sundowner

noun

1. (Australia, obsolete)An itinerant worker, such as a swagman, who arrives at a farm too late in the day to do any work, but readily accepts food and lodging.

   “What he saw was not usual in this part of Australia - a sundowner, a bush waif who tramps from north to south or from east to west, never working, cadging rations from the far-flung homesteads and having the ability of the camel to do without water, or find it.”

   “Like the Australian sundowners, some of these trampers were suspected of never wanting to find a job.”

2. (Australia, obsolete)An itinerant worker, a swagman.
3. A sea captain who shows harsh discipline by requiring all hands to be on board by sundown.

   “Arrogant, aloof, and suspicious, a “sundowner,” or strict disciplinarian, King inspired respect in many but affection in few.”

4. (colloquial)A patient, usually demented, who tends to become agitated in the evening.

   “These patients may improve by day only to relapse at night (nocturnal delirium or sundowner's syndrome).”

   “They generally occur in the evening or at night in the form of "sundowner" syndrome, as a result of diminished sensory input and social isolation and/or exposure to an unfamiliar environment (e.g., the hospital).”

   ““Sundowner′s syndrome” refers to changes in mood and behavior that begin near dusk.”

5. (Africa, Southern, especially)A cocktail consumed at sunset, or to signify the end of the day.

   “The cocktail, the universal “sherry and bitters” and sundowner will have to be retained.”

   “Mrs. Lowe-Island […] had imagined the Sports Club as a large shadowy veranda, with native servants standing like willing statues around the walls, plenty of sundowners, and that laughter which is the result of personal comment […].”

   “Per custom, we capped our drives with a sundowner cocktail party at a scenic vantage point.”

6. A cocktail party held in the early evening.

   “The Sundowner is basically a cocktail party with a buffet on a riverbank in the bush.”

7. A physician employed by the government who practises for private fees after his official hours.
8. Any worker who practises for private fees after official hours.

   “These "sundowners" hold jobs in other — usually related — trades, and do their servicing nights and weekends.”

   “[…] according to Home Furnishings Daily, “Public exposure of the sundowners provides strong support for our campaign for state licensing of TV technicians. […]”

9. A northerly offshore wind which occurs in California along the southern Pacific slope of Santa Ynez Mountains when a region of high pressure is north of the area (the coast of which trends east to west), often preceding or following a Santa Ana and typically occurring at night and ceasing during the day (hence the name).

   “[…] Sundowners originate as a high pressure nudges onto the coast of San Luis […]”

   “[…]winds, and "sundowners" (a dry north wind descending into southern California coastal valleys west of Los Angeles at sunset, displacing moist sea breezes). Extensive burning also occurs during heat waves caused by seaward retreat[…]”

   “[…]sundowner wind blew in gusts from the mountains.”

   “[…]winds called “sundowners” that descend the Santa Ynez Mountains in the evening. Sundowners take place under strong north-to-south pressure gradients between San Francisco and Los Angeles. The term refers to the onset of these winds with[…]”