Australian Word Map

treadly

a bicycle: I rode my treddly to the shop. Compare deadly treadly. Also, treddly.

Editor's comments: From the wealth of comments below it appears that treadly is a very widespread term. We have yet to hear from Tasmania, NT and Central Australia. Also, does anyone remember it from before the 1960s?

Contributor's comments: We also called a bike a treddly or deadly-treddly growing up in the '60s on the Mornington Peninsula Victoria.

Contributor's comments: Growing up in the 1970's in Essendon, Melbourne, we used to refer to a bike as a treddly.

Contributor's comments: Also use and heard word in Bendigo (3550) and North Melbourne (3051).

Contributor's comments: Used in Melbourne's outer eastern suburbs in late 1960's and 1970's, heard used by young people in Ringwood/Croydon area and in Prahran (inner suburbs) in early 2002.

Contributor's comments: My family lived in Wangaratta during the 1970s and when ever I went to visit them from Sydney, I always heard my brother and sister use this term for a push-bike. BTW, does 'push-bike' have a regional distribution?

Contributor's comments: I grew up in Cheltenham, Vic, and a bike was always called a treddly (also on the border towns of Albury/Wodonga).

Contributor's comments: I think your regional area is a bit too small. This word is certainly known throughout Victoria.

Contributor's comments: In Central Qld we also call a Bicycle a "Treddly" or a "Push-bike".

Contributor's comments: While not widespread I have heard treddly used in Queensland.

Contributor's comments: I heard and used treadlie for bike, most often Deadly Treadly, in Brisbane in high school in the late 70s.

Contributor's comments: The term treadly was also in use in Brisbane area when I was growing up in the 70's.

Contributor's comments: Treddly is also used in northwest slopes/plains of NSW - I lived in Bingara.

Contributor's comments: I have heard a bicycle referred to as a treddly in Newcastle & Maitland. I don't hear it very often, but I'm surprised it is not listed for our area.

Contributor's comments: Also "treadelly" from "treadle"; known in Sydney since early 80s.

Contributor's comments: The word "treddly" (Pushbike, bike, Pushy, two wheels, iron horse) was widely used in the Peel Valley, NSW, in the seventies. Also we referred to Treddly's as "Nut Crackers" - when your foot slips of the peddle "the family jewels" were always the first thing to hit the cross bar.

Contributor's comments: The word treddly is listed as being a South Australian regionalism but I have heard and used the word commonly in my home state of NSW. In my school days of the 1960's we often rode on the treddlies for a weekend outing.

Contributor's comments: Treddly is also used commonly in Newcastle NSW.

Contributor's comments: I've heard the term "treddly" for many years and particularly when I lived in Canberra.

Contributor's comments: [WA informant] I have heard and used "treddly" before, also "velocipede" was used by my father.

Contributor's comments: We always used to say treddly in WA too, especially in country WA.

Contributor's comments: Treddly was commonly used in Perth WA in the 1970s.

Contributor's comments: I have heard 'treddly' used in the South West of WA.

Contributor's comments: I'm from SA. We spelt it "Treadly" not "Treddly" and a "Deadly treadly" was an old fixed wheel bike that had no handbrakes.

Contributor's comments: I grew up 100km north of Adelaide where treddly, was big around 1970, in fact deadly treddly was the norm. What I did find was that this term was not recognised by anyone I met from outside SA at that time, although people did often recognise the word and say, "Oh, you're from South Australia".

Contributor's comments: This word is fairly wide spread among soldiers. It is sometimes used in the context of "deadly tredlie".

Contributor's comments: I learnt this term in Sydney in the early 80's. I understood it was a Kiwi (New Zealand) regionalism similar to jandles for thongs.

Contributor's comments: Growing up in coastal Queensland (Maryborough north to Ingham) and in Toowomba and Mt. Isa, I never heard a bicycle descibed as a treadly. It was always known as a bike. Bundaberg, Maryborough, Ingham and Mt. Isa were ideal for bike riding and most people had bikes, yet I cannot remember the expression being used. I first heard it a few years ago from a recent friend who was raised in NSW in the 50s and 60's.

Contributor's comments: I'm also from Adelaide. I remember the word used in the 1950s when I was a kid, but never saw it in print so can't comment on the spelling!

Contributor's comments: I have heard the word used in New Zealand also.


Contributor's comments: Also used in Darwin many years ago (70's) deadly treadly: "Ride my treadly to the shop."

Contributor's comments: I have never heard this term used in Brisbane. I first heard it the other day (Melbourne fellow). In my youth we said "Pushie" "Pushbike" or "BMX".

Contributor's comments: I grew up in Gladstone, CQ, and it was used extensively amongst my school mates in the 70's and early 80's. Also known as a "deadly treadly".

Contributor's comments: bicycle: "I rode my treadlie to school."

Contributor's comments: Commonly used in Victoria 30 - 40 years ago.

Contributor's comments: A treadly was always a bike but it actually became slang for cool at the same sort of stage deadly became to mean cool - in my teens.

Contributor's comments: In New Zealand in the 60s and 70s, a 'treadly' was also known as a treadwheel.