marker

marker interface → marker interface pattern

So, in his end of term report, what marks would Brown award himself for his time at TfL?
"8½," he replies.
Why?
"I'm a hard marker! […]

2020 July 15, Mike Brown tells Paul Clifton, “Leading London's "hidden heroes"”, in Rail, page 47:

(UK) Someone who assigns marks on tests, examinations, etc.; a grader.


crumbs

(chiefly British) An expression of mild surprise.


corny

en-adj

corny (comparative cornier, superlative corniest)

cornier (comparative)
corniest (superlative)

From Middle English corny, equivalent to corn + -y. In the "hackneyed" sense, from "corn catalogue jokes", reputedly low-quality jokes that were formerly printed in mail-order seed catalogues.

Yen day when aw was corney.

1850, Joseph Philip Robson, France's Songs of the Bards of the Tyne:


unmade

unmade (comparative more unmade, superlative most unmade)

more unmade (comparative)
most unmade (superlative)

[E]ven when it turned off the unmade road and went steeply upwards along an even more unmade track, I was still exhilarated […].

It was an unexpected benefit to early rail investors that passengers had an appetite for travel, which up to then had been a tortuous experience on largely unmade roads and involving stays at coaching inns that provided variable amenities.

2021 September 22, Industry Insider, “A new way of thinking”, in RAIL, number 940, page 92:

(UK, of a road) Without a hard, smooth, permanent surface.


gegger

(slang, UK, derogatory) Someone who does not conform to "chav" or "goth" stereotypes.


trolley

→ Catalan: tròlei

→ French: trolley

→ Romanian: troleu

→ German: Trolley

→ Welsh: troli

Early 19th century (1823) meaning "cart", of dialectal origin (Suffolk), probably from troll (“to trundle, roll”) + -ey (diminutive ending).

af

About a shopping trolley, I thought I'd let ye know. Ya'd try to push it straight but it never seems ta go. Ya'd wobble through the car park, hopping off the cars. Anyone would think ya had a few auld jars.

2013 March 15, “The Shopping Trolley” (track 10), in Horsing Around, performed by Richie Kavanagh:

(Australia, New Zealand, British, Ireland) A cart or shopping cart; a shopping trolley.

(British) A gurney, a stretcher with wheeled legs.


pecker

From Middle English pekker, equivalent to peck (“to pick at something in the manner of a bird”) + -er (“forming agent nouns”).

He's a rare pecker.

1862, C.C. Robinson, The Dialect of Leeds & Its Neighbourhood, page 383:

Peck... A hearty eater is generally called ‘a rare pecker’.

But I've been better iver since, an' beginnin' to eat my vittles, too, though I'm never no great pecker.

1894, Mrs. H. Ward, Marcella, II. iv. v. 476:

Someone who or something that pecks, striking or piercing in the manner of a bird's beak or bill, particularly:

(UK regional, obsolete) An eater, a diner.

Pecker, a bird's bill

1891, G. Sweetman, A Glossary of Words used by the rural population in the parish and neighbourhood of Wincanton, Somerset:

Q. What does a bird peck its food up with?... [Wiltshire] Beak, pecker.

1967, H. Orton & M. F. Wakelin, A Survey of English dialects B, volume 4:

(UK colloquial, by extension of the sense ‘beak’) A nose.

Mr. King... misstated the fact in saying that he had put a piece of lighted paper to the master's nose while asleep in that house; it was his hot pipe that he applied to the sleeper's nostrils, at the same time crying: Come, old chap, keep your pecker up.

Pecker, ‘keep your Pecker up’,... literally, keep your beak and head well up, ‘never say die’.

Be firm, my moral pecker.

1875, W.S. Gilbert, Trial by Jury, section 4:

... he had every facility given him to remain under lock and key, with a chair, a table, a mattress in a corner, and a litter of fallen plaster on the floor, in an irrational state of funk, and keeping up his pecker with such tonics as Mariani dispensed.

1900, Joseph Conrad, chapter 5, in Lord Jim:

Fred and I managed to keep our peckers up somehow.

2003, J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, page xii:

keep one's pecker up
keep one's pecker up

(UK colloquial, by extension, from the expression ‘keep one's pecker up’) Spirits, nerve, courage.


sweet pepper

en-noun

sweet pepper (countable and uncountable, plural sweet peppers)

Capsicum annuum
Capsicum annuum#Translingual

(UK) The fruit of a nonspicy cultivar of pepper, Capsicum annuum, marketed in green-, red-, yellow- and orange-skinned varieties.


hoarding

Making inquiries she came to a hoarding, within which were excavations denoting the foundations of a building; and on the boards without one or two large posters announcing that the foundation-stone of the chapel about to be erected would be laid that afternoon at three o’clock by a London preacher of great popularity among his body.

1894 December – 1895 November, Thomas Hardy, chapter VIII, in Jude the Obscure, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], published 1896, →OCLC:

A hoarding is a legal requirement for the safety of the public on a building site. There are rules about its height and construction. But of course it is also the perfect opportunity: a blank canvas on which to show a vision of the life soon to be lived behind it.

2014 September 25, Hugo Macdonald, “Could those utopian hoardings for new developments get any more nauseating?”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:

They’re a familiar sight to many: the eye-roll-inducing, over-the-top development hoardings and adverts that celebrate the (inevitably luxury and, to most people, unaffordable) developments soon to be added to the city skyline.

2015 October 2, Francesca Perry, “What are the most ridiculous property development adverts you've seen?”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:

The west side is one massive building site, although it's hard to appreciate what's going on behind all the hoardings.

2022 November 16, Paul Bigland, “From rural branches to high-speed arteries”, in RAIL, number 970, page 57:

(construction, UK, Ireland, Hong Kong, Canada, Australia, New Zealand) A temporary fence-like structure built around building work to add security and prevent accidents to the public.

Nobody has ever seen Big Brother. He is a face on the hoardings, a voice on the telescreen. We may be reasonably sure that he will never die, and there is already considerable uncertainty as to when he was born.

1949 June 8, George Orwell [pseudonym; Eric Arthur Blair], Nineteen Eighty-Four: A Novel, London: Secker & Warburg, →OCLC; republished [Australia]: Project Gutenberg of Australia, August 2001:

Today, by radio, and also on giant hoardings, a rabbi, an admiral notorious for his links to Masonry, a trio of cardinals, a trio, too, of insignificant politicians (bought and paid for by a rich and corrupt Anglo-Canadian banking corporation), inform us all of how our country now risks dying of starvation.

1994, Georges Perec, translated by Gilbert Adair, A Void, London: Harvill Press, page vii:

But holidaymakers arriving this weekend in Positano, on the Amalfi coast, are more likely to find their gaze captured by a vast Volkswagen Golf. The car, pictured on a giant hoarding, has launched the latest row over intrusive advertising in Italy's historic towns and cities.

2004 June 25, John Hooper, “Uproar in Italy over hoardings in historic vistas”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:

(chiefly UK, Ireland, Commonwealth) A billboard.


haberdasher

From Middle English, 13th century. Uncertain but may derive from Anglo-Norman habertas (“small goods”).

(British) A member of the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers, a livery company.


Established in the United Kingdom as the first emergency service number in the world, initially chosen because of its suitability at a time of rotary-dial telephones.

(UK, Ireland, Hong Kong, Singapore, colloquial, metonymically) Emergency services; emergency service personnel.


Dusty

Derived from dusty, from the tendency of persons engaged in the milling of flour to become covered with flour dust.

(British) a nickname for someone with the surname Miller


sulph-

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-sulph-.wav

(chemistry, UK) Alternative spelling of sulf-


sulpho-

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-sulpho-.wav

(UK, chemistry) Alternative spelling of sulfo-


Carling Sunday

From the carling peas traditionally eaten on the day, themselves named for Care Sunday.

(British, dated or dialectal) Synonym of Passion Sunday: the fifth Sunday in Lent.


tombstone

en-verb

tombstone (third-person singular simple present tombstones, present participle tombstoning, simple past and past participle tombstoned)

tombstones (present singular third-person)
tombstoning (participle present)
tombstoned (participle past)
tombstoned (past)

(UK, intransitive) To take part in tombstoning: to jump into the sea, etc. from a cliff or other high point so as to enter the water vertically straight.


nosey parker

Yer a lotta nosey parkers.

1991, Kathleen Dayus, Where There's Life, London: Virago Press Ltd:

(UK, Ireland, colloquial) An overly inquisitive or prying person.


JJ

(British) A male given name, often short for Jacob or Joshua.


dago

Alteration of diego (“Spaniard”), from Spanish Diego (common Spanish name) by law of Hobson-Jobson.

And all foreigners to him were "dem bloody dagoes"—for, according to his theory, foreigners were responsible for unemployment.

1933 January 9, George Orwell [pseudonym; Eric Arthur Blair], chapter XXVIII, in Down and Out in Paris and London, London: Victor Gollancz […], →OCLC:

(UK, Ireland, slang, offensive, ethnic slur) A person of Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Greek, or other Mediterranean descent.


blooth

en-noun

blooth (countable and uncountable, plural blooths)

All that blooth means heavy autumn work for him and his hands. If no blight happens before the setting the apple yield will be such as we have not had for years.

1886 May – 1887 April, Thomas Hardy, The Woodlanders […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London; New York, N.Y.: Macmillan and Co., published 1887, →OCLC:

'Are you afraid?'
'Oh no, sir ... not of outdoor things; especially just now when the apple-blooth is falling, and everything is so green.'

1891, Thomas Hardy, Tess of the d’Urbervilles: A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: James R[ipley] Osgood, McIlvaine and Co., […], →OCLC:

(UK, dialect) Alternative form of blowth (“blossom; bloom”)


touch wood

en-verb

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

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

Touching wood possibly has reference to (a) the cross, or (b) the altar rails in days when criminals could take sanctuary in churches.

1930, John D. Stephenson, chapter I, in The Structure of English from Sentence to Essay, page 105:

Very few patients for whom I provided psychiatric treatment ended their lives by suicide, but I became increasingly convinced that my residency instructor who touched wood because none of his patients had killed themselves had not been treating many seriously mentally ill patients for any extended period of time.

2003, Chester Schneider, The Making of a Christian Psychiatrist, US: Xulon Press, page 193:

Examples of rituals include touching wood, repeating phrases in your mind, wearing lucky clothes or jewellery, and avoiding unlucky numbers, out of a faulty belief that these rituals will stop unfortunate or tragic events befalling yourself or your loved ones.

2010, Rhena Branch, Rob Willson, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy For Dummies, 2nd edition, UK: John Wiley & Sons, page 102:

(UK, Ireland, Commonwealth) To make contact with wood to avert bad luck, in accordance with a folk practice.


touch wood

And the reds are going to avoid relegation this year, touch wood.

If it′s ever me (Jesus Christ, touch wood!), I don′t want you bringing me flowers.

1988, Janette Turner Hospital, chapter I, in Charades, page 314:

The English press has been very good to me, touch wood.

2008 March, Anna Friel with Deanna Kizis (interviewer), “A Conversation with: Anna Friel”, in Women′s Health, page 88:

I know I have my faults and one of them is my impatience and I also cannot tolerate people who are ill, mainly because I am so very rarely ill—“Touch wood,” I said out loud and touched my head at the same time.

2009, Lee Hobin, chapter I, in The Male Survival Guide to Pregnancy, page 59:

(idiomatic, UK, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, India) Hopefully; said while touching something wooden, to avert superstitious bad luck from what has just been said.


MOT

I can’t drive over this week, the car is in for its MOT.

Ministry of Transport
Ministry of Transport

(British) Ministry of Transport test; an annual test of roadworthiness for British cars over three years old.

It will need some MOT at the bottom and then a layer of washed sand.

(British) An aggregate which meets the Ministry of Transport standard as a compact subbase.


£sd

An abbreviation of the Latin lībra solidus dēnārius.

(British, historical after 1971) the pre-decimal pounds, shillings, pence

He reins his horses with an air; he treats
With scoffing calm whatever powers there be;
He gets it straight, puts a bit on, and meets
His losses with both lip and £ s. d.


pooh

en-noun

pooh (countable and uncountable, plural poohs)

Originally onomatopoeic ("perhaps ancient" according to Online Etymology Dictionary) for a puff of air, after earlier poh and similar to later pew, phew, pho, phoo, poof. Later influenced by poop, onomatopoeic for the sound of flatulating and defecating, and by interjections of disgust similar to phew, pee-ew. Interjection for an unpleasant smell possibly linked to French puer (“to stink”).

(countable, chiefly UK, childish) Alternative form of poo: A piece of feces; an act of defecation.


labourer

This time was most dreadful for Lilian. Thrown on her own resources and almost penniless, she maintained herself and paid the rent of a wretched room near the hospital by working as a charwoman, sempstress, anything. In a moment she had dropped to the level of a casual labourer.

1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XVII, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:


nought

From Middle English nought, noght, noȝt, from Old English nōwiht, nāwiht, which in turn comes from ne-ā-wiht, which was a phrase used as an emphatic "no", meaning "not anything". Equivalent to ne + ought or ne + a + wight. Doublet of naught and not.

0.4 — nought point four / zero point four

(UK, Ireland, Commonwealth) Not any quantity of number; zero; the score of no points in a game.

(UK, Ireland, Commonwealth) The figure or character representing, or having the shape of, zero.


earmark

en-verb

earmark (third-person singular simple present earmarks, present participle earmarking, simple past and past participle earmarked)

earmarks (present singular third-person)
earmarking (participle present)
earmarked (participle past)
earmarked (past)

слагам настрана

to specify or set aside for a particular purpose

(transitive, by extension) To specify or set aside for a particular purpose, to allocate.

(transitive, finance, UK) To designate part of a pension to be payable to the holder's former spouse or partner at its time of payment.


toodle pip

Right, I'm off. Toodle pip!


wop

From Neapolitan guappo (“dude, stud”), a greeting borrowed from Spanish guapo (“bold, handsome”). Contrary to popular belief, the term is not an acronym of without passport or working off passage, which are backronyms derived from the term.

(UK, US, Australia, slang, offensive, derogatory, ethnic slur) A person of Italian descent.


pickled egg

Jars of pickled eggs are seen in British pubs, where they are served as bar snacks.

(British) An egg, usually from a hen, that has been pickled in vinegar, giving the outside a brown colour.


stock cube

(Australia, Ireland, Malaysia, New Zealand, South Africa, UK) A bouillon cube.


shorter

My grandfather, as I said before, was connected with a gang of shorters, and sometimes shortened money, […]

1858, George Borrow, The Romany Rye, volume 2, page 128:

(UK, slang, obsolete) One who makes a dishonest profit by clipping and filing coins.


spiv

Unknown. Perhaps from spiff, spiffy. Spiv was the nickname of Henry Bagster, a Londoner arrested a number of times in 1904-6 for activities as described below, and may have been the archetype. Also possibly from Romani spiv (“sparrow”), as active and opportunistic.

(UK, Ireland, historical) A smartly dressed person who trades in illicit, black-market or stolen goods, especially during World War II.

I mean, Mayfair is just top spivs stepping into the slippers of the former gentry, and Belgravia, like I've said, is all flats in houses built as palaces, and Chelsea—well!

1960 [1959], Colin MacInnes, Absolute Beginners, New York: Macmillan, page 65:

It was Robeson who introduced me to the other blacks in New York, the Show Boat cast, the hangers-on, girlfriends, spivs, and bookies. "My people," he called them, "my brothers and sisters" […]

1978, Paul Theroux, Picture Palace, page 92:

I make no apology for attacking spivs and gamblers who did more harm to the British economy than [transport union leader] Bob Crow could achieve in his wildest Trotskyite fantasies, while paying themselves outrageous bonuses underwritten by the taxpayer.

2010 September 22, Gavin Stamp, quoting Vince Cable, “Cable in attack on bonuses for City 'spivs'”, in BBC News:

(UK, Ireland, dated) A flashy con artist, often homeless, who lives by his wits.

(UK, Ireland, dated, Scotland Yard) A low and common thief.

(UK, Ireland, dated) A slacker; one who shirks responsibility.


fleam

From Middle English fleem, flem (“the rushing of water; current”), probably from Old English flēam (“fleeing; flight; rush”), from Proto-Germanic *flaumaz (“stream; current; flood”), from Proto-Indo-European *plew- (“to fly; flow; run”). Cognate with Norwegian Nynorsk flaum (“flood”).

der

(UK, dialectal, Northern England) The watercourse or runoff from a mill; millstream

(UK, dialectal, Northern England) A large trench or gully cut into a meadow in order to drain it


chequered

The trees lay on one side the road in a rich depth of shadow; on the other the golden light seemed to rain through the chequered boughs: a subtle fragrance floated on the air, and the carols of a thousand birds rose distinct above the deep murmur of the city that they had left behind.

1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “Changes in London”, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume II, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 232:

(chiefly British) Alternative spelling of checkered


zhoosh

en-verb

zhoosh (third-person singular simple present zhooshes, present participle zhooshing, simple past and past participle zhooshed)

zhooshes (present singular third-person)
zhooshing (participle present)
zhooshed (participle past)
zhooshed (past)

UK 1960s. Unclear origin; one explanation is that it was borrowed from Angloromani yuser (“clean”, verb) and yusher (“clear”, verb), from Angloromani yus-, yuz-, yuzh- (“clean”) and yush- (“clear”), from Romani žuž-, už- (“clean”, adjective) (also compare Hindi उज्ज्वल (ujjval, “bright”)), but this has been seen as problematic. Another theory is that the term is instead an "expressive formation" similar to whoosh and swish. The South African sense reportedly comes from a regional pronunciation of "Jewish", alluding to the high reputation of Jewish tailors at the time, but this has also been considered unlikely. All senses originated around the same time, with the first attributed use of the noun in 1968 and the verb in 1970.

Mostly the words are dusted off and brought out when we wish to zhoosh up the conversation, to announce a particular delight in our queenly style.

1988, Neil Bartlett, Who Was That Man?, →ISBN, page 82:

Mr. Warburton, a volunteer, swept into the group’s headquarters in the Hotel Pennsylvania, a team of hair stylists in tow, his objective to “zhoosh up” the women’s looks, he said.

2009 May 27, Ruth La Ferla, “To Dress for Success, You Must Trust His Eye”, in The New York Times:

Christmas dinner is stressful enough without busting out recipes you’ve never made before. That said, if Sue is after a little zhoosh, she might want to consider how she dresses her veg.

2021 December 21, Anna Berrill, “Final magic touches to zhoosh your Christmas lunch”, in The Guardian:

(transitive, originally Polari, UK and Australia, slang) To tweak, finesse or improve (something); to make more appealing or exciting. Usually with up.


sort out

sort out (third-person singular simple present sorts out, present participle sorting out, simple past and past participle sorted out)

sorts out (present singular third-person)
sorting out (participle present)
sorted out (participle past)
sorted out (past)

If you do that again, I'll soon sort you out.

Most of the babies and kids would be put to bed by one of the adults and left on their own. Every half an hour a bluecoat would walk around the aisles and if they heard crying from your chalet they would put your block and chalet number on a board to the right of the stage. The first few times I went to a proper church and saw the hymn order to the side of the pulpit I wondered why nobody was going to sort out those kids.

2016, Jon Bounds, Danny Smith, Pier Review: A Road Trip in Search of the Great British Seaside:

(transitive, British, slang) To take action to stop someone who has been causing trouble, often by physically attacking them.

Hey man, I want some weed. —I'll sort you out, mate.

We really need to sort Chris out with a girlfriend.

(UK, slang) To provide (somebody) with a necessity, or a solution to a problem.


tits

"Oh tits, a slight mishap, I've taken his fuckin' feet off!"

"Oh, tits. We can't do anything with those."

2007, Damian Tarnopolsky, Lanzmann and Other Stories:

(British, Ireland, vulgar, slang) Used to express dismay or annoyance.


dusty

en-adj

dusty (comparative dustier, superlative dustiest)

dustier (comparative)
dustiest (superlative)

From Middle English dusty, dusti, from Old English dūstiġ, dystiġ, dȳstiġ (“dusty”), equivalent to dust + -y. Cognate with Dutch donzig (“cottony, downy, woolly”), German dunstig (“hazy, misty”).

...the toilet-glass on the table...had probably reflected few such faces as that of the lady calling herself Mrs. Lloyd, who looked attentively into it when she found herself alone and decided that she was not so very dusty, considering

1868, Edmund Yates, The Rock Ahead: A Novel, page 21:

One morning, I said to a patient: "How are you today, Mrs. White?" And she replied "Not so dusty - quite well brushed."

1967, “Jewish Affairs”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), volume 22, page 30:

"Never mind," she ventured, "but thanks for the compliment. You're not so dusty yourself!"

2011, Media Lawson-Butler, Thistle in the Wind, page 205:

(British, slang, chiefly in negative constructions) Ugly, unwell, inadequate, bad.


manor house

Coordinate term: country house

Near-synonyms: great house, great hall


savoury

savoury (comparative savourier, superlative savouriest)

savourier (comparative)
savouriest (superlative)

(British, Canada, Australian and New Zealand spelling) Alternative form of savory


yar

yar (comparative more yar, superlative most yar)

more yar (comparative)
most yar (superlative)


chocolate starfish

en-noun

chocolate starfish (plural chocolate starfishes)


footer

(chiefly British, slang) Football / soccer.


gremlin

Oxford English Dictionary
Roald Dahl
The Gremlins

Uncertain; the following etymologies have been suggested:
* A variant of goblin.
* From Irish gruaimín (“gloomy little person”); or from Dutch gremmelen (“to soil, stain; to spoil”), or griemelen, grimmelen (“(obsolete) to abound, teem; to swarm”), but according to the Oxford English Dictionary there is little evidence for such derivations.
The word was popularized, especially in the United States, by the children’s novel The Gremlins (1943) by the British author Roald Dahl (1916–1990), in which gremlins sabotage Royal Air Force aircraft in revenge for the destruction of their forest home to make way for an aircraft factory; the creatures later join forces with the British to fight the Nazis.

der

(originally British, aviation, Royal Air Force slang)

Like Abominable Snowmen, gremlins have never actually been seen; but nobody who works with electronic gear doubts the existence of these mischievous and elusive entities. There are too many malfunctions and failures that can have no other explanation.

1963, Arthur C Clarke, chapter 8, in Glidepath, New York: Simon and Schuster, pages 72-73:

Crucial time was saved by the fact Nexus didn't require a Transport & Works Act. Nevertheless, other gremlins kept raising their heads.

2023 November 29, Richard Foster, “Tyne & Wear Metro goes with the flow”, in RAIL, number 997, page 34:

(mythology) An imaginary creature reputed to be mischievously inclined, for example, to damage or dismantle machinery.

гремлин

imaginary creature reputed to be mischievously inclined to damage or dismantle machinery


dizzy

en-adj

dizzy (comparative dizzier, superlative dizziest)

dizzier (comparative)
dizziest (superlative)

From Middle English dysy, desy, dusi, from Old English dysiġ (“stupid, foolish”), from Proto-West Germanic *dusīg (“stunned; dazed”), likely from the root of Proto-Germanic *dwēsaz (“foolish, stupid”).
Akin to West Frisian dize (“fog”), Dutch deusig, duizig (“dizzy”), duizelig (“dizzy”), German dösig (“sleepy; stupid”).

der

1952 Albert Lyon Hoy, An Etymologal Glossary of the East Yorkshire Dialect
Them as diz ’at is dizzy.
Those who do that are half-witted.

(UK dialectal, Yorkshire) simple, half-witted.


clipping

A Yankee fellow told a clipping good story.

1880, Richard Mounteney Jephson, A Pink Wedding, volume 1, page 124:

Rather! a clipping good run!

1887, Fores's Sporting Notes & Sketches, page 270:

(UK, slang, obsolete) Excellent; very good.


boy in blue

(UK, US, slang, chiefly in the plural) A policeman.

Air force personnel used to distinguish airmen (blue jobs or boys in blue) from army personnel (brown jobs or boys in brown).

2006, David W. Clark, Joe's Letters, page 38:

(UK, air force slang, dated) A member of the air force.


Caesarian

From Caesar + -ian, but see also Caesarean section § Etymology.

(British) Alternative spelling of Caesarean.


shitter

Agent noun formed from shit + -er. The sense referring to a toilet formed from shit + -er (patient suffix).

Coordinate term: kisser

Dave commented on the statue that had grabbed the pair's attention when they'd arrived, saying how quaint it looked, then capped off his comment with, “D'you reckon that receptionist takes it up the shitter?”

2006, Dominic Lavin, Last Seen in Bangkok, page 159:


yaffle

I remember the cry of the wood-peckers, or yaffils, as we call them in that country, going to roost in a pale autumnal evening […].

1792, Charlotte Smith, Desmond, Broadview, published 2001, page 114:

“‘Punched that rotton strap,’ he goes on saying, ‘like a gret ol' yaffle punchin' a 'ollow log!’”

1924, Ford Madox Ford, Some Do Not… (Parade's End), Penguin, published 2012, page 119:

Picus viridis
Picus viridis#Translingual

(UK, dialectal) The European green woodpecker, Picus viridis.


cutround

(British) A bun made with a yeast fermented white dough which is rolled like pastry and cut into rounds. Traditionally a constituent of a North Devon (UK) cream tea. Now largely replaced by the common scone.


tailgate

(British) The hinged rear door of a hatchback.


controlling

en-adj

controlling (comparative more controlling, superlative most controlling)

more controlling (comparative)
most controlling (superlative)

/kənˈtɹəʊlɪŋ/

His mother is very controlling.

(chiefly British) Exerting control over a person or thing.


yare

yare (comparative yarer, superlative yarest)

yarer (comparative)
yarest (superlative)

From Middle English yare, ȝare, from Old English ġearu (“prepared, ready, prompt, equipped, complete, finished, yare”), from Proto-West Germanic *garu, from Proto-Germanic *garwaz (“ready”).
Cognate with Dutch gaar (“done, well-cooked”), German gar (“done, well-cooked; wholly, at all”), Icelandic görr, gerr (“perfect”).

cog

[…]Dismount thy tuck, be yare in thy preparation, for thy assailant is quick, skillful and deadly.

c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “A Midsommer Nights Dreame”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iv]:

(UK dialectal) Ready, alert, prepared, prompt.


conservatory

Anglicized form of French conservatoire; ultimately equivalent to Etymology 1

(chiefly UK, Ireland) A glass-walled and -roofed room in a house

zimní zahrada

a glass-walled and -roofed room in a house — see also sunroom, solarium


dog's bollocks

That new flat screen TV you bought is the dog's bollocks.

(UK, Ireland, Commonwealth, vulgar, slang) Something that is outstandingly good.


nether

en-verb

nether (third-person singular simple present nethers, present participle nethering, simple past and past participle nethered)

nethers (present singular third-person)
nethering (participle present)
nethered (participle past)
nethered (past)

Alteration of earlier nither, from Middle English nitheren, from Old English niþerian (“to depress, abase, bring low, humiliate, oppress, accuse, condemn”), from niþer (“below, beneath, down, downwards, lower, in an inferior position”). See above.

inh

(transitive, UK dialectal, Northern England, Scotland) To bring or thrust down; bring or make low; lower; abase; humble.

(transitive, UK dialectal, Northern England, Scotland) To constrict; straiten; confine; restrict; suppress; lay low; keep under; press in upon; vex; harass; oppress.

(transitive, UK dialectal, Scotland) To pinch or stunt with cold or hunger; check in growth; shrivel; straiten.

(transitive, UK dialectal, Scotland) To shrink or huddle, as with cold; be shivery; tremble.

(transitive, UK dialectal, Scotland) To depreciate; disparage; undervalue.


nether

(UK dialectal, Scotland) Oppression; stress; a withering or stunting influence.


spunky

en-adj

spunky (comparative spunkier, superlative spunkiest)

spunkier (comparative)
spunkiest (superlative)

I'm not the kind of girl you want to come across / Yo, it's Josh T with his spunky sauce

2016 May 5, “Thinking He's Hard (Little T Reply)”, performed by Soph Aspin:

(UK, slang) Pertaining to or like spunk (semen).


good form

The Queen is a model of good form.

When any of his descendants chose to take him to task for the crudeness of his manners he was accustomed to look them coldly over and retort that things had come to a pretty pass when comparatively new people ventured to instruct the oldest of the old settlers as to what was or was not good form.

1909, John Kendrick Bangs, chapter 3, in The Autobiography of Methuselah:

(chiefly UK) Behavior that is both morally and socially correct; proper manner, decorum or etiquette.


speciality

From special + -ity, from Middle French spécialité, from Old French specialte, especialte, from Latin specialitas.

They cook well overall, but their true speciality is pasta.


fash

The Butchers Here is an old Munich policeman — Wilhelm Frick with eyes like those of a fash.

1945, Information Bulletin, volume 5, numbers 66-131:

It is not they, with their comfortable middle class speaking-tour and festival-circuit lives, who will put on the black and go punch a Nazi or bash a fash. No. It will be the vulnerable, overwhelmingly queer, poor youth [...]

2017, Katessa Harkey, The Peace of the Hall: Rules of Engagement for the New Witch Wars, →ISBN, page 90:

(slang, derogatory, especially UK) A fascist, a member of the far-right.

Used to go down to London on bash-the-fash awaydays; turn up at National Front marches and give them a toeing.

1996, Ajay Close, Official and doubtful, UK: Random House:

Five of our lads had just watched the riot police go into the Wellington and give the fash a kicking.

2012, Dan Todd, One Man's Revolution, Andrews UK Limited, →ISBN:

The women in NP at the time were very good spotters and we had good access to intel, photos etc. on the fash.

2012, Dave Hann, Physical Resistance: A Hundred Years of Anti-Fascism, John Hunt Publishing, →ISBN:

(slang, derogatory, in the plural, especially UK) The far-right, especially violent far-right demonstrators, collectively.


squad

Uncertain. Compare squick (“disgust”), squalid (“dirty”) with similar initial sounds.

The lass ran all among the muck and squad.

1875 March 13, Leicester Chronicle, quoted in the EDD

An' she did n't not solidly mean I wur / gawin' that waäy to the bad,
Fur the gell was as howry a trollope as / iver traäpes'd i' the squad.

1895, Alfred Tennyson, The Poetical Works of Alfred Tennyson: Poet-laureate, page 791:


chinky

What this means for young Chinese people growing up and serving behind the counter is captured in Pui Fan Lee’s autobiographical play Short, Fat, Ugly and Chinese, broadcast on Radio 5 in 1992. She remembers her childhood: ‘But most of all I hated the shop. The takeaway. Or, as the locals called it, “The Chinky”[…]

2005, David Parker, Cool Places: Geographies of youth cultures, page 70:

(UK, slang, offensive) A Chinese takeaway restaurant.

I've had a Chinky, a Chic Murray and, afore ye came tae collect me, I had some fuckin' fancy Italian pasta dish. It was pure dead brilliant, by the way!

2013, Harry Morris, Yer Never Gonnae Believe It:

(UK, slang, offensive) A meal of Chinese food.


hurrier

(UK, obsolete, mining) A child employed in a coal mine to drag baskets or small wagons full of coal from the coal face where it was mined, up to the surface.


dishy

dishy (comparative dishier, superlative dishiest)

dishier (comparative)
dishiest (superlative)

From dish (“attractive person”) + -y (forming adjectives).

suf

(British, slang) Attractive; good-looking; sexy.


tara

Possibly from Irish tabhair aire (“take care”).

2004: Metro in This is London (website of London Evening Standard), Jolie says ta-ra to Lara - Pssst...Actress Angelina Jolie's days as Tomb Raider action hero Lara Croft are over.

(UK, Ireland, Northern England, Midlands or informal) Goodbye.


cheeky

en-adj

cheeky (comparative cheekier, superlative cheekiest)

cheekier (comparative)
cheekiest (superlative)

Although sometimes I'd award myself a cheeky McDonald's hangover treat if I did well.

2009, Amy Huberman, Hello, Heartbreak, Penguin UK, →ISBN:

It was a massive struggle to resist the lure of a cheeky beer, but I held firm.

2010, Richard Herring, How Not to Grow Up: A Coming of Age Memoir. Sort of., Random House, →ISBN, page 285:

It transpired that Mrs Egg had been cooking dinner when she discovered Mr Singlet making himself a sandwich. I don't know about you but it does seem a little bit naught after she's gone to all that effort. Naughty yes but hardly a crime and certainly not enough to warrant a 999 call. Yet that's what she had done. That's why we had left our own dinner, charged through rush hour traffic, disrupted commuters on their way home – all for a cheeky sandwich.

2011, John Donoghue, Police, Crime & 999, Troubador Publishing Ltd, →ISBN, page 7:

The great thing was it gave him a little bit of freedom and me the chance to sneak a cheeky nap.

2011, James Goss, Torchwood: First Born, Random House, →ISBN, page 20:

(informal, UK, Commonwealth) Indulged in.


meagreness

en-noun

meagreness (countable and uncountable, plural meagrenesses)


loth

en-adj

loth (comparative lother, superlative lothest)

lother (comparative)
lothest (superlative)

I was loth to return to the office without the Henderson file.

If there bee never a Servant-monster i' the Fayre, who can helpe it, he sayes ; nor a nest of Antiques ? Hee is loth to make Nature afraid in his Playes, like those that beget Tales, Tempests, and such like Drolleries, […]

1614 November 10 (first performance; Gregorian calendar), Beniamin Iohnson [i.e., Ben Jonson], Bartholmew Fayre: A Comedie, […], London: […] I[ohn] B[eale] for Robert Allot, […], published 1631, →OCLC, (please specify the page):

Then ſaid Faint-heart, Deliver thy Purſe; but he making no haſte to do it (for he was loth to loſe his Money,) Miſtrust ran up to him, and thruſting his hand into his Pocket, pull'd out thence a bag of Silver.

1678, John Bunyan, The Pilgrim’s Progress from This World, to That which is to Come: […], London: […] Nath[aniel] Ponder […], →OCLC, page 166:

"And thereupon I pledge thee," said the young nobleman, "which on any other argument I were loth to do—thinking of Ned as somewhat the cut of a villain."

1822, [Walter Scott], chapter IV, in Peveril of the Peak. […], volume III, Edinburgh: […] Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co., →OCLC, page 82:

If I to wed the girl am loth / A breach 'twill surely be—

1875, Arthur Sullivan (music), W[illiam] S[chwenck] Gilbert (lyrics), Trial by Jury. A Novel and Original Dramatic Cantata, London: Walter Smith, […], →OCLC, page 15:

Ah! dear one, I've been old so long, / It seems that age is loth to part, / Though days and years have never a song, / And, oh! have they still the art / That warmed the pulses of heart to heart?

1881, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, “Alas, So Long!”, in Ballads and Sonnets, London: Ellis and White, […], →OCLC, stanza 2, pages 297–298, lines 9–13:

And, as it happened, reaching up for a sup, / He took a bottle full of poison up / And drank; and his companion, nothing loth, / Drank from it also, and they perished both.

1951, Geoffrey Chaucer, “The Pardoner’s Tale”, in Nevill Coghill, transl., The Canterbury Tales: Translated into Modern English (Penguin Classics), Penguin Books, published 1977, →ISBN, page 274:

Lyme Regis is such a delightful town that I was loth to leave it,[…].

1960 June, R. C. Riley, “The coastal branches of South-East Devon: Part Two”, in Trains Illustrated, page 344:

They recognise that a strong Chelsea is important for the collective brand. The league, meanwhile, is always loth to create a mess with points deductions, for example. Again, it is not good for the competition.

March 11 2022, David Hytner, “Chelsea are in crisis but there is no will to leave club on their knees”, in The Guardian:


soo

(UK, dialectal) Alternative form of sow.


hoity-toity

en-noun

hoity-toity (countable and uncountable, plural hoity-toities)

Probably from hoit (“to behave frivolously and thoughtlessly; to play the fool”) + -y (suffix forming adjectives with the sense ‘having the quality of’), reduplicated with a change of the initial consonant. The noun is attested earlier than the adjective.

suffix

Whily Kate the Brown, the Plump, / The Frowzy Browzy, / Hoyty Toyty, / Covent-Garden Harridan, / Soon made poor Jockey’s Head to Ake, / And spoyl’d him for a merry Man.

1719, [Thomas] d’Urfey, “The Scotch Cuckold: A New Song to a Northern Tune”, in Songs Compleat, Pleasant and Divertive; […], volume I, London: […] W. Pearson, for J[acob] Tonson, […], published 19th century, →OCLC, page 255:

(countable, British, dialectal) A young woman regarded as flighty, giddy, or silly.


DSO

Distinguished Service Order
w:Distinguished Service Order

(UK, military) Initialism of Distinguished Service Order.


colour blindness

en-noun

colour blindness (countable and uncountable, plural colour blindnesses)

British standard spelling of color blindness.


chucks

(UK, slang, obsolete) A warning cry used by schoolboys when a teacher is approaching.


moody

en-adj

moody (comparative moodier, superlative moodiest)

moodier (comparative)
moodiest (superlative)

From Middle English mody, modi, from Old English mōdiġ (“brave”), from Proto-Germanic *mōdagaz (“courageous”). By surface analysis, mood + -y.

Both Garry and Wally were dressed in dodgy suits and looked ready to hit the streets of Peckham to sell moody goods.

2023, Garry McCarthy, Paula Harding, Tribute to a Hero, page 131:

(UK, slang) Of dubious origin; counterfeit or stolen.


backyard cricket

My father and I evolved a game of backyard cricket which was a balance of intricate skills and high comedy.

1982, Ted Walker, The High Path, page 100:

The babies sorted out, it was a rapid climb for Sunil Gavaskar; he went from backyard cricket to school, inter-school and inter-university cricket to Ranji Trophy and to Test fame with the same solid footwork that made him one of the most prolific run-getters of the century.

2003, Kersi Meher-Homji, Heroes of 100 tests: from Cowdrey and the Waughs to Warne, Tendulkar and Hooper, page 32:

How could it be possible to play in such a high-pressure Test, yet feel as though it was just a game of backyard cricket?

2008, Michael Hussey, Mr Cricket: Driven to Succeed, page 190:

(UK) Informal cricket played in the back yard of a private residence, or similar limited space.


bommie

From bonfire, with /n/ changed to /m/ by assimilation with /f/, and the second element then clipped and replaced with + -ie.

We've got to find where they hid it — before Bommie Night.

2004, James Riordan, Football Stories, Oxford University Press, USA, →ISBN, page 99:

'We could go down London Road, collect a bit more for Bommie Night.' Jez suggested. Hallowe'en was still not past and they had used up all their firework stocks.

2012, Margaret Murphy, The Dispossessed, Hachette UK, →ISBN:

The blackout curtains make a super 'bommie', which is lit as soon as it's dark enough on this wonderful day.

2014, James Marsh, A 1940s Childhood: From Bomb Sites to Children's Hour, The History Press, →ISBN:

'Not that daft if it stops their bommie getting nicked.' Jack winked at Terry. 'You can't have a bonfire without any wood. We're all looking forward to it, aren't we? Roasted spuds, black peas, treacle toffee, parkin...'

2014, Trevor Hoyle, Down the Figure 7, Hachette UK, →ISBN:


readies

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-readies.wav

(British, informal) Cash, especially bank notes.


swimmer

From Middle English swimmere, equivalent to swim + -er. The dumplings are so called because they are often served in stew.


co-operate

en-verb

co-operate (third-person singular simple present co-operates, present participle co-operating, simple past and past participle co-operated)

co-operates (present singular third-person)
co-operating (participle present)
co-operated (participle past)
co-operated (past)

On Friday, 14 September–the same day on which the Chinese convoy with the reinforcements for Manchuria left Taku–Ito had completed his work in connection with the transport of Japanese troops, having landed the last detachments at Chinampo in the estuary of the Ta-tung River. Higher up the river General Nodzu's army was attaching the Chinese walled town of Ping-yang. Ito sent his gunboats up the Ta-tung to co-operate with Nodzu, and leaving his torpedo boats at the river mouth, went to sea with his fleet.

1911, John Richard Hale, “The Battle of Yalu 1894”, in Famous Sea Fights from Salamis to Tsu-shima, 2nd edition, London: Methuen & Co. Ltd., published 1912, →OCLC, page 262:

I am personally willing to assist in any international group to visit various localities in Hopei to verify the burial alive of hundreds of people who refused to co-operate with the "anti-Japanese" Red regime and were therefore "traitors". Such things do not make Edgar Snow angry.

1946, Lin Yutang, The Vigil of a Nation, William Heinemann, page viii:


veel

veel (third-person singular simple present veels, present participle veeling, simple past and past participle veeled)

veels (present singular third-person)
veeling (participle present)
veeled (participle past)
veeled (past)

1869, James Jennings, The Dialect of the West of England, particularly Somersetshire
To Veel. v. To feel.
Veel’d. part. Felt.


pictures

We go to the pictures every Saturday night.


grockle

The origin of the word is uncertain. A derivation has been suggested from the eponymous dragon-like creature in the obsolete The Dandy comic strip "Jimmy and his Grockle", based on an earlier strip, "Jimmy Johnson's Grockle", in The Rover comic in the 1920s, somehow leading to use in the present sense in the movie The System (1964). It is doubtful that the word's use in the West of England goes back farther than that.
Eric Partridge's A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English also refers to the film The System but suggests another derivation, that holiday visitors in Torbay were compared to little clowns, and Grock (1880–1959) was a famous clown at the time.
A more straightforward derivation is 'grackle' an old term for the jackdaw, from the Latin graculus. It is apposite when considering large numbers of visitors noisily flocking to their holiday destinations.

The grockles were not well served on the Marina of late.

2009, Guy Adams, chapter 1, in Torchwood: The House that Jack Built:

(slang, British, various parts of the West Country) A tourist from elsewhere in the country

beauty spot which acts to stop tourists finding other local spots

similar term used by residents of the Isle of Wight used more to refer to non-natives who have moved to the island to live


gloak

You're a prime gloak, an out-and-outer, to get as far as you did before they grabbed you.

1956, Frank Clune, Martin Cash: The Last of the Tasmanian Bushrangers, page 149:

‘Brit, by the look of him,’ cries a short, freckl’d seaman in whom Stature and Pugnacity enjoy an inverse relation. ‘– long way from home ain’t you old Gloak?’

1997, Thomas Pynchon, Mason & Dixon, New York: Henry Holt and Company, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 401:

[…] both toby-gills [highwaymen], buz-gloaks [pickpockets], cracksmen [housebreakers], &c., but from their good address and respectable appearance nobody would suspect their real vocation.

quoted in 2013, Nicola Phillips, The Profligate Son (page 133)


digestive

From Old French digestif, from Late Latin dīgestīvus. Doublet of digestif.

I bought a packet of chocolate digestives.

I made a mistake and bought plain digestives instead of chocolate ones.

(UK, Ireland, Canada) A digestive biscuit.


on second thoughts

On second thoughts, gentlemen, I don't wish you had known him.

1836 March – 1837 October, Charles Dickens, chapter 49, in The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published 1837, →OCLC:

on second thought
on second thought#English

(UK) Alternative form of on second thought


concierge

/ˌkɒn.siˈɛə̯ʒ/

(British) One who attends to the maintenance of a building and provides services to its tenants and visitors.

varmemester

one who attends to the maintenance of a building and provides services to its tenants and guests


grig

The further method of tillage pursued, was to make fallows; and if the season permitted, so that the ground could be cleared and burnt off, to destroy the grig or heath, […]

1791, Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, Transactions of the Society of Arts, volume 9, page 80:


goffer

(UK, naval slang) soft drink; non-alcoholic drink


humourous

en-adj

humourous (comparative more humourous, superlative most humourous)

more humourous (comparative)
most humourous (superlative)

[W]hatever Perſon vvould aſpire to be completely vvitty, ſmart, humourous, and polite, muſt by hard Labour be able to retain in his Memory every ſingle Sentence contained in this VVork, […]

1731 (date written), Simon Wagstaff [pseudonym; Jonathan Swift], “An Introduction to the Following Treatise”, in A Complete Collection of Genteel and Ingenious Conversation, […], London: […] B[enjamin] Motte […], published 1738, →OCLC, page xiv:

(chiefly UK, uncommon, proscribed) Alternative spelling of humorous


subaltern

From Middle French subalterne, from Late Latin subalternus, from Latin sub- + alternus, from alter.

She was an extraordinarily beautiful girl, Margaret Devereux ; and made all the men frantic by running away with a penniless young fellow ; a mere nobody sir a subaltern in a foot regiment, or something of that kind.

1891, Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray, London, New York, N.Y., Melbourne, Vic.: Ward Lock & Co., →OCLC:

As a subaltern of 24, Neave was captured in the defence of Calais in May 1940.

2003 February 20, Ciar Byrne, “Colditz: remade with love”, in The Guardian:

(British, military) A commissioned officer having a rank below that of captain; a lieutenant or second lieutenant.


naken

en-verb

naken (third-person singular simple present nakens, present participle nakening, simple past and past participle nakened)

nakens (present singular third-person)
nakening (participle present)
nakened (participle past)
nakened (past)

From Middle English nakenen, nacnen, equivalent to nake + -en.

(transitive, UK, dialectal) To make naked; nake.


big girl's blouse

en-noun

big girl's blouse (plural big girl's blouses or big girls' blouses)

big girl's blouses (plural)
big girls' blouses (plural)

First recorded (1969) in the television sitcom Nearest and Dearest, used by the character Nellie Pledge (played by comedienne Hylda Baker). It has been suggested that Baker had previously used this expression in her stage act.

You can see why people might think you’re a bit of a big girl’s blouse, because you have manicures, sunbeds and bleach your hair.

2002 June, “Question to David Beckham”, in Marie Claire:

The reason for this was not because I was a big girl's blouse – no matter what anyone else says – but because as a fast bowler the big toe on the landing foot, which was the right in my case, is always in a state of disrepair.

2013, Ian Botham, Beefy's Cricket Tales: My Favourite Stories from On and Off the Field, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN, page 134:

Call an election, you great big girl's blouse.

2019 September 4, Boris Johnson, Prime Minister's Questions, Response to Jeremy Corbyn (the Leader of the Opposition), House of Commons:

(informal, UK, Ireland, Commonwealth, derogatory) An effeminate or weak man, a sissy.


stuff up

en-verb

stuff up (third-person singular simple present stuffs up, present participle stuffing up, simple past and past participle stuffed up)

stuffs up (present singular third-person)
stuffing up (participle present)
stuffed up (participle past)
stuffed up (past)

We lost the match because of the goalkeeper stuffing up.

(slang, UK, Australia, intransitive) To make a big mistake.


sickie

Sickies are when one really is sick, but, y’know, probably not to the extent that merits a day off. It’s the exaggerated head cold. It’s the sore throat overdramatised by a theatrical croak.

2021 July 9, Hannah Jane Parkinson, “The sickie may be a guilty pleasure, but sometimes you just need a duvet day”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:

(originally Australia, UK, slang) A day, or time, off work due to (supposed) illness.

saikku

a day, or time, off work due to supposed or feigned illness


fishmonger

/ˈfɪʃˌmʌŋɡ.ə(ɹ)/

From Middle English fisshemonger; equivalent to fish + monger.

If he made transcendental distinctions, he fortified himself by drawing all his illustrations from sources disdained by orators and polite conversers; from mares and puppies; from pitchers and soup-ladles; from cooks and criers; the shops of potters, horse-doctors, butchers, and fishmongers.

1850, R[alph] W[aldo] Emerson, “Plato; or, The Philosopher”, in Representative Men: Seven Lectures, Boston, Mass.: Phillips, Sampson and Company, […], →OCLC, page 58:

And Susan, sure of this inevitable answer, would ask Cook to pop into the fishmonger for a nice bit of salmon, […]

1931, Grace Hegger Lewis, Half a Loaf, H. Liveright, page 225:

A nice woman at the fishmonger in Earl’s Court Road—she had to walk miles to find a fish shop—told her how to cook the fillets of plaice she bought.

1990, Elizabeth Jane Howard, The Light Years, Simon and Schuster, published 1995, →ISBN, page 294:

Cornish peppered mackerel, smoked haddock, Scottish herring and pearl-white skate wings are all laid on a bed of crushed ice at the fishmonger.

2007, Leslie Ann Bosher, To the Manor Drawn, Murdoch Books, →ISBN, page 157:

(British, rare) A shop that sells fish; a fishmonger's shop, a fishmonger's.


streek

streek (third-person singular simple present streeks, present participle streeking, simple past and past participle streeked)

streeks (present singular third-person)
streeking (participle present)
streeked (participle past)
streeked (past)

(archaic, dialect, UK, Scotland, transitive) To stretch.

(archaic, dialect, UK, Scotland, transitive) To lay out, as a dead body.


gished

en-adj

gished (comparative more gished, superlative most gished)

more gished (comparative)
most gished (superlative)

Rhyming slang for pished, employing the name of the actress Lillian Gish.


thumb a lift

en-verb

thumb a lift (third-person singular simple present thumbs a lift, present participle thumbing a lift, simple past and past participle thumbed a lift)

thumbs a lift (present singular third-person)
thumbing a lift (participle present)
thumbed a lift (participle past)
thumbed a lift (past)

In reference to the thumb gesture used to request a ride.

(intransitive, chiefly British) To hitchhike.


goitre

en-noun

goitre (countable and uncountable, plural goitres)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-goitre.wav

Borrowed from French, either from Old French goitron (“throat, neck, goitre”), itself from Vulgar Latin *gutturiō, *gutturiōnem (“throat, goitre-like protrusions”), from Latin guttur, or a back-formation from French goitreux (“goitered”).

der

(pathology, UK) An enlargement of the front and sides of the neck caused by inflammation of the thyroid gland.

coto

Venezuelan Andes - Argentinian and Venezuelan standard usage : bocio

güegüecho

Southern Mexico - Mexican standard usage : bocio


shell suit

From shell + suit, from the outer nylon shell of each part.

(chiefly UK) A lightweight tracksuit consisting of a zip-front jacket and matching elasticated trousers, each having an outer nylon shell, often bearing panels and flashes of different colours, and inner cotton lining; popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s both as sportswear and as general leisurewear.


frith

From Middle English frith (“forest, woodland; hedging”), from Old English fyrhþe, fyrhþ (“forest, wooded country; game preserve, hunting ground”), from Proto-West Germanic *furhiþi (“forest, woodland”), Proto-Germanic *furhiþją (“forest, wooded country”), *furhiþǭ, from *furhu (“fir; pine”), from *furahō, *furhō (“fir; pine; (fir or pine) forest”), from Proto-Indo-European *pérkus (“oak”), from *perkʷ- (“oak”). The English word is cognate with Latin quercus (“oak”), Old English fyrh (“fir, pine”), Old High German forst, foreht (“forest”), Old Norse fýri (“pine-wood, coniferous forest”). Latin foresta (whence eventually English forest), may be borrowed from the same West Germanic source.

cog

(British, dialectal) Land with mostly undergrowth and few trees; also, land in between forests or woods; pastureland which is not in use.


beat up

These hit-and-run LRDG attacks — “beat-ups,” the patrols were beginning to call them — continued, and added to the enemy's mounting difficulties.

1987, John W. Gordon, The Other Desert War: British Special Forces in North Africa, 1940-1943, page 86:

An act of beating up:
(UK, military slang) A raid.

To the people of CQ^([Central Queensland]) the Internet is nothing more than the subject of media beat ups about pornography and bomb making.

1995 September, David Jones, “1000 Users on a 486”, in AUUG ′95 & Asia-Pacific World Wide Web ′95 Conference & Exhibition: Conference Proceedings, page 106:

Media beat-ups and xenophobia are nothing new to the Vietnamese people.

2007, Pauline Nguyen, Luke Nguyen, Mark Jensen, Secrets of the Red Lantern: Stories and Vietnamese Recipes from the Heart, page 189:

These debates can be difficult to navigate and are all too easily reduced to simplistic reflections of individual taste and vulnerable to journalistic beat-ups.

2009, Ken Gelder, Paul Salzman, After The Celebration: Australian Fiction 1989-2007, page 95:

2009, Newstalk ZB, Hydro project claims "a beat up" - Brownlee, Newstalk ZB.

(UK, Australia, New Zealand) An artificially or disingenuously manufactured alarm or outcry, especially one agitated by or through the media.


tickety-boo

Origin uncertain. Chiefly and originally British slang. Possibly from an Indo-Aryan language: compare Hindi ठीक है, बाबू (ṭhīk hai, bābū, “it's all right, sir”). The phrase could have been picked up by British personnel in India before independence and spread in modified form to the United Kingdom and elsewhere in the Commonwealth. It may also be a corruption from French: "ce que t'es beau", "how beautiful you are", adopted similarly to "toodeloo' (bye-bye), which is a corruption of "tout a l'heure" (see you later, today). Likely from WW1 Tommies. Alternately, it may be an extended version of that's the ticket, possibly influenced by peekaboo. Attested in English since the 1920s.

ठीक है, बाबू

I want everything to be all tickety-boo. I want to marry you properly according to the English law so that your people will know that I'm playing straight with you.

1947, Nevil Shute [pseudonym; Nevil Shute Norway], chapter 6, in The Chequer Board, [London]: William Heinemann, →OCLC; republished New York, N.Y.: William Morrow & Company, 1947, →OCLC, page 220:

Great days! The dawn’s breaking over no-man’s-land – Dewdrops glistening on the poppies in the early morning sun! ‘Good morning, corporal! All quiet on the Western Front?’ … ‘Tickety-boo, sir!’

1975, Tom Stoppard, Travesties, New York, N.Y.: Grove Press, →ISBN, page 23:

'Whit's up wi' yer John Greig (leg) then? Ye didnae have that before.' / 'Aw ye noticed!' said the mercenary, 'We were in a fight one day w' some o' that Taliban mob and I copped a hit wi' a grenade, but I've got an artificial one on, so am tickety boo.'

2011, Harry Morris, “Eye, Right!”, in It Wisnae Me … Honest!, Edinburgh: Black & White, →ISBN, part four:

Miriam begins to type: Unfortunately, it looks as if our time and place for meeting has been confused once again. We do hope that everything is tickety-boo for you— / […] Gloria stands. “Am I mad? You just used the word ‘tickety-boo’ in an e-mail to a young girl who didn’t grow up in England and who probably doesn’t watch PBS.”

2016, Donna VanLiere, The Christmas Town (Christmas Hope; 9), New York, N.Y.: St. Martin's Press, →ISBN:

(chiefly British, informal) Correct, satisfactory.


Isis

Back-formation from Tamesis (“Latin name for Thames”), from the assumption that the word was derived from a compound of Thame (“A tributary of the Thames”) and Isis.

back-form

(UK, especially Oxfordshire, otherwise dated) The River Thames between its source and its confluence with the River Thame at Dorchester on Thames.

especially Oxfordshire; otherwise dated; especially Oxfordshire; otherwise dated


cut up

en-verb

cut up (third-person singular simple present cuts up, present participle cutting up, simple past and past participle cut up)

cuts up (present singular third-person)
cutting up (participle present)
cut up (participle past)
cut up (past)

If you are a victim of Road Rage, this normally means you may have inadvertently cut someone up on the road, or he may perceive that you have cut him up.

2005, Richard Hunter, Righteous Indignation: Driving Psychology, AuthorHouse, →ISBN, page 42:

The third gave an account of losing her temper in traffic, after being cut up by another driver, then bursting into tears.

2006, Jane M. Ussher, Managing the Monstrous Feminine: Regulating the Reproductive Body, Routledge, →ISBN, page 170:

One night coming home from work, I was driving through a quiet housing estate and had a driver cut me up. I had my window open, and mouthed some obscenity towards him.

a. 2007, “Jones” (former police officer; possible pseudonym), quoted in Tom Rennie, Governors, Guns and Money, Lulu.com, page 78

(transitive, idiomatic, UK, Ireland) To move aggressively in front of another vehicle while driving.

snijden

to aggressively move in front of another vehicle


cut up

en-adj

cut up (comparative more cut up, superlative most cut up)

more cut up (comparative)
most cut up (superlative)

She was seriously cut up over her dog disappearing.

(idiomatic, UK, Australia) Emotionally upset; mentally distressed.


lecky

The lecky’s gone off again.

Richard soon got the lekky on but we weren't allowed to put the lights on in case someone saw us.


get stuck in

en-verb

get stuck in (third-person singular simple present gets stuck in, present participle getting stuck in, simple past got stuck in, past participle (UK) got stuck in or (US) gotten stuck in)

gets stuck in (present singular third-person)
getting stuck in (participle present)
got stuck in (past)
got stuck in (UK participle past)
gotten stuck in (US participle past)

He's really getting stuck in to his new job as chief executive. He's sacked half the boardroom staff already.

(idiomatic, British) To dedicate a large amount of effort towards.


time immemorial

en-noun

time immemorial (usually uncountable, plural times immemorial)

(UK law, uncountable) Time before 6 July 1189.


chuck up

en-verb

chuck up (third-person singular simple present chucks up, present participle chucking up, simple past and past participle chucked up)

chucks up (present singular third-person)
chucking up (participle present)
chucked up (participle past)
chucked up (past)

She got ridiculously drunk last night and chucked up in the back of the minicab on the way home.

Take it easy on the roller coasters or you're going to chuck up your lunch.

(slang, transitive and intransitive, chiefly British, New Zealand) To vomit; throw up.


Guy Fawkes Night

LL-Q1860 (eng)-I learned some phrases-Guy Fawkes Night.wav

(British) The revelry on Guy Fawkes Day (the 5th of November) in commemoration of the failure of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, traditionally including the burning of effigies of the pope, Guy Fawkes, and/or the Devil.


atishoo

Both onomatopoeic and a pronunciation spelling of a tissue.

[A]nd the next instant the most peculiar sounds came forth from the statue of Biggoon. "Ah-tishoo!" said the spirit voice, "Oh! Oh! ah-tish-oo!"

1943, H. Lorna Bingham, The Lost Tribe, Sydney: Winn and Co., page 24, column 1:


tyre gauge

(Australia, British, Ireland, New Zealand) Alternative spelling of tire gauge


tyre-pressure

en-noun

tyre-pressure (usually uncountable, plural tyre-pressures)

(chiefly British) Alternative spelling of tire-pressure


tyre-pressure gauge

tyre-pressure gauge (plural tyre-pressure gauges)

tire-pressure gauge
tire-pressure gauge#English

(chiefly British) Alternative spelling of tire-pressure gauge


titbit

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-titbit.wav

But our particular friends were the rats, that dwelt by the stream. They were long and black. We brought them such titbits from our ordinary as rinds of cheese, and morsels of gristle, and we brought them also bird's eggs, and frogs, and fledgelings.

1953, Samuel Beckett, Watt, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Grove Press, published 1959, →OCLC:

(Commonwealth, UK, Ireland) Alternative form of tidbit


tote

He was a humorist of note and keen at repartee,
He laid the odds and kept a "tote", whatever that may be,

1892, Banjo Paterson, The Man from Ironbark:

(British, Australia) A pari-mutuel machine; a totalizator.

(British, Australia) Pari-mutuel betting.


for toffee

I can't swim for toffee.

This book was always going to be on the cards. As her work testifies, she may not be able to spell for toffee but words are very important to her.

2006 October 7, Nicholas Lezard, “In bed with Tracey Emin”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:

Bleeding Nora! Half head, it was. Do you want a flake in that, love? Couldn't pull a pint for toffee.

2016, Matthew Bulgo, Constellation Street, Oberon Books, →ISBN, →OCLC, →OL:

(chiefly British, idiomatic, intensifier) At all, especially of a skill or ability.


toffee apple

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-toffee apple.wav

The weapon is named after the food item, having a similar shape, i.e. a sphere with attached stick or handle.

Toffee apples and fairy floss are often sold as fairground snacks.

(chiefly UK, Ireland, Commonwealth) A candy apple.

Here we would find, perhaps, three 18-pounder guns dug in as antitank defences supplemented by 60 lb "toffee apple" trench mortar bombs buried as makeshift anti-tank mines.

2014, Richard Baber, The SOTCW World War I Compendium:

(UK, Ireland, historical, slang) A kind of British trench mortar used in World War I.


toffy

en-adj

toffy (comparative toffier, superlative toffiest)

toffier (comparative)
toffiest (superlative)

As for that accent of his, his speaking in a toffy English way, it's got toffier since we've known him.

2007, Craig Sherborne, Muck, Victoria University Press, →ISBN, page 16:

Rather it lurks in the now-republished photos of Mr Osborne in the Fauntleroy outfit of the Bullingdon club, a toffy Oxford society of which he was a member at the same time as Mr Rothschild (and of which David Cameron, the Tory leader, is also an alumnus).

2008 October 23, “The king of Corfu”, in The Economist:

She heaves an exasperated sigh that would do a shop assistant in a toffy dress emporium proud.

2012, Paddy O'Reilly, The Fine Color of Rust, Washington Square Press, →ISBN, page 44:

(UK, Australia, New Zealand, derogatory) Posh, upper-class; snooty.


toffee-nosed

toffee-nosed (comparative more toffee-nosed, superlative most toffee-nosed)

more toffee-nosed (comparative)
most toffee-nosed (superlative)

Probably from toff or from toffee-nose + -ed.

Parkinson: You made films before, but the part that really made your name was Zulu, wasn't it […] and there of course—against type—you played the toff, you played the officer.
Caine: I played the officer, yeah, and everybody thought I was like that. Everyone was so shocked when they met me, this like Cockney guy had played this toffee-nosed git.

2000 December 18, BBC and Bafta Tribute to Michael Caine, 16:43-17:05:

(chiefly UK, Ireland) Snobbish, condescending or aloof.


clobber

British slang from 19th century of unknown origin, perhaps from Yiddish.

W'y, they call a man a robber if 'e stuffs 'is marchin' clobber / With the— / (Chorus) Loo! loo! Lulu! lulu! Loo! loo! Loot! loot! loot!

1892, Rudyard Kipling, “Loot”, in Barrack-Room Ballads and Other Verses, 3rd edition, London: Methuen & Co. […], →OCLC, page 31:

Now to get rid of this respectable clobber and feel like a man again.

1900, [George] Bernard Shaw, “Captain Brassbound’s Conversion”, in Three Plays for Puritans: The Devil’s Disciple, Cæsar and Cleopatra, & Captain Brassbound’s Conversion, London: Grant Richards, […], published 1901, →OCLC, Act III, page 292:

I was thinkin' of the widow while I gets me clobber on— / Like a feller will start thinkin' of the times that's past an' gone.

1919, C. J. Dennis, Red Robin, in Jim of The Hills, Gutenberg Australia eBook #0500931

I went to one in Woolwich, south-east London, which is one of the first stores to welcome the Pep&Co range, to road test the new uber-cheap clobber for myself.

2017 March 30, Gemma Mullin, “We road test new uber-cheap clobber as Poundland rolls-out its own clothing range – but there’s a twist”, in The Sun:

(Australia, British, slang) Clothing; clothes.


toko

When a reglar Primroser gits toko, one wonders wot next there will come.

1892, Edwin James Milliken, “On Law and Order”, in The 'Arry Ballads, verse 1, page 58, line 4:

(obsolete, UK, slang) Alternative spelling of toco (“corporal punishment”)


DNF

(British, cartography) Initialism of Digital National Framework.


jockey

The word is by origin a diminutive of jock, the Northern English or Scots colloquial equivalent of the first name John, which is also used generically for "boy" or "fellow" (compare Jack, Dick), at least since 1529. A familiar instance of the use of the word as a name is in "Jockey of Norfolk" in Shakespeare's Richard III. v. 3, 304. Equivalent to jock + -ey.
In the 16th and 17th centuries the word was applied to horse-dealers, postilions, itinerant minstrels and vagabonds, and thus frequently bore the meaning of a cunning trickster, a "sharp", whence the verb to jockey, "to outwit" or "to do" a person out of something. The current meaning of a person who rides a horse in races was first seen in 1670.

(UK, crime, slang) A prostitute's client.


tot up

en-verb

tot up (third-person singular simple present tots up, present participle totting up, simple past and past participle totted up)

tots up (present singular third-person)
totting up (participle present)
totted up (participle past)
totted up (past)

The bill tots up to 35 euros.

(British, intransitive, usually with to) To add up (to).


AS-level

(UK, except for Scotland) Short for Advanced Subsidiary level, an exam sometimes taken in the first year of sixth form, as a first stage in completing an A-level qualification.


top up

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

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

The waitress topped up my coffee every few minutes.

To refill (or recharge) something.
(UK) To refill a drink.

To refill (or recharge) something.
To refill a drink.


glasshouse

From Middle English glasehows, glashous, glashows; equivalent to glass + house.

people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones

(British military slang) A military prison.

оранжерия

building made of glass in which plants are grown


debenture

Originally debentur, from Latin debentur (“there are owing”), supposedly the first word of such a document in early times.

That the young Mr. Churchills liked—but they did not like him coming round of an evening and drinking weak whisky-and-water while he held forth on railway debentures and corporation loans. Mr. Barrett, however, by fawning and flattery, seemed to be able to make not only Mrs. Churchill but everyone else do what he desired.

1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter II, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:

(finance, UK) A document granting lenders a charge over a borrower’s physical assets, giving them a means to collect a debt, as part of a secured loan.

katettu joukkovelkakirja

finance: document granting lenders a charge over a borrower’s physical assets, as part of a secured loan


snarl-up

(UK, Australia, New Zealand) a traffic jam


crome

From Proto-Germanic *krumpaz (“bent, crooked, curved”).

der

… a crome is a tool with a long handle and long metal teeth or tines, hooked for raking loose the bottom of ditches.

1975 [1956], George Ewart Evans, Ask the Fellows who Cut the Hay, London: Faber and Faber, page 122:

(UK, East Anglia) A garden or agricultural implement with three or four tines bent at right angles, resembling a garden fork with bent prongs, and used for breaking up soil, clearing ditches, raking up shellfish on beaches, etc.


crome

en-verb

crome (third-person singular simple present cromes, present participle croming, simple past and past participle cromed)

cromes (present singular third-person)
croming (participle present)
cromed (participle past)
cromed (past)


bang on

I managed to arrive bang on five o’clock.

She’s bang on the dot, as usual.

(informal, British, Australia) Exactly at


bang on

bang on (third-person singular simple present bangs on, present participle banging on, simple past and past participle banged on)

bangs on (present singular third-person)
banging on (participle present)
banged on (participle past)
banged on (past)

I started recycling, just so she’d stop banging on about it.

Give it a rest! You've been banging on all day.

Morgan said: ‘Look, I am a British guy debating American cultural issues, including guns, which has been very polarising, and there is no doubt that there are many in the audience who are tired of me banging on about it.'

2014 February 24, “CNN axes Piers Morgan Live with final show due to air next month as British presenter admits Americans 'tired of hearing me bang on about gun control'”, in Daily Mail, retrieved 2014-07-29:

(informal, British, Australia, Ireland, usually derogatory) To talk about something constantly and tiresomely.


balls-up

Balls in this sense refers to testicles. See also the verb, to balls up and go balls up.

I was making a cake but when I added too much sugar, it became the balls-up of my cooking career.

(slang, UK, Ireland, Commonwealth, vulgar) Something which becomes muddled or botched in some way.


bish

What on earth was the matter with him? He never made bishes like this during PT!

1951, Anthony Buckeridge, Jennings Follows a Clue, →ISBN, page 41:

"You — you don't mean you've made a bish of it?" [said Darbishire]

1952, Anthony Buckeridge, Jennings and Darbishire, London, Glasgow: Collins, page 64:


bish

'It's all right, bish,' said Augustine.
'All—all right?' faltered the bishop.

1927, P. G. Wodehouse, “The Bishop's Move”, in Meet Mr Mulliner:

BALDRICK: My Lord, the Bishop of Bath and Wells.
BISHOP: (enters) The time has come, Blackadder!

1986, Blackadder TV series, Money (series 2 episode 4)

'The Bishop of Bangor called.' My father and the bish were pals. 'He has received a strange request from the security service.'

2017, Rhodri Jeffreys-Jones, We Know All about You, page 1:

(slang, chiefly British or chess) A bishop.


rift

rift (third-person singular simple present rifts, present participle rifting, simple past and past participle rifted)

rifts (present singular third-person)
rifting (participle present)
rifted (participle past)
rifted (past)

(obsolete outside Scotland and northern UK) To belch.


DM

(UK) Initialism of Daily Mail. (a national newspaper)


giz

Pronunciation spelling
pronunciation spelling

(UK, slang) Pronunciation spelling of give us.


tramway

→ French: tramway

→ Russian: трамва́й (tramváj) (see there for further descendants)

→ Portuguese: trâmuei

→ Spanish: tranvía

(chiefly UK, Ireland) The track on which a tram (streetcar) runs.


in the nuddy

(British, Australia, New Zealand, childish) Naked or nude.


wind-up

"Is this a wind-up, or what?" "No, no, it's true. He can really do it."

1999, Whatever Happened to Harold Smith? (film)

(British) A humorous attempt to fool somebody; a practical joke in which the victim is encouraged to believe something untrue.


cozzer

Blend of copper + rozzer, both slang for British police.

(UK, slang, dated) A policeman, especially a detective; a rozzer.


Jacobs

Cockney rhyming slang - Jacob's Cream Crackers (a brand of crackers) = knackers

He has also provided some of the show's funniest moments - when enjoying a bath with Three Degrees star Sheila Ferguson he told her: 'I'm comfortable with anything, love, but you don't want to see my 'Jacobs' hanging out.'

2004 December 8, Sherna Noah, “Joe's jungle 'experience'”, in The Birmingham Post:

I used to have a Velo seat, which is pretty similar to the KH in design, and I got rid of it for the same reason. The padding was so deep and spongey that my Jacobs used to float to the top as I rode along.

2005 July 2, Mikefule [username], “Re: Nut buster seat”, in rec.sport.unicycling (Usenet):

Horseshit every match matters and Alex Ferguson would drag his players out of the club by their Jacobs if they made such a statement.

2008 November 25, Baldoni, “Re: Amazing...”, in alt.sports.soccer.manchester.united (Usenet):

(UK, slang) Testicles (sometimes spelt Jacob's).


bunch of fives

en-noun

bunch of fives (plural bunches of fives)

(British, slang) A punch; a blow with the fist.


brock

From Middle English brok, from Old English broc (“badger”), related to Danish brok (“badger”); both probably originally from a Celtic source akin to Irish broc, Welsh broch, Cornish brogh and thus ultimately from Proto-Celtic *brokkos.

Or with pretence of chasing thence the brock,
Send in a cur to worry the whole flock.

1756 [1704], Ben Jonson, “The Tale of a Tub”, in Peter Whalley, editor, The Works of Ben Jonson, page 108:


central reservation

central reservation (plural central reservations)

The driver of one of the cars had come through the windscreen. He was lying on his back on the central reservation like the effigy on an old church tomb.

2022, Liam McIlvanney, The Heretic, page 26:

(UK)

(US)

(UK, Ireland) The area which separates opposing lanes of traffic on a motorway or dual carriageway.


dual carriageway

dual carriageway (plural dual carriageways)

(UK, Philippines) A road in which the two directions of traffic are separated by a central barrier or strip of land, known as a central reservation or median.


fives

(chiefly British) a ball game, somewhat like tennis, played against a wall.


fives

(UK, prison slang) The cells located on the fourth floor.


ploughwright

(chiefly British) Alternative spelling of plowwright


simon

Uncertain. One theory suggests derivation from a joke based on the bible verse Acts 9:43, rendered as “Peter lodged with Simon a tanner”, a pun on the meanings of lodge (“stay in a place; put away money”). Partridge suggests that this not possible given the dates, however, and suggests instead derivation from some unknown person’s name. Attested from the late 17th century, with synonymous tanner attested from the 18th. Compare also simony, from a different biblical figure, Simon Magnus.
The “US dollar” sense derives from the earlier “sixpence”, perhaps influenced by the $ symbol.


halfpennyworth

halfpennyworths (plural)
ha'p'orth (contraction)

/ˈhɛɪpnɪwəθ/

From Middle English halpenyworth; equivalent to halfpenny + worth; compare Old English healfpeniġweorþ.

(British, historical) As much as could be bought for a halfpenny (pre- or post-decimalisation).

he's never been a ha'p'orth of bother

(British, informal) A negligible amount.

(British, informal) One's opinion or thoughts on a matter.


ha'p'orth

ha'p'orth (plural ha'p'orth or ha'p'orths)

At an old stubborn Root I chanc’d to tug,
When the Dean threw me this Tobacco-plug:
A longer ha’p’orth never did I see;
This, dearest Sheelah, thou shalt share with me.

1729, Jonathan Swift, A Pastoral Dialogue, written after the News of the King’s Death:

‘Mighty fine certainly,’ said Ralph, with great testiness. ‘When I first went to business, ma’am, I took a penny loaf and a ha’porth of milk for my breakfast as I walked to the city every morning; what do you say to that, ma’am? Breakfast! Bah!’

1838, Charles Dickens, The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby:

circa''' 1880, William Makepeace Thackeray, Roundabout Papers
You rascal thief! it is not merely three-ha’p’orth of sooty fruit you rob me of, it is my peace of mind.

Halfpennyworth is best spelt and pronounced ha’p’orth.

1997, H. W. Fowler, Modern English Usage:

A halfpennyworth; the amount that can be bought for a halfpenny.


traveller's cheque

(British, Canada) A preprinted cheque for a fixed amount, often in a foreign currency, issued by a bank that may be used instead of cash; may usually be replaced if lost or stolen.


divisions

At the Britannia Royal Naval College, the Lord High Admiral's Divisions is a parade held in the presence of the monarch or her representative.

(UK, naval) A formal parade of a ship's or shore establishment's company.


trunk call

(telephony, dated, chiefly British) a long-distance telephone call, especially one connected by the operator


trolley park

(British) A holding area for supermarket trolleys.


dinky

en-adj

dinky (comparative dinkier, superlative dinkiest)

dinkier (comparative)
dinkiest (superlative)

1780-90; compare Scots dink (“neatly dressed, trim”) (of obscure origin); sense shift perhaps: trim > dainty > small > insignificant; + -y.

How do you like my hat? That one you had on in church yesterday was real dinky.

1915, Lucy Maud Montgomery, “chapter 11”, in Anne of the Island:

I played in the dirt with a small dinky car as the garage held no fascination for a little girl of five.

2010, Sharon Wallace, A House Full of Whispers, page 5:

“Ooh, well, he is a particularly pretty one. Look at his dinky little nose,” said Raj with a sweet smile.

2012, David Walliams [pseudonym; David Edward Williams], Ratburger, London: HarperCollins Children’s Books, →ISBN:

(informal, British) Tiny and cute; small and attractive.

изящен

(informal, British) Tiny and cute; small and charmful


youngin

1996, Mary Lee Settle, The Killing Ground http://books.google.com/books?ie=UTF-8&hl=en&vid=ISBN1570031185&id=NuC208Sm3hYC&pg=PA299&lpg=PA299&sig=nrGak4rpTJXj0jA5UreToSTbyTo
I swear to God, Hannah, Haley had entered that youngin in an open jumper class for children.

He is my youngin, yes he is; I raised him, I did.

1998, Edwin Vickers, When the Magnolias Die & One Precious Summer http://books.google.com/books?ie=UTF-8&hl=en&vid=ISBN0738800821&id=s32Rd9dPqv0C&pg=PA29&lpg=PA29&sig=UVy1VC-1gtxVfKI34vip1l7T1L8

1999, Silver RavenWolf, Halloween http://books.google.com/books?ie=UTF-8&hl=en&vid=ISBN1567187196&id=asYSfOp1kdcC&pg=RA1-PA39&lpg=RA1-PA39&sig=OX_vV-IRIn0wqfIu5si8vYisHLE
He wasn’t an unlikable fellow, no he wasn’t, but he was the sort of fella that would run from honest work faster than a youngin’ can run from bath water.

2000, Gene S Ladnier, Fame's Eternal Camping Ground http://books.google.com/books?ie=UTF-8&hl=en&vid=ISBN0738808210&id=W-05dJIwk5EC&pg=PA297&lpg=PA297&sig=CT5T_3DS-GSixo_NJCONKqUShVE
If I was a youngin looking for my sweetheart, I reckon I’d hook up with Barteau’s bunch and try to cut them Yankee wagons off.

Youngins, no respect for sammiches these days!

2018, “Sardine: The Movie”, in Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs: The Series:

(Southern US, British West Country, Northern England, informal) A young one: a youth, a child, a kid, young person.


prep school

(British) A private primary school which prepares its pupils for the common entrance examination most commonly at the age of thirteen, and subsequent entry into public school.

privata lernejo

UK: private school that prepares for common entrance examination


horseman

From Middle English horsman, equivalent to horse + man.

(especially UK, agriculture, archaic) A man in charge of work horses; a teamster.

(especially UK, archaic) A man in charge of transport horses; a hostler (ostler).


bowser

From Bowser (“a surname”), after Sylvanus Bowser, US inventor of the first fuel pump; also a trade name of SF Bowser inc., the inventor's company.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, as hon. Shidie has said, there is no water bowser in Garissa and he categorically said that there is a water bowser to supply water to the people of Kulan. Could he give the registration number of this water bowser which is supplying water to the people of Kulan?

1999 May 12, Kenya National Assembly Official Record (Hansard), page 588:

The water bowser needed filling.

2000, Louis L. Jacobs, Quest for the African Dinosaurs: Ancient Roots of the Modern World, page 112:

2010, P. Dissanayake, N. Weragala, V. Smakhtin, Environmental Flow Assessment: Recent Examples from Sri Lanka, Alexandra Evans, K. Jinapala (editors), Proceedings of the National Conference on Water, Food Security and Climate Change in Sri Lanka, Volume 2, page 29,
Due to increasing levels of water pollution arising from low flows, water becomes unsuitable for bathing during this period and is satisfied by bowser water supply.

(British) A mobile water tank deployed to distribute fresh water in emergency situations where the normal system of piped distribution has broken down or is insufficient.


Allen key

Allen + key, from the name of the Allen Manufacturing Company.


shambolic

shambolic (comparative more shambolic, superlative most shambolic)

more shambolic (comparative)
most shambolic (superlative)

Perhaps from shambles + -o- + -ic + [Term?] (adjective), in which the interconsonantal -o- avoids the /mbl/ consonant cluster. Possibly influenced by symbolic.
Alternatively, and more likely, a blend of shambles + symbolic.

af

[O]ne must admit there were those among us who were somewhat on the shambolic side.

1952 April 14, The Tank, volume 34, number 396, London, page 231:

He said his club had coined a new word 'Shambolic,' which meant spending more time watching the weather than playing.

1958 December 5, “'Pavilion Would Help Clubs'”, in West Sussex County Times, Horsham, page 6:

The precautionary principle is a culturally framed concept that takes its cue from changing social conceptions about the appropriate roles of science, economics, ethics, politics and the law in pro-active environmental protection and management. As this book will reveal, it is a rather shambolic concept, muddled in policy advice and subject to the whims of international diplomacy and the unpredictable public mood over the true cost of sustainable living.

1994, Timothy O'Riordan, James Cameron, “The History and Contemporary Significance of the Precautionary Principle”, in Tim O'Riordan, James Cameron, editors, Interpreting the Precautionary Principle, London: Earthscan, →ISBN, page 12:

The pub was empty of all but the most dedicated drinkers, shambolic figures huddled over bottles.

2000, China Miéville, Perdido Street Station, London: Macmillan Publishers, →ISBN, page 24:

The shabby subterfuge surrounding Suez [the Suez Crisis], as much as its shambolic aftermath, have made it a symbol of the collapse of British global power in the post-war era.

2013, Philip Murphy, “Winds of Change and the Royal Family”, in Monarchy and the End of Empire: The House of Windsor, the British Government, and the Postwar Commonwealth, Oxford: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 66:

During normal times, distribution of goods or services to over 7,000 islands [in the Philippines] is difficult, and the reality is that on a day-to-day basis, it's shambolic. There are too many examples of corruption and inefficiency.

2014 October 22, Graham Michael Barton, “Distribution”, in Show Me the Money: Where Did All the Aid and Money Go after Typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines November 2013, Bloomington, Ind.: AuthorHouse, →ISBN, page 5:

New train introduction had become shambolic with extended delays - mainly due to repeated software issues, seriously late deliveries, and gauging problems.

2020 May 6, Sir Michael Holden, “Time for our industry's leaders to rise to the challenge”, in Rail, page 28:

Donald Trump’s tax returns illustrate the profound inequities of the tax code and the shambolic state of federal enforcement.

2020 September 28, New York Times Editorial Board, “The Picture of a Broken Tax System”, in New York Times:

(UK, Ireland, Commonwealth) Chaotic, disorganised or mismanaged.


Fritz

From German Fritz, pet form of Friedrich (“Frederick”).

Someone sent up a shout and word came that oil had begun to show on the water—that meant one less submarine afloat! Again the roar of guns—again the shout! Two Fritzes sunk. . . !

1918, Elaine Sterne, Over the Seas for Uncle Sam:

(UK, offensive, ethnic slur) A German person, usually male.


Fritz

But if Fritz is stationed in that patch of woodland, we've got no chance!

You! Fritz! Tell us where the ammunition's kept!

[…]so Fritz could sleep easily in his trench, so far as mines were concerned; and Fritz, confident in his Herr Professors, altogether neglected any attempt to counter-mine.

1923, Frank Fox, “The Man-Made Earthquake”, in Charles Francis Horne, The Great Events of the Great War, volume 5:

'Fritz is pounding away at the crossing,' he said. 'We'd do better to wait till things quieten down.'

1952, Vasily Grossman, translated by Robert Chandler and Yury Bit-Yunan, Stalingrad, page 227:

(UK, offensive) A name used to represent the German people (particularly the German armed forces) as a group.


tonk

en-adj

tonk (comparative tonker, superlative tonkest)

tonker (comparative)
tonkest (superlative)

In this new paradigm of masculine excellence, anyone can achieve physical perfection if they put in the hours. It is an aspirational narrative, accompanied by a specific vernacular. Men are hench, wammo or tonk. […] Whereas the vest-wearing action stars of the 80s needed physical strength to hoik themselves into lift shafts and avert terrorism, today’s uber-tonk males wear their six-packs like beautiful, pointless feathers: this is a cosmetic muscularity, rather than a functional one.

2018 June 27, Sirin Kale, “‘Get shredded in six weeks!’ The problem with extreme male body transformations”, in The Guardian:

Green’s Dictionary of Slang
w:Green's Dictionary of Slang


tuck box

(chiefly British, dated) A hamper of food (such as confectionery) taken to boarding school by students.


rink

From Middle English rink, renk, from Old English rinc (“man, warrior, hero”), from Proto-Germanic *rankiz (“upright man”), from *rankaz (“straight, upright”), from Proto-Indo-European *reǵ- (“straight, direct”). Cognate with Scots rink, renk (“man, warrior, hero”), Old Saxon rink (“man”), Old Norse rekkr (“a straight or upright man”), Old English ranc (“proud, noble, valiant”). More at rank.

cog

(UK dialectal) A man, especially a warrior or hero.


rink

→ Portuguese: rinque

→ Swedish: rink

Borrowed from Middle Scots rink, renk (“course, battlefield”), from Middle French renc, from Old French reng, from Frankish *hring, from Proto-Germanic *hringaz. Doublet of rank and ring.


tuck shop

One way is to make the sandwiches then choose the three most popular sandwiches to sell in the tuck shop.

1989, Jenny Ridgwell, Louise Davies, Skills in Home Economics: Technology, Heinemann Educational Publishers, page 11:

If possible a school must have a place for a tuck shop.

1996, K. S. Sidhu, “School Organisation And Administration”, in India, Sterling Publishers, page 90:

You had a small amount of pocket money and this increased as you went along and there was a tuck shop where you could spend your earnings.[…]I became a senior boy and then a pefect and it became my responsibility to run the tuck shop.

2005, Susan K. Moore, I Remember Bare Bottoms and Stinging Nettles, page 108:

In this case, the problem is that the tuck-shop has stopped making money and will have to close if you can′t find out what is wrong.

2009, R. Burger, B. P. Carels, S. Els, FET College Series: Life Orientation: NCV 4, South Africa: Pearson Education, page 163:

However, a trend for healthier tuck shops, selling fruit in particular, had already emerged a few years before legislation was introduced.

2009, Maria Cross, Barbara MacDonald, Nutrition in Institutions, UK: Wiley, page 49:

‘That note you′re holding is an order for the Crobost Stores, to restock the tuck shop.’

2011, Peter May, The Blackhouse, UK: Quercus, page 23:

(UK, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada, Singapore, India) A shop selling confectionery, especially one in or near a school.


invigilate

en-verb

invigilate (third-person singular simple present invigilates, present participle invigilating, simple past and past participle invigilated)

invigilates (present singular third-person)
invigilating (participle present)
invigilated (participle past)
invigilated (past)

Borrowed from Latin invigilātus, past participle of invigilō (“to stay awake, watch over”).

Professor Burns will be invigilating over the final examinations to ensure that the students do not cheat.

(UK, Canada, transitive, intransitive) To oversee a test or exam.


chee chee

(US, slang, chiefly in the plural) A breast, tit.


hydro

en-noun

hydro (countable and uncountable, plural hydros)

From prefix hydro-, from Ancient Greek ὕδωρ (húdōr, “water”). Canadian sense "electricity" from the fact that hydroelectricity is the prevalent source of electricity in much of Canada and many electric companies have the word "Hydro" in their names.

She almost lived at hotels and hydros, last year, but that isn't pleasant for her.

1909, Rudyard Kipling, The House Surgeon:


flutter

flutter (countable and uncountable, plural flutters)

From Middle English floteren, from Old English floterian, flotorian (“to float about, flutter”), from Proto-Germanic *flutrōną, frequentative of Proto-Germanic *flutōną (“to float”), equivalent to float + -er (frequentative suffix). Cognate with West Frisian flodderje (“to flutter, beat”), Dutch flodderen (“to flutter, wave”), Low German fluttern, fluddern (“to flutter”), German flittern (“to sparkle, glitter”). More at float.

cog

"Oh, by the way, I heard of a rather good thing today, New Kleinfonteins; it's a gold mine in Rhodesia. If you'd like to have a flutter you might make a bit."

1915, W. Somerset Maugham, chapter 93, in Of Human Bondage:

30 July, 2009, Eurosport, Gray Matter: How will Schu do?
So with his victory odds currently at 14/1 or 3/1 for the podium, he's still most certainly well worth a flutter […]

(British) A small bet or risky investment.


rinse

en-verb

rinse (third-person singular simple present rinses, present participle rinsing, simple past and past participle rinsed)

rinses (present singular third-person)
rinsing (participle present)
rinsed (participle past)
rinsed (past)

From Middle English rinsen, rensen, rencen (“to rinse”), from Old French rincier, reinser, Old Northern French raïncer (“to rinse, cleanse”). Of contested origin. Possibly from Old Norse hreinsa, from Proto-Germanic *hrainisōną (“to clean, purify”), from Proto-Indo-European *krey- (“to separate, divide”). Alternatively from a dissimilation of Old French recincier, from Latin recentare (“to make fresh”).
Cognate with French rincer. From the Germanic verb are Danish rense, Norwegian rense, Swedish rensa (all “to clean”), Old High German reinisōn (“to clean, purify, atone”). It is related to German rein (“pure”), Gothic 𐌷𐍂𐌰𐌹𐌽𐍃 (hrains, “clean”), and English riddle. The Latin verb is related to recent.

cog

You got rinsed.

I think that's a British thing though. Like, I got rinsed for playing video games.

2020 August 7, Joseph Bizinger, Garnt Maneetapho, Connor Marc Colquhoun, “Our Dark Past with Anime YouTube” (2:25 from the start), in Trash Taste, season 1, episode 10 (podcast), spoken by Connor Marc Colquhoun (Connor Marc Colquhoun), Tokyo, Japan: YouTube, archived from the original on 2020-10-19:

(UK, slang) To thoroughly defeat in an argument, fight or other competition.


aeger

(dated, British school slang) Absent and excused from one’s classes due to illness

(dated, British school slang) Relating to such an excused absence


aeger

(dated, British school slang) An excused absence from classes due to illness

Dick laughed. 'I'll get the receipt from him. I often want a good thing for an "æger."'

1870 June 18, “The Nemesis”, in Chamber's Journal of Popular Literature, Science and Arts, number 338, chapter 7, page 395:

(dated, British school slang) A note excusing a student from classes due to illness


give a tinker's cuss

en-verb

give a tinker's cuss (third-person singular simple present gives a tinker's cuss, present participle giving a tinker's cuss, simple past gave a tinker's cuss, past participle given a tinker's cuss)

gives a tinker's cuss (present singular third-person)
giving a tinker's cuss (participle present)
gave a tinker's cuss (past)
given a tinker's cuss (participle past)

I don't give a tinker's cuss about your opinions, I'm doing it my way.

(intransitive, chiefly British, chiefly in negative constructions) to be interested in something; to give a shit


throw a spanner in the works

throw<,,threw,thrown> a spanner in the works

throw a spanner in the works (third-person singular simple present throws a spanner in the works, present participle throwing a spanner in the works, simple past threw a spanner in the works, past participle thrown a spanner in the works)

throws a spanner in the works (present singular third-person)
throwing a spanner in the works (participle present)
threw a spanner in the works (past)
thrown a spanner in the works (participle past)

Halfway through the production of Macbeth, the director found that the stage was smaller than he had expected. This really threw a spanner in the works.

(idiomatic, UK) To introduce a problem, dilemma or obstacle, something unexpected or troublesome.


miller

From Middle English myllere, mellere, from earlier mylnere, possibly from an Old English *mylnere, from Proto-West Germanic *mulīnārī (“miller”), equivalent to mill + -er; cf. also Late Latin molīnārius (“miller”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Muller, Dutch mulder, molenaar, German Low German Möller, German Müller, Müllner, Danish møller, Norwegian Bokmål møller, Norwegian Nynorsk mylnar, møllar, Swedish mjölnare, Icelandic mylnari.
Compare also Middle English milward, mulward (“miller”), from Old English mylenweard (“miller”, literally “mill-keeper”) (> English Millward (surname)).

m+

every miller draws water to his own mill


twopenn'orth

(UK, Ireland) Alternative spelling of two penn'orth


Dutch hoe

(UK) A hoe, having a loop of metal for its head, that can be pushed or pulled for weeding.


chaise longue

en-noun

chaise longue (plural chaise longues or chaises longues)

chaise longues (plural)
chaises longues (plural)

/ˌʃeɪz ˈlɒŋ(ɡ)/

/ˌʃeɪz ˈlɔŋ/

Borrowed from French chaise longue (literally “long chair”).

bor

(chiefly UK) A reclining chair with a long seat, which can support the outstretched legs of a sitter normally with one armrest.


welt

en-verb

welt (third-person singular simple present welts, present participle welting, simple past and past participle welted)

welts (present singular third-person)
welting (participle present)
welted (participle past)
welted (past)

(UK, dialect, archaic, intransitive) To decay.

(UK, dialect, archaic, intransitive) To become stringy.


bobsleigh

en-noun

bobsleigh (countable and uncountable, plural bobsleighs)

bobsleigh ] ] (canonical)
bobsleighs (plural)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-bobsleigh.wav

From bobs, the short runners on which the bobsleigh is based (as opposed to a usual sleigh on long runners continuing all the way along the vehicle); further etymology unclear. Attested since 1839 as bob-sled, long before the invention of the sport.

(uncountable, UK) A winter sport in which teams make timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked purpose-built iced tracks in a gravity-powered sled.

(UK) The sled used in the sport of bobsleigh.