Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(mainly Aus./N.Z.) a basic stew, served on sheep stations and in the army; also note hashmagandy, a form of manure based on a mix of dried blood the waste residue of boiling-down factories.

1851		J. Lockwood Guide to St Helena 96: The fat of the land is theirs, no twicelaid now, lobscouse, or hashmagandy.
1887		Independent (Footscray, Vic.) 21 May 3/4: We have ‘hash-ma-gandy,’ which is composed of sea biscuits broken up into very small pieces mixed with beef and anything else we can get.
1905		Queenslander (Brisbane) 19 Aug. 45/3: Hash of salt beef and pounded biscuit is dandy-funk [...] the same with some potatoes added is dog’s body, or hash-ma-gandy.
1908		Sun. Times (Perth) 26 July. 68/3: It is difficult to forecast the effect the new impost will have upon [...] the sixpenny hashmagandy caravanserai.
1915		Truth (Wellington) 28 Aug. 7/7: In April, 1914, his domicle on the Anchor Line, preparing hashmagandy for sailors.
1915		Sun. Times (Perth) 11 Apr. 3/2: O’er a cup of tea or some sich drink / And a plate of hashmagandy.
1921		Sun. Times (Perth) 23 Nov. 17/2: If their esteemed devoted more attention to jurisprudence and less to hashmagandy he would have fewer of his decisions upset on appeal.
1924		(con. WWI) A.G. Pretty Gloss. of Sl. [...] in the A.I.F. 1921–1924 (rev. t/s) n.p.: hashmagandy. An insipid and monstrous army dish.
1933		(ref. to 1890–1910) L.G.D. Acland Early Canterbury Runs (1951) 381: Hash-me-gandy – Station stew.
1936		Sun. Times (Perth) 29 Nov. 13/2: Apart from hashmagandies, Irish stews and roasts and boils.
1945		Baker Aus. Lang. 81: For stews our only original contributions appear to be hash-me-gandy and mulligan stew.
1971		Aus. Women’s Wkly 17 Feb. 47/1: Hasmagandy and salmagundy are a reheating of leftover cooked meat and vegetables.
1988		McGill Dict. of Kiwi Sl. 55/2: hash-me-gandy sheep station stew; ref. meagre eating habit of Mahatma Gandhi and English ‘salmagundi’, spiced meat and eggs; c. 1920.
2003		McGill Reed Dict. of N.Z. Sl. [as cit. 1988].