money to "hold on" and try his luck in a systematic manner - a well-dressed and respectable man.
For parents
Quartz reefer means: A person gold miner or prospector working on a quartz reef.. The word is mostly archaic or historical; you will only encounter it in old texts, period drama, or school history rather than current teen conversation. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
For ESL learners
quartz reefer means: A person gold miner or prospector working on a quartz reef.. Register: archaic, historical. Almost never used today; you will find it only in older texts, dictionaries of dialect, or historical writing. Avoid in active vocabulary. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself.
Cluster: work
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For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
Used in
Australia
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Other words near "quartz reefer" (Q)
quarterly courtquarter notequarter-sectionquarter-up pricequarter waterquartoquatequattuordecillionquawkqueanqueanieQuebeckish
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Related terms
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Semantically related
- 74%
(AU, NZ) A reef (seam of quartz).
- 57%
(Australia) A saddle-shaped bedded mineral (usually gold-bearing quartz) vein occurring along the crest of an anticline or (less common) a syncline (an inverted saddle).
- 54%
A mineral deposit associated with the crest of an anticlinal fold and following the bedding planes, usually found in vertical succession, especially the gold-bearing quartz veins of Australia.
- 53%
(UK, obsolete) A chimney sweep who goes door to door looking for work.
- 51%
One who, or that which, queries.