Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. a job.

1906		Sun. Times (Perth) 16 Sept. 4/7: The slavey [...] ’as got a possy as chair-warmer for the Coghills.
1926		J. Doone Timely Tips For New Australians 20: POSSIE.—A slang contraction of the word position which denotes a place. A job.
1941		K. Tennant Battlers 301: Going to get a possie in the cannery?
1943		Baker ‘Influence of Amer. Sl. on Aus.’ in AS XVIII:4 255: Here are a few of the items included: [...] pozzie, a place, position, job.
1951		D. Stivens Jimmy Brockett 53: This day, when Bill starts puffing up his chest and offering him a possie, the old man just snorts and goes on hoeing into his roast beef.
1955		D. Niland Shiralee 72: Up here, mate, there’s a possy, if you can work yourself in.
1967		F. Sargeson Hangover 29: Jasper’s jacked himself up a bloody good pozzie.
1970		B. Fuller Nullarbor Story 137: I kinda fancy a bakery, seein’ it has to be a permanent possi for quite a bit.

2. (Aus.) a position, usu. an advantageous or military one.

1915		C.E.W. Bean Anzac Book 102/1: His mates used to take a mean advantage of his good nature, and would shunt all the work, such as sweeping the ‘possie,’ or trenches, on to him. [Ibid.] 125: ‘Possie!’ exclaimed the inquiring General. ‘What is a “Possie”?’ / ‘That, sir, [...] is Australian for recess, either firing or sleeping. It’s a contraction of “position”.’.
1915		R.D. Doughty diary 10 Nov. 🌐 They gave us special attention. Sent over about 30 and our ‘posy’ [position] at present resembles a rabbit burrow.
1915		T. Skeyhill ‘The Sniper’ Soldier Songs from Anzac (1916) 15: ’E climbs up stunted pine-trees, / An’ snipes away at us. / But ’e never shows ’is pozzy, / An’ ’e never makes a fuss.
1918		Kia Ora Coo-ee 15 May 4/3: It is not unlike gorse, and bears a profusion of thorny spikes, like stag’s antlers. A ‘possy’ made of these is the nearest thing to a wire mattress bed. [Ibid.] 18/1: Around his sniping ‘possy’ he had placed several huge, white sandbags.
1918		R.H. Knyvett ‘Over There’ with the Australians 164: From this pozzie one of my boys saw a German Staff car.
1919		C.H. Thorp Handful of Ausseys 288: Fritz keeps on tryin’ ter feel our possies [...] with small patrols.
1921		(con. WWI) E. Lynch Somme Mud 104: The jar is in the signallers’ possie.
1924		(con. WWI) A.G. Pretty Gloss. Sl. [...] in the A.I.F. 1921–1924 (rev. t/s) n.p.: possy. Abbreviation of ‘Position;’ Place; Dug-out; home.
1928		A.W. Upfield House of Cain 120: He’s gone back to his old possie [...] Or there may be two of them.
1932		(con. WWI) L. Mann Flesh in Armour 75: ‘Gawd, just when a man’s got a decent possy, he has to leave it’.
1934		T. Wood Cobbers 42: I get in a good pozzy, and if one of the bastards jibs I touch him up with a tickler.
1947		Advertiser (Adelaide) 31 Mar. 6/3: He we will be in a winning possie at the end of a couple of furlongs.
1954		Argus (Melbourne) 6 Mar. 17/2: Just keep yer eyes skinned and dopn’t let any of them squatters pinch our possie.
1968		D. O’Grady A Bottle of Sandwiches 55: Stan the publican was in his usual possie, squirting beer into glasses.
1974		J. McNeil How Does Your Garden Grow Act III: I just said this ain’t a bad possie.
1977		(con. 1941) R. Beilby Gunner 175: Up there’s a good pozzie, I reckon.
1983		R. Aven-Bray Ridgey-Didge Oz Jack Lang 7: She had been posted on the possie for over a fairy bower and had not cracked it.
1986		T. Winton That Eye, The Sky 139: Chooks fight for good pozzies in the roosts.
1993		K. Lette Foetal Attraction (1994) 117: Well, this is a nice little possie, for a seminar.
1996		J. Byrell Lairs, Urgers & Coat-Tuggers 333: [H]e [i.e. a racehorse] is a trifle slow off the mark and cannot retain that pozzy .
1996		(con. 1964-65) B. Thorpe Sex and Thugs and Rock ’n’ Roll 148: From his pozzie on the floor, Manny’s eye was a foot away.
2003		McGill Reed Dict. of N.Z. Sl. 162: possie Hiding place and/or useful position, originally Gallipoli dugouts. ANZ.
2007		S. Maloney Sucked In 46: With his parliamentary pension and a pozzie on the board [...] he would want for nothing.
2014		me-stepmums-too-fuckin-hot-mate at www.fakku.net 🌐 Stay in this possie for much longer an’ they won’t be able to pry us apart.

3. (Aus./S.Afr.) a seat.

1918		Kia Ora Coo-ee 15 Sept. 18/3: You remember that concert at Belah, in March, on the last night of the Sports? Well, I had a good pozzie there, and some of the songs hit me to leg. [...] They woke up all the sentiment in us.
1967		Oz 2 15: ‘The Wanderer’s Pozzie’ Motel at Surfer’s Paradise.
1985		B. Simon ‘Outers’ Born in the RSA (1997) 50: Ja, I’m quite tired today. I think I’ll go find a kip possie.

4. (Aus. und.) the target of a prospective break-in.

1923

Smith’s Wkly (Sydney) 11 Aug. 15/1: Having carefully screwed off the possy, make friends with Fido.

5. (S.Afr.) a room, a home.

1949		H.C. Bosman Cold Stone Jug (1981) II 22: I can’t go back to the pozzy I’m sharing with Snowy Fisher. [...] Like as not the johns is already laying for me there.
1985		B. Simon ‘Outers’ Born in the RSA 1997 58: I go up to her possie – Barbara’s possie – I knocked on the door.
1989		B. Simon ‘Score Me the Ages’ Born in the RSA (1997) 141: I’m sharing this pozzie with these ous and I got to pay the rent man. [Ibid.] 145: How much you pay for this pozzie hey.
2005		A. Lovejoy Acid Alex 66: John invited me to [...] spend a weekend at his parents’ pozzie, where I met his two closest chommies.

6. (N.Z. prison) a prostitute [? mishearing of prossie n. (1)].

2001

D. Looser Boobslang [U. Canterbury D.Phil. thesis] 144/1: possie n. a prostitute.