bowl a googly

en-verb

bowl a googly (third-person singular simple present bowls a googly, present participle bowling a googly, simple past and past participle bowled a googly)

bowls a googly (present singular third-person)
bowling a googly (participle present)
bowled a googly (participle past)
bowled a googly (past)

Fred bowled me a googly when he asked me to explain those statistics in the meeting.

(transitive, idiomatic, UK, figuratively) to surprise (someone); to introduce (to someone) something unexpected, underhand or requiring a quick reaction or correction.

lyödä ällikällä

to require a quick reaction from by doing something unexpected


swart

en-adj

swart (comparative swarter, superlative swartest)

swarter (comparative)
swartest (superlative)

From Middle English swart, from Old English sweart, from Proto-West Germanic *swart, from Proto-Germanic *swartaz, from Proto-Indo-European *swerd-. Doublet of Schwarz.


specialist

specialist (comparative more specialist, superlative most specialist)

more specialist (comparative)
most specialist (superlative)

Borrowed from French spécialiste, equivalent to special + -ist.

This was a highly specialist job, and it has been very carefully carried out so that it is very hard to see that these windows are now modern replacements.

2021 December 15, Robin Leleux, “Awards honour the best restoration projects: Special Award: Signal Box Restoration”, in RAIL, number 946, page 57:

(British) Specialised, involving detailed knowledge of a restricted topic.


invalid

en-verb

invalid (third-person singular simple present invalids, present participle invaliding, simple past and past participle invalided)

invalids (present singular third-person)
invaliding (participle present)
invalided (participle past)
invalided (past)

From Middle French invalide, from Latin invalidus (“infirm, weak”), from in- (“not”) + validus (“strong”).

He was invalided home after the car crash.

Blackadder: Right, Baldrick, this is an old trick I picked up in the Sudan. We tell HQ that I’ve gone insane, and I’ll be invalided back to Blighty before you can say "wibble" — a poor, gormless idiot.

1989, Richard Curtis, Ben Elton, “Goodbyeee”, in Blackadder Goes Forth:

The Japanese armored cruiser Nisshin has been hit badly. Shells have sheared off several main guns and virtually disarmed the vessel. In the middle of all this, one Ensign Isoroku Yamamoto loses two fingers to the remains of an explosion. If he'd lost a third, he would've been invalided out of military service. Thus, by the retention of a single digit would there be rather large consequences a few decades later on down the line.

2019 September 18, Drachinifel, 26:33 from the start, in Battle of Tsushima - When the 2nd Pacific Squadron thought it couldn't get any worse..., archived from the original on 2022-12-04:

(British, transitive) To exempt from (often military) duty because of injury or ill health.


BOGOF

BOGOFs (plural)
bogof (alternative)
BOGOFF (alternative)

2002, "Nothing to be Smug About", Alex Brummer, London Evening Standard, 13 November.
At the Big Food Group, the new team headed by Bill Grimsey was quick to discover that turning the company around might be more difficult than it thought because of double counting of revenues as a result of bogof (buy one, get one free) promotions

(chiefly UK) Abbreviation of buy one, get one free (“a retail promotion in which consumers may purchase two items for the usual price of one”).

buy one

(chiefly UK) An item promoted in this way.


swoop

swoop (third-person singular simple present swoops, present participle swooping, simple past and past participle swooped)

swoops (present singular third-person)
swooping (participle present)
swooped (participle past)
swooped (past)

From Middle English swopen, from Old English swāpan (“to sweep”). Doublet of swaip. See also sweep, which was probably the basis for analogical restoration of /w/ in this word.

He was forever diving into dustbins or swooping on to the ground for cigarette ends.

1989, Michael Bettsworth, Marking Time: A Prison Memoir, page 32:

Swooping is picking up discarded cigarette butts from the exercise yard and anywhere else they can be found.

2015, Noel 'Razor' Smith, The Criminal Alphabet: An A-Z of Prison Slang:

(British, prison slang) To search the ground for discarded cigarette butts that can be made into new cigarettes.


Astronomer Royal

en-proper noun

Astronomer Royal (plural Astronomers Royal)

(British) An honorary title given to a leading astronomer; once the director of the Greenwich observatory.


come a cropper

en-verb

come a cropper (third-person singular simple present comes a cropper, present participle coming a cropper, simple past came a cropper, past participle come a cropper)

comes a cropper (present singular third-person)
coming a cropper (participle present)
came a cropper (past)
come a cropper (participle past)

Possibly from the phrase neck and crop, in which crop may refer to the backside of a horse.

She came a cropper on the stairs and broke her leg.

I should feel certain that I should come a cropper, but still I'd try it. As you say, a fellow should try.

1879, Anthony Trollope, chapter 67, in The Duke's Children:

You couldn't help feeling he'd be caught out one day, and then what an almighty cropper he'd come!

1922, Katherine Mansfield [pseudonym; Kathleen Mansfield Murry], “At the Bay”, in The Garden Party, London: Constable & Company, page 7:

We are accustomed to seeing Morphy conquer brilliantly against great odds; but this time he comes a cropper.

1951 March, “Chess Caviar”, in Chess Review:

You tried to convey too much and you conveyed nothing. You came a cropper, major.

1953, Mervyn Peake, Mr Pye, William Heinemann:

We had been taught Latin, French and German grammar; but English grammar was something we felt we were expected to infer from our reading – which is doubtless why I came a cropper over “its” and “it’s”.

2003 November 6, Lynne Truss, “Introduction – The Seventh Sense”, in Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation, London: Profile Books Ltd, →ISBN, page 15:

Although they were meant to reach the Moon no matter what, cryptocurrencies are also coming a cropper.

2022 May 14, “Tech bubbles are bursting all over the place”, in The Economist, →ISSN:

(British, idiomatic) To suffer some accident or misfortune; to fail.


goldfinch

From Middle English goldfinch, goldfynch, goldefynch, from Old English goldfinċ, equivalent to gold + finch. Compare West Frisian goudfink (“goldfinch”), Dutch goudvink (“bullfinch”), German Goldfink (“goldfinch”), Danish guldfink (“goldfinch”), Icelandic gullfinka (“goldfinch”).

(UK, slang, obsolete) A sovereign (the coin).


giddy

en-adj

giddy (comparative giddier, superlative giddiest)

giddier (comparative)
giddiest (superlative)

The adjective is derived from Middle English gidi, gedy, gydy (“demonically controlled or possessed; crazy, insane; foolish, idiotic, ridiculous, unwise; unsure; (rare) dizzy, shaky; (rare) of an animal: crazed, out of control; a fool”) [and other forms], from Old English gidiġ, gydiġ (“possessed by a demon or spirit, insane, mad”), from Proto-West Germanic *gudīg (“ghostly, spirited”, literally “possessed by a god or spirit”), from *god (“god”) + *-ig, *-g (suffix forming adjectives with the senses of being, doing, or having). The English word is analysable as god + -y (suffix meaning ‘having the quality of’, forming adjectives).
The noun and the verb are derived from the adjective.

nb...

gedi, gidie, gidy, gudi, gudiʒe, guidi, guydi, gydi, gydie

лекомислен

unable to concentrate or think seriously; easily excited — see also impulsive

лекомислен

lightheartedly silly — see also frivolous

(British, dialectal) Feeling great anger; furious, raging.

(British, dialectal, agriculture, veterinary medicine) Of an animal, chiefly a sheep: affected by gid (“a disease caused by parasitic infestation of the brain by tapeworm larvae”), which may result in the animal turning around aimlessly.

pyörimistautia poteva

of an animal, chiefly a sheep: affected by gid


giddy

(British, agriculture, veterinary medicine) Synonym of gid (“a disease caused by parasitic infestation of the brain by tapeworm larvae”).


Hansard

Legislative Council of Hong Kong
Luke Hansard
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Thomas Curson Hansard

From Hansard, the surname of Thomas Curson Hansard (1776–1833), an English printer who inherited the business of printing reports of parliamentary debates and proceedings from his father Luke Hansard (1752–1828). T. C. Hansard added his name to the title of the reports from 1829, and from about 1859 they began to be referred to generically as “Hansards”.

Mr. BURNS thought that if they were to have a Hansard at all, they should take steps to have it thoroughly well done, and he would be very glad if they could get rid of these corrections altogether. He thought the exact words, or as nearly as possible the exact words, should be put into the Hansard, and the staff should be so efficient that there would be no necessity for corrections.

1868 October 16, A[rthur] J[ohn] Burns, “Reporting Debates”, in New Zealand. Parliamentary Debates. Third Session of the Fourth Parliament. […] (House of Representatives), volume IV, Wellington: G. Didsbury, government printer, →OCLC, page 372, column 1:

Now, Hansard's Debates originated in the year 1803, and through the enterprize of a son of the late Mr. Luke Hansard, who had been so long connected with the printing of the House, these Debates had supplied the Parliament with a very accurate record of its proceedings. They were cited continually in the House, and so great was their reputation that even in Prussia they had a Preussiches Hansard; there was also a Hansard's Debates both in Canada and Australia. [...] Suppose, then, that these Debates came to an end to-morrow; [...] the newspapers would not supply them with the materials which were now contained in Hansard. It was impossible that the newspapers could report the proceedings of the House at sufficient length.

1875 May 4, Mitchell Henry, “Parliament—Publication of Debates and Exclusion of Strangers.—Resolution.”, in Hansard’s Parliamentary Debates, […] (House of Commons), volume CCXXIV (Third Series), 3rd volume of the session, London: Published by Cornelius Buck, at the office for “Hansard’s Parliamentary Debates,” […], →OCLC, columns 68–70:

He, for example, who would essay to take account of Mr. [William Ewart] Gladstone, must read much else besides Hansard; he must brush up his Homer, and set himself to acquire some theology.

1885, [Augustine Birrell], “Carlyle”, in Obiter Dicta, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, →OCLC, page 1:

In any case, the judges are not allowed to read Hansard in order to see what the sponsors, or any other member, may have said. This is a much criticised rule, but there is a certain amount to be said for it. The legislative processes, through which the parliamentary draftsman's work must pass, are confusing and muddled.

1983, Geoffrey Lewis, “Statutory Interpretation”, in Lord Atkin, London: Butterworths, →ISBN, page 118; reprinted Oxford, Oxfordshire, Portland, Or.: Hart Publishing, 1999, →ISBN:

In a country like India with a vibrant democracy, parliamentary debates play a very crucial role and are watched with keen interest by the people, who are politically conscious. The Reporters' Branch is entrusted with the responsibility of producing the Indian Hansard, i.e., the Official Report of the proceedings of Lok Sabha.

1992, “The Indian Hansard”, in Parliament of India: The Ninth Lok Sabha 1989–1991: A Study, New Delhi: Northern Book Centre for the Lok Sabha Secretariat, →ISBN, part I (Articles), page 63, column 1:

The object of the court in interpreting legislation is to give effect so far as the language permits to the intention of the legislature. If the language proves to be ambiguous I can see no sound reason not to consult Hansard to see if there is a clear statement of the meaning that the words were intended to carry. The days have long passed when the courts adopted a strict constructionist view of interpretation which required them to adopt the literal meaning of the language. [...] I cannot agree with the view that consulting Hansard will add so greatly to the cost of litigation, that on this ground alone we should refuse to do so. Modern technology greatly facilitates the recall and display of material held centrally. I have to confess that on many occasions I have had recourse to Hansard, of course only to check if my interpretation had conflicted with an express Parliamentary intention, but I can say that it does not take long to recall and assemble the relevant passages in which the particular section was dealt with in Parliament, nor does it take long to see if anything relevant was said.

1992 November 26, Lord Griffiths [Hugh Griffiths, Baron Griffiths] (judge of the House of Lords), “Pepper (Inspector of Taxes) … Respondent and Hart … Appellant [[1993] Appeal Cases 593]”, in The Law Reports of the Incorporated Council of Law Reporting: House of Lords, Judicial Committee of the Privy Council and Peerage Cases, London: Incorporated Council of Law Reporting for England and Wales, published 1993, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2019-09-18, pages 617–618:

Imagine a parliamentary stenographer scribbling furiously in the days before tape recorders. His job is to record politicians' speeches so they can be written up and preserved in an official parliamentary record like Hansard. [...] When some dramatic break or swerve in the speech seems too uncertain to sort out there and then, the stenographer sticks in clumps of hyphens, partly as a signal to himself that he will need to sort this out later when "correcting" and "clarifying" his final copy for Hansard.

1993, Graham Bradshaw, “Appendix: Dashing Othello’s Spirits”, in Misrepresentations: Shakespeare and the Materialists, Ithaca, N.Y., London: Cornell University Press, →ISBN, page 258:

Following the debate in question, Tim Loughton sent an unmarked copy of Hansard to his constituent to inform him that he would no longer be acting as his MP as the constituent had made this position untenable. [...] However, and unbeknown to Loughton, the constituent reported the debate to the police as a 'hate crime' and complained that sending a copy of Hansard was 'harassment'.

2015, Roger Williams, “Harassment in Sussex”, in Rough Justice: Citizens’ Experience of Mistreatment and Injustice in the Early Stages of Law Enforcement, Hook, Hampshire: Waterside Press, →ISBN, part 1 (Contributions, Media and Experiences), page 106:

(chiefly British, Commonwealth) The official report of debates and other proceedings in the British and some Commonwealth parliaments.


pubbing

(British) The practice of frequenting pubs.


waterworks

waterworks (plural)
waterwork (alternative)
water works (alternative)
water-works (alternative)

From water + works (“machine, mechanism; factory or factories”).

compound

/ˈwɔːtəˌwəːks/

LL-Q1860 (eng)-I learned some phrases-waterworks.wav

(British, euphemistic) The genitourinary system.


aubergine

en-noun

aubergine (countable and uncountable, plural aubergines)

Bislama: obesin

Unadapted borrowing from French aubergine, from Catalan albergínia, from Arabic اَلْبَاذِنْجَان (al-bāḏinjān, “the aubergine”), from Classical Persian بَادِنْجَان (bādinjān), from بَاتِنْگَان (bātingān), from Sanskrit वातिङ्गण (vātiṅgaṇa, “the plant that cures the wind”), from Dravidian, ultimately from Proto-Dravidian *waẓVtV. Cognate with Malayalam വഴുതനങ്ങ (vaḻutanaṅṅa), Hindi बैंगन (baiṅgan). Doublet of brinjal.

der

اَلْبَاذِنْجَان

Solanum melongena
Solanum melongena#Translingual

(British, Ireland) An Asian plant, Solanum melongena, cultivated for its edible purple, green, or white ovoid fruit; eggplant.

(British, Ireland) The fruit of this plant, eaten as a vegetable.


ducks

Hello ducks, how are you today?

(British, chiefly Northern England, used vocatively) Dear (used as a pet name).


buzzing

en-adj

buzzing (comparative more buzzing, superlative most buzzing)

more buzzing (comparative)
most buzzing (superlative)

'She was buzzing, mate, I tell you. She was so funny to listen to. It's the happiest phone call I've had off her in a while.'

2012 September 1, Rosina Tsang, Tamsin's War, Troubador Publishing Ltd, →ISBN:

“Nice one? It's amazing! There's loads like that,” he tells me. “Everyone is raving about you.”
I'm totally buzzing. It's a shame Mum and Granddad aren't here.

2018 June 14, John Hickman, The Football Trials: Game Changer, Bloomsbury Publishing, →ISBN, page 15:

'We shall see,' he said. 'But it did go unusually well , I must say.'
You were absolutely buzzing when I met you at Paddington,' said Niall.

2022 June 9, Nell Hudson, Just For Today, Hachette UK, →ISBN:

"I thought we were good first half apart from the goal. I was in the toilet at half-time, I felt sick all morning but fine now, I feel buzzing."

2023 April 1, Lori Ewing, quoting Jack Grealish, “No Haaland, no problem as Man City thrash Liverpool 4-1 to keep up title chase”, in Reuters:

"But I wanted to phone Bobby. Honestly, I felt like Santa. He was absolutely over the moon. It's a strong 21s squad, so he's in good company. I think Davie was more buzzing for Bobby than he was for himself."

2023 August 1, Derek McInnes, quotee, “'I felt like Santa' - McInnes on Wales' Scotland U21 call-up”, in BBC Sport:

(UK, slang) Very happy; full of joyful excitement.


Aga saga

Aga sagas (plural)
AGA saga (alternative)

Rhyming phrase, named for the AGA cooker, a type of stored-heat oven popular in British country houses in the early 20th century. Coined in 1992 by novelist Terence Blacker in reference to the work of Joanna Trollope.

2007, Saying that, if Judy does retire and write a rollicking Aga-saga about, say, a middle-aged woman with a loving, ambitious yet utterly frustrating husband, I'd certainly buy it in the three-for-two. — Grace Dent, The Guardian, 22 Jun 2007, G2, p. 3

(British, sometimes derogatory) A kind of popular novel set in a suburban or rural location and featuring domestic and emotional themes involving middle-class characters.


peckish

peckish (comparative more peckish, superlative most peckish)

more peckish (comparative)
most peckish (superlative)

From peck (verb) + -ish. From late 18th century.

After that run, I'm feeling a bit peckish.


back to basics

(politics, chiefly British) A conscious return to principles such as self-respect, decency and honesty; especially the discredited policy of the Conservative government in the 1990s.


welly

From welne, a dialectal variant of well-nigh.

A person exceedingly hungry says, "I'm welly clem'd; I'm almost or well-nigh starved." It is the ordinary appeal of a beggar in the streets, when asking for food.

1853, Notes & Queries, volume 8, page 64:

(obsolete, UK, Ireland, dialect) Almost; nearly.


give it some welly

en-verb

give it some welly (third-person singular simple present gives it some welly, present participle giving it some welly, simple past gave it some welly, past participle given it some welly)

gives it some welly (present singular third-person)
giving it some welly (participle present)
gave it some welly (past)
given it some welly (participle past)
give it some wellie (alternative)

Believe me, if you give it a little welly down a twisty B-road this car feels pretty entertaining

Having put the engineer at ease, I think, it was time to give the car some welly and I was amazed how effortlessly it rocketed up to, er, high speeds, then lost speed almost as rapidly when the powerful brakes came into use.

2007, David Dixon, Richard Noble, “Tom Walkinshaw's Le Mans Effort”, in Watts My Line?: The Life and Work of Editorial Artist, Lawrie Watts, page 72:

I insisted we share the driving and, after we pulled in for a tank of petrol one hour into our drive, she reluctantly let me take over. 'Give it some welly,' she said to me as I eased off the clutch. 'I'm trying,' I said

(UK) To increase fuel or power to an engine, as to a car by depressing the gas pedal.

First they always obey the golden rule ‘Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might’ (Ecclesiastes 9:19), which translates as ‘always give it some welly’.

2008, Mark Salter, Trevor Turner, Community Mental Health Care: A Practical Guide to Outdoor Psychiatry:

I was then given the floor and had already determined that an impassioned rather than a measured delivery was what the occasion called for and as these opportunities do not present themselves very often I thought I would give it some welly.

2008, Ben Barnes, Plays and Controversies: Abbey Theatre Diaries 2000-2005, page 40:

So there I was, the dutiful husband, holding onto my wife's head and shouting words of comfort to her, “Go on love, give it some welly!” I'd completely forgotten all I'd learned from the classes I'd attended prior to our Thomas's arrival.

2008, Andy Thackwray, The Fruits From An Innocent Mind, page 52:

(UK) To apply great physical effort to (something).


NIMBY

Was used in a 1980 article by British writer Emilie Travel Livezey; popularized by British politician Nicholas Ridley, who was Conservative Secretary of State for the Environment.
Prior to that, Joseph A. Lieberman, a member of the US Atomic Energy Commission, gave a keynote address in early 1979 at the Fort Magruder Conference Center in which he reportedly asserted that "the 'nimby' (not in my backyard) syndrome must be eliminated." As reported in the Newport News (Virginia) Daily Press, Tuesday, February 13th, 1979, "Radioactive Waste: National Regulations Needed." Source: WorldHistories.net.

In cities like Houston, for example, all-white zoning boards targeted Black neighborhoods for the siting of noxious facilities, like landfills, incinerators and garbage dumps. Robert Bullard, a professor of urban planning and environmental policy at Texas Southern University, has called the practice “PIBBY” or “Place In Blacks’ Back Yard” — a spin on the acronym “NIMBY” (“Not In My Back Yard”).

2021 November 2, Lylla Younes, Ava Kofman, Al Shaw and Lisa Song, “Poison in the Air”, in ProPublica:

(chiefly US, UK) Alternative letter-case form of nimby.


ERA

en-noun

ERA (countable and uncountable, plural ERAs)

(UK, military) Initialism of engine room artificer, a Royal Navy position.


asp

Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009 (2009 asp 9)

Act of the Scottish Parliament
w:Act of the Scottish Parliament

(UK, law, in citation) Initialism of Act of the Scottish Parliament.


CND

C.N.D. supporters
Their ban the bomb badges beginning to rust
Have scrawled 'I told you so' in the dust

c. 1972, Roger McGough, Icarus Allsorts:

Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
w:Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament

(British) Initialism of Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.


snigger

British variant pronunciation and spelling of snicker.

Here the unfeeling Toad broke into a snigger, and then pulled himself together and tried to look particularly solemn.

1908 October, Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, →OCLC, page 255:

(chiefly UK, Ireland) A partly suppressed or broken laugh.

(chiefly UK, Ireland) A sly or snide laugh.


snigger

en-verb

snigger (third-person singular simple present sniggers, present participle sniggering, simple past and past participle sniggered)

sniggers (present singular third-person)
sniggering (participle present)
sniggered (participle past)
sniggered (past)
snicker (alternative)

[…]presently the Mole's spirits revived again, and he was even able to give some straight back-talk to a couple of moorhens who were sniggering to each other about his bedraggled appearance.

1908, Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows, page 22:

Peter, after the manner of man at the breakfast table, had allowed half his kedgeree to get cold and was sniggering over a letter. Sophia looked at him sharply. The only letter she had received was from her mother. Sophia's mother was not a humourist.

1921, Ben Travers, chapter 1, in A Cuckoo in the Nest, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, published 1925, →OCLC:

(intransitive, chiefly UK, Ireland) To emit a snigger.


funky

en-adj

funky (comparative funkier or more funky, superlative funkiest or most funky)

funkier (comparative)
more funky (comparative)
funkiest (superlative)
most funky (superlative)

Eight-bit Arkanoid is a funky game — not as sexy as its 16-bit sister, but fun to spend time with. I'm hooked.

I love high heels, and these were totally funky! The coolest part: They actually let me take 'em home!

2001, ELLEgirl magazine (Autumn 2001, page 127)

What every teenage driver desires: a fab, funky car and freedom!

2006, Sue Cook, Claire Crompton, Quick to Stitch Cross Stitch Cards, page 60:

(UK, slang, dated) Relating to, or characterized by, great fear, or funking.


clamp

From Middle Dutch clamp, klampe (“a clamp, hook”), from Proto-Germanic *klampō (“clamp, clasp, cramp”), related to Proto-West Germanic *klammjan.
Cognate with Middle Low German klampe (“hook, clasp”), German Klampfe, Klampe (“clamp, cleat”), Norwegian klamp (“clamp”), Alemannic German Chlempi.

cog

(UK) A parking enforcement device used to immobilise a car until it can be towed or a fine is paid; a wheel clamp.


clamp

en-verb

clamp (third-person singular simple present clamps, present participle clamping, simple past and past participle clamped)

clamps (present singular third-person)
clamping (participle present)
clamped (participle past)
clamped (past)

(UK, obsolete, transitive) To cover (vegetables, etc.) with earth.


airship

airships (plural)
air-ship (alternative)
air ship (alternative)

From air + ship.
* (jocular British sense): is in imitation of worship "form of address for magistrates et al., possibly also an oblique reference to Colonel Blimp.

I only make them to add perhaps a little weight to my view that, whether one thinks of Their Lordships of the Admiralty, or of Their Airships of the Air Ministry, or of Their Coalships of Lansdowne House, or of any other governing body, what is vastly more important than the precise theoretical form of the superstructure is the will—and the capacity—throughout the organisation to make the organisation work.

1947, Great Britain. National Coal Board, A Selection of General Addresses Delivered Before the National Coal Board Summer School, Cambridge, 1947, →OCLC, page 10:

Then where does the Navy come in, since it is generally agreed that the primary role of the Navy is the protection of our merchant ships? It is obvious that neither their Lordships of the Admiralty nor their Airships of the Air Ministry will relinquish their power without a struggle.

1953, The Aeroplane, Temple Press, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 311:

And all the time, ever present but out of sight, "their Airships,” as they called the RAF top brass, were also watching, praying.

1971, Basil Boothroyd, Prince Philip: An Informal Biography, page 217:

But their Airships insisted that we fly there.

2006 June 30, Roy Bagshaw, Alan Pollock, Malcolm Thomas, Ray Deacon, RAF Little Rissington: The Central Flying School, 1946–76, Pen and Sword, →ISBN, →OCLC:

Trespassing on superior ground was frowned upon, and although it was difficult to look serious, and infra dig to salute when wearing only swimming trunks, a deferential nod on passing their Airships was expected and its absence noted!

2006, Kel Palmer, A Roving Commission, iUniverse, published 2013, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 541:

For the Air Council – 'their airships', in counterpoint to the Board of Admiralty – nuclear deterrence and the manned bomber were the overriding concerns of the postwar era.

2010 May 19, R. Moore, Nuclear Illusion, Nuclear Reality: Britain, the United States and Nuclear Weapons, 1958-64 (Nuclear Weapons and International Security since 1945), Springer, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 18:

"Their Airships back in London didn't give a bugger about Malta," he [Tom Neil] says

2013, James Holland, Fortress Malta: An Island Under Siege 1940-1943:

An advance party from No 1 Flight had travelled this route some days previously to wherever 'Their Airships' decreed.

2015 April 19, Tony Blackman, Anthony Wright, Valiant Boys: True Stories from the Operators of the UK's First Four-Jet Bomber, Grub Street Publishing, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 51:

Still, when their Airships said 'Jump', we minions invariably replied 'How high?'

2019 March 19, Derek J. Sharp, A Cold War Fighter Pilot in Peacetime and War, Fonthill Media, →ISBN, →OCLC:

(British, derogatory, chiefly in the plural) A high ranking official of the RAF, viewed as arrogant and distant.


motor factor

(British, Ireland, chiefly in the plural) A retail supplier of car parts and accessories.


ardour

en-noun

ardour (countable and uncountable, plural ardours)

I rushed towards her, and embraced her with ardour; but the deathly languor and coldness of the limbs told me, that what I now held in my arms had ceased to be the Elizabeth whom I had loved and cherished.

1816 June – 1817 April/May (date written), [Mary Shelley], chapter VI, in Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. […], volume III, London: […] [Macdonald and Son] for Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor, & Jones, published 1 January 1818, →OCLC, page 120:

The purpose of my visit, and the frightful abnormalities it postulated struck at me all at once with a chill sensation that nearly over-balanced my ardour for strange delvings.

1931, H. P. Lovecraft, chapter 6, in The Whisperer in Darkness:

British, Canada, and Australia spelling of ardor.


SOA

Society of Ancients
w:Society of Ancients

(UK) Initialism of Society of Ancients, an international society based in the UK.


SOA

SOA (countable and uncountable, plural SOAs)

(UK, census) Initialism of super output area.


up to snuff

en-adj

up to snuff (comparative more up to snuff, superlative most up to snuff)

more up to snuff (comparative)
most up to snuff (superlative)

"Dombey," says the Major, with appropriate action, "that is the hand of Joseph Bagstock: of plain old Joey B. . . . a rough and tough, and possibly an up-to-snuff, old vagabond."

1846 October 1 – 1848 April 1, Charles Dickens, chapter 31, in Dombey and Son, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1848, →OCLC:

But the people, who prided themselves on being what they called üppen zie schnuffen, or, as we should say, "up to snuff," and equal to every occasion, had already seen a way out of the difficulty.

1904, P. G. Wodehouse, chapter 7, in William Tell Told Again:

(chiefly British, dated, slang) Mentally alert, shrewd, savvy.


lege

(UK, Ireland, slang) A legend; colloquially used to describe a person who is held in high regard.


quilter

(British) A person who uses a hand or machine stitch to decorate a quilt, or to sew together the layers of a quilt.


quilt

en-verb

quilt (third-person singular simple present quilts, present participle quilting, simple past and past participle quilted)

quilts (present singular third-person)
quilting (participle present)
quilted (participle past)
quilted (past)

From Middle English quilte, quylte, from Anglo-Norman quilte and Old French coilte, cuilte (compare French couette), from Latin culcita. Doublet of quoit.

絎 /绗

to construct something else with quilting technique

I am glad, said Mr. Slick, that cussed critter, that schoolmaster, hasn't yet woke up. I'm most afeerd if he had aturned out afore we started, I should have quilted him, for that talk of his last night sticks in my crop considerable hard.

1884, Thomas Chandler Haliburton, The Clockmaker, page 113:

(UK, slang, obsolete) To beat or thrash.


claret

en-noun

claret (countable and uncountable, plural clarets)

From Middle English claret, from Middle French claret, from Medieval Latin clārātum vīnum, from clārus.
Compare tent (“Spanish red wine”), also from color

The vesper bell had rung its parting note; the domini were mostly caged in comfortable quarters, discussing the merits of old port; and the merry student had closed his oak, to consecrate the night to friendship, sack, and claret.

The New Sporting Magazine (volume 15, page 23)

CLARET JELLY SANDWICH: Soak one box of gelatine in one cup of cold water, then dissolve in one cup of boiling water, add one cup of sugar and strain. When cold, add the juice of half a lemon, and one cup of claret and set in a cool place. When ready for use, cover thin slices of lightly buttered white bread with the jelly, cover with another slice of buttered bread and cut in strips.

1909, Eva Greene Fuller, The Up-To-Date Sandwich Book: 400 Ways to Make a Sandwich, page 155:

(chiefly UK) A dry red wine produced in the Bordeaux region of France, or a similar wine made elsewhere.

Time being called, Johnson rose from his second’s knee with the heart of a lion—the immense size and weight of his opponent seemed lost sight of—not a particle of fear belonged to him; and screwing his courage up to the sticking-place, boldly faced his man, putting all the excellence of his science into action, put in such a tremendous blow on the sensitive plant of Perrins—otherwise his sneezer, or nose—whichever term you like best—that split it all the way down as if cut open with a carving-knife; the claret flowing in torrents; and the Giant floored!

1851, Pierce Egan, Every Gentleman’s Manual: A Lecture on the Art of Self-Defence, page 46:

I then gave him a dig on the head with my fist. He squared up, and pouted like an enraged chameleon, looking savagely at me. I gave him another dig, which sent him staggering. He squared again: I gave him another; till at last, as the claret was flowing, he sulked off, and said he would not serve me any more.

1863, John Hanning Speke, Journal of the Discovery of the Source of the Nile, page 271:

Blooded warrior Paul Ince, with his head bedecked in a bandage – if not quite possessing quite the amount of claret spilled by Terry Butcher in Stockholm in 1989 – enforcing order on a patch of green in Rome to help his country triumph in the face of adversity and clear a path to the World Cup finals of 1998.

2017 October 1, “Bygones: Ince gives blood for the cause as he leads from the front in Rome”, in Yorkshire Post:

You play as one of these Revenants, but there’s no feeding on human blood, as instead the most reliable source of claret comes from things called blood beads, which grow on plants.

2019 September 27, “Code Vein review – it's an anime version of Dark Souls”, in Metro:

He was rejuvenated within a week, thanks to a diet of fresh claret direct from the jugular, while the lawyer slept.

2020 January 2, Roxy Simons, “'How the hell am I supposed to sleep tonight, BBC?': Viewers are left terrified by first episode of Dracula with its decapitated nun and blood-thirsty babies (but some are distracted by vampire's quirky accent)”, in Daily Mail:

DeLuca beat the count but Brook had the stench of claret filling his nostrils and he was close to getting the finish before the bell saved the overmatched 31-year-old.

2020 February 8, Wally Downes Jr, “KELL OF A WIN: Kell Brook enjoys triumphant return in Sheffield as he knocks out Mark DeLuca in the seventh round”, in The Sun:


hospital pass

His first touch was horrid – a hospital pass to Juliano Belletti – but from that moment on his eye-catching football was wonderful to witness.

2009 (23 November), Mark Fleming "Kakuta puts rare talent on display", The Independent (London)

Flood popped out a careless off-load deep in the French 22 to allow a clearing kick to snuff out the danger, and when Nick Easter tried to rumble from deep within his own 22 his hospital pass to Tuilagi triggered another knock-on.

2011, Tom Fordyce, Rugby World Cup 2011: England 12-19 France:

Brian Maguire is booked for the challenge on Leo McLoone, who was chasing a hospital pass from Mark McHugh.

2012 (5 August), As It Happened - SFC quarter-finals RTÉ

(figuratively, sports, British, Australia, Ireland) A poorly executed pass to a team-mate, who is likely to lose the ball as a result. (Originally rugby union, where the recipient of a hospital pass is a sitting duck for a hard tackle.)


back of beyond

First attested in the Scottish novelist Walter Scott’s The Antiquary (1816; see quotation). It is quite possible that Scott anglicised a rural expression rather than coined it himself—something he did numerous times with other phrases.

[Y]ou, wi’ some o’ your auld warld stories, that the mind o’ man canna resist, whirl’d them to the back o’ beyont to look at the auld Roman camp—[…]

1816, [Walter Scott], chapter II, in The Antiquary. […], volume I, Edinburgh: […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, →OCLC, page 36:

It was a regular outside bush township, and though the distance oughtn't to have much to say to people's honesty, you'll mostly find that these far-out back-of-beyond places have got men and women to match 'em.

1882, Rolf Boldrewood, Robbery Under Arms:

"I thought I should like to go near the sea — to some quite tiny country place at the back of beyond."

1920, Margaret Pedler, The Hermit of Far End:

To the "Sou' West" we owe such jolly little back-o'-beyond stations as Whithorn and Portpatrick.

1941 January, C. Hamilton Ellis, “The Scottish Station”, in Railway Magazine, page 3:

We began to take Santa Claus to the kids at the isolated sidings for the same reason men all over Australia on the lines back o' beyond did [...] we didn't want them to miss that magic.

1969, Patsy Adam-Smith, Folklore of the Australian Railwaymen, Melbourne: Macmillan, page 151:

(chiefly British, Ireland and Australia, informal; usually with in, sometimes at or to) A very remote place.


blue box

gray-box testing
white box (software engineering)

(chiefly British and Canada) A blue container used for the collection of household waste (such as tin cans and newspapers) for recycling by a municipal authority.


bonkbuster

However, there would certainly be no Insatiable without Jilly Cooper. The bonkbusters of the 80s were responsible for my sentimental sex education. Like millions of readers, I fell in love with every aspect of the universe Cooper created.

2021 March 31, Daisy Buchanan, “The return of the bonkbuster: how horny heroines are starting a new sexual revolution”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:

(colloquial, chiefly UK) A popular novel involving frequent explicit sexual encounters, normally in a contemporary setting.


top oneself

en-verb

top oneself (third-person singular simple present tops oneself, present participle topping oneself, simple past and past participle topped oneself)

tops oneself (present singular third-person)
topping oneself (participle present)
topped oneself (participle past)
topped oneself (past)

But Mr Blunkett, in a remarkably frank admission, said his first thought on hearing about the 57-year-old's death was to celebrate. "You wake up and you receive a phone call - Shipman's topped himself. You have just got to think for a minute: is it too early to open a bottle? And then you discover that everybody's very upset that he's done it."

2004 January 16, “Blunkett admits Shipman error”, in BBC News:


bung

From Medieval Dutch bonge, bonne or bonghe (“stopper”), or perhaps from French bonde, which may itself be either of Germanic origin or from Proto-Celtic *bunda—either way probably from puncta (“hole”), the feminine singular form of Latin punctus, perfect passive participle of pungō (“pierce into, prick”).

"Well, sir, I haven't got one," said the landlord, "or you should have it directly." […] "Could you oblige me with such a thing as a postage stamp?" "No," said the Bung; "don't keep 'em!"

(UK, slang, obsolete) The landlord of a public house.


bung

bung (third-person singular simple present bungs, present participle bunging, simple past and past participle bunged)

bungs (present singular third-person)
bunging (participle present)
bunged (participle past)
bunged (past)

"Doctors are queer birds. This one didn't mind a bit dabbling about that old thing to find out what had happened inside her. He's fixed her up for tonight and is coming tomorrow to put her leg in plaster, or something. He wanted to bung her off to a hospital, but I persuaded him not to."

1950, Norman Lindsay, Dust or Polish?, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, page 31:

Of course, the weird thing is that he found Marianne Faithfull at the same time and bunged it onto her, and it was a fucking hit, so already we're songwriters.

1996, Stanley Booth, quoting Keith Richards, Keith, St. Martin's Publishing Group, →ISBN:

And to sustain us while we watch or read, we go to the freezer, take out a frozen pizza, bung it in the microwave and make do.

2004, Bob Ashley, Food and cultural studies:

(UK, Australia, transitive, informal) To put, throw, or place something without care; to chuck.


bung

bungs (plural)
bong (alternative)
bonge (alternative)
boung (alternative)
bounge (alternative)

From bouget (“wallet, purse or bag”), from Middle English bogett, bouget, bowgette (“leather pouch”), from Old French bougette, diminutive of bouge (“leather bag, wallet”), from Late Latin bulga (“wallet, purse”), from Gaulish bolgā, from Proto-Celtic *bolgos (“sack, bag, stomach”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰólǵʰ-os (“skin bag, bolster”), from *bʰelǵʰ- (“to swell”).

der

Oft thsi crew of mates met together, and said there was no hope of nipping the boung because he held open his gowne so wide, and walked in such an open place.

1592, Robert Green, The Thirde & Last Part of Conny-catching, Bodleian Library (Malone 575), London: John Lane. Reprinted in 1923, Harrison, G. B. (ed.), The Bodley Head Quartos III, Plainstow, Great Britain: Curwen Press, p. 22

Ben mort, shall you and I heave a bough, mill a ken, or nip a bung, and then we'll couch a hogshead under the ruffmans, and there you shall wap with me, and I'll niggle with you.

1611, Thomas Middleton, “The Roaring Girl”, in Arthur Henry Bullen, editor, The Works of Thomas Middleton, volume 4, published 1885, act 5, scene 1, pages 128–129:


creased

en-adj

creased (comparative more creased, superlative most creased)

more creased (comparative)
most creased (superlative)

"Omfg I'm absolutely crying and laughing at Dean and Joe with this drinking challenge! It's disgusting but I'm creased!" one said.

2023 May 4, Zara Woodcock, “Eagle-eyed I'm A Celeb fans spot moment Joes Swash's fake tan DISSOLVES in grim trial”, in Mirror Online:


scrape

en-noun

scrape (countable and uncountable, plural scrapes)

From Middle English scrapen, from Old Norse skrapa (“to scrape, scratch”) and Old English scrapian (“to scrape, scratch”), both from Proto-Germanic *skrapōną, *skrepaną (“to scrape, scratch”), from Proto-Indo-European *skrebʰ- (“to engrave”).
Cognate with Dutch schrapen (“to scrape”), schrappen (“to strike through; to cancel; to scrap”), schrabben (“to scratch”), German schrappen (“to scrape”), Danish skrabe (“to scrape”), Icelandic skrapa (“to scrape”), Walloon screper (“to scrape”), Latin scribō (“dig with a pen, draw, write”).

cog

1972, in U.S. Senate Subcommittee to Investigate the Administration of the Internal Security Act and Other Internal Security Laws, Abuse of psychiatry for political repression in the Soviet Union. Hearing, Ninety-second Congress, second session, United States Government Printing Office, page 127,
It’s quite possible, in view of the diagnosis ‘danger of miscarriage’, that they might drag me off, give me a scrape and then say that the miscarriage began itself.

In expert hands abortion nowadays is almost the same as having a scrape (D & C) and due to improved techniques such as suction termination, and improved lighter anaesthetic, most women feel no worse than having a tooth out.

1980, John Cobb, Babyshock: A Mother’s First Five Years, Hutchinson, page 232:

The loss is significant to the woman and will be stated as such by her. For her it is not “nothing,” “just a scrape,” or “not a life.” It is the beginning of a baby. Years later, she may recall it not just as a miscarriage but also as a baby that was lost.

1985, Beverley Raphael, The Anatomy of Bereavement: a handbook for the caring professions, Routledge,, →ISBN, page 236:

17.Have you had a scrape or curettage recently?

1999, David Jenkins, Listening to Gynaecological Patients\ Problems, Springer,, →ISBN, page 16:

(British, slang) A D and C or abortion; or, a miscarriage.

A'm goin to the barber's for a scrape.

1945, Transactions of the Thoroton Society of Nottinghamshire, page 66:

(uncountable, UK, slang, obsolete) Cheap butter.

“Got a nice bit of haddock for tonight. Thought I might do it with a poached egg, bit of pepper, bread and scrape”

2018 February 11, Colin Dexter, Russell Lewis, 31:48 from the start, in Endeavour(Cartouche), season 5, episode 2 (TV series), spoken by DS Jim Strange (Sean Rigby):

(uncountable, UK, slang, obsolete) Butter laid on bread in the thinnest possible manner, as though laid on and scraped off again.


salamander

/ˈsæləˌmɑːndə/

From Middle English salamandre, from Anglo-Norman salamandre, from Latin salamandra, from Ancient Greek σαλαμάνδρα (salamándra), of uncertain origin (per Beekes, likely Pre-Greek); possibly of Iranian origin, see Persian سمندر (samandar) for more information.

Multitudes had little Tin Kettles in their Houses, with Small-coal kindled, to light their Pipes withal; though in some places they use Candles, in others Salamanders

1698, William King, A journey to London […] , translation of original by Samuel Sorbière:

w:Webster's Dictionary#Webster's New International Dictionary 1909

(UK, slang, obsolete) A fire-eater (performer who pretends to swallow fire).


centre of gravity

en-noun

centre of gravity (plural centres of gravity)

center of gravity
center of gravity#English

(physics) British and Canada standard spelling of center of gravity.


touch up

en-verb

touch up (third-person singular simple present touches up, present participle touching up, simple past and past participle touched up)

touches up (present singular third-person)
touching up (participle present)
touched up (participle past)
touched up (past)

I think you remember him! He made me go into the back of his shop and he touched me up, do you remember? And afterwards we shared out the money from the Cinzano. In the end he got round to doing something disgusting, that guy, something disgusting, quite disgusting.

2019, Copi, “Eva Perón”, in Four Plays, Alma Books, →ISBN:

The creep was trying to touch up my girlfriend.

(UK, idiomatic, transitive) To fondle or to grope someone, usually in an inappropriate way.


grizzle

grizzle (third-person singular simple present grizzles, present participle grizzling, simple past and past participle grizzled)

grizzles (present singular third-person)
grizzling (participle present)
grizzled (participle past)
grizzled (past)

[Wilfred:] In tears, eh? What a plague art thou grizzling for now?

1888, W[illiam] S[chwenck] Gilbert, Arthur Sullivan, composer, The Yeomen of the Guard […] , London: Chappel & Co., […], published c. 1911:

R. J. Tizard — What are you grizzling about now?

1976, New Zealand House of Representatives, Parliamentary Debates, page 4850:

The pin-thin girl is grizzling, whining that she has sand in her eyes.

2009, Judy Waite, Game Girls, unnumbered page:

(UK, Australia, New Zealand, slang) To whinge or whine.

New mothers frequently complain that their partner won't get up to change a wet nappy or comfort a grizzling baby.

(UK, Australia, New Zealand, slang) To fuss or cry


fill in

fill in (third-person singular simple present fills in, present participle filling in, simple past and past participle filled in)

fills in (present singular third-person)
filling in (participle present)
filled in (participle past)
filled in (past)

I've gotten a form that is to be filled in in ink.

The findings emerged from questionnaires filled in by 2,211 staff in 145 wards of 55 hospitals in England and Wales and 105 observations of care of dementia patients. Two-thirds of staff said they had not had enough training to provide proper care, 50% said they had not been trained how to communicate properly with such patients and 54% had not been told how to handle challenging or aggressive behaviour.

2011 December 16, Denis Campbell, “Hospital staff 'lack skills to cope with dementia patients'”, in Guardian:

(transitive, chiefly British) To complete a form or questionnaire with requested information.


smellies

I bought my mother some smellies for her birthday.

(informal, UK) Pleasant-smelling toiletries.

(informal, British, as "the smellies") Cinema enhanced with odours.


wellies

en-noun

wellies pl (normally plural, singular welly or wellie)

welly (singular)
wellie (singular)
Wellies (alternative)

(UK, New Zealand, informal) Wellington boots


welly whanging

welly wanging (alternative common)
wellie wanging (alternative)
wellie whanging (alternative)

(British) A humorous sport in which the aim is to throw a Wellington boot as far as possible.


all right

alright (alternative nonstandard proscribed sometimes)
allright (alternative misspelling)

All right, mate, how are things with you and the missus?

(UK, informal) Term of greeting, equivalent to how are you or hello.

mitäs sä

a greeting, roughly equivalent to how are you (6)


take the mickey

en-verb

take the mickey (third-person singular simple present takes the mickey, present participle taking the mickey, simple past took the mickey, past participle taken the mickey)

takes the mickey (present singular third-person)
taking the mickey (participle present)
took the mickey (past)
taken the mickey (participle past)
mickey-take (alternative)
take the Michael (alternative)
take the mick (alternative)
take the micky (alternative)

Possibly from Cockney rhyming slang “to take the Mickey Bliss” (for take the piss).

Are you takin’ the mickey? You’ll get yer ’ead bashed in.

For the last eight years, taking the mickey out of George Bush has been great, victimless fun. Like taking candy from babies or shooting aquatically-challenged fish in size-challenged barrels.

2008 November 15, Kenneth Nguyen, “Who's laughing now?”, in The Age newspaper:

(intransitive, UK, Ireland, Commonwealth, slang, idiomatic) To ridicule or mock.


benevolence

en-noun

benevolence (countable and uncountable, plural benevolences)

Circa 1400, original sense “good will, disposition to do good”, Old French benivolence from Latin benevolentia (also directly from Latin), literally “good will”, from bene (“well, good”) + volentia, form of volēns, form of volō (“I wish”), components cognate to English benefit and voluntary, more distantly will (via Proto-Indo-European).

(UK, historical) A kind of forced loan or contribution levied by kings without legal authority, first so called under Edward IV in 1473.


meths

(UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, informal) methylated spirits.


New Age traveller

New Age traveller (plural New Age travellers)

New Age travellers (plural)
new age traveller (alternative)

(British) A member of a community of people, many of whom hold New Age beliefs, who travel among fairs and music festivals.


paedophilic

en-adj

paedophilic (comparative more paedophilic, superlative most paedophilic)

more paedophilic (comparative)
most paedophilic (superlative)

British standard spelling of pedophilic.


mitching

miching (alternative)
micking (alternative)

As soon as she was out of the front gate, my father would say, ‘Come along, son: let's go mitchin'!’ and we'd go out to the shed at the back [...].

1974, GB Edwards, The Book of Ebenezer Le Page, New York, published 2007, page 6:


street urchin

First use appears c. 1827 in a publication by Thomas Carlyle.

She ran to the door and there beheld the ragged street urchin calmly playing his organ.

1956 [1880], Johanna Spyri, Heidi, translation of original by Eileen Hall, page 84:

On many occasions, groups of street urchins were seen climbing up large trees for squabs of Rose-ringed Parakeets[.]

2020, Raju Kasambe, Indian Grey Hornbill: Unravelling the Secrets, page 94:

(British, dated) A child who lives, or spends most of their time, in the streets; sometimes a petty thief or pickpocket.

беспрытульнік

child living or spending most of their time in the streets


honeypot

honeypots (plural)
honey pot (alternative)

From Middle English hwny pott; equivalent to honey + pot.

Superb Roman remains, Georgian architecture and countless museums justify Bath's position as a tourist honeypot.

2004 March 13, Bernice Davidson, “England 2004: Bright lights on the water”, in Telegraph.co.uk, retrieved 2008-06-28:

ES's original intention was to run beyond Berlin to the tourist honeypots of Dresden and Prague, but a lack of suitable train paths means that won't be possible until March 2024.

2023 December 13, Ben Jones, “Night train dreams struggle to overcome railway realities”, in RAIL, number 998, page 24:

(figuratively) Something or someone similarly sweet or enticing, particularly:

(chiefly British) A draw: a place which attracts visitors.


scrooge

en-verb

scrooge (third-person singular simple present scrooges, present participle scrooging, simple past and past participle scrooged)

scrooges (present singular third-person)
scrooging (participle present)
scrooged (participle past)
scrooged (past)

So he scraped and scratched and scrabbled and scrooged, then he scrooged again[.]

1908, Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows, London: Wordsworth Classics, published 1993, page 12:

(UK, US, dialect) To crush or press; to squeeze (past, into, together, etc.).


muppet

Sally is such a muppet, the way she always misses the train.

Some muppet has parked a car at the bus stop.

You impudent muppet, diu lay! You may be able to hoodwink people over in the UK, but not those of us over here.

1996 April 18, soc.culture.singapore (Usenet):

'Honestly, Ellie, I don't know why you bother.' 'Err, because I need to squeeze my size twelve self into a size eight wedding dress?' She rolls her eyes. 'You're such a muppet. Why didn't you just buy a bigger size? Dieting is pointless.'

2011, Ruth Saberton, Ellie Andrews Has Second Thoughts, Hachette UK, →ISBN:

There was a silence while Miranda tried to form a sentence that wouldn't antagonise her friend. Or was she a friend? Would a proper friend have set her up with such a – such a muppet?

2011, Penny Smith, Summer Holiday, HarperCollins UK, →ISBN:

The truth was I'd love to be in the school team but I wouldn't get picked anyway: most of the kids think I'm a real muppet, a gormo who's into bird-watching and if I tried to join in, they would just rib me, so I don't bother to show any interest.

2012, Diane Perry, Red Kite, Lulu.com, →ISBN, page 29:

Scrappy set off to run out through the dog flap, but Katie caught hold of him (as he was such a muppet he'd be in danger – as usual – of ending up under the wheels of whoever's Chelsea tractor was scrunching its way up the gravel driveway).

2012, Jane Reynolds, Just Good Friends?, eBook Partnership, →ISBN:

Anyway here was a message now, from 'Geordie', sent to Jack and cc-ed to the rest of his male colleagues. Subject line: 'You've been replaced with a real muppet.'

2020, Dan Brotzel, Hotel du Jack: And Other Stories, Sandstone Press Ltd, →ISBN:

(UK, Ireland, Commonwealth, slang, derogatory) An incompetent or foolish person.


assistant referee

en-noun

assistant referee (plural assistant referees)

Maccabi's Yoan Ziv also saw red in the second half for kicking a boot at the assistant referee.

2011 October 20, Michael da Silva, “Stoke 3 - 0 Macc Tel-Aviv”, in BBC Sport:

association football
association football

(soccer, British): One of the two officials at an association football match, previously known as linesmen, who assist the referee.


fixing

fixings (plural)
fina (alternative)
finna (alternative)

(UK, usually in the plural) Something to aid attachment during construction (screws, wall plugs, etc)


pearly

pearly (countable and uncountable, plural pearlies)

(countable, British, slang, especially in plural) A tooth.


stammel

stammel (usually uncountable, plural stammels)


spring greens

(plural only, chiefly British) the dark green leaves of the borecole plant, Brassica oleracea acephala, used as a vegetable; collard greens


monument

From Middle English monument, from Old French monument, from Latin monumentum (“memorial”), from monēre (“to remind”).

(British) a registered archaeological site or other structure, deemed historic or otherwise worthy of protection.


protector

protectors (plural)
protectour (alternative)

From Middle English protectour, from Anglo-Norman protectour, protector and its etymon Latin prōtēctor, from prōtegō (“shield, protect”). By surface analysis, protect + -or. Displaced native Old English sċildend.

My Lord Protector, ’tis his Highnes pleaſure, You do prepare to ride vnto S. Albons, / Where as the King and Queene do mean to Hawke.

1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii], page 122, column 2:

(UK, historical) One having the care of the kingdom during the king's minority; a regent.


chiack

en-verb

chiack (third-person singular simple present chiacks, present participle chiacking, simple past and past participle chiacked)

chiacks (present singular third-person)
chiacking (participle present)
chiacked (participle past)
chiacked (past)
chyack (alternative)

Jack soon learnt that it was not politic to attack big snakes, which included the adult black, brown, and the death-ader, though he might "chiack" them to his heart's content.

1912 March 1, Edward S. Sorenson, “The Biography of a Kookaburra”, in The Lone Hand, volume 10, page 366:

They were cheerful enough, liked a bit of chiacking, and the women enjoyed the bawdy undertones of their jokes.

1987, Sheila Anderson, “End of the Season”, in Anna Gibbs, Alison Tilson, editors, Frictions, An Anthology of Fiction by Women, page 45:

Will you look at us by the river! The whole restless mob of us on spread blankets in the dreamy briny sunshine skylarking and chiacking about for one day, one clear, clean, sweet day in a good world in the midst of our living.

1991, Tim Winton, 'Cloudstreet', Picador UK Paperback edition 1992 (Chapter 1, at page 1: the book's opening lines)

Most poignantly of all, though, when I get fed up with working alone, I remember Victorian high school staffrooms of the sixties and seventies: the rigid hierarchy with its irritations, but also the chiacking, the squabbles, the timely advice from some old stager with a fag drooping off his lip.

2008, Helen Garner, “The Art of the Dumb Question”, in True Stories: Selected Non-Fiction, page 13:

We believed Melbourne′s two most extraordinary institutions were those of chiacking – taking the piss – and larrikinism. Although the latter would develop derogatory connotations, and chiacking was already beginning to die a slow death, sometimes perceived as offensive in its more alcoholic forms, especially by the women in our group.

2008, Graeme Blundell, The Naked Truth: A Life in Parts, published 2011, unnumbered page:

(Australia, New Zealand, British, transitive) To taunt or tease.


chiack

Indeed, the man was less brute than boor; he also spoke the truth. He had not seriously exceeded the limits of legitimate “chiack.”

1900 May, E. W. Hornung, “The Jackeroo on G-Block”, in The Strand Magazine, volume 19, number 113, page 368:

I felt as if I couldn't go that fur, An' start to sling off chiack like I used...

1915, C.J. Dennis, The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke, page 16:

It was, Janet thought, a symbol of male religion: there they all were, yappings stilled as they attended League mass, quaffing their communion Tooheys, joining in the votive prayers of groan, chiack, cheer.

Dennis captured the speech rhythms and humour of ordinary Australians, their gift of 'chiack', and their deflection of adversity with a ready joke.

2004, Eugene Benson, L.W. Conolly, Encyclopedia of Post-Colonial Literatures in English:

I took some chiack from the drivers: Was that the schottische you was dancing on them logs?

2007, Les A. Murray, Fredy Neptune, page 76:

(Australia, New Zealand, British) Taunting or teasing.


elector

electors (plural)
electour (alternative)

From Middle English electour (“one with a right to vote in electing some office, elector”), borrowed from Late Latin ēlēctor (“chooser, selector; voter, elector”), from Latin ēligere (“to elect”) + -tor (suffix forming masculine agent nouns), equivalent to elect + -or. Ēligere is the present active infinitive of ēligō (“to extract, pluck or root out; (figurative) to choose, elect, pick out”), from ē- (variant of ex- (prefix meaning ‘away; out’)) + legō (“to appoint, choose, select”) (from Proto-Italic *legō (“to gather, collect”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *leǵ- (“to collect, gather”)).

der

I Think this Letter, which was ſent to me by my Electors, worth printing, becauſe as it has convinced me, it may convince others.

1701, J. D. [Fothers?], H. W., T. S., R. L. [et al.], “To the Bookseller”, in A Letter from Some Electors, to One of Their Representatives in Parliament. Shewing the Electors Sentiments, Touching the Matter in Dispute between the Lords and Commons in the Last Session of Parliament, in Relation to the Impeachments. […], London: […] Booksellers of London and Westminster, →OCLC:

The constitutional right of the Electors to exact pledges, from Candidates who are soliciting the honour of representing the nation in Parliament, has been frequently agitated, and as loudly contended for as manfully resisted, at different periods of effervescence; [...]

1818, Kent [pseudonym], “Pledges for Parliamentary Conduct”, in A View of the Great Constitutional Questions, Addressed to the Electors of the United Kingdom. (Part the First.), Canterbury, Kent: […] Rouse, Kirkby, and Lawrence; and sold by […] Messrs. Baldwin, Cradock, and Joy, […], →OCLC, page 8:

India is to have a new Constitution, under which certain limited powers will be assigned to elected representatives. [...] Who, then, are to be the electors in rural constituencies? Only a few general statements can be made on this point. Women must wait, and, in the country at least, they will not mind; there is to be no literacy test, but military service will very properly qualify.

1919 May 23, “The Indian Franchise. The Political Centre of Gravity.”, in The Near East, volume XV, number 420, London: […] St. Clements Press […], →OCLC, page 481:

Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament

(politics) A person eligible to vote in an election; a member of an electorate, a voter.

(British, Commonwealth) A person eligible to vote to elect a Member of Parliament.


blare

en-verb

blare (third-person singular simple present blares, present participle blaring, simple past and past participle blared)

blares (present singular third-person)
blaring (participle present)
blared (participle past)
blared (past)

The verb is derived from Late Middle English blaren, bleren, bloren (“to bellow, cry, wail; of a goat: to bleat”), probably from Old English *blǣren, from Middle Dutch blaren, bleren (“to bawl, cry; to shout; to bleat”) (modern Dutch blèren), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₁- (“to bleat, cry”) and ultimately imitative.
The noun is derived from the verb.
Cognates
Low German blaeren, blaren, blarren
Middle High German blêren, blerren (modern German plärren)

col

Cognates

And the kyne wente ſtraight waye vnto Beth Semes vpon one ſtreete, and wente on blearynge, and turned nether to the righte hande ner to the lefte.

1535 October 14 (Gregorian calendar), Myles Coverdale, transl., Biblia: The Byble, […] (Coverdale Bible), [Cologne or Marburg]: [Eucharius Cervicornus and Johannes Soter?], →OCLC, I. Kynges [1 Samuel] vj:[12], folio xxviij, recto, column 2:

The worthies alſo of Moab bleared and cried for very ſorow of their myndes: Wo is my hert for Moabs ſake.

1535 October 14 (Gregorian calendar), Myles Coverdale, transl., Biblia: The Byble, […] (Coverdale Bible), [Cologne or Marburg]: [Eucharius Cervicornus and Johannes Soter?], →OCLC, Esay [Isaiah] xv:[4–5], folio vi, verso, column 2:

Behold, at eve, the herd returning home / From fruitful meads vvhere they have grazed their fill, / No longer in the ſtalls contain'd, they ruſh / VVith many a friſk abroad, and, blaring oft, / VVith one conſent all dance their dams around, […]

1791, Homer, “[The Odyssey.] Book X.”, in W[illiam] Cowper, transl., The Iliad and Odyssey of Homer, Translated into Blank Verse, […], volume II, London: […] J[oseph] Johnson, […], →OCLC, page 236, lines 496–500:

(archaic except British, dialectal) To make a lengthy sound, as of a person crying or an animal bellowing or roaring.

karjua

to make a lengthy sound, as of a person crying or an animal bellowing or roaring


blare

en-noun

blare (countable and uncountable, plural blares)

col

Cognates

The herds [of bison], in their flight from the burning pastures had rushed over the bed of the watercourse—scaled the slopes of the banks. […] One cry alone more wild than their own savage blare pierced the reek through which the Brute Hurricane swept.

1861 September 28 – 1862 March 8, [Edward Bulwer-Lytton], chapter XLVII, in A Strange Story. […], volume II, London: Sampson Low, Son, & Co., […], published 1862, →OCLC, pages 369–370:

(obsolete except British, dialectal) A lengthy sound, as of a person crying or an animal bellowing or roaring.


immersion

en-noun

immersion (countable and uncountable, plural immersions)

From late Middle English, borrowed from Late Latin immersiō, immersiōnem (“dipping”).

потапяне

the act of immersing or the condition of being immersed

She left the immersion on all the time, while I had been reared under pain of death to turn it off as soon as the bathwater was heated.

2020, Kathleen MacMahon, Nothing But Blue Sky, Penguin, →ISBN:

(British, Ireland, informal) An immersion heater.


sweet F A

(chiefly British, slang) Alternative spelling of sweet FA.


brill

en-adj

brill (comparative more brill, superlative most brill)

more brill (comparative)
most brill (superlative)

That song is totally brill, innit!

So what makes a brill baguette? For Mr Paluel-Marmont and Mr de Rovira, a star French stick can usually be identified merely by its appearance.

2004 April 22, Jon Henley, “Guides show Parisians where their best bread is buttered”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:

(UK, slang) Clipping of brilliant; wonderful, amusing; cool.


red diesel

The fuel is coloured with red dye to prevent illegal use on public roads.

(British, Ireland) Untaxed diesel fuel intended to be used on private property.


red route

(chiefly British) A system of traffic management, marked by red lines along the edge of the road, where parking, loading or picking up passengers is restricted.

(UK) A route that has a higher-than-average rate of traffic accidents.


take something in one's stride

en-verb

take<,,took,taken> something in one's stride

take something in one's stride (third-person singular simple present takes something in one's stride, present participle taking something in one's stride, simple past took something in one's stride, past participle taken something in one's stride)

takes something in one's stride (present singular third-person)
taking something in one's stride (participle present)
took something in one's stride (past)
taken something in one's stride (participle past)
take something in stride (alternative)

En-au-take something in one's stride.ogg

(idiomatic, UK) Not to allow oneself to be set back, daunted, upset or embarrassed by unpleasant or undesirable circumstances.


traditional county

en-noun

traditional county (plural traditional counties)

Traditional counties of the British Isles

administrative counties
administrative county

(UK) any of the historic divisions of Great Britain no longer used for administrative purposes in favour of ceremonial counties and administrative counties


Heinz

From the H. J. Heinz Company's "57 Varieties" slogan.

(UK, gambling, slang) A full-cover bet of doubles and upwards, consisting of six selections in 57 bets.


fess

Y'll be fess enough, my poppet, when th'st know!"

1891, Thomas Hardy, Tess of the d'Urbervilles, volume 1, London: James R. Osgood, McIlvaine and Co., page 32:

(UK dialect) Of animals, bad-tempered, fierce.


chevron

chevrons (plural)
cheveron (alternative dated)

From Middle English cheveroun, from Old French chevron, the mark so called because it looks like rafters of a shallow roof, from Vulgar Latin *capriō, from Latin caper (“goat”), the likely connection between goats and rafters being the animal's horns.

2009, Jamie Dunn, Truckie has a point, Sunshine Coast Daily Online, June 13, 2009.
I told you that in fact they were called chevrons and it was an exercise by the transport department to teach us to stay two chevrons behind the car in front.

(chiefly British) One of the V-shaped markings on the surface of roads used to indicate minimum distances between vehicles.


swot

en-verb

swot (third-person singular simple present swots, present participle swotting, simple past and past participle swotted)

swots (present singular third-person)
swotting (participle present)
swotted (participle past)
swotted (past)
swat (alternative)

From a dialectal English word, from Middle English swot, swat, from Old English swāt (“perspiration; sweat”), from Proto-Germanic *swaitą (“sweat”). More at sweat.

inh

(intransitive, slang, UK, Ireland, Commonwealth) To study with effort or determination.


swot

en-noun

swot (countable and uncountable, plural swots)

He liked Tom all right... Sampson and Bullock he could do without, however. Especially Sampson, who was too much of a grammar-school-type swot ever to be quite the thing.

On first listen, Americans of a certain vintage would call one a Poindexter, while older Brits would regard the other as a swot.

2023 August 8, Janan Ganesh, “The oneness of Ron DeSantis and Rishi Sunak”, in Financial Times:

(slang, British) One who swots; a boffin, nerd, or smart aleck.

All I want is — guerre fini, soldat fini; and to go home without burden of any thought save music, and hard swot for a time.

Quoted in 1983, Ivor Gurney, Robert Kelsey Rought Thornton, War Letters: A Selection (page 254)

(slang, British) Vigorous study at an educational institution.


scramble

Origin uncertain. Perhaps from earlier dialectal scramble, scrammel (“to collect or rake together with the hands”), from scramb (“to pull or scrape together with the hands”) + -le (frequentative suffix) (compare Dutch schrammen (“to graze, brush, scratch”)); or alternatively from a nasalised form of scrabble (“to scrape or scratch quickly”).

cog

(UK) Shouted when something desirable is thrown into a group of people who individually want that item, causing them to rush for it.


stonewall

Fortune favoured the fortunate when Martin Atkinson ignored a stonewall penalty.

2007 February 19, Martin Smith, “Fabregas factor helps Blackburn”, in The Daily Telegraph, London, archived from the original on 2011-05-15:

[Neil] Lennon also pointed to a booking for Niall McGinn for diving as a stonewall penalty to add to his grievances.

2011 January 13, Gordon Parks, “Celtic boss Neil Lennon in new blast at referees after ‘offside’ goal sees two more points dropped in SPL title race”, in Daily Record, Glasgow, archived from the original on 2016-04-07:


safe seat

(chiefly British, Australia, New Zealand) A seat in a legislature that is traditionally held by one political party because of the make-up of the local electorate.


footy

en-noun

footy (countable and uncountable, plural footies)

(uncountable, UK, Ireland) Football (association football) (soccer in US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand).


rotten borough

/ˌɹɒtn̩ ˈbʌɹə/

/ˌɹɑtn̩ ˈbʌɹoʊ/

From rotten (“in a state of decay”) + borough (“type of administrative district”), because such boroughs were regarded as having “decayed” due to their voters moving away to other places.

compound

[…] Queen's Crawley was no longer so populous a place as it had been in Queen Bess's time—nay, was come down to that condition of borough which used to be denominated rotten–yet, as Sir Pitt Crawley would say with perfect justice in his elegant way, "Rotten! be hanged—it produces me a good fifteen hundred a year."

[1847 January – 1848 July, William Makepeace Thackeray, “Crawley of Queen’s Crawley”, in Vanity Fair […], London: Bradbury and Evans […], published 1848, →OCLC, page 57:

(historical) A parliamentary borough that was represented in Parliament although the number of voters had diminished so greatly that they were largely controlled by the main landowner; such boroughs were abolished in the 19th century.

burgu usteldu

parliamentary borough represented in Parliament although the number of voters had diminished so greatly they were largely controlled by the main landowner; parliamentary constituency or electoral district in a similar situation


appal

en-verb

appal (third-person singular simple present appals, present participle appalling, simple past and past participle appalled)

appals (present singular third-person)
appalling (participle present)
appalled (participle past)
appalled (past)


kiss of life

The lifeguard pulled the man out of the lake and gave him the kiss of life.

(idiomatic, UK) Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.


dux

Borrowed from Latin dux (“leader”). Doublet of doge, duc, duce, and duke.

[…]on the motion of Sir John Marjoribanks, Bart., Lord Provost, unanimously resolved, July 27, 1814, “that there be annually presented by the town of Edinburgh to the boy at the head of the Greek class, taught by the rector of the High School, a gold medal of the same value [five guineas] as that annually presented to the dux of the Latin class.”

1849, Wilhelm Steven, The History of the High School of Edinburgh, page 191:

He finished the year dux of Form III with an average 90 per cent over eight subjects. The school did not award end-of-year marks in fourth and fifth forms, but Evans’ report for those years shows he passed all subjects in both years and was again dux in Form V.

1999, Keith Scott, Gareth Evans, page 29:

This school was where my father had been dux in his senior year in 1937 just as his father had been dux at the Rockhampton Grammar School²⁷ before the turn of the 19th century.

2010, Roger K. A. Allen, Ballina Boy, page 28:

Quite a few who became national athletic champions were also duxes or top academic pupils at their schools.

2011, A. Lydiard, Running to the Top, page 17:

(UK, Australia, New Zealand) The top (male or female) academic student in a school, or in a year of school; the top student in a specified academic discipline.


beetroot

en-noun

beetroot (countable and uncountable, plural beetroots)

beetroots (plural)
beet root (alternative)
beet-root (alternative)

[ˈbiː.t͡ʃɹʉːt]

(UK, New Zealand, Australia) A normally deep-red-colored root vegetable usually cooked or pickled before eating.

beet

normally deep-red-coloured root vegetable


castor

Alternative spelling of caster, via cast + -or (the Latinate varient of -er).

(especially UK) Alternative spelling of caster, especially in its senses

A pivoting roller attached to the bottom of furniture to allow it to be moved.

Mrs. Hussey soon appeared, with a mustard-pot in one hand and a vinegar-cruet in the other, having just broken away from the occupation of attending to the castors, and scolding her little black boy meantime.

1851 November 14, Herman Melville, “The Ramadan”, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC, page 92:

A container with a perforated cap for sprinkling its contents, especially salt, pepper, etc.


parade

parade (countable and uncountable, plural parades)

parades (plural)
Pde (alternative)
parad (alternative)

→ Hindi: परैड (paraiḍ)

→ Urdu: پریڈ (paraiḍ)

From French parade (“an ostentatious display, a military display”), from parer (“to beautify, prepare, take pride in”) + -ade probably under influence from earlier Italian parata (“preparation, a military parade, an ostentatious display”) and Latin magnō parātū (“with great preparation”). Various senses similarly influenced by earlier French and Italian uses. Doublet of pare.

der

Most new shopping centres... have broken away from the old strip parades which usually face each other across heavy inter-town traffic.

1968, Roger Kenneth Cox, Retail Site Assessment, page 15:

(UK, figurative, uncommon) A row of shops beside a street.

Scottish Programme Parade

Listen to your regional Programme Parade at 8.10 a.m. daily.

programme parade
programme parade#English

(UK, figurative, now uncommon) Ellipsis of programme parade: a description of the programming schedule formerly announced on the radio and various television channels.


Administrator

(UK) The queen's representative in some Commonwealth territories, comparable to a Governor General.


B

From abbreviations of various terms beginning with or containing the letter ‘B’.
* (billion): abbreviation of billion
* (cricket): abbreviation of balls
* (bitch): abbreviation of bitch

(British) The grade of pencil, “black”, that makes darker marks than grade HB but lighter marks than grade 2B; a pencil with soft lead.


Baz

There was me and Baz – Barry Stevens, my DS – in one car.

2003, Peter Robinson, Aftermath: An Inspector Banks Mystery, unnumbered page:

(British, Ireland, Australia) A diminutive of the male given name Barry.

That's what Baz—Basil Younger——said when I put it to him.

2005, Reginald Hill, Who Guards a Prince, page 169:

(British, Ireland, Australia) A diminutive of the male given name Basil.


Benny

From the name of a dull-witted character, Benny Hawkins, in the British soap opera Crossroads.

(British, slang) A stupid or dull-witted person.

(British, slang) A native of the Falkland Islands.


Bill

Hypocorism of William. It is unclear how the initial W became a B; this could have been part of the medieval trend of swapping letters, similar to Dick for Rick.

(British, slang) A nickname for the British constabulary. Often called "The Bill" or "Old Bill"


Brown

en-adj

Brown (comparative more Brown, superlative most Brown)

more Brown (comparative)
most Brown (superlative)

From Middle English Broun, originally a nickname for someone with brown hair or a dark complexion. In the United States, sometimes an anglicization and translation of German Braun. Doublet of Bruno and Braun.

(chiefly US, often Canada and UK) Alternative letter-case form of brown (“of a dark complexion”).


Brownie

From brownie (“helpful elf”). Specifically, inspired by the story "The Brownies" by Juliana Horatia Ewing (published in 1870, The Brownies and Other Tales), in which two children, Tommy and Betty, learn that children can be helpful brownies or lazy boggarts.

1958 July 14, Boot by a Brash Brownie, LIFE, page 124,
In Toronto young Brownies of the Girl Guides, the Canadian girl scouts, stood in parade formation with full-fledged Guides.

The ideal Brownie pack, according to the 1960 Guide Commissioner′s Handbook, would contain Brownies who were ‘alert, clean, tidy and punctual. Their uniform should be correct.’

1997, Doug Owram, Born at the Right Time: A History of the Baby-Boom Generation, page 102:

Another Guide group that persevered through internment was the 1st Chefoo (which had Brownies, Guides and Rangers) in Shandong province, China.[…]The November 2, 1942, entry in the Brownie logbook pleads for cheerfulness in the face of adversity: “We are in need of smiles. Have you got them ready, Brownies?”

2009, Tammy M. Proctor, Scouting for Girls: A Century of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, page 85:

(British, Canada, Australia) A junior Girl Guide.


C

The programming language is so named because it followed on from an earlier language called B.

(British) Head of the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6).


City

(UK) The City of London, the historic core of London where the Roman settlement of Londinium was established.

(UK) The United Kingdom's financial industries, which are principally based in the City of London.


Commonwealth

Near-synonyms: Protectorate; Interregnum

Commonwealth of England
Commonwealth of England

(British, historical) The Commonwealth of England (1649–1653); the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland (1653–1660).


Corrie

Diminutive from Coronation Street + -ie.

It all seems to take place in the hiatus between Neighbours and “Brookie”, “Corrie” or EastEnders.

1989 May 20, Stephen Silk, “Campus: All change for housing”, in The Times, page 34:

Linda lives next door and is dead mumsy, even though she's no one's mum, 'cos she cooks my tea sometimes and lets me watch EastEnders on her massive plasma TV, even though she says I should 'stay true to my Northern Roots' and watch Corrie.

2012, Ellie Irving, Billie Templar's War, Random House (The Bodley Head):

(British, informal) Abbreviation of Coronation Street, a soap opera.


DSL

(UK, education) Initialism of designated safeguarding lead.


Dame

(British) The titular prefix given to a female knight


Dando

Hotten explains this as the name of a man once famed for devouring large portions of oysters etc. at restaurants and then admitting he had no money.

It is plaguily annoying to want a dinner, and have the appetite of a Dando — to be asked for a large debt, when your pockets cannot conceal a solitary shilling […]

1844, James MacGauran, Walter Clayton: A tale of the Gordon Riots, page 2:

[…] have we not made out our case that a Master requires the propensities of Bacchus, with the appetite of a Dando […]

1904, Robert Smith Surtees, The Analysis of the Hunting Field, page 9:


Del

(British) A diminutive of the male given name Derek.


Dev

The Dev was a long-standing favourite, as was Hawley Arms and The World's End, but he found greater pleasure in seeking out the smaller, lesser known bars and pubs.

2013, Jon Wilmot, The Reunion, page 135:

The vampire community offers a variety of activities, ranging from obscure events, such as carve your own tombstone, gothic belly dancing, and Kensal Green Cemetery walks to more regular pub and club nights at alternative venues, such as The Dev (the Devonshire Arms, Camden), the Intrepid Fox, Slimelight, and Torture Garden.

2013, Maria Mellins, Vampire Culture, page 47:

(UK, slang) The Devonshire Arms, an alternative pub in Camden, London.


Eye

(UK, colloquial, "the Eye") the comedic magazine Private Eye.

(UK, "the Eye") The London Eye, a tourist attraction in London.


F

Abbreviation.
# (Stenoscript) Abbreviation of full or fully.
# (Stenoscript) suffixes -full, -fully.

(UK) A grade lower than E but higher than G.

An academic grade, specifically:
A grade lower than E but higher than G.


Farm

And before you mention the plans to fix up the Farm, let me tell you, all that regeneration talk is just about bulldozing the place and shipping us all out to God knows where.

(UK, slang) Broadwater Farm, an area of Tottenham, North London, England.


Few

From a speech by Winston Churchill that included the phrase "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few".

(British) The pilots who fought in the Battle of Britain.


G

en-noun

G (countable and uncountable, plural Gs)

(UK, education) The academic grade that comes next below F.


Garden

(UK, slang, obsolete) Covent Garden in London, England, or its theatre or market.


Germ

Clipping of German, from the phonetic similarity to germ.

(UK, slang, derogatory) a German person.


Grey

(UK, military, historical, chiefly in the plural) A member of the Royal Scots Greys, a cavalry regiment of the British Army from 1707 to 1971.


Guy

PIE word
 *dwóh₁
From Old French Gui, a form of Proto-Germanic *Wido, a short form of names beginning with the element *widuz (“wood”), such as Witold and Widukind. Cognate with Italian Guido and thus a doublet of Guido. More at wood.

(British) An effigy of Guy Fawkes burned on Bonfire Night


H

(British) A grade of pencil with lead that makes darker marks than a pencil of grade 2H; a pencil with hard lead.


H

(British) Abbreviation of hard, in reference to a grade of pencil lead.

(UK, film, historical) Abbreviation of horrific, a former film classification.


Hall

* As an English, Scottish, Irish, German, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish surname: all from the noun hall. The name was likely reinforced by similar sounding words such as Swedish häll (“rock slab”).
* As a Chinese surname, variant Romanization of 何, 賀 /贺 (hè), see He.
** (locomotive): The locomotives were named after English and Welsh country houses with 'Hall' in their titles.
** (British and Scandinavian surnames): From the buildings, halls

Hall (disambiguation)#Places
Hall (surname)

(UK, rail transport) Hall class, a class of steam locomotive used on the GWR.


Henry

From Middle English Henry, from Old French (and Anglo-Norman) Henri, from Frankish *Haimrik, from Proto-Germanic *Haimarīks. Cognate with German Heinrich, Dutch Hendrik, Estonian Hendrik, and Old Norse Heimríkr (Danish Henrik).

Grab the Henry and give it a once over, would you?

(UK) Ellipsis of Henry hoover, a common brand of vacuum cleaner.


Hun

From Old English Hūnas, Hūne (both plural), from Late Latin Hunni, from Koine Greek Οὗννοι (Hoûnnoi), borrowed through Middle Iranian. Cognate with Old Norse húnir, Old High German Hunni. See also etymology of Xiongnu.
Compare Sogdian [script needed] (xwn), Sanskrit हूण (hūṇa), and 匈奴 (OC *hoŋ-nâ) (c. 318 BCE) > *hɨoŋ-nɑ (Eastern Han), which Schuessler (2014:264) proposes to be transcription of foreign *Hŏna ~ Hŭna. More at Huns.
As a derogatory term for Germans popularized by Rudyard Kipling, reacting to Germany's proposal that the Royal Navy be used to collect debts from Venezuela.

(slang, derogatory, UK, Ireland) A Protestant.

(slang, derogatory, UK, Ireland) A Rangers Football Club supporter; an Orangeman.


Island

(UK, colloquial) HM Prison Parkhurst, a prison on the Isle of Wight


J

Js (plural)
J's (plural)
JJ (plural)
J. (alternative)
j. (alternative)
j (alternative)

The Highways Agency plan to close J10 of the M5 to refurbish the motorway bridge.

(British, road transport) Abbreviation of junction.


Jenny

Jennies (plural)
Jenni (alternative)
Jennie (alternative)

From Jen + -y, historically as a hypochoristic form of Janet, Jane, etc. or (rarely) Eugenia, Virginia, etc. but now more often used as a diminutive of Jennifer.
Doublet of Ivanka, Jan, Janelle, Janet, Janey, Janine, Jeanette, Jeanie, Jeannette, Jeannine, Jen, Jenna, Jenny, Jessie, Jo, Jody, Juanita, Shanae, Sinead, and Vanna in derivations from Jane etc.
In senses related to inanimate objects, partially derived from the generic senses of Jane and partially an informal pronunciation of engine.

doublet

(UK, informal) A Wren (a member of the WRNS).


Jock

Believed to be a Scots variant of Jack. Because of its specific association with Scotland, the British English slang term is believed by most sources to be derived from the frequency of the use of the given name in Scotland, rather than from the "common man" etymology.


John

Johns (plural)
Jon (alternative)
Joh. (alternative abbreviation rare)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-I learned some phrases-John.wav

From Middle English John, Johan, Johannes, from Anglo-Norman Jehan, Johan, and also Old English Iohannes, both from Late Latin Iōhannēs, variant of Latin Iōannēs, from Koine Greek Ἰωάννης (Iōánnēs), from Biblical Hebrew יוֹחָנָן (Yôḥānān), perhaps contracted from a former יְהוֹחָנָן (Yəhōḥānān, “God is gracious”).
Doublet of Jack, Jon, Johan, Johann, Johannes, Jean, Sean, Shane, Shaun, Ian, Ivan, Evan, Juan, Giovanni, and Yahya.

I and the other "Johns," as I soon discovered all new-comers at Sandhurst were, and are still, styled, although at the time I was unconscious of it, managed to troop in after the A company, but although not two minutes after them, found all the different messes already seated and hard at work.

To avoid bullying, first-year “Johns” (from Johnny Raw) “fagged” for senior classmen known as “Regs.” Fagging included making beds, running messages, and smuggling contraband.

(UK, military, slang) A new recruit at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.


K

Abbreviations.
# (Stenoscript) Abbreviation of counter, prefix counter-, sequence contr.

ng

prefix <i class="Latn mention" lang="en">counter-</i>, sequence contr.

(UK, government) Abbreviation of Knighthood.


King

en-prop

King (countable and uncountable, plural Kings)

→ Japanese: キング (Kingu)

(UK, rail transport) King class, a class of steam locomotives once used on the GWR.


Kirk

Kirk (countable and uncountable, plural Kirks)

From kirk (“church”). Doublet of Church.

(chiefly British) The Presbyterian Church of Scotland.


Labour

(UK, New Zealand) Short for the Labour Party.

(UK, Canada) Misspelling of Labor, an Australian political party.


Lane

As an English surname, from lane; as an Irish surname, from several origins, including Laighin. See Lane.

It was a gala night at the Lane, with Charles Mathews coming over from Covent Garden […]

1950, Basil Francis, Fanny Kelly of Drury Lane, page 37:

(UK, informal, as "the Lane") The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.


Lent

Shortened form of Lenten, from Old English lencten, from Proto-West Germanic *langatīn (“spring”), as in a season into which days lengthen as it progresses. Related to German Lenz and Dutch lente (“springtime”).

الصَّوْم الْأَرْبَعِينِيّ

Christian period of penitence before Easter


Lords

(British, UK politics, plural only) Ellipsis of House of Lords.


Marmite

en-noun

Marmite (countable and uncountable, plural Marmites)

Marmites (plural)
marmite (alternative proscribed)

From French marmite (“cooking pot”). The common-noun sense derives from an advertising campaign (1996 and onwards) featuring the slogan love it or hate it.

A pink gin is prepared by swirling a few drops of bitters round the glass and throwing any excess away. It's the Marmite of the drinking world.

2000 May 30, Mike Page, “Re: Milk bar [WAS: Re: Great googly-moogly]”, in alt.usage.english (Usenet):

Ah, anchovies - the marmite of the marine world. Personally, I love them, at least on pizzas.

2001 March 6, Mark Blunden, “Re:Another Recipe Request”, in alt.babylon5.uk (Usenet):

I have a feeling that this pie is the Marmite of the school pie world. You either loved it or you hated it.

2008, Becky Thorn, “Pies”, in School Dinners: Recipes and Reminiscences of the Good, the Bad and the Spotted Dick, Anova Books, →ISBN, page 24:

Catamarans are the Marmite of powerboating – you either love them or you hate them.

2008, Tim Bartlett, Simon Collis, Tony Jones, “Design and Construction”, in Complete Powerboating Manual, New Holland Publishers, →ISBN, page 164:

A LOT of people could ask me that question. It’s a Marmite thing, you either love him or hate him,” admits Consett actor Chris Coxon who is one of the first people on the planet to attempt to become a real-life version of cult animated character Spongebob Squarepants^([sic])

2009 April 16, “Bobby dazzler”, in The Northern Echo:

“I’ve always been quite a Marmite personality,” she says, comparing herself to the divisive umami toast spread.

2022 June 2, Anna Peele, quoting Olivia Attwood, “Inside ‘Love Island,’ From the Tragic Suicide Deaths to New Mental Health Protocols”, in Vanity Fair:

(UK, informal) Something which people either love or hate.


Marmite

en-adj

Marmite (comparative more Marmite, superlative most Marmite)

more Marmite (comparative)
most Marmite (superlative)
marmite (alternative proscribed)

But that 10% gap between fans and detractors leaves room for an interesting concept: is there something more Marmite than Marmite?

2019 October 25, “What’s more Marmite than Marmite?”, in YouGov:

'Hangry', fittingly, is very Marmite. For some it is newfangled and unpalatable, but for others it is an essential description of everyday life.

2022 October 13, Susie Dent, Words from the Heart: An Emotional Dictionary, Hachette UK, →ISBN:

London is perhaps the ultimate Marmite city. One second you're head over heels in love with it; the next you're searching 'Manchester' on Rightmove. But what are the most Marmite things IN London? These six things, we reckon.

2023 October 11, Will Noble, “Are These The 6 Most Marmite Things In London?”, in Londonist:


Muppet

Diane Sawyer
Elmo
Jim Henson
Kevin Clash
Muppet

Coined by Jim Henson as an alteration of puppet. Henson had claimed the word was a blend of marionette + puppet, but later recanted.

'I'll come, if you like,' Paul says. 'I'm not asking you, Muppet,' Kit snaps.

English version: I'm A Cockney Geezer, You Muppet. No, you are an upper middle class, public school educated wanker (it takes one to know one) and I feel I must apologize to everyone on behalf of the land of my birth for the many crimes to cinema committed in the wake of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998).

2011, Julian Hoxter, Write What You Don't Know, page 45:

She tilts her head towards him, and whispers in his ear, “Of course I do, you Muppet. I keep telling you to trust The Source and our guides; don't I?"

2013, Guy Dance, Soul Brigade: The Mission of Light, page 245:

What's your fucking name you Muppet? I won't ask you again.

2018, Peter D. Bull, Undercover, page 13:

Not that kind of atmosphere, you Muppet. A cut it with a knife atmosphere.

2021, Margaret de Rohan, The Icarus Affair:

(UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Eastern US, South Africa, slang, derogatory) Alternative form of muppet (fool).


Nippy

It was the task of the Lyons' waitress, the Nippy, groomed and trained by the management to be an efficient public servant, to mediate between patrons and the establishment as well as between different classes and tastes […]

2012, Judith Walkowitz, Nights Out: Life in Cosmopolitan London, page 195:

The Nippy became a national icon, symbolic of the girl next door, always approachable and proper; […]

2014, Paul Chrystal, Tea: A Very British Beverage:

(UK, historical) A waitress in a Lyons Corner House.


North

English surname, from the adjective north. This is also translated from other surnames of the same meaning, such as Irish Mac an Ultaigh (“son of the Ulsterman”), Ulster being the northern part of Ireland.

The northern part of a region (alternative letter-case form of north), especially:

(UK) The North of England, a cultural region.


Northeast

the Northeast (canonical)
North East (alternative)

(UK) Alternative form of North East (“a region of England”).


P

en-noun

P (countable and uncountable, plural Ps)

product placement
product placement#English

(UK, television) Initialism of product placement (displayed on screen as an indicator to viewers).


P

(UK) Abbreviation of probationary (used on a vehicle's P-plate).


Pam

In October 1865, the Prime Minister, Lord Palmerston, died in office two days before his 81st birthday. 'Old Pam' had been a member of every government since 1807, […]

2004, Matthew J. B. Campbell, Jacqueline M. Labbe, Sally Shuttleworth, Memory and Memorials, page 64:

w:Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston

(UK, historical, slang) Nickname for Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston.


Pan

(UK, slang, obsolete) The workhouse in St Pancras, London.


Peta

(chiefly UK, Australia) A female given name from Ancient Greek.


Pip

An allusion to the newspaper cartoon strip Pip, Squeak and Wilfred.

(UK, military, World War I, slang) The 1914 Star or 1914–15 Star medal.


Plough

Later on, as I walked home / The Plough was showing, and Orion

1998, Belle and Sebastian, “Ease Your Feet in the Sea”, in The Boy with the Arab Strap:

(astronomy, British, common name) The brightest seven stars of the constellation Ursa Major. They are Alkaid, Mizar, Alioth, Megrez, Dubhe, Merak, and Phecda.


Poppy

"It is a very pretty name, Mma. I should like to be called Poppy."
The compliment drew a smile. "I used to be very embarrassed about it," said Poppy. "I used to try to hide my name from people. I thought it was a very silly name."
Mma Ramotswe shook her head. There was nothing embarrassing about the name Poppy, but there was no telling what names people would find embarrassing.

2006, Alexander McCall Smith, Blue Shoes and Happiness, →ISBN:

(chiefly UK) A female given name from English, a flower name used since the end of the 19th century.


Punch

(British) A glove puppet who is the main character used in a Punch and Judy show.


Q

Q (countable and uncountable, plural Qs)

Yeah, alright, started with a Q, didn't wait in line

2023 June 1, Dave, Central Cee, Jim Legxacy, Jo Caleb, Jonny Leslie, Kyle Evans, “Sprinter” (track 2), in Split Decision, performed by Dave and Central Cee, Neighbourhood; Live Yours:

Abbreviation of quarter.
(slang, UK) A quarter ounce of a drug.

Abbreviation of quarter.
A quarter ounce of a drug.


Ram

From ram the animal of the mascot for the sports team.

(UK, soccer) Someone connected with Derby County Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


Republican

(British, Ireland) An Irish nationalist; a proponent of a united Ireland.


Saint

(UK, rail transport) Saint class, a class of steam locomotives used on the GWR.


Sally

A diminutive lambdacism of Sarah. Compare Hal from Harry and Moll from Mary.

(British, slang) A nickname for the Salvation Army.


Sellotape

Sellotape (usually uncountable, plural Sellotapes)

Brand name, from cellophane tape. The first letter was changed to avoid infringing the then-extant trademark on cellophane.

(UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand) A brand of adhesive tape (and similar products) similar to Scotch tape (US).


Septic

Short form of Australian rhyming slang septic tank (“Yank”).

Not only didn′t he want to tour he didn′t even want “Septics” (“Septic Tanks,″ meaning Yanks) to buy his records.

1992 February, “The Brit Pack”, in Spin, page 41:

Cockney rhyming slang
Cockney rhyming slang

(UK, Australia, New Zealand, Cockney rhyming slang) Alternative form of septic; an American.


Sir

(British) The titular prefix given to a knight or baronet.


Slav

From Middle English sclave, borrowed from Medieval Latin Sclavus, from Byzantine Greek Σκλάβος (Sklábos); see that entry for more. Doublet of slave and ciao. Displaced native Old English Wined.

(British, birdwatching) The Slavonian grebe.


Staffs

(UK, postal) Abbreviation of Staffordshire.


Star

* As a German and Jewish surname, from Star (“starling”).
* Also as a German and Jewish surname, semantic loan from German Stern (“star”).
* As a Dutch surname, from star (“stiff, rigid”).
* As a Slovene surname, from star (“old”).
* As an English given name, from star, sometimes originating as a nickname.

semantic loan

(UK, rail transport) Star class, a class of steam locomotives used on the GWR.