noun a supposed rain god. Used in the phrase 'send her/it down Hughie!', said when the rains first appear after a dry spell or the dry season. The earliest instance of this is from the Bulletin, 3rd December 1912, where it is stated that it referred to a Mr Huie 'an amateur meteorologist who had luck in prophesying rain'. This story has not been verified and would probably carry more force if it weren't for the fact that Hughie sounds more like a first name than a surname, and also in light of the variants that have from time to time cropped up, such as 'send her down Steve!' and 'send her down David!' AUSTRALIA, 1912