"<i>Sand-blind</i>. Dim of sight; as if there were sand in the
eye, or perhaps floating before it. It means something more
than purblind."
"As if there were sand in the eye,"--an admirable description
of the Australian <i>Sandy-blight</i>.
1869. J. F. Blanche, `The Prince's Visit,' p. 20:
"The Prince was suff'ring from the sandy blight."
1870. E. B. Kennedy, `Four Years in Queensland,' p. 46:
"Sandy-blight occurs generally in sandy districts in the North
Kennedy; it may be avoided by ordinary care, and washing the
eyes after a hot ride through sandy country. It is a species
of mild ophthalmia."
1891. Rolf Boldrewood, `A Sydney-side Saxon,' p. 78:
"He had pretty near lost his eyesight with the sandy blight,
which made him put his head forward when he spoke, as if he
took you for some one else, or was looking for what he couldn't
find."
<hw>Sarcophile</hw>, and <hw>Sarcophilus</hw>, <i>n</i>. the
scientific name of the genus of carnivorous marsupial animals
of which the <i>Tasmanian Devil</i> (q.v.) is the only known
living species.(Grk. <i>sarkos</i>, flesh, and <i>philein</i>,
to love.)
<hw>Sardine</hw>, <i>n</i>. name given in Australia to a
fresh-water fish, <i>Chatoessus erebi</i>, Richards., of the
herring tribe, occurring in West and North-West Australia, and
in Queensland rivers, and which is called in the Brisbane river
the <i>Sardine</i>. It is the <i>Bony Bream</i> of the New
South Wales rivers, and the <i>Perth Herring</i> of Western
Australia.
<hw>Sarsaparilla, Australian</hw> or <hw>Native</hw>,
<i>n</i>. (1) An ornamental climbing shrub, <i>Hardenbergia
monophylla</i>, Benth., <i>N.O. Leguminosae</i>. Formerly
called <i>Kennedya</i> (q.v.).
(2) <i>Smilax glycyphylla</i>, Smith, <i>N.0. Liliaceae</i>.
1883. F. M. Bailey, `Synopsis of Queensland Flora,' p. 114:
"Native Sarsaparilla. The roots of this beautiful purple-
flowered twiner (<i>Hardenbergia monophylla</i>) are used by
bushmen as a substitute for the true sarsaparilla, which is
obtained from a widely different plant."
1889. J. H. Maiden, `Useful Native Plants,' p. 189:
"Commonly, but wrongly, called `Native Sarsaparilla.' The
roots are sometimes used by bushmen as a substitute for the
true sarsaparilla (<i>Smilax</i>), but its virtues are purely
imaginary. It is a common thing in the streets of Sydney,
to see persons with large bundles of the leaves on their
shoulders, doubtless under the impression that they have the
leaves of the true Sarsaparilla, <i>Smilax glycyphylla</i>."
1896. `The Argus,' Sept. 8, p. 7, col. 1:
"He will see, too, the purple of the sarsaparilla on the
hill-sides, and the golden bloom of the wattle on the flats,
forming a beautiful contrast in tint. Old diggers consider the
presence of sarsaparilla and the ironbark tree as indicative of
the existence of golden wealth below. Whether these can be
accepted as indicators in the vegetable kingdom of gold below
is questionable, but it is nevertheless a fact that the
sarsaparilla and the ironbark tree are common on most of
Victoria's goldfields."
<hw>Sassafras</hw>, <i>n</i>. corruption of <hw>Saxafas</hw>,
which is from <hw>Saxifrage</hw>. By origin, the word means
"stone-breaking," from its medicinal qualities. The true
<i>Sassafras</i> (<i>S. officinale</i>) is the only species of
the genus. It is a North-American tree, about forty feet high,
but the name has been given to various trees in many parts of
the world, from the similarity, either of their appearance or
of the real or supposed medicinal properties of their bark.