Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(Aus./N.Z./US) used to imply social superiority, real or otherwise.

1871		C. Money Knocking About in N.Z. 29: He was not one of those paper-collar bushmen, who expect their men to do everything while they look on. [Ibid.] 86: I enjoyed a real spell of what diggers call a ‘paper-collar life’.
1891		St Paul Daily Globe (MN) 1 Mar.9/2: ‘Paper Collar Joe’ He planned to work Minneapolis, but now he is gone [...] He was a connoisseur and dealer.
1905		‘Jimmy Sago, Jackaroo’ in ‘Banjo’ Paterson Old Bush Songs 49: When the boss wants information, on the men you’ll do a sneak, And don a paper collar on your fifteen bob a week.
1922		Times (Shreveport, LA) 29 Oct. 39/1: Paper-Collar Pete was there.
1925		J. Stevens ‘Logger Talk’ in AS I:3 138: Some loggers smoke the ‘paper collar stiff’s’ cigarette, but it is still called a ‘pimp stick’.

(drugs) LSD, esp. that which has been dropped onto blotting-paper.

2002		‘Drug Terms’ at www.drugscope.org.uk 🌐 LSD [...] paper mushrooms.
2004		‘A-Z of Drugs’ at www.talktofrank.com 🌐 LSD or Lysergic Acid Diethylamide [...] paper mushrooms.

a fool; thus paper-skulled/-sculled adj., foolish, simple.

c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Paper-skul foolish, soft, silly.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: Paper scull, a thin scull’d foolish fellow.
1800		Sporting Mag. Apr. XVI 44/1: ‘Here comes paper-skull.’ – ‘Who do you call paper-skull? [...] my head is as thick as any of yours!’.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1859		Matsell Vocabulum 64: paper-skull A thin-skulled fellow.

(Aus.) a letter.

1888		Overlander Aus. Sketches 24: I determined to send him [a native] off first with a paper yabber to the other stockman, telling him where we had gone [GAW4].
1899		B. Spencer Across Australia 469: Towards evening we were surprised to see two strange natives coming into our camp, one of them carrrying what they call a ‘paper yabber.’ It turned out that our friend Mr. Kell had very kindly sent out after us some messages.
1901		F.J. Gillen Diary (1968) 303: The letter is carried securely tied in a cleft stick which is the usual method of conveying paper yabbers.
1914		B. Spencer Native Tribes of the Northern Territory 36: A letter is always spoken of as a ‘paper yabber’ and is carried in a cleft stick so that it can be seen easily. Last year a native carried a ‘paper yabber’ for me 90 miles in this way.
1927		A.G. Bolam Trans-Aus. Wonderland 119: I put them in a forked stick, and said, ‘Paper Yabber Yalata’ (Yalata is the homestead station near Fowler’s), and off he went without a word or a rag on his back, and brought my mail back, saying, ‘Paper yabber’.
1934		A. Russell Tramp-Royal 245: A Luritja ‘boy’ appeared at X’s post with a ‘paper yabber’ from a distant cattle run.
1935		H.H. Finlayson Red Centre 74: In the bad old days of early settlement undesirable bucks were got rid of by giving them ‘paper yabbers’ to deliver to distant neighbours.
1944		E.S. Sayer Pidgin Eng. 10: Paper yabber belonga wy'pella Sayer awrite. He too much good, makum glad allatime. Big bit paper yabber that one, him talk allasame belong me. Me look out long way, no see Pidgin paper yabber.
1951		E. Hill Territory 445: Paper-yabber: The written word.