Definition of "saltie" in English

noun

1. (Australia, informal) A saltwater crocodile.

   • 1998, Romulus Whitaker, Zai Whitaker, Crocodile Fever: Wildlife Adventures in New Guinea, Orient Longman, India, page 8, ‘Salties’ typically live in and around the coastal mangroves but are not uncommon hundreds of kilometres inland. A saltie grows to around seven metres in length and is the main Asian crocodile responsible for attacks on humans.

2. (Canada, US, nautical) An ocean-going ship that enters the Great Lakes via the St. Lawrence Seaway.

   • Ah, but when will the first oceangoing boat arrive [in Duluth, Minnesota]? . . . In 2015, the first saltie to arrive was the Malta-flagged Kom, which arrived April 13 with a Bulgarian crew to load durum wheat headed for Italy.

3. The saltwater fluke or dab.