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cockeye bob


noun 1. a large whirlwind.
2. a cyclone. Also, cockeyed bob.
Contributor's comments: [Perth informant] aka willy-willy.

Contributor's comments: [Perth informant] For me, we always referred to them as a 'willy willy' or a 'dust devil' - they are small whirlwinds that you would see on a summer's day. A cyclone ... another thing altogether.

Contributor's comments: I grew up in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, and we used the term "cockeyed bob" to describe a particularly severe willy-willy, the type now referred to as "mini-tornadoes". It was never applied to cyclones, however. (Note: Having never seen it written down, I can't be sure if others put a 'd' on the end of "cockeye" or not.)

Contributor's comments: Cock Eyed Bob is used in WA to refer to a whirlwind or "willy willy": "A cock eyed Bob has blown the roof off the dunny."

Contributor's comments: Up here in the top end you get an area, at times in a straight line, where all the trees have been blown down - this I call a cockeye bob. A willie-willie is just a small gust of wind circling across the country.