"arsey" meaning in All languages combined

See arsey on Wiktionary

Adjective [English]

IPA: /ˈɑː(ɹ)si/ Audio: En-au-arsey.ogg [Australia] Forms: more arsey [comparative], most arsey [superlative], arsy [alternative]
Rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)si Etymology: Etymology tree English arse Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Germanic *-gaz Proto-West Germanic *-g Old English -iġ Middle English -y English -y English arsey From arse + -y. Etymology templates: {{ety|en|:af|arse|-y<id:adjectival>|text=+|tree=1}} Etymology tree English arse Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Germanic *-gaz Proto-West Germanic *-g Old English -iġ Middle English -y English -y English arsey [Appendix:Glossary#inherited|Inherited]] from", "keyword" : "inherited" } ], "status" : "ok", "lang_name" : "Proto-Germanic", "term" : "*-gaz", "lang" : "gem-pro" } ], "keyword_label" : "Inherited from", "keyword" : "inherited" } ], "status" : "ok", "lang_name" : "Proto-West Germanic", "term" : "*-g", "lang" : "gmw-pro" } ], "keyword_label" : "Inherited from", "keyword" : "inherited" } ], "status" : "ok", "lang_name" : "Old English", "term" : "-iġ", "lang" : "ang" } ], "keyword_label" : "Inherited from", "keyword" : "inherited" } ], "status" : "ok", "lang_name" : "Middle English", "term" : "-y", "lang" : "enm" } ], "keyword_label" : "Inherited from", "keyword" : "inherited" } ], "status" : "ok", "lang_name" : "English", "term" : "-y", "lang" : "en" } ], "keyword_label" : "From", "is_group" : true, "keyword" : "affix" } ], "lang_name" : "English", "term" : "arsey", "status" : "ok", "lang" : "en" }" data-lang="en" data-title="arsey"> From arse + -y. Head templates: {{en-adj}} arsey (comparative more arsey, superlative most arsey)
  1. (UK, Ireland, Commonwealth, slang) Unpleasant, especially in a sarcastic, grumpy or haughty manner. Tags: Commonwealth, Ireland, UK, slang
    Sense id: en-arsey-en-adj-S0GhqctU Categories (other): British English, Commonwealth English, Irish English, English entries with etymology texts, English entries with etymology trees, English terms suffixed with -y (adjectival) Disambiguation of English entries with etymology texts: 45 55 Disambiguation of English entries with etymology trees: 45 55 Disambiguation of English terms suffixed with -y (adjectival): 47 53
  2. (Australia, New Zealand, slang) Lucky. Tags: Australia, New-Zealand, slang
    Sense id: en-arsey-en-adj-pUvYaeMz Categories (other): Australian English, New Zealand English, English entries referencing missing etymons, English entries with etymology texts, English entries with etymology trees, English entries with etymon, English entries with incorrect language header, English terms suffixed with -y (adjectival), Pages using etymon with no ID, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries, Pages with etymology trees, Pages with etymon Disambiguation of English entries referencing missing etymons: 44 56 Disambiguation of English entries with etymology texts: 45 55 Disambiguation of English entries with etymology trees: 45 55 Disambiguation of English entries with etymon: 45 55 Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 43 57 Disambiguation of English terms suffixed with -y (adjectival): 47 53 Disambiguation of Pages using etymon with no ID: 30 70 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 36 64 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 33 67 Disambiguation of Pages with etymology trees: 23 77 Disambiguation of Pages with etymon: 22 78
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Derived forms: arsey-versy

Alternative forms

{
  "derived": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "arsey-versy"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_links": [
    [
      "arse",
      "arse#English"
    ],
    [
      "*-kos",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-kos#Proto-Indo-European:_adjectives"
    ],
    [
      "*-gaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/-gaz#Proto-Germanic:_adjectives"
    ],
    [
      "*-g",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/-g#Proto-West_Germanic:_adjectives"
    ],
    [
      "-iġ",
      "-ig#Old_English:_adjectives"
    ],
    [
      "-y",
      "-y#Middle_English:_adjectives"
    ],
    [
      "-y",
      "-y#English:_adjectival"
    ],
    [
      "arse",
      "arse#English"
    ],
    [
      "-y",
      "-y#English:_adjectival"
    ]
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "arse",
        "4": "-y<id:adjectival>",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nEnglish arse\nProto-Indo-European *-kos\nProto-Germanic *-gaz\nProto-West Germanic *-g\nOld English -iġ\nMiddle English -y\nEnglish -y\nEnglish arsey\n[Appendix:Glossary#inherited|Inherited]] from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*-gaz\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*-g\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"-iġ\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"-y\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"-y\", \"lang\" : \"en\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"arsey\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"arsey\">\nFrom arse + -y.",
      "name": "ety"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Etymology tree\nEnglish arse\nProto-Indo-European *-kos\nProto-Germanic *-gaz\nProto-West Germanic *-g\nOld English -iġ\nMiddle English -y\nEnglish -y\nEnglish arsey\nFrom arse + -y.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "more arsey",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "most arsey",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "arsy",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "arsey (comparative more arsey, superlative most arsey)",
      "name": "en-adj"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "British English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Commonwealth English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Irish English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "45 55",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with etymology texts",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "45 55",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with etymology trees",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "47 53",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms suffixed with -y (adjectival)",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              27,
              32
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2000, Peter Billingham, Sensing the City Through Television: Urban Identities in Fictional Drama, page 50:",
          "text": "First few months in, I was arsey as hell. Thought they were a right bunch of wankers.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              62,
              67
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2002 October 28, Simon Hattenstone, quoting Sophie Ellis-Bextor, “Sophie's world”, in The Guardian:",
          "text": "\"Oh, we had that singer in the other day and they were really arsey with us, and we only kept them waiting half an hour' - and I go, 'Hang on a minute, that's a long time and they've probably been doing lots of work that day and I think that it's actually justified for them to get annoyed.'\"",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              22,
              27
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2007 April 30, Jon Bentham, “How to...... do work experience”, in The Guardian:",
          "text": "Work experience as an arsey teenager is pretty straightforward: disappear into the storeroom, smoke a few cigarettes, text your mates and watch the minute hand tick slowly by. If there's nowhere suitable to hide, all you need is a vacant computer and you can chat to your skiving associate in the building next door.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              34,
              39
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2011, Lotte Daley, Faking It, Penguin, →ISBN:",
          "text": "Maybe Hanna Frost, for all of her arsey mannerisms, really did know what she was doing.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Unpleasant, especially in a sarcastic, grumpy or haughty manner."
      ],
      "id": "en-arsey-en-adj-S0GhqctU",
      "links": [
        [
          "Unpleasant",
          "unpleasant"
        ],
        [
          "sarcastic",
          "sarcastic"
        ],
        [
          "grumpy",
          "grumpy"
        ],
        [
          "haughty",
          "haughty"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(UK, Ireland, Commonwealth, slang) Unpleasant, especially in a sarcastic, grumpy or haughty manner."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Commonwealth",
        "Ireland",
        "UK",
        "slang"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Australian English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "New Zealand English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "44 56",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries referencing missing etymons",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "45 55",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with etymology texts",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "45 55",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with etymology trees",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "45 55",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with etymon",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "43 57",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "47 53",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms suffixed with -y (adjectival)",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "30 70",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages using etymon with no ID",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "36 64",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "33 67",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "23 77",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with etymology trees",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "22 78",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with etymon",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Lucky."
      ],
      "id": "en-arsey-en-adj-pUvYaeMz",
      "links": [
        [
          "Lucky",
          "lucky"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(Australia, New Zealand, slang) Lucky."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Australia",
        "New-Zealand",
        "slang"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈɑː(ɹ)si/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "En-au-arsey.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/9/99/En-au-arsey.ogg/En-au-arsey.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/99/En-au-arsey.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ]
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɑː(ɹ)si"
    }
  ],
  "word": "arsey"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English adjectives",
    "English entries referencing missing etymons",
    "English entries with etymology texts",
    "English entries with etymology trees",
    "English entries with etymon",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English terms suffixed with -y (adjectival)",
    "Pages using etymon with no ID",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Pages with etymology trees",
    "Pages with etymon",
    "Rhymes:English/ɑː(ɹ)si",
    "Rhymes:English/ɑː(ɹ)si/2 syllables"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "arsey-versy"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_links": [
    [
      "arse",
      "arse#English"
    ],
    [
      "*-kos",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-kos#Proto-Indo-European:_adjectives"
    ],
    [
      "*-gaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/-gaz#Proto-Germanic:_adjectives"
    ],
    [
      "*-g",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/-g#Proto-West_Germanic:_adjectives"
    ],
    [
      "-iġ",
      "-ig#Old_English:_adjectives"
    ],
    [
      "-y",
      "-y#Middle_English:_adjectives"
    ],
    [
      "-y",
      "-y#English:_adjectival"
    ],
    [
      "arse",
      "arse#English"
    ],
    [
      "-y",
      "-y#English:_adjectival"
    ]
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "arse",
        "4": "-y<id:adjectival>",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nEnglish arse\nProto-Indo-European *-kos\nProto-Germanic *-gaz\nProto-West Germanic *-g\nOld English -iġ\nMiddle English -y\nEnglish -y\nEnglish arsey\n[Appendix:Glossary#inherited|Inherited]] from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*-gaz\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*-g\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"-iġ\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"-y\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"-y\", \"lang\" : \"en\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"arsey\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"arsey\">\nFrom arse + -y.",
      "name": "ety"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Etymology tree\nEnglish arse\nProto-Indo-European *-kos\nProto-Germanic *-gaz\nProto-West Germanic *-g\nOld English -iġ\nMiddle English -y\nEnglish -y\nEnglish arsey\nFrom arse + -y.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "more arsey",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "most arsey",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "arsy",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "arsey (comparative more arsey, superlative most arsey)",
      "name": "en-adj"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "British English",
        "Commonwealth English",
        "English slang",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Irish English"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              27,
              32
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2000, Peter Billingham, Sensing the City Through Television: Urban Identities in Fictional Drama, page 50:",
          "text": "First few months in, I was arsey as hell. Thought they were a right bunch of wankers.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              62,
              67
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2002 October 28, Simon Hattenstone, quoting Sophie Ellis-Bextor, “Sophie's world”, in The Guardian:",
          "text": "\"Oh, we had that singer in the other day and they were really arsey with us, and we only kept them waiting half an hour' - and I go, 'Hang on a minute, that's a long time and they've probably been doing lots of work that day and I think that it's actually justified for them to get annoyed.'\"",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              22,
              27
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2007 April 30, Jon Bentham, “How to...... do work experience”, in The Guardian:",
          "text": "Work experience as an arsey teenager is pretty straightforward: disappear into the storeroom, smoke a few cigarettes, text your mates and watch the minute hand tick slowly by. If there's nowhere suitable to hide, all you need is a vacant computer and you can chat to your skiving associate in the building next door.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              34,
              39
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2011, Lotte Daley, Faking It, Penguin, →ISBN:",
          "text": "Maybe Hanna Frost, for all of her arsey mannerisms, really did know what she was doing.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Unpleasant, especially in a sarcastic, grumpy or haughty manner."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Unpleasant",
          "unpleasant"
        ],
        [
          "sarcastic",
          "sarcastic"
        ],
        [
          "grumpy",
          "grumpy"
        ],
        [
          "haughty",
          "haughty"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(UK, Ireland, Commonwealth, slang) Unpleasant, especially in a sarcastic, grumpy or haughty manner."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Commonwealth",
        "Ireland",
        "UK",
        "slang"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "Australian English",
        "English slang",
        "New Zealand English"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Lucky."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Lucky",
          "lucky"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(Australia, New Zealand, slang) Lucky."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Australia",
        "New-Zealand",
        "slang"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈɑː(ɹ)si/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "En-au-arsey.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/9/99/En-au-arsey.ogg/En-au-arsey.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/99/En-au-arsey.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ]
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɑː(ɹ)si"
    }
  ],
  "word": "arsey"
}

Download raw JSONL data for arsey meaning in All languages combined (5.4kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable All languages combined dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-10-03 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-09-02 using wiktextract (1a05e46 and e3d6d4e). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.