Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. a period of idleness.

1945		Smith’s Wkly (Sydney) 10 Feb. 21: After the 1330 parade, Mulvaney and I had sneaked back to our tent for the usual half-hour’s bludge.
1957		‘Nino Culotta’ They’re a Weird Mob (1958) 79: Then yer swing ’er over ter Pat again, an’ ’ave a bludge while ’e’s fillin’ ’er up.
1963		(con. 1944) L. Glassop Rats in New Guinea 148: A good bludge and good food [...] soon fixed me up.
1979		Lette & Carey Puberty Blues 48: Phew. The class sat back for a bludge. Once we got him going he’d talk away for at least half the period.
1986		R.G. Barrett Real Thing 15: Norton was enjoying the afternoon bludge in the sun.

2. an imposition.

1947

V.C. Hall Bad Medicine 160: The history of the Northern Territory is the story of one long bludge on the aboriginal [AND].

3. an easy job, a sinecure.

1948		Northern Standard (Darwin, NT) 1 Oct. 8/5: To be frank...it was a bit of a bludge.
1959		D. Hewett Bobbin Up (1961) 95: I dunno what they do on that night shift [...] Must be the biggest bludge on earth.
1960		J. Walker No Sunlight Singing (1966) 178: This job of yours with Native Affairs would be a fair old bludge.
1965		W. Dick Bunch of Ratbags 77: What a bludge those blokes have.
1990		R.G. Barratt ‘Public Dis-Service’ in What Do You Reckon (1997) [ebook] How can you stand up in a pub and state what a well-paid bludge your job is,.
1998		R.G. Barrett Mud Crab Boogie (2013) [ebook] ‘To be honest, it’s a bit of a bludge [...] I can always wangle a night off’.
2007		D. McDonald Luck in the Greater West (2008) 105: The job was a bludge.

4. an act of scrounging.

1957		D. Niland Call Me When the Cross Turns Over (1958) 75: What’s the big idea, coming the bludge on us.
1979		Lette & Carey Puberty Blues 89: We bought our ten cents worth of lollies. That was our daily bludge from Mr Knight.