cobber

noun

Etymology: Uncertain. Perhaps from Yiddish חבֿר (khaver, “friend, comrade”), from Hebrew חבר (ḥāḇēr, “friend”), possibly via Dutch gabber; alternately, perhaps from the British dialectal term cob (“take a liking to”), or a conflation of both. The suggestion that it is a self-referential collective term for convicts and immigrants who departed for Australian shores from the Irish port of Cobh seems chronologically unlikely.

1. A pal, buddy, mate, friend; often used in direct address by one male to another.

   “What's up, cobber?”

   “G'day cobber!”

2. A sweet consisting of a small block of hard caramel covered in chocolate.