wombat

Truly. I must get my hands on those O'Brian books, chained_bear.

That passage is simply wombastic.

"'Now sir,' cried the Captain, striding into the great cabin, a tall, imposing figure. 'Now sir,'—addressing the wombat, one of the numerous body of marsupials brought into the ship by her surgeon...—'give it up directly, d'ye hear me, there?'

"The wombat stared him straight in the eye, drew a length of gold lace from its mouth, and then deliberately sucked it in again.

"'Pass the word for Dr Maturin,' said the Captain, looking angrily at the wombat: and a moment later, 'Come now, Stephen, this is coming it pretty high: your brute is eating my hat.'

"'So he is, too,' said Dr Maturin. 'But do not be so perturbed, Jack: it will do him no harm, at all. His digestive processes—'

"At this point the wombat dropped the hat, shuffled rapidly across the deck and swarmed up into Dr Maturin's arms, peering at close range into his face with a look of deep affection."
--Patrick O'Brian, Fortune of War, pp. 8-9

Ooh, I just learned that this is an acronym as well, meaning:

Waste of money, brains and time.

And let's not forget its adjectival forms phascolomian and wombastic

According to the OED:
Any of the burrowing marsupials of the genus Phascolomys, native to South Australia and Tasmania, characterized by a thick heavy body, short legs, and a general resemblance to a small bear.

According to me:
A damn cute little furry critter.