2.2 Uses of slang in Modern English

In some cases slang may provide a needed name for an object or action (walkie-talkie, a portable two-way radio; tailgating, driving too close behind another vehicle), or it may offer an emotional outlet (buzz off! for go away!) or a satirical or patronizing reference (smokey, state highway trooper). It may provide euphemisms (john, head, can, and in Britain, loo, all for toilet, itself originally a euphemism), and it may allow its user to create a shock effect by using a pungent slang expression in an unexpected context. Slang has provided myriad synonyms for parts of the body (bean, head; schnozzle, nose), for money (moola, bread, scratch), for food (grub, slop, garbage), and for drunkenness (soused, stewed, plastered).

Slang is used for many purposes, but generally it expresses a certain emotional attitude; the same term may express diametrically opposed attitudes when used by different people. Many slang terms are primarily derogatory, though they may also be ambivalent when used in intimacy or affection. Some crystallize or bolster the self-image or promote identification with a class or in-group. Others flatter objects, institutions, or persons but may be used by different people for the opposite effect. "Jesus freak," originally used as ridicule, was adopted as a title by certain street evangelists. Slang sometimes insults or shocks when used directly; some terms euphemize a sensitive concept, though obvious or excessive euphemism may break the taboo more effectively than a less decorous term. Some slang words are essential because there are no words in the standard language expressing exactly the same meaning; e.g., "freak-out," "barn-storm," "rubberneck," and the noun "creep." At the other extreme, multitudes of words, vague in meaning, are used simply as fads.

There are many other uses to which slang is put, according to the individual and his place in society. Since most slang is used on the spoken level, by persons who probably are unaware that it is slang, the choice of terms naturally follows a multiplicity of unconscious thought patterns. When used by writers, slang is much more consciously and carefully chosen to achieve a specific effect. Writers, however, seldom invent slang.

It has been claimed that slang is created by ingenious individuals to freshen the language, to vitalize it, to make the language more pungent and picturesque, to increase the store of terse and striking words, or to provide a vocabulary for new shades of meaning. Most of the originators and purveyors of slang, however, are probably not conscious of these noble purposes and do not seem overly concerned about what happens to their language.

Why People Use Slang?

Because most people are individuals who desire uniqueness, it stands to reason that slang has been in existence for as long as language has been in existence. Even so, the question of why slang develops within a language has been hotly debated. Most agree that the question is still unanswered, or perhaps it has many answers. Regardless, there is no doubt that we can better explain slang's existence by analyzing how and why it exists.

Foreign words are a common resource for the development of slang, as are regional variations of standard words. David Crystal, author of The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language, calls the introduction of foreign words into a language "borrowings." Likewise, slang may incorporate "elements of the jargons of special-interest groups (e.g., professional, sport, regional, criminal, and drug subcultures)." The Historical Dictionary of American Slang says that "Slang is lexical innovation within a particular cultural context." Sometimes these foreign words and regional variations become part of the standard language.

The Historical Dictionary of American Slang points out that many groups "use slang largely because they lack political power." It is simply a safe and effective way that people rebel against the establishment. Often, however, it appears that slang is ever present and exists even in complacent times. It is created by individuals and perpetuated based upon its usefulness and applicability.

The Columbia Encyclopedia notes that slang is often "well developed in the speaking vocabularies of cultured, sophisticated, linguistically rich languages." Whereas slang was once considered as the lowest form of communication, many now consider slang to be an intelligent and insightful variation to the blandness of the standard language. Gerald Parshall, in a 1994 article for U.S. News & World Report, describes this as "proletarian poetry." The Oxford English Dictionary points out that George Eliot's character in Middlemarch, written in 1871, says that "Correct English is the slang of prigs who write history and essays." For some, it is enough that Shakespeare often used slang.

Others, however, condemn the use of slang, believing that it undermines the standard language and reflects poorly upon its users. Parshall notes that Ambrose Bierce, in his dictionary, called slang "the grunt of the human hog." Even The Oxford English Dictionary's 1989 edition defines slang as "the special vocabulary used by any set of persons of a low or disreputable character; language of a low and vulgar type." In fact, both Crystal and The Historical Dictionary of American Slang point out that Samuel Johnson and Jonathan Swift produced the very first dictionaries partly out of great concern for the corruption of the standard English language.

Whatever the reason(s), slang is here to stay, and its longevity demands attention and explication. Below is an excerpt from David Crystal's book. Crystal cites examlpes from Eric Partridge's Slang, Today and Yesterday to illustrate the many uses of slang. Partridge, according to The Historical Dictionary of American Slang, is "perhaps the century's best-known collector of unconventional English." Of Partridge's "fifteen important impulses behind the use of slang," Crystal notes that he considers numbers 13 and 14 to be the most significant:

"According to the British lexicographer, Eric Partridge (1894-1979), people use slang for any of at least 15 reasons:

1. In sheer high spirits, by the young in heart as well as by the young in years; 'just for the fun of the thing'; in playfulness or waggishness.

2. As an exercise either in wit and ingenuity or in humour. (The motive behind this is usually self-display or snobbishness, emulation or responsiveness, delight in virtuosity).

3. To be 'different', to be novel.

4. To be picturesque (either positively or - as in the wish to avoid insipidity - negatively).

5. To be unmistakably arresting, even startling.

6. To escape from clichés, or to be brief and concise. (Actuated by impatience with existing terms.)

7. To enrich the language. (This deliberateness is rare save among the well-educated, Cockneys forming the most notable exception; it is literary rather than spontaneous.)

8. To lend an air of solidity, concreteness, to the abstract; of earthiness to the idealistic; of immediacy and appositeness to the remote. (In the cultured the effort is usually premeditated, while in the uncultured it is almost always unconscious when it is not rather subconscious.)

9. A. To lessen the sting of, or on the other hand to give additional point to, a refusal, a rejection, a recantation;

B. To reduce, perhaps also to disperse, the solemnity, the pomposity, the excessive seriousness of a conversation (or of a piece of writing);

C. To soften the tragedy, to lighten or to 'prettify' the inevitability of death or madness, or to mask the ugliness or the pity of profound turpitude (e.g. treachery, ingratitude); and/or thus to enable the speaker or his auditor or both to endure, to 'carry on'.

10. To speak or write down to an inferior, or to amuse a superior public; or merely to be on a colloquial level with either one's audience or one's subject matter.

11. To ease of social intercourse. (Not to be confused or merged with the preceding.)

12. To induce either friendliness or intimacy of a deep or a durable kind.

13. To show that one belongs to a certain school, trade, or profession, artistic or intellectual set, or social class; in brief, to be 'in the swim' or to establish contact.

14. To show or prove that someone is not 'in the swim'.

15. To be secret - not understood by those around one. (Children, students, lovers, members of political secret societies, and criminals in or out of prison, innocent persons in prison, are the chief exponents.)

The latest youth slangs of English language

Are you hench, tonk, butters or chung?

How often have you been sconned on peeve?

Are we chatting fluff, or bumming lemon meringue?

With the possible exception of technology-related jargon, young people’s coinages are now probably the richest source of new language in the English-speaking world. The slang of pre-teens, teenagers, students and young adults uses all the techniques of the world’s most influential language in a riot of creative exuberance. Their codes are used to create in-groups and to keep out the too-old and the terminally uncool, but also just to celebrate being young, gifted - and slack.

Youth’s poses, fads and fashions are not just comical, provocative and innovative, but since the 1950s have been a sort of ‘social laboratory’ in which new ways of thinking and behaving are experimented with.

There is a serious side to analysing young people’s slang. Latest research suggests that what was once a passing fad may be evolving into a genuine dialect, dubbed ‘multiethnic youth vernacular’, with its own vocabulary, accent and intonation. This new form of English, heavily influenced by Black and Asian speech, may actually displace what used to be known as the Queens’ English.

In the last few months there have been a couple of significant eruptions of slang into the UK’s ‘national conversation’, and one important subcultural phenomenon has been confirmed. Radio DJ Chris Moyles caused a furore when he referred on air to a mobile phone ringtone as gay, using the word, like many teenagers, as a generalised term of derision, a synonym for lame. Listeners complained about this latest appropriation of a word previously appropriated by homosexuals, while some gays actually defended the usage as non-homophobic, harmless and frivolous. Microphones left on at the Russian summit picked up the US President, George W Bush, greeting the UK Prime Minister in frat-boy or hip-hop style with ‘Yo, Blair!’. The banter that followed in which both men used boyish colloquialisms, Bush easily, Blair self-consciously, seemed to confirm an unequal relationship between them. On the street meanwhile, and in the playground and youth-oriented media, the black northamerican verbal ritual of signifyin’ or soundin’, also known as the dozens, playing the dirty dozens, capping or bad-talk, whereby males compete to diss one another’s mothers with elaborate slanders, had crossed over to feature in UK speech. The tradition, which some think originates from slave auctions where the infirm were sold by the dozen, was designed to test both speaking skills and restraint in the face of provocation, but now functions as a humorous exchange, also practised by females and non-blacks.

Hamstered

meaning: intoxicated by drink or drugs

The few linguists who have studied slang have identified something which they call either ‘overlexicalisation’ or ‘hypersynonymy’. This is when a social sub-group invents far more terms for something than seems strictly necessary. Examples would be the many nicknames that US gang members give to their weapons of choice (gatz, cronz, chrome, iron, etc. for a handgun) or the dozens of words applied by teenagers to outsiders or misfits. The fairly obvious explanation is that these expressions don’t just describe something, but have a greater symbolic importance for the group in question: they help define its members’ common identity and reinforce their fellow-feeling.

Among UK students in further and higher education, by far the biggest category of recorded slang terms concerns drunkenness or the effects of drugs. This might suggest that ‘getting high’ is their favourite communal activity, and there is plenty of evidence that it is, but what the mass of adjectives really proves is that this is a number one topic of conversation, a key rite of passage for all genders and most if not all ethnicities. Hammered (probably the most widespread recent designation: it occurs in the US and Australasia, too), wreckaged and battered all reflect the common metaphorical link between inebriation and damage, destruction or punishment, as do larruped and lashed; lathered, swilled and sloshed use the notion of dribbling and spilling. Long-established pissed may be updated to wizzed or, more often, wazzed, or infantilised into widdled.

In many cases the literal meaning is irrelevant or non-existent, if the word has the right number of syllables and a family resemblance, either in appearance or sound, thus hamstered, hoovered, wombled or wankered, lagged, langed, langered, mulled, munted and willied, A widespread favourite, mullered, looks as if it is related to ‘mulled (wine)’, but a plausible derivation is from the heavy Muller guns once used by the German army against the British.

A number of these terms can refer both to immediate effects (‘drunk’) or after-effects (‘exhausted’, ‘drained’, ‘hung-over’): a female university student of my acquaintance – a young woman whom an older generation might have described as well brought-up – announced one morning that the previous night she had been ‘totally cunted’, blithely using an otherwise taboo term, (twatted is a milder version), here stripped of all its sexual connotations.

More traditional-sounding expressions still prevail among students outside the Southeast, among them bevvying, or (out) on the heavy-bevvy, for drinking: getting newkied may be inspired by nuclear attack, or more probably by ingestion of Newcastle Brown (Ale). In the US racked, hootered, faced (a ‘disguised’ version of shit-faced), and polluted are heard on campus. In Australia off one’s face is well established, while the mysterious locked is Irish

Luka

meaning: money

‘He got bare bollers, man, innit!’ The cry goes up and fellow pupils turn jealously on their suddenly wealthy friend. For many young people money, though an occasional necessity, may be tantalisingly unattainable, something exotic; one of the most ambivalent of adult inventions.

Fashionable nicknames for money among younger teenagers in Britain include bollers, probably a playful changing of ‘dollars’, and boyz. Slightly older students refer to pound coins as beer-tokens and cash dispensers as drink-links. A borrowing, according to users, from older siblings in the OTC (Officer Training Corps), is shrapnel for small change, which is also known by teenagers as snash. Terms in use among Black British street gangs for denominations are, surprisingly, not very exotic at all: papes is paper money in general, a brown is a ten–pound note, a blue is a fiver.

More interesting are the derivations of some words that younger speakers claim for their own generation, but which are really much older. Wonga or womba are well-established Britishisms and used by all age groups, but few are aware that they derive from an old Roma word for ‘coal’. When interviewed, teenagers often take for granted that such words are recent and have been coined by their contemporaries ‘somewhere else in the country’; either that, or they guess at an exotic origin ‘in Africa, maybe, or in an old, lost language’. One of the commonest slang terms for money among teenage schoolchildren in the South of England is another example of a misunderstood exoticism. When users are asked to write it down it appears as luka or lookah, which does have an African or South Asian appearance, but is of course one half of that hoary and often facetious cliché ‘filthy lucre’, presumably overhead one day in an adult conversation and transmitted across the network of peer-groups and playgrounds. Lucre in fact was adopted by English in the 14th century from the Latin lucrum, meaning ‘gain’.

In the US younger speakers may refer to plenty of cash as bokoo (French beaucoup) duckets, many guessing that the second word may be something to do with ducks. It is actually another venerable coinage (sorry), ‘ducats’ being the gold or silver currency used in Renaissance Italy and the Low Countries and mentioned in Shakespeare. Other more predictable synonyms from North America are billies (for banknotes or bills), fundage, and in Canada, rocks (if you are well-off you are rocked-up).

Nang

meaning: excellent

Probably the highest-profile and most resonant examples of youth slang are the succession of synonyms for ‘great’ or ‘excellent’ that have come in and out of fashion since the 1950s. Called ‘vogue terms of approbation’ by linguists, these range from smashing back in the 1950s through fab and gear, those emblematic Scouser terms forever associated with Merseybeat and the Beatles, via groovy, farout and too much, the hippies’ favourites (which I have to admit I sometimes blurt out even today, to the derision of younger listeners).

The end of the 1970s brought ace and brill, occasionally elaborated by younger speakers into ace-to-base and brillo-pads, as well as wicked (sometimes subsequently shortened to wick), the UK’s response to North America’s bad(qv) and its near-contemporary rad.

Although they are invented in order to replace outdated forms, and rely for their power on novelty, these expressions, if they catch on at all, actually stay around for some time, migrating from the cutting-edge of linguistic innovation to outlying regions as provincial or younger speakers discover and cherish them. Thus it is that ultra-fashionable words from the late 1980s and early 1990s like mint, fit, or top, are all of them still to be heard somewhere in the UK. In the 1990s skaters introduced, and still favour, sick as an all-purpose positive, to the intended bafflement of the older generation, and brutal has been used in the same way, first by the mods of the mid-1960s and again by schoolchildren since around 2000.

Probably the most significant of these badges of approval, acceptance or admiration in recent years has been a word which is also important as the first term of South Asian origin to make a real impact across the entire British youthscape. Nang, which began to be heard in areas of East London at the turn of the 20th century, is thought to be from a Bengali word for a naked woman. Peppering the conversation of Bangladeshi youth in districts like Hackney and Tower Hamlets, the word was quickly picked up by other ethnic groups as the preferred replacement for safe, buff or rated. It is often heard in the forms bare nang where bare, from Afrocaribbean usage, is slang for ‘totally’, and more recently nangin’, probably by analogy with other words for ‘exciting’ like bangin’ and kickin’.

Knowing and using nang was for some time a badge of allegiance for youth from London, specifically from the particular multiethnic mix in inner-East London, but since about 2004 its use has spread across the UK with the growing dominance of that variety of yoofspeak, even in areas where no Black or Asian speakers are in evidence. The proof of this importance is that some young commentators in web-based discussions use the designation nang-slang (like blinglish before it) to refer to their entire code, or what linguists more portentously call the ‘new multiethnic youth vernacular’.

bacon band n British

A bulging midriff as displayed, for instance, between abbreviated top and low-cut trousers/skirt. A synonym for the Australian and North American, now global, muffin top recorded in 2006

bait adj British

obvious, self-evident, annoyingly familiar. A term in vogue among teenagers since around 2000.

builder’s bum n British

a visible buttock cleft above trousers, as often revealed by builders, decorators, etc. bending over in public places.

book adj British

bum vb British

1a. to sodomize

1b. to have sex with

A childish usage, popularized by the wigga comic Ali G and still in vogue in 2006.

‘The postman’s been bummin’ your mum!’

2. to practise enthusiastically, enjoy. This usage, fashionable among adolescents in 2006 is probably inspired by the earlier sexual senses of the word.

‘She really bums that band.’

3. to cadge

‘Can I bum a biff [cigarette]?’

bummage n British

1. sex

2.enjoyment, enthusiasm

The word, derived from the verb bum2, was in vogue among adolescents in 2006.

clappin adj British

1a. worn out, exhausted

1b. outdated, unfashionable

A vogue term in both senses among UK adolescents since around 2000. It is probably based on the older clapped out, itself originally with the sense of raddled with venereal disease (the clap).

crump n British

sex, a sex act. In use among UK teenagers since 2000, the word might derive from the slang sense of crumpet, imitate the sound of pounding, or be an arbitrary invention.

deep adj British

1. unpleasant, inferior

2. impressive, attractive

In both senses the word has been fashionable among black adolescents and their imitators since 2000. The usage may have originated in from the jargon of DJs and hip-hop aficionados, or from the codes of street gangs, or both.

flossed-up, flossied-up adj American

dressed ostentatiously, presenting an extravagant or elegant appearance. The term has been widespread since 2000. Floss here is from dental-floss(underwear) a slang term for thongs, when these were thought novel and pretentious.

fudge n British

a very stupid person indeed. Users comment that these letters are likely to represent their GCSE grades, too.

gay adj

disappointing, inferior. This non-homophobic –but definitely pejorative - use of the term has been in vogue among teenagers in the USA since the 1980s and in the UK since 2000. It caused controversy when used in 2006 by British radio DJ Chris Moyles.

grimy adj

excellent, impressive. An expression used on campus in the USA since around 2000 and since around 2004 by British teenagers, invariably as a term of admiration or approval. Grime was a musical genre which appeared in 2004.

helicopter n

an intrusive person and/or irritating presence. In 2006 helicopter parent was in vogue with the slightly different sense of one who hovers constantly, prompting offspring and scrutinising teachers.

the helicopters n British

a bout of dizziness and/or nausea, especially as a result of drugs or alcohol in excess.

immense adj excellent, admirable. A widespread term of appreciation among younger speakers all over the Anglosphere, it was recorded in Black American usage in the mid 1990s, but, as with other superlatives, its borrowings may have happened separately.

prang adj British

scared. Some users say the word is an alteration of ‘paranoid’, originating in Black British gang usage. The form prong was recorded in West London schools in 2006.

swag adj British

frightening, thrilling, ‘edgy’. This extension of the earlier pejorative sense was in vogue in 2006 among teenagers.

uggers adj British

unattractive, hideous. A pre-teen abbreviation also used, perhaps facetiously, by older speakers.

ugly pills, ugly stick n

an imagined source of repellent physical characteristics, manners or behaviour. The words usually form part of a sardonic speculation that the person in question has been ‘taking ugly pills’ or has been ‘hit with the ugly stick’. An alternative suggestion is that the person has ‘fallen out of the ugly tree’.

WAG n British

a spendthrift, vacuous, glamorous young female. The term is formed from the initials of ‘wives and girlfriends’ and was inspired by the behaviour of the England football team’s partners during the 2006 World Cup. A media invention, the word subsequently passed into colloquial speech.

Waggler n British

a lecherous adult male, ‘dirty old man’, paedophile. A playground term, this may be a new coinage or a variant form of the older Northamerican weenie-wagger or weenie-waggler, meaning an exhibitionist or flasher.

Dictionary of youth slang during 1960-70’s

acid (n) LSD, a narcotic drug popular among hippies. see psychedelic, bad trip.

afro (n) haircut popular among African-americans during 1960's and '70's.

aquarian (adj.) we're not sure exactly what this means, but it has

something to do with the "Age of Aquarius" and the musical Hair.

bad scene (n) a bad situation. see scene.

bad trip (n) originally described a bad experience using drugs,

characterized by frightening hallucinations. Can be used to describe any bad

experience.

bag (n) one's main interest or purpose in life.

black light (n) a decorative light, dark blue in color to the human eye,

which makes objects or artwork in flourescent colors appear to glow.

blow your mind (v) to have an enlightening or illuminating experience.

bread (n) money.

bummer (n) bad experience.

bust (v) to arrest someone, (n) an arrest.

cat (n) a person. derived from beatnik language of the 1950's.

chick (n) a girl or woman.

commune (n) an community of people who share possessions, living

accomodations, and work (or lack thereof). Usually encompasses a farm and other

fashionable industries.

crash (v) to sleep, rest, or do nothing.

crash pad (n) a place where one sleeps, rests, or does nothing.

dig (v) like, enjoy, be interested in.

drag (n) an unfavorable situation or state of affairs.

dude (n) person, usually male.

establishment, the (n) traditional business and government institutions,

believed to stand in the way of human progress. see "system, the."

far out (adj) very interesting, good. Also an exclamation.

free love (n) love without expectations or commitment.

fuzz (n) police.

get it on (n) successfully interact with others.

groove (v) enjoy, achieve proficiency at. see "groovy."

groovy (adj) good, interesting, enjoyable.

hang out (v) to be some place, usually doing nothing, with no purpose.

hang-up (n) inhibition, usually due to morals, beliefs, or culture.

happening (adj) exciting, new, good.

heavy (adj) thought-provoking.

hippie (n) [still searching for a definition here]. hip (adj)

knowledgable of, or consistent with, the latest trends and ideas.

Iron Butterfly (n) a rock band which had one popular song, "Inna Gadda Da Vida."

lava lamp (n) a cylindrical glass container filled a semi-solid viscous

material which breaks apart and forms globules while floating in a clear fluid.

like (?) word used to fill up space in an utterance when the speaker is

unable to think of a suitable adjective to describe something. Use of this word

has also been adopted by adjective-challenged subcultures of more recent

generations.

love beads (n) colorful beads worn around the neck to symbolize love.

man (interjection) used as an exclamation to draw attention to one's

utterance. related phrase: "hey, man."

mood ring (n) a ring worn on the finger which contains a large stone, the

color of which is supposed to indicate the wearer's emotional mood. Mood rings

were a fad in the mid-1970's.

oh wow (interjection) exclamation uttered in response to new,

thought-provoking, or exciting information.

out of sight (adj) excellent, outstanding. Often used as an exclamation.

pad (n) living accomodation--house or apartment.

peace (n) absence of war.

psychedelic (adj) of or related to a mental state characterized by a

profound sense of intensified sensory perception, sometimes accompanied by

severe perceptual distortion, hallucinations, or extreme feelings of euphoria

or despair. see acid.

rap (v,n) to talk, conversation. More recently used to name a category of

music where words are spoken, rather than sung.

San Francisco (n) worldwide center of hippie activity and general weirdness.

scene (n) place, situation, or circumstances.

sock it to me (phrase) let me have it.

spaced out (adj) dazed, not alert.

split (v) to leave, depart.

square (adj) old-fashioned, not aware of new thinking and customs. (n)

one who is square.

system, the (n) the system of laws, governance, and justice. see

"establishment, the".

tie dye (v) a method of coloring clothing where the article of clothing

is tied in knots, then dying it to produce an abstract pattern. (n) an article

of clothing dyed in this manner.

trip (n) an unusual experience. (v) to have an unusual experience.

turn on (v) to become enlightened to new ways of thinking or experiencing

reality.

uptight (adj) concerned about maintaining set ways of thinking and doing things.

2. Dictionary of modern British slang

These phrases are in everyday use around most of Britain.

Phrase Meaning

---------------------------------------------------------------------

99 a popular style of ice cream, usually

ordered with a 'flake'

'A' levels exams taken at age 18

abso-bloody-lutely a more definite form of 'absolutely'

afters dessert

aggro trouble; violence

all broke up on holiday, usually from school

all of a twitter very nervous or apprehensive

aluminium aluminum

arse bottom, or ass

arse bandit a homosexual

arse over tit to fall head over heels

arse about playing around, being silly

e.g. "stop arsing about!"

artic an articulated lorry; a bick truck

Aussie an Australian

backhander a bribe

bag an unattractive or elderly woman

balderdash rubbish; nonsense

balls-up a mess; a confusion

banger (1) an old car; (2) a sausage

barking mad crazy

batty dotty; crazy

beak magistrate

beehive a tall hairstyle

bees knees something really good

beetle crusher a boot; a foot

behind bottom; buttocks

berk a stupid person

e.g. "you silly berk"

bevvy a drink

bit of fluff a pretty young single woman

bill, the police, sometimes called "the old bill"

binge a drinking bout

bin liner garbage bag

bin men garbage collectors

bint a rough girl

biro a ballpoint pen

bit of alright something highly satisfactory

black maria a police van

black pudding a sausage like food made from

- pigs blood

- oats

- fat

black sheep of the family a relative who gets into trouble with the

police

blag a robbery; to rob

blagger a robber

Blighty England

blimey ! an expression of surprise

blob a contraceptive

blotto drunk

blower telephone

blow your own trumpet to brag; to boast

blubber to cry

bobby dazzler a remarkable person or thing

bog a toilet, a washroom

bollock naked stark naked

bollocks testicles

bonce head

bonk to copulate

bonnet hood of a car

bookie betting shop owner

boot trunk of a car

boracic penniless

bosch a derogative term for germans

bovver trouble

bovver boot a heavy boot, possibly with a toe cap and laces

quite often worn by skinheads

bovver boy a hooligan; a troublemaker

brass monkey weather cold, taken from the phrase, "it's cold enough

to freeze the balls off a brass monkey"

breakdown van a tow truck

brickie a bricklayer

brill ! short form of brilliant, meaning fantastic

brolly an umbrella

browned off bored; fed up

Brummy a native of Birmingham

bubble and squeak fried cabbage and potatoes

bubbly champagne

bugger all nothing; very little

bumf toilet paper

this led to 'bumf' being used for superfluous

papers, letters etc.

bumming a fag requesting a cigarette

e.g. "Can I bum a fag from you mate ?"

Note: This has a VERY different meaning

in the U.S.

bunch of fives a fist

"button it !" "be quiet !"

caff a cafe

cake hole a person's mouth

cardy abbreviation of cardigan

champers champagne

char tea; a domestic worker

cheeky monkey a rude person

cheesed off bored; fed up

chin chin a drinking toast

chippy a fish and chip shop; a carpenter

chokey prison

chuffed very pleased or proud

clapped out worn out, broken

clappers to go very fast; to work hard

e.g. That car goes like the clappers !

e.g. I have to work like the clappers

to finish it by lunchtime !

clickety click 66 in bingo calling

clink prison

clinker somebody who is outstanding

clobber clothing

clodhopper a clumsy person

clogger a soccer player who tackles heavily

clot a fool

cloth-ears a person with a poor sense of hearing

cobblers testicles; rubbish

cock and bull a story with very little truth in it

cock up to ruin something

e.g. "it was a real cock-up"

e.g. "haved you cocked it up ?"

coffin nail a cigarette

conk nose

conkers a childrens game played with horse chestnuts

copper police man/woman

cough up to pay

crackers crazy

cracking great; fantastic

crackling a woman who is regarded as a sexual object

crate an old name for a very old plane

create to make a fuss or an angry scene

crown jewels male genitalia

crumbly an old or senile person

crumpet a desirable woman

dabs fingerprints

daft stupid

dark horse somebody who suprises others by their actions

des res Estate agents use this to describe a

"desirable residence"

dial face

dickie bow a bow tie

diddicoy a gipsy

dip a pickpocket

dishy good looking

do a runner to leave quickly avoiding punishment

doddle easy

dog's bollocks something really good

dog's breakfast a mess

donkey's breakfast a straw hat

doodah to be in a state of excitement

e.g. "He was all in a doodah !"

doolally scatter-brained; crazy

doorstep a thick sandwich

dosh money

doss house a cheap lodging house

dosser a tramp

do the dirty on to play a mean trick on

dough money

droopy drawers an untidy or sloppy person

drop a sprog have a baby

drum a house or flat

duffer a stupid person

dummy a baby's pacifier

earful to get a shouting

e.g. "My mum gave me a right earful !"

easy-peasy something very simple

earner a lucrative job or task

elevenses morning tea break

extracting the urine see "taking the piss"

fab fabulous; wonderful

face-ache a miserable looking person

fag cigarette

fag-end a cigarette butt

fairy a homosexual man

family jewels male genitalia

fanny female genitalia

fence a receiver of stolen goods

filth, the police

fishy about the gills looking the worse for drink

fizzog face

flake a stick that is made up of flaky

pieces of chocolate

flicks, the the cinema

flog to sell

footy football; soccer

fuzz, the police

gamboll a somersault done on the ground

gamp an umbrella

gentleman's gentleman a valet

Geordie a native of Newcastle

gift of the gab being very free with speech

git an insult

e.g. "You stupid git !"

give it a whirl try it out

give someone the pip to get on someone's nerves

gob mouth

gobsmacked speechless

goes like stink very fast

good nick very good condition

gooseberry a fifth wheel

goosegog a gooseberry

go to the dogs to go to ruin

grass, grasser an informant

hang about wait a moment

hell for leather very fast

hols holidays

home and dry to be safe

hush silence

inexpressibles trousers

in good fettle in good health

in the altogether nude

in the know to have inside information

in the noddy nude

jam packed very full

jar a drink, usually a pint of beer

jelly jello

jerry a chamber pot

jerry builder a builder of unsubstantial houses

Jock a scottish person

Jonah a bringer of bad luck

jumped up to be conceited

jumper sweater

keep you hair on please calm down

kick the bucket to die

kissed the Blarney Stone a person who tells tall stories

knackered tired, worn out

derived from horses being taken to the

'knackers yard'

knockers breasts

leg it ! quick lets run !

legless drunk

like a rat out of a very fast

drainpipe

load of bollocks you're talking crap

utter nonesense

loo a toilet; a washroom

Liverpudlian a native of Liverpool (also see Scouser)

lorry a truck

man in blue a policeman

marmite a spread for sandwiches

me old cock my old friend

meat and two veg. male genitalia

mind your P's and Q's to be careful; to be polite

moggy cat

mom`s the word it's a secret between you and me

can be abbreviated to "Keep mom !"

money for jam an easy job

money for old rope an easy job

mother's ruin gin

mucker mate, friend

mucky pup someone who has soiled themselves

e.g. "You mucky pup !"

mug face

mutton chops side whiskers

nancy boy an effeminate male

nark a police informer

nightie a nightdress

nick prison; to steal

e.g "Hey, my bike's been nicked !"

nick, the prison

nincompoop a fool

nipper a young or small child

nippy (1) fast, or (2) cold

e.g. (1) "that car is nippy !"

e.g. (2) "it's nippy out today"

nix nothing

none too easy very difficult

e.g. "that exam was none too easy !"

nosey parker somebody who is nosey

not bad very good

not so hot not very good, awful

old man father

old girl mother

old lady mother

one in the oven pregnant, also "a bun in the oven",

"up the plum duff" and "in the pudding club"

on spec on chance

on the nod on credit

on the razzle dressed up and looking for sex

on the tap looking for sex

on your bike! go away!

out for a duck obtained a zero score

Paddy an Irishman

paralitic to be drunk

pavement sidewalk

pictures, the the cinema

pick-me-up a tonic

pie eyed to be drunk

pigs, the police

pigs breakfast a mess

pigs ear a mess

pig in muck somebody in their element

e.g. "he is as happy as a pig in muck"

pillock an insult

pinny apron

pissed drunk

pissed off to be annoyed

e.g. "I was pissed off !"

e.g. "He really pissed me off !"

The US replace "pissed off" with "pissed" alone.

piss head somebody who is drunk quite often

plastered drunk

e.g. "He's plastered !"

play hookey to play truant

plimpsolls childrens non-laced sneakers

plod police man/woman

plonk cheap wine

e.g. "This plonk's not bad !"

plonker (1) penis, (2) fool

e.g. "you silly plonker !"

plus fours trousers

ponce a homosexual

pong a bad smell

pooh pooh to reject an idea

e.g. "He pooh pooh'd my idea !"

pools, the a weekly betting game based on the outcome

of soccer matches; run by Vernons and

Littlewoods (and possibly others)

pratt an insult

e.g. "you stupid pratt !"

preggers pregnant

pudding dessert

pull a bird meet a woman; pick up a girl

quite often shortened to 'pull'

e.g. "Did you pull ?"

pull a fast one to fool or swindle somebody

pull a pint hand pump beer into a glass

pull a stroke to outsmart

pull the other one I don't believe you

short form of "pull the other one, it has

bells on"

pull your pud to masterbate

pumps running shoes

punter a customer

purse a ladies wallet

put a sock in it to be quiet

put the anchors on to apply the brakes; to slow down

put the boot in to beat somebody up

put the kibosh on to put a stop to something

put the wind up to scare

Queer Street where you are if you don't have

any money

quiff a fancy hairstyle

randy horny

rave up a good party

readies cash

ropey flaky or dodgey

rozzer policeman

rug a wig; a toupee

rubbed the wrong way to upset somebody

salt a sailor

same to you with brass usually said in response to a derogatory

knobs on !! remark

sarnie a sandwich

scab a strike breaker

scallywag a mischevious person

scarper to run away fast, possibly avoiding

punishment

Scouser a native of Liverpool (see also Liverpudlian)

scrap a fight

scrubber a cheap or loose woman

shag to copulate

shake a leg to get a move on

shall I be mother ? shall I pour the tea ?

sheckels money

silly arse a foolish person

skivvy a domestic servant

slash to urinate

e.g. "I'm going for a slash."

smalls underwear

smart alec a clever person

snifter a drink of spirit

snog to kiss

snuff it to die

sod derogatory remark, derived from sodomy

soldiers bread cut into thin strips for dipping into

a boiled egg

so stick that in your usually said after a derogatory remark

pipe and smoke it !

sozzled drunk

spam a rather tasteless form of tinned meat

spanner a wrench

sparky an electrician

splice the main-brace to drink

spread a good meal; a feast

sprog a young child or baby, could also

mean illegitimate

spud a potato

squiffed drunk

stewed drunk

strides trousers, pants

subway an underpass

a pedestrian walkway beneath a road

swag stolen money; a thief's plunder

swing the lead a malingerer

swizz a swindle or cheat

swot somebody who studies

ta thankyou

Taffy a Welshman

ta muchly thankyou very much

Tandy Radio Shack

take French leave to leave without permission

taking the piss making fun of

tea leaf thief

terminus the end of the bus route

the smoke London

three sheets in the wind drunk

Tic Tac Man a bookmakers signaller

ticker the heart

tights pantyhose

"Time gentlemen please !" Usually said as the pub is closing,

so as to request that the patrons

finish their drinks.

tip a mess

e.g. "Your room is a tip !"

toff a posh person

tomato sauce ketchup

Tommy Rot nonsense

top sad extremely bad

torch flashlight

tosser see wanker

toss pot one who drinks too much

trainers running shoes

trollop not a nice girl

trousers pants

tube London Underground

tuck in schools it means cake, crisps,

sweets etc.

turf accountant betting shop owner

turn-ups trouser cuffs

turps turpentine

under the weather ill; sick

unmentionables underwear

vest a man's undershirt

wag a joker

wagging it to play truant

wallflower a woman who does not dance

wanger penis

wanker infers that the subject masturbates

weed a weak person

welly wanging the art of throwing wellington boots

white elephant a valuable, but useless article

willies, the nerves

willow a cricket bat