aight

Aight, let's get started.

(chiefly African-American Vernacular, MLE, slang) Contraction of all right.


uh-uh

[ˈ(ʔ)ʌ̃˧.ʔʌ̃˩]

Likely imitative of non-verbal sounds used to indicate disagreement or discomfort. Compare nope, wherein the -p may represent closure often uttered at the end of the word no. Compare also um used to indicate hesitation. Attested from 1888.

"Have you eaten yet?" "Uh-uh." "No way."


congratulations

/kənˌɡɹæt͡ʃəˈleɪʃ(ə)nz/

Congratulations on managing to use the phrase “preponderant criterion” in a chart (“On your marks”, November 9th). Was this the work of a kakorrhaphiophobic journalist set a challenge by his colleagues, or simply an example of glossolalia?

2013 November 30, Paul Davis, “Letters: Say it as simply as possible”, in The Economist, volume 409, number 8864:

Expressing praise and approval, expressing approbation.


attaboy

Variant pronunciation of "That's the boy!", a cry of encouragement, especially to children and pet dogs.

Attaboy! That's the way to hit a home run!

(idiomatic, colloquial) Used to show encouragement or approval to a boy, man, or male animal.

好樣的

Used to show encouragement or approval to a boy or a man


tonk

In one of those stampings into the yard he suddenly rushed at the tank and tapped it. Tonk, tonk, tonk, tab. One rung left. Only one rung; about a week's supply of water.

1938, Norman Lindsay, Age of Consent, 1st Australian edition, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, published 1962, →OCLC, page 153:

Representing a sound produced by knocking on something hollow.


chapeau

Borrowed from Middle French chappeau. The interjection is after Modern French chapeau in similar use, originally short for chapeau bas.

Chapeau to you for the presence of mind.

2012, Kfir Luzzatto, The Evelyn Project, PINE TEN, LLC, →ISBN:

I fully understand the mother's concerns; and I say chapeau to her twice. The first for allowing her daughter the opportunity to study abroad, and secondly for accompanying her during the first months of study to ease her homelessness.

2017, Jamal AlShehhi, Uncle Sam & Myself: Living in the land of Uncle Sam, Kuttab Publishing, →ISBN, page 38:

Hopefully you see it as a good promotion for your blog and chapeau to you for being awesome!

2019, Carly Findlay, Say Hello, HarperCollins Australia, →ISBN:

well done, a verbal representation of a hat tip


horsefeathers

The "nonsense" sense, a euphemism for horseshit, is horse + feathers, a nonexistent item as only birds have feathers. Compare hen’s teeth.
The "horse hair" sense notes the similarity of that hair to bird feathers.
Regarding the roofing sense, compare feathering strip and horsefeathers.

Horsefeathers! You knew it was a bad idea and now you're just making excuses about it.


damn straight

(idiomatic, mildly vulgar) Without doubt, certainly, for sure.


for Pete's sake

Euphemistic variant of for Christ's sake, for God's sake; "Pete" either invoking Saint Peter or influenced by for pity's sake.

For Pete's sake, get off the computer! You've been on there for ages!

(idiomatic, euphemistic) Used to express frustration, exasperation, annoyance


PBUH

peace be upon him
peace be upon him#English

peace be upon her
peace be upon her#English

(Islam, sometimes proscribed) Initialism of peace be upon him or peace be upon her; an honorific phrase used by some Muslims after any mention in speech or print of the Islamic prophet Muhammad or any other prophets or chosen figures believed by the majority of Muslims to be sent by God (Allah).


FTW

(slang) Initialism of fuck the world: an antisocial slogan.

"Most people," John said, "think it means 'Fuck the world.' But to a real biker, it means 'Forever two wheels'."

(slang) Initialism of forever two wheels: a biker slogan.


thunk

Representing the dull sound of the impact of a heavy object striking another and coming to an immediate standstill, with neither object being broken by the impact.


nuch

Dude! Sup? - Nuch.

(surfing, slang, dated) A response to the greeting/question What's up?


crud

From Middle English crud, crudde (“coagulated milk; curd; any coagulated or thickened substance; dregs”), from Old English crūdan (“to press”). Doublet of curd.

Non-vulgar interjection expressing annoyance, anxiety, etc.; sugar, damn.


aww

Aww, that's so sad: he hasn't yet learned to ride a bike.

Aww, look at the kitten curled up in her lap!


honk

Imitation of car horn, used, for example, to clear a path for oneself.


umm

- How does a plane fly?

- Umm, I don't know.


yipe

Used to express surprise, fear, or dismay.


yippee

Of imitative origin. Perhaps an extension and modification of hip (interjection).

onom

imitative origin

You'll understand, though, if I don't jump up and down and yell "Yippee!"


yoo-hoo

Choir! Choir! Yoo-hoo! Choir, gather around, I have great news.


ooh

Ooh, that looks delicious!

An expression of interest or anticipation.

Ooh, I love that book!

An expression of excitement or enthusiastic interest.


whoo

An expression of delight and excitement.

"You are mistaken; I am a ghost; whoo!" said I, choking back my rage.

1949, Robertson Davies, The table talk of Samuel Marchbanks:

Then he held up his hands and let out a weak ghost-howl. "Whoo?" he moaned, in a tiny voice.


hiya

Shortened from how are you?, with influence from hi. US, 1940s.

Hiya, love, how's you?


hiya

(martial arts) A kiai, shouted as a limb is swung in attack.


yow

Yow! I dropped it on my toe!

You've been divorced four times? Yow!

Expression of humorous surprise or emphasis.


yoo hoo

Yoo hoo! Over here!


yuk

Yuk! Egg on my face! With my usual wait 'til it's history GCN reading habits, I opened my April Fools issue and began to read the election year news; it did not occur to this avid reader that anything was being spoofed until the second paragraph.

1988 May 7, Nancy M. Gill, “I Don't Always Agree, But I Appreciate GCN”, in Gay Community News, page 4:


mirabile dictu

/mɪˌɹɑːbɪleɪ ˈdɪktuː/

Borrowed from Latin mīrābile dictū (literally “able to astonish by the saying [of it]”).

bor

And then, mirabile dictu, between the piers, leaping from wave to wave as it rushed at headlong speed, swept the strange schooner before the blast, with all sail set, and gained the safety of the harbour.

1897, Bram Stoker, chapter 7, in Dracula:

Nantucket is a pretty upmarket place. Mirabile dictu, this is one place in the US where not a McDonald's or Burger King is to be seen.

1994 July 6, Rupert Cornwell, “Out of America: Piping plover gives an island resort the bird”, in The Independent, retrieved 2014-02-23:

The Democratic-dominated Council recently tightened the rules governing campaign contributions by lobbyists but managed, mirabile dictu, to exempt Democratic-dominated unions from the new restrictions.

2007 September 4, Clyde Haberman, “A Labor Day Labor Forgot to Celebrate”, in The New York Times, retrieved 2014-02-23:

Wonderfully, amazingly; remarkable to relate.


baruch Hashem

/bəˈɹʊx həˈʃɛm/

/bəˈɹuːx həˈʃɛm/

From Hebrew בָּרוּךְ הַשֵׁם (barúkh hashém, literally “blessed be the name [of the Lord]”), likely via Yiddish ברוך השם (borukh hashem).

unadapted borrowing

בָּרוּךְ הַשֵׁם


psst

onom

Imitative

Psst, John, don’t tell anyone, but I’ve got lots of candy stashed away.

(onomatopoeia) Implies that the speaker is sending secret or whispered information to another person.


okey

(rare, sometimes Internet slang, sometimes childish) Alternative form of OK


rah

Not so very long ago, a row of docile cheerleaders would say, “rah, rah, rah, sis-boombah”—maybe a leg would kick up into the air, perhaps a jump under the cheerleader's own power.

2011, Kern Alexander, M. David Alexander, American Public School Law, page 668:

An exclamation of support or encouragement.

I FUCKING LOVE PEOPLE!!!! I FUCKING WANT TO USE THE LIMITED TIME I HAVE TO RESPECT OTHERS AND WHAT THEY ENJOY RAHHHHH

2023 June 24, u/crappylilAccident, “Clamworks truth”, in Reddit, r/Clamworks, archived from the original on 2024-01-24:

RAHHHH IRELAND MENTIONED 🗣🗣🗣🇮🇪🗣🗣🗣🇮🇪🗣🗣🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪🔥🟢⚪🟢⚪🟢⚪🟢⚪💪💪

2023 October 28, u/Safe-Scarcity2835, “Choose Your Side:”, in Reddit, r/balkans_irl, archived from the original on 2024-01-24:

MORDEKAISER MENTIONED RAAHHHH ❗❗❗❗❗❗🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷 WTF IS MOBILITY

2024 January 6, u/our_cut, “What old school league terms or 'memes' have disappeared from the game in recent years?”, in Reddit, r/leagueoflegends, archived from the original on 2024-01-24:

PHILIPPINES MENTIONED RAHHHH 🇵🇭 🦅

2024 January 7, @pop_priestess, Twitter, archived from the original on 2024-01-24:

(Internet slang) An exclamation of patriotic or passionate excitement.


rah

He’s like, “Shut up, man. Whatever man. Skip, man, was a shot.” And I’m like, “Rah, this is a bit of a weird reaction?”

2019 June 6, Skepta, quoted in “Skepta opens up about becoming a father and enduring two heartbreaking miscarriages” by Narjas Zatat, Metro

Target bought the tape round, I listened to it and I was like, ‘Rah, this is sick, this kid is so sick’.

2016, Wiley, quoted in This Is Grime by Hattie Collins and Olivia Rose, Hachette UK, page 145

I was daydreaming, smoking weed out the curtain / Looking at my baby like rah, I'm just a burden

2016, Big Narstie (lyrics), “Fire In The Booth (Part 3)”, performed by Big Narstie on BBC Radio 1Xtra

(MLE) An expression of frustration or anger.


goddamn

→ Japanese: ガッデム, ゴッデム

→ Kankanaey: gaddimet

From God + damn; originally, and sometimes still, a present subjunctive expression of a wish that God smite someone for their wickedness; compare also antonymous God bless, God bless you, and God love (someone or something).

Person A: You're not going to believe this: he just did it again, despite your warning.
Person B: Goddamn!

Person A: You're not going to believe this: he just did it again, despite your warning.
Person B: God damn him!

(vulgar, colloquial) An expression of anger, surprise, intense excitement or frustration.

اللَعْنَة

an expression of anger, surprise, or frustration

me cago en Déu, en la creu i en el fuster que la féu!

God love

someone or something; antonymous force; likewise interjectory although not quite a full-fledged interjection by all tests formally defining parts of speech


chi-ike

(costermongers' slang) Used as a salute or word of praise.


ole

Harry Hooper living in No. 10 / He bought a toupee and glued it to his head / "It looks very natural" everybody said / But then his wife said "Toupee, isn't that a French word?" / And Harry said "Ole!" / She said "That's a Spanish word." / And he said "O.K., can't tell the difference these days."

1979, The Boomtown Rats (lyrics and music), “Nothing Happened Today”, in The Fine Art of Surfacing:

An interjection used to stir up excitement.


bulletin

(colloquial, often sarcastic) Introduces a fact (presumed to be obvious) of which the person addressed is ostensibly not aware.


excelsior

From Latin excelsior, comparative of excelsus (“high”). The name of the stuffing material was originally a trademark.

w:Excelsior (Longfellow)#Adaptations and parodies

A greeting, farewell or acclamation, presently associated with comic book fandom and famous comic book writer Stan Lee, but continuing a long tradition of parodies of the New York State motto, first by Longfellow and continuing through Thurber to Lee.


thankyou

(nonstandard) Alternative spelling of thank you


frig

From Middle English friggen (“to quiver”), perhaps from Old English *frygian (“to rub, caress”), related to Old English frēogan, frīgan (“to love, release, embrace, caress”), frīge (pl., “love”). Compare also Faroese fríggj (“erotocism, sex, flirtation”). More at free.
Alternative etymology derives frig (Early Modern English frigge), from Middle English frikien (“to keep (the arms and hands) in constant motion”), from Old English frician (“to dance”).


wah

onom

Imitative

A cry of fright, distress, etc. (especially of an infant or young child)

(gaming, Super Mario canon) A cry from Waluigi that constitutes his signature catchphrase; it signals any of a wide range of emotions including surprise, excitement, exhilaration, dismay, self-pity, and rivalry.


wah

Wah, you quite brave hor...

2005 October 30, Wong Kim Hoh, The Sunday Times, quoted in Jack Tsen-Ta Lee, A Dictionary of Singlish and Singapore English:

(Singlish, Manglish) Wow!; whoa! (expressing surprise or amazement)


mamma mia

/ˌmʌmə ˈmiːə/

Unadapted borrowing from Italian mamma mia.

ubor

A mild expression of surprise, supposed to be used by Italians.


g'night

Contraction of good night; compare g'day, g'bye.


vroom

onomatopoeic

Imitative

I never saw my uncle’s Ferrari, but I could always hear it going vroom as it flew past by my house.


sayonara

→ Greek: σαγιονάρα (sagionára)

→ Spanish: sayonara

/ˌsaɪəˈnɑːɹə/

Borrowed from Japanese さよなら (sayonara), a shorter form of more traditional さようなら (sayōnara, “goodbye”, literally “if that's the way it is”).

Sonic: Sayonara! Shadow the Hedgehog!

2001 June 23, Sonic Team USA, Sonic Adventure 2, Sega, published 2001:

(informal, often humorous, especially used when referring to Japan) Goodbye, adieu.


hehe

From Middle English hehe, from Old English he he.

And then his trousers fell down, hehe.

An approximation to the sound of a mischievous giggle.


chop-chop

From Chinese Pidgin English, from Cantonese 速速 (cuk1 cuk1, “quick”).

(Singapore) chop-chop kalipok

Used to urge someone to do something quickly.


hahaha

haha (an onomatopoeic representation of laughter).


oh God

Roy: The work was fiiine. There was nothing wrong with the work. But they caught him... He pissed in the sink.
Jen: Oh. Oh!
Roy: Yeah...
Jen: Which sink?
Roy: All the sinks. Yeah, he basically went on a pee parade around the house.
Jen: Oh, God, I have to fire him.

2008 November 21, Graham Linehan, The IT Crowd, Season 3, Episode 1

Oh God, midnight’s not bad, you wake and go back to sleep, one or two’s not bad, you toss but sleep again.

1962, Ray Bradbury, Something Wicked This Way Comes:


snakes

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

"Snakes!" cried the impetuous Westerner, like one speaking before he could stop himself; "suppose there were something in it, after all!"

1926, G. K. Chesterton, The Incredulity of Father Brown:

Synonym of snakes alive (“expression of surprise”)


capiche

(chiefly US) Alternative spelling of capisce


watch out

Used to warn someone of an imminent danger.


truth or dare

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-truth or dare.wav

A: Truth or dare? B: Dare.

(games) The question asked during the truth or dare game, in which a player asks another player to choose between the two.


mwah

Onomatopoeic. From the sound made when kissing, or the sound of a fretless bass.

Thanks guys. 3 kisses for you all: mwah mwah mwah!

(often Internet slang) The sound of a kiss, to indicate blowing a kiss to someone.


ting

Ting, ting, ting! went the bell again. Everybody sat down; the curtain shook, rose sufficiently high to display several pair of yellow boots paddling about, and there it remained.

1839, Charles Dickens, “The Private Theatricals”, in Sketches by Boz:

“Aah, Miss Zoe!” proclaimed Raj, as she opened the door to his shop. The bell rang as she entered. TING.

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

Used to represent the sound of a small bell.


toodles

Clipping of toodeloo + -s (hypocoristic suffix).


lock and load

Attested since at least 1793, when a document describes flintlock weapons that are ready to fire as "well locked and loaded". The variant "load(ed) and lock(ed)" is found since at least 1815. The phrase may have originated from the use of gunlocks on naval artillery (in use by the Royal Navy since 1745); as gunlocks were not required for firing (a lintstock could be used) it may have been necessary to specify cannon was "locked" as well as loaded.
As an imperative, used since at least 1940, in the U.S. Army Field Manual for the M1 Rifle. Compare e.g. German "laden und sichern" ("load and secure"). Popularized in culture after being used by John Wayne in Sands of Iwo Jima (1949).

1949 — John Wayne in the film Sands of Iwo Jima
Lock and load, boy, lock and load.

(US, slang) A command to prepare a weapon for battle.

(US, slang) Prepare for an imminent event.


geronimo

/d͡ʒəˈɹɑnɪmoʊ/

/d͡ʒəˈɹɒnɪməʊ/

Various theories; see Wikipedia. Originally used by American paratroopers.

Geronimo, motherfucker!

1988, Jeb Stuart, Steven E. de Souza, Die Hard, spoken by John McClane (Bruce Willis):

A cry before jumping out of or into something.


oh well

I didn’t know the store closes at five on Thursdays. Oh well, I’ll have to come back tomorrow.

Oh well, I guess.

It was not until he heard a ring at the bell that he wondered how he should address her. Countess? That would seem like rubbing it in. Oh, well, it was n't really necessary to call people anything, if one used a little management.

1912 July, Henry Kitchell Webster, “The Ingredients”, in The Atlantic Monthly. A Magazine of Literature, Science, Art, and Politics, volume CX, number 1, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor and Fields, […], →OCLC, page 21:

"Oh well, it can't be helped," returned Teal. "We'll get him yet. By the way, walk down to the lecture with me this afternoon?"

1922 December, Harold Avery, “A Sixth Form Feud. A Public School Story.”, in The Boy’s Own Paper, volume XLV, part 2, London: "Boy's Own Paper" Office, […], →OCLC, chapter VII (Waylaid), page 125:

The meager X-ray facts are woefully inadequate and there is nothing upon modern roentgen-cardiography. And this book comes out of Boston where Holmes and George practice the art of roentgenology? Oh, well—Prophets without honor, etc.

1924 November, “Physical Diagnosis by Richard C. Cabot, M.D., Professor of Medicine in Harvard University, Formerly Chief of the West Medical Service at the Massachusetts General Hospital. Eighth Edition, Revised and Enlarged with Six Plates and 279 Figures in the Text. New York, William Wood and Company, MDCCCCXXIII. Price, $5.00. [book review]”, in The Medical Herald and Physiotherapist: Incorporating The Medical Fortnightly & Laboratory News, St. Louis Clinique, General Practitioner and The Kansas City Medical Index-Lancet, volume XLIII, number 11, Kansas City, Mo.: Medical Herald Pub. Co., →OCLC, page 265, column 2:

I'll catch a tongue-thrashing, I warrant … Oh well, I guess I'll risk it. I'd feel unhappy all day if I didn't.

1931, Edgar Caper, edited by Paul McPharlin, Lincoln and the Pig: […] (Puppet Plays; 2), Detroit, Mich., →OCLC, page 5:

Hello? Hello? Is that zoo? … Well, nobody's talking baby talk. Well, I'm the man that called up about the leopard. You don't have to do anything about it. It's all been a mistake. Yes. Uh … Oh, well, stop them.

1938 (film premiere), 1988 (book), Howard Hawks (director), [Hagar Wilde (screenwriter)], “Bringing Up Baby: The Continuity Script”, in Gerald Mast, editor, Bringing Up Baby (Rutgers Films in Print; 10), New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press, published 1994, →ISBN, page 138:

He [George Miller] has stories he wants to tell, and if they don’t fit neatly into the mythology, then oh well.

2017 December 1, Tom Breihan, “Mad Max: Fury Road Might Already be the Best Action Movie Ever Made”, in The A.V. Club, archived from the original on 2018-02-22:

(idiomatic) An expression of mild disappointment or resignation: too bad; it's a pity; what can you do; it is what it is.


son of a gun

Euphemistic variant of son of a bitch. There are folk etymologies suggesting nautical origins, such as a reference to the disputed parentage of a child born aboard a ship (between the guns), or a child fathered by a soldier (also referred to as a "gun"). However, these etymologies are not supported by evidence.

Son of a gun! I just got stung by a wasp!

(euphemistic) Used to express anger, contempt, disgust, astonishment, disappointment, etc.


Jeremiah

/ˌd͡ʒɛɹəˈmaɪə/

From Latin Jeremias, from Ancient Greek Ἰερεμίας (Ieremías), from Hebrew יִרְמְיָה (yirm'yá, “Jeremiah”, literally “Yahweh exalt”).

der

(UK) Expression of surprise, contempt, outrage, disgust, boredom, frustration, etc.


From the similarity in pronunciation to thanks.

(Internet slang, sensational spelling) Alternative spelling of thanks


"Andrew" wrote in news:h4JIf.43735 $mf2....@newsfe6-win.ntli.net:
>> >> its to show u who is boss, state power 4tw
>> >> if they were really worried […]

2006 February 15, Andrew, quoted by Devoto, “Re: Smoking ban”, in alt.sports.soccer.sunderland (Usenet):

(Internet slang) Abbreviation of for the win.


I don't know

[ɑ̈ɪ̯ ɾoʊ̯(ʔ)(t̚)noʊ̯]

pronoun (depending on who is speaking with whom) + không biết (general form)

Mr. Schidtler: Does anybody here have any idea why "Inestine" was regarded as a great scientist? Kevin?
Kevin: Oh, uh, I don't know.

1982, “You Can't Do That on Television”, in Nickelodeon, season 3, episode 11:

Used in response to a question or command in which the target person does not know the answer to or how to respond.

Maybe you could, I don't know, directly talk to her about it instead of complaining to me for once?

Used to indicate that one is speculating (often used sarcastically when stating the obvious).

The audacity of that lad... I don't know.

(UK) Used to express exasperation or incredulity about a given situation or person.

I don't know why Blip just shuts off the power and then blames it on the weather.

1984, Alasdair, You Can't Do That on Television, Nickelodeon, season 5, episode 24

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see I, don't, know.


big deal

He can run a mile in six minutes? Big deal! Some people can do it in four.

So you beat the worst team in the league. Big deal, call the TV crews.

(idiomatic, informal, ironic) Indicates that something is not important or impressive; so what.


dur

"Well, dur. I'm not that stupid, I knew that."

2015, Liberty Kratz-Gullickson, Write Like a Girl, page 29:

Alternative form of duh (“indicating stupidity etc.”)


adios

Borrowed from Spanish adiós; see there for more. Doublet of adieu.


no problem

Porter, can you help me with my bags? — No problem, sir.

Certainly, sure (said when granting a request).

(of course, certainly, lit. naturally) hogyne

Thank you. — No problem.

No thanks is necessary; you're welcome (said in response to an expression of gratitude).

I'm sorry. — No problem.

No apology is necessary; think nothing of it (said in response to an expression of regret).


will do

An ellipsis for "I will do (it or that)."

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see will, do.

Could you wake me when you get up? — No problem, will do.

Make sure you understand this before the next class. — Will do, for sure.

One of us needs to verify the source. — Will do, but I could use some help.

(by ellipsis) Affirmative yes in response to an especially personal or direct request for the performance of some action.


no way

Touch that weird rock over there, I dare you! —No way!

under no circumstances
under no circumstances

(idiomatic) Absolutely not; under no circumstances.

You failed your exam again? No way!

He's hitting 400 for two months? Uh-uh! No way!

(idiomatic) Indicates astonished disbelief.


go on

Go on! You were saying about those other ones too?

Expressing that the speaker can continue speaking without interruption from the listener.

A: He asked Fiona to marry him.

B: Go on!

A: It's true, I swear.

Expressing surprise, disbelief or incredulity.

Go on! You can do it!

(especially Australia, New Zealand) Expressing encouragement, see come on.

—So three hundred on the chair then, and can we do two-fifty on the clock?
—Go on, then.

(especially British) Yes; okay; it's a deal.


nyuk

Introduced by Curly (Jerome Horwitz) of The Three Stooges in the 1930's.

Nyuk nyuk nyuk!


lel

Miscellaneously substituted vowel in place of the 'o' in lol.

(Internet slang, text messaging) Variation of lol.


what of it

Yes, I ate the last cookie. What of it?

"Hiram took my snowballs."
"Aw, what of it, kid?" sneered the bully. "There's lots more snow. Make yourself another set and see what you can do."

1912, Stratemeyer Syndicate, chapter 1, in Baseball Joe on the School Nine:

(idiomatic) So what? Who cares? Expresses disinterest, disregard or lack of concern.


brr

The teeth chattered faster, stopped, and began again twice before the man could master his shiver sufficiently to say, "Ju-ju-st in ti-ti-me....Brrrr."

1900, Joseph Conrad, Lord Jim, page x. 83:

'Brrrrr,' said Lieutenant Dubosc, realizing to the full how cold he was.

1934, Agatha Christie, chapter 1, in Murder on the Orient Express, London: HarperCollins, published 2017, page 7:

Used to express being cold, to show shivering.

Brrr. Even the thought of going underground made Old Bailey shudder.

1996, Neil Gaiman, chapter 8, in Neverwhere, London: Headline Review, published 2005:

An expression of disgust or aversion, as if shuddering.


gom

There's a Lad, too, from York— but tho' he's a strange elf, / By gom! I respect him as much as myself,

1804, an entry in the Theatrical Journal of The European Magazine: And London Review, volume 45, page 373

O dang it, Roger, did 'e ever see sich a sight afore? My gom! what a glorious lumination like! My goles! what a mort of gentry-folk!

1829, “The Humours of Vauxhall”, in The Universal Songster, Or Museum of Mirth, volume 2, page 164:

"l'll drink as much cider as you 'plase, but by gom, sir, you munna come here to bork the trees over again."

1861, The Entomologist's Weekly Intelligencer, volumes 9-10, page 36:

Robert took courage : "Eh, by gom, no. It wasn't hereabouts."

1908, Edmund Mackenzie Sneyd-Kynnersley, H. M. I.: Some Passages in the Life of One of H. M. Inspectors of Schools, page 224:


eep

onomatopoeic

Imitative

Hot-dog vendor: "Get him!"
Bart: "Eep."

1993, “Bart's Inner Child”, in The Simpsons:

Then she ripped the door off its hinges and bent the flimsy metal in half between her hands.
"Eep," I said.

2000, Adam Cadre, Ready, Okay!, New York: Harper Collins, →ISBN, →OCLC:

On the opposite side a bottle crashed. Shards twinkle screamed in a circle around her head. “Eep,” she said, breathed, and nearly screamed.

2000, John Palisano, Journey Through Time, Authorhouse, →ISBN, page 9:

(onomatopoeia) An expression of surprise or dismay.


good luck

Coordinate term: goodbye

Near-synonym: God bless

Used to wish fortune on someone or as encouragement; a benediction or valediction.

voorspoed

used to wish fortune on someone or as encouragement


harch

Forward harch!

A command to move forwards, issued by the drum major of a marching band.


oofta

"Oofta! I've long ago forgotten it."

2004, Janet Elaine Smith, A Lumberjack Christmas, page 16:

(US, chiefly upper midwest) A mild expression of error, dismay, or concern (often in a comical sense).


Scheisse

Oh Scheisse!!

1999 November 15, Fred Biedermann, “Re: My 200th Coaster!!”, in rec.roller-coaster (Usenet):

'Oh Scheisse! How many?'

2010, Anthony Underhill, The Killing Strip, page 173:

"Oh Scheisse," he said. "Look at that nasty scuffmark."

Alternative letter-case form of scheisse


whist

From Middle English whist (“silent”), possibly onomatopoeic.

… for scarcely had they descended one hundred feet, when a low “whist” from the girl, warned them of present danger.

1860, anonymous author, Heroes and Hunters of the West, HTML edition, The Gutenberg Project, published 2008:

Alternative spelling of whisht. Silence!, quiet!, hush!, shhh!, shush!


my gosh

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


my God

My God! He’s only the most intelligent man in the Bible, that’s all! Who isn’t he head and shoulders over? Who? Both Testaments are full of pundits, prophets, disciples, favorite sons, Solomons, Isaiahs, Davids, Pauls — but, my God, who besides Jesus really knew which end was up?

1961, J.D Salinger, Franny and Zooey, page 170:


arg

(informal) Expressing frustration or disappointment.


oh my gosh

(idiomatic, US, UK, euphemistic) oh my God!


yeehaw

From gee and haw, words used to instruct a horse to turn in different directions.

(chiefly Southern US and Western US) An expression of joy or excitement, commonly associated with cowboys.


right on

I knew you could do it. Right on!

Right on to Jean Segaloff and her Speaking Out column, "The Myth of the 'Feminist Male!" A man who calls himself a "feminist" is akin to a white civil rights worker who calls him or herself a "black activist."

1981 August 15, Cliff Flanders, “Anti-Masculinists”, in Gay Community News, volume 9, number 5, page 4:

(US, idiomatic) An expression of enthusiasm or encouragement.


attagirl

/ˈætəˌɡɜː(ɹ)l/

Variant pronunciation of "That's the girl!", a cry of encouragement, especially to children and pet dogs.

Attagirl! That's the way to hit a home run!

(idiomatic, colloquial) Used to show encouragement or approval to a girl, woman or female animal.

zuch dziewczyna

Used to show encouragement or approval to a girl or a woman


hocus-pocus

/ˌhəʊkəs ˈpəʊkəs/

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

Archbishop of Canterbury
Jesus
John Tillotson
Robert Ibbitson

The interjection and noun are derived from made-up pseudo-Latin magical incantations used by conjurers (formerly called “jugglers”) such as “hocus pocus, tontus talontus, vade celeriter jubeo” (with a particular 17th-century conjurer adopting Hocus Pocus as his name) and “hax pax max Deus adimax”. The suggestion that the term is a corruption of words from the Roman Catholic liturgy of the Eucharist, “hoc est enim corpus meum” (“this is my [i.e., Jesus’s] body”), was made in a sermon by the Archbishop of Canterbury, John Tillotson (1630–1694), but is not generally accepted.
The verb is derived from the noun.

nb...

That is, the Lord doth Avenge the Blood of the Innocent upon the Inhabitants of the Earth: This Book is Profitable to bee Read by All Judges of Assizes, before They Passe the Sentence of Condemnation against Poor People, who are Accused for Witchcraft; it is also Profitable for All Sorts of People to Read who Desire Knowledge.

dwelling in Simithfield neer Hosier Lane End

Containing Fifty-four Sermons and Discourses, on Several Occasions. Together with the Rule of Faith. Being All that were Published by His Grace Himself, and Now Collected into One Volume. To which is Added, an Alphabetical Table of the Principal Matters.

A phrase used (by a stage magician, etc.) as a magical incantation to bring about some change: abracadabra, hey presto.


hell no

Will you mow the lawn? Hell no!

No, no, hell''' no. The true answer is that there is no one answer; […]

2012 March 3, Jon Evans, “Pair Programming Considered Harmful?”, in TechCrunch, archived from the original on 2017-07-15:

My girlfriends say "Are you gonna be sad / If he calls you up, you gonna take him back?" / I said "hell no, oh hell no!"

2016 April 29, Ingrid Michaelson, Barry Dean, Luke Laird, “Hell No”, in It Doesn't Have to Make Sense, performed by Ingrid Michaelson:

(slang, vulgar) Expressing firm disagreement.


oh yeah

[o(ʊ̯)˥˩ jɛə̯˨˩]

[o(ʊ̯)˥˩ jɛə˦˥]

[o(ʊ̯)˥˩ jɛə̯˥˩]

[o(ʊ̯)˥ jɛˑ(ə̯)˥˩]

Are you going to the party?
Oh, yeah!

(informal, slang) Used to indicate agreement, often sarcastically.

(In a poker game): I raise you twenty.
Oh, yeah? I think you're bluffing — I call.

(informal, slang) Used to introduce a refutation, sometimes sarcastically.

Coordinate term: oh well

Oh, yeah, I got a new video game!

(informal, slang) An exclamation of excitement or joy.

Oh, yeah, there was a police car outside the building for some reason.

(informal, slang) Used when suddenly remembering something.


oh man

Oh, man, I wish we didn't have to clean up the whole house.

Used to express disappointment or annoyance.

Oh, man, that was a great ride!

Used to express excitement or enthusiasm.


flummery

Borrowed from Welsh llymru (“a sour jelly derived from boiled oatmeal”), of uncertain origin, perhaps related to llymrig (“slippery”).
For phonetic development, compare origin of Floyd.

bor

An expression of contemptuous disbelief.


hellfire

/ˈhɛlˌfaɪəɹ/

From Middle English helle fire, helever, from Old English hellefȳr, equivalent to hell + fire. Cognate with West Frisian helfjoer (“hellfire”), Dutch hellevuur (“hellfire”), German Höllenfeuer (“hellfire”).


whoopee do

As far as my other extracurricular activities, I was elected vice president of the school's chess club. (Whoopee do.)

2009, Rich Browne, I remember..., →ISBN, page 61:


priorities

The house was on fire, but Alex still insisted to complete that game before evacuating. Priorities.

So you decided to buy a fancy teacup instead of paying rent? Well, I mean... priorities.

(informal) An expression, chiefly unfriendly, remarking disagreement with someone else's order of priorities; that someone takes the wrong action compared to something else, or in the wrong order. Get your priorities straight.


whoopee-do

Whoopee-do, man. Congrats! That basically just described an Iguana.

2012, Jonathan Logan Donovan, Husk: A Tale of Human Hunger, →ISBN, page 161:


chin-chin

/ˌt͡ʃɪnˈt͡ʃɪn/

/ˈt͡ʃɪnˌt͡ʃɪn/

From Chinese Pidgin English chin-chin, a reduplication of Shanghainese 請／请 (⁵chin, “please”). Sometimes, especially in Italianate spellings, reborrowed from Italian cincin.

The two junior members of the Chinese deputation came at the appointed hour. . . . On entering the door of the marquee they both made an abrupt stop, and resisted all solicitation to advance to chairs that had been prepared for them, until I should first be seated; in this dilemma, Dr. Buchanan, who had visited China, advised me what was to be done; I immediately seized on the foremost, whilst the Doctor himself grappled with the second; thus we soon fixed them in their seats, both parties during the struggle, repeating Chin Chin, Chin Chin, the Chinese term of salutation.

1795, Michael Symes, An Account of an Embassy to the Kingdom of Ava, page 295:

(dated) A salutation, especially a drinking toast.


my eye

Apparently a shortening of all my eye.
Compare French mon œil.

(idiomatic) Expression of disapproval, disregard, disdain, disgust, or disbelief.

mon œil

non-gloss Expression of disapproval, disregard, disdain, disgust, or disbelief


holy shit

/ˌhəʊli ˈʃɪt/

Holy shit, that car just exploded!

(idiomatic, vulgar, slang) Expression of terror, awe, surprise, astonishment, etc., often at something seen for the first time or remembered immediately before using this term.


hell's bells

From hell + -’s + bells, possibly an elaboration of hell (used to express anger, discontent, or unhappiness) with bells chosen to rhyme with hell’s.
The noun sense (Datura stramonium) may allude to the often spiny seed capsules of the poisonous plant which somewhat resemble bells when they mature and split open; compare devil's cucumber, devil's snare, devil's trumpet, and devil's weed which are other common names for the plant.

(expression of frustration):

(expression of surprise):

What's the matter with his talking so polite? Hell's bells, Harry, no harm in being polite. There's some regular he-men that are just as polite as women, prett' near.

1920, Sinclair Lewis, chapter XXIX, in Main Street: The Story of Carol Kennicott, New York, N.Y.: Harcourt, Brace and Howe, →OCLC, section V, page 352:

"You've never had a woman in any of your other pictures. Why do you want one for this?" / "Hell's Bells! You don't think I'm consulting my own preference, I hope."

1932, Edgar Wallace, Merian C[aldwell] Cooper, novelization by Delos W[heeler] Lovelace, chapter 1, in King Kong, trade softcover edition, Nevada City, Calif.: Underwood Books, published 2005, →ISBN, page 6:

Hell's bells, they even shot the dog.

2007, Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men (motion picture), spoken by Wendell (Garret Dillahunt):

(mildly vulgar) An expression of frustration, outrage, or surprise.


God forbid

If, God forbid, there's a fire, head for the nearest exit door.

(idiomatic, subjunctive) indicating that the occurrence of something is very undesirable


boof

Imitative. Kayaking sense from the onomatopoeic sound a kayak makes when it lands on the water after “ski jumping” the waterfall forming the backwash; generally attributed to whitewater kayaking aficionados in the eastern United States in the mid- to late 1970s.

onomatopoeic

onomatopoeic

The barman vaulted over the bar and hauled him off and went boof! – right in the Boer's chest, and down he went. As he settled on the floor we ran upstairs.

2011, Paul Theroux, Dark Star Safari: Overland from Cairo to Cape Town:

(colloquial) The sound of a blow or collision; wham.


Janey Mack

Jackie: Oh, Janey Mack! I wish I had.

1998, Kirk Jones, Waking Ned, Tomboy films:

— Have you the key? a voice asked.
— Dedalus has it, Buck Mulligan said. Janey Mack, I'm choked.

1922, James Joyce, chapter 1, in Ulysses:


uckfay

"Uckfay offyay," Woodward seethed.

1974, B. Clarence Hall, The Burning Season, page 238:

The good kids said, "Honk you, Larry," and the medium kids said, "Uckfay ooyay," but the bad kids said "Fuck" loud and clear.

1976, Tony Martin, Cyd Charisse, Dick Kleiner, The Two of Us, page 18:

"Listen," I said to Rock,"ixnay on the uckfay."

2001, Elizabeth McCracken, Niagara Falls All Over Again, page 83:

"Yeah, Dorothy, but you don't have to uck-fay him no more. I still do."

2001, Stephen Hunter, Hot Springs, page 255:

Uttway the uckfay are you talking about?

2007, David Ives, Polish Joke and Other Plays:

That mean I don't get so much as another uckfay from you and the unexpected baloney pony?

2014, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Red Delicious: A Siobhan Quinn Novel:

(euphemistic, vulgar, slang) A slightly less offensive variation of fuck.


bleah

You bought that green station wagon? Bleah!

Reviewing my list of ickisms - yuck, yecch, bleah, ew and ick - the linguist [David McNeill] observes, "Negative words having to do with disgust seem to be embodied in the experience of expelling unwanted, possibly poisonous, materials from the mouth. […]

2005 September 25, William Safire, “The Ick Factor”, in The New York Times:

(slang, US) Expresses negative feeling. The quality of the emotion expressed is more negative than that of blah and has a slight feeling of disgust, verging on nausea.


end of

End of, stop sulking / Get out, you're walkin' / Too bad, I've spoken / But when I look at you you're forgiven

1997, “Drop Dead Gorgeous”, performed by Republica:

‘I came round here to try and help you.’
‘But no one in here is looking for your help, Keisha! This is it! I ain't looking for you, end of.’

2012, Zadie Smith, NW, London: Penguin Books, published 2013, →ISBN, page 261:

Boris Johnson, never one to fuss about detail, does not realise that without a deal there will be no implementation period. No withdrawal agreement means just that—no agreement. Just out. End of. But as both contenders now consider no deal a serious option, we need to be 100% honest about the implications[.]

2019 July 3, Baroness Smith of Basildon,, “Brexit: Appointment of Joint Committee”, in parliamentary debates (House of Lords), volume 798, column 1445:

But if you search up a list of news stories on the subject over the years you find, as with the climate crisis, an overwhelming consensus: alcohol is really quite bad for you, end of.

2023 June 14, Adrian Chiles, “Drinking alcohol is bad for you – end of. Ignore the headlines that claim otherwise”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:

(UK, colloquial, idiomatic) Ellipsis of end of story.


fuddle-duddle

There is an example of the phrase's use in the early 1940s, in "Mother Finds a Body", by Gypsy Rose Lee: "...when [he] asks me where I was on the night of so-and-so, I'll tell him to go fuddle his duddle".
However the expression fuddle-duddle is attributed to Pierre Elliott Trudeau, former prime minister of Canada, who according to some sources said it in parliament on 16 February 1971 and repeated it when pressed by television reporters about using profanity in respect to members of Parliament (Canadian House of Commons).

What is the nature of your thoughts, gentlemen, when you say “fuddle duddle” or something like that?

1971, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, (Please provide the book title or journal name):

(euphemistic, originally Canada) Fuck! Fuck off!


gee whiz

You only got 10% in the test. Gee whiz – you'll get over it.

When people would get off they always gasped out: 'Gee whiz, what a horse! Gee whiz, did you ever see anything like that! '

1905, Lloyd Osbourne, Baby Bullet: The Bubble of Destiny, page 116:

Gee whiz, how do people have fun when they're married and have a family?

1959 April 23, “Beaver's Newspaper”, in Leave It to Beaver, season 2, episode 30 (television production), spoken by Theodore Cleaver (Jerry Mathers):

That's the way I feel now; I just wrote the novels and made up the languages, and gee whiz, they make sense!

1979, Walter Breen, The Darkover Concordance:

(US, dated) An expression of surprise, enthusiasm, or annoyance: wow or so what?


you knows it

This phrase was popularised by The GLC from Newport, Wales, but has had currency in US Afro-American vernacular English and possibly elsewhere since no later than the 1960s.

What he did to her was wrong. —You knows it, sister!

Mose would ha rallied, ef eed a been in our ward — ha ! ha ! ha ! — you knows it, Mass Richard !

1861, Frederick Law Olmsted, The Cotton Kingdom: A Traveller's Observations on Cotton and Slavery, page 187:

Buster: (impressed) You'se a cool dude, Butch. / Butch: Hey, you knows it, baby.

1984, Brian Richard Mori, Dreams of Flight, page 20:

We welcome you, you knows it. Didn't even need to ask, but it fine all right you did.

2002, Lorian Hemingway, A World Turned Over: A Killer Tornado and the Lives It Changed Forever, page 112:

(idiomatic, dialect, slang) Indicates agreement, approval, encouragement.


hands up

(idiomatic) Put your hands up (if you wish to participate).

(idiomatic) Surrender (by raising your hands)!


good riddance

/ˌɡʊd ˈɹɪdns/

Appears first in phrases like a great riddance or 'a fair riddance'. An earlier use than William Shakespeare's is in a letter dated 3 August 1597 from Lord Burgh to Sir Robert Cecil in the State Papers relating to Ireland, p.364- or in good riddance.
A later use is from William Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida, 2, i.

I couldn’t be more glad to see the back of them. Good riddance, I say.

Goodbye and good riddance!

[T]o tell you my mind, Lucretia, I think it's a good riddance. I don't want any of your brazen faces here, myself!

[1846 October 1 – 1848 April 1, Charles Dickens, “Mr. Dombey and the World”, in Dombey and Son, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1848, →OCLC, page 510:

After 50 years of farming, Fisch too has left the ostrich business, and says good riddance.

2020 August 4, Richard Conniff, “They May Look Goofy, but Ostriches are Nobody’s Fool”, in National Geographic:

(negative connotation) Used to indicate that a departure or loss is welcome.

رَحِيل غَيْر مَأْسُوف عَلَيْهِ

used to indicate that a departure or loss is welcome

дүрт яғың ҡибла (dürt yağıñ qibla, literally “your four directions are qibla”)

дүрт яғы ҡибла (dürt yağı qibla, literally “his/her four directions are qibla”)

ба́ба з калёс — калёсам лягчэ́й (bába z kaljós — kaljósam ljahčéj)

but commonly something like gut, dass wir den/das/die los sind

ска́тертью доро́га (skátertʹju doróga, literally “let the road be like a tablecloth”)

ба́ба с во́зу — кобы́ле ле́гче (bába s vózu — kobýle léxče, literally “when an old woman leaves the cart, the mare feels easier”)

lycklig resa! bli kvitt (något eller någon)

ба́ба з во́за — коня́м ле́гше (bába z vóza — konjám léhše)

ברוך שפּטרני (borekh shepotrane, literally “blessed be He who has freed me”)


ta-ta

→ Portuguese: tatá


nuk

(comics) The sound of a pacifier being suckled on.


ta ta for now

/təˌtɑː fə ˈnaʊ/

From ta ta with the addition of for now to emphasise hope that the parting will not be permanent.

1974: Tigger (voiced by Paul Winchell) in Unbouncing Tigger
Well, I gotta go, now! I got a lot of bouncing to do! Hoo-hoo-hoo! TTFN! Ta ta for now!

(informal) see ya, laters, (less formal version of) au revoir or till we meet again


ta ta

→ Burmese: တာ့တာ (ta.ta), တာတား (tata:)

desc

→ Malayalam: റ്റാറ്റാ (ṟṟāṟṟā)

→ Malayalam: റ്റാറ്റാ (ṟṟāṟṟā)

“[…]Well, ta-ta, sweetheart! Don′t expect me back to lunch.”

1917, Henry Handel Richardson, Australia Felix, The Echo Library, published 2007, page 229:

1923 (recorded 1900), Ed Smith (Cranbrook Courier), Reminiscences of Kootenay Pioneers, recalling an event claimed to be the origin of the place name Ta Ta Creek; viewed in British Columbia archives),
Red put the spurs to his horse and galloped away: “Ta ta, friends, I′ve business up the trail.”

‘No more questions? Then I′ll be off. Ta-ta.’

1967, Joan Lindsay, Picnic at Hanging Rock, page 55:

(chiefly Commonwealth, UK, Ireland, informal, colloquial) Goodbye.


nock

From Middle English nokke, attested since the 14th century, probably from a Scandinavian/North Germanic language (compare Swedish nock (“notch”), but compare Dutch nok, from Middle Dutch nocke (“tip, point”). Both could be related to nook (“corner, recess”).

(archery) fit the arrow to your bowstring


Judas Priest

“Judas priest!” he stammered, for here was his right-hand man as good as dead.

1919, George Allan England, Cursed, page 67:


fair suck of the sav

fair suck of the sauce bottle
fair suck of the sauce bottle#English

(Australia, New Zealand, colloquial, informal) Synonym of fair suck of the sauce bottle


holy guacamole

Holy guacamole, that's a big fish!

Holy guacamole, Batman—do you suppose they're planning to rush up here and take back Texas?

2013, Linda Lael Miller, State Secrets, HarperCollins, →ISBN:

(slang) An exclamation said when surprised, used when in shock or disbelief.


fair suck of the sauce bottle

/ˌfɛə ˈsʌk əv ðə ˈsɔːs ˈbɒt(ə)l/

/ˌfɛɚ ˈsʌk əv ðə ˈsɔs ˈbɑtəl/

Australian National Dictionary Centre
Australian National University

An elaboration of fair go (used in protest to implore or demand that someone act with more fairness or reason). Sauce bottle appears to refer to a bottle of cheap beer or another alcoholic beverage; see sauce (“(slang) alcohol, booze”).

Mary Beecher, 19, and her sister coeds love to date Americans and Englishmen but have a hard time communicating. "They just don't understand our talk," she reported and promptly wrote them a "Brief Australian Dictionary." [...] "Fair suck of the sauce bottle" means "Let's be civilized about this;" [...]

[1973 March 22, “Aussie talk is baffling”, in The Sun, volume 272, number 107, Baltimore, Md.: The A[runah] S[hepherdson] Abell Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, page B6, column 1:

I tried to calm him down. "Fair suck of the sauce bottle," I said. "Take it easy, mate. I was just admiring your cobber. Don't often see a man like him around."

1983, Alistair Skelton, Bill’s Break, Prahan, Vic.: Champion Books, →ISBN, page 198:

‘Garn with ya. Fair suck of the sauce bottle’, countered Sid. ‘Look all ya gotta do is knock a little bit of the tube out and it won′t wink anymore. Get a yonnie and give it a little tap.’

1986, [Bruce Pascoe], editor, Australian Short Stories, number 15, Fairfield, Vic.: Pascoe Pub., →OCLC, page 10:

Some idiots even blamed him [Sidney Kidman] for the drought—and the depression—because he owned so much country. Fair suck of the sauce bottle, I tell you.

1992, Jill Bowen, Kidman: The Forgotten King (Imprint Lives), Pymble, N.S.W.: Angus & Robertson, →ISBN:

Come on Aussie, fair suck of the sauce bottle, here's the opportunity to recognise Aboriginal cultural and economic excellence and put our money where our mouth is. Instead of mouthing platitudes about Aboriginal employment, we will buy food directly from the descendants of the people who developed an incredible array of health giving crops and managed them in perpetuity … until 1788; until the British insisted on the sheep and the spud.

2018 May 29, Bruce Pascoe, “Comment: Let’s Talk about Real Australian Food”, in Special Broadcasting Service, archived from the original on 2019-09-21:

(Australia, colloquial, informal) Used to protest against unreasonableness, such as somebody taking more than their fair share.


ta everso

c. 2003: "Alan Ontario" (poster on BBC: Devon: Have your say messageboard, read at https://web.archive.org/web/20041214193412/http://www.bbc.co.uk/devon/have_your_say/devon_expats2.shtml on 13 May 2006), Devon expats: news from abroad - Now that the links have been fixed I am able to bring up all the previous messages ... ta everso.


ta muchly

(colloquial, British) thank you very much


no worries

From no + plural of worry (“concern, cause for anxiety”), but used flexibly.

Sorry if my music's bothering you. — No worries. I really like classical.

(especially Australia, UK, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, colloquial) A general injunction not to be concerned further with a subject.

It does not bother me; I am not concerned.

Thanks for the lovely bowl of fruit. — No worries, my sister runs a stall at the market.

It was no problem; not at all; you're welcome.

I need this done by closing time. — No worries, I'll have it sorted.


zot

Sound effect in the comic strip B.C., first published in 1958, associated with both (1) the rapid tongue of an anteater character and (2) lightning bolts.

(US) The characteristic sound made by an anteater's tongue or by lightning.


skol

Borrowed from Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish skål.

Again they notice he has impressed her and again he grows more cheerful, clinking his glass against hers and saying ‘Skol!’

1990, Alasdair Gray, “A Free Man with a Pipe”, in Every Short Story 1951-2012, Canongate, published 2012, page 490:

(originally and chiefly in Scotland) A drinking-toast; cheers.


bread and butter

Should this happen, retrace your steps to the point of separation if you wish to counteract the spell. Or, say the words "bread and butter."

1989, Vergilius Ture Anselm Ferm, Lightning never strikes twice (if you own a feather bed):, page 238:

Peter Bartis, at the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress, explains, “Bread and butter go together, a sign of unity.” He finds a citation in the seven-volume Frank C. Brown Collection of North Carolina Folklore: “If two persons are walking and they come to ... “When walkers were separated and did not use this phrase or bread and butter,” DARE adds, “it was believed they would have a quarrel.

2003, William Safire, No Uncertain Terms, page 46:

"Bread and butter," the larger of the two women quipped as they moved past their Nancy-obstacle. "Bread and butter!".

Before Trudy succumbed to her injuries from the bomb that destroyed her car, she uttered the words “bread and butter. Monk tells us that whenever he and Trudy had to part ways, even if only briefly, she would say bread and butter.

2011, D. E. Wittkower, Mr. Monk and Philosophy: The Curious Case of the Defective Detective:

If one of us kids was walking alongside him and we were separated by an object, whether a light pole or a person walking between us, my dad always muttered, “Bread and butter.”

2014, Wendy Davis, Forgetting to Be Afraid: A Memoir:

Said when two people walking together are temporarily separated by an obstacle in order to indicate that they belong together.


cheer up

Cheer up! Things could be worse.

An encouragement to somebody who seems unhappy.


phooey

Probably from Yiddish פֿוי (foy), from German pfui, influenced by phoo.

An expression of disgust, rejection, or disappointment.


kuku

Borrowed from Japanese くく (kuku, onomatopoeia for the sound of laughter).

ja-r

(fandom slang, chiefly in translations of Japanese works) Alternative form of kukuku (onomatopoeia for sinister laughter).


some people

Person A: You do realise that she has just jumped on the table and started shouting at the rest of the people in the room, don’t you?

Person B: Oh, some people!

(idiomatic) Expresses disapproval at the actions of a person; a disapproving response to a person doing something silly, bizarre, nonsensical or ill-mannered.


screw it

This mathematical problem is really difficult. Oh, screw it! I can't be bothered.

(mildly vulgar, slang, idiomatic) Expression of frustration or contempt.


wot

Wot, no bananas? ― (popular slogan during wartime rationing)

Then, wot with undertakers, and wot with parish clerks, and wot with sextons, and wot with private watchmen (all awaricious and all in it), a man wouldn't get much by it, even if it was so.

1859, Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities, London: Chapman and Hall, […], →OCLC:


blazes

Expression of frustration, shock, or both.


sure thing

"Thanks a lot for your help." / "Sure thing!"

"Can you finish by tomorrow?" / "Sure thing!"


you bet

You bet they'll re-run such a successful show next season.

(idiomatic) Expresses support, agreement, certainty or emphasis.

“Hey, thanks for all your hard work yesterday.” / “You bet!”

“Could you give me a hand?” / “You bet!”

“Course it's mighty hard to tell till we've put out a few traps,” said the former, “but it looks to me like we've struck it lucky.”
“You bet,” Dobbs agreed. “I don't believe this here valley ever was trapped. We ain't come across no sign of any old camp—not so much as a blazed tree[…]”

1922, A. M. Chisholm, A Thousand a Plate:

(idiomatic, informal) Certainly, you're welcome; a reply to thank you or to a request.


buzz off

Don’t let anyone say, “Buzz off!”

(idiomatic, colloquial, dismissal) go away.


nonny

Then sigh not so,
But let them go,
And be you blithe and bonny,
Converting all your sounds of woe
Into Hey nonny, nonny.

1598–1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “Much Adoe about Nothing”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iii]:

A meaningless word used in refrains, especially in old English ballads and glees.


tough luck

Your car broke down? Well, tough luck, you're due at work in 15 minutes. Better run.

(idiomatic) Bad luck (often an unsympathetic retort to someone suffering misfortune)


puh

He was sporting his inky Italian moustaches glistering with Vaseline and perfume. Puh! How uncommentable!

2010, John P. Anderson, Joyce's Finnegans Wake: The Curse of Kabbalah, volume 4, page 82:


eina

Borrowed from Afrikaans eina, from the Khoekhoe people of the Kalahari Desert: é + ná.

Eina! I hit my thumb with the hammer!

(South Africa) Ouch! (an exclamation of pain)


no thank you

“Do you want all the strawberries we didn't eat?” “No thank you, I'm full.”

‘Have some tea?’ ‘No, thank you.’

1970, Iris Murdoch, A Fairly Honourable Defeat, London: Chatto & Windus, published 1979, →ISBN, page 357:

Fallon: David Blaine is eating nails right now. This is insane. This is...this is all real. This is crazy.
Blaine: You want some?
Fallon: No thank you, I don't want to eat...how? How?

2022 September 15, 9:20 from the start, in David Blaine Freaks Jimmy Out with a Terrifying Card and Nail Trick The Tonight Show (Comedy), spoken by David Blaine and Jimmy Fallon, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, archived from the original on 2022-09-16:

A polite way of saying no in response to an offer.

唔使喇

in this context, the word "thank you" is not necessary, and it's not impolite


as if

From Middle English as ȝif, alls iff (“as if”), from Old English *ealswā ġif, attested only as swā ġif (“as if”), equivalent to as + if. Compare Dutch alsof (“as if”), Low German as of (“as if”), German als ob (“as if”).

—I'm going to clean your whole house. —As if!

“Better wait, hadn't you, Laura,” said Aunt Wess’, “and see. Maybe he'll come up and speak to us.” “Oh, as if!” contradicted Laura.

1903, Frank Norris, The Pit: A Story of Chicago, Sydney: Angus & Robertson, →OL, page 10:

Ooo! Get off of me! Uh, AS IF!

1995, Amy Heckerling, Clueless, spoken by Cher (Alicia Silverstone):

(idiomatic) Refers to something that the speaker deems highly unlikely.

ска́жешь то́же

skážešʹ tóže


kiss my ass

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-kiss my ass.wav

Then for a Jeſt, for this time let it paſs, / And he that takes it ill, may kiſs my Aſs.

1616, Beaumont, Francis, The Scornful Lady: A Comedy:

(sometimes vulgar, idiomatic) Go away!; an expression of disdain or dismissal.

When he asked me to help him fix the bike, I told him to kiss my ass.

Well just kiss my ass from now on! Not me! I'm not gonna take this.

1978, Harold Ramis, Douglas Kenney, Chris Miller, Animal House (motion picture), spoken by Bluto (John Belushi), Universal Pictures:

(sometimes considered, vulgar, idiomatic) Rejection or refusal to perform a requested action.


goodness me

(idiomatic, UK, Ireland) An expression of mild surprise.


whatever floats your boat

https://english.stackexchange.com/a/532095
The earliest evidence hints that figurative use of the phrase 'whatever floats your boat' originated among pleasure boaters in the USA. The (paywalled) Tampa Bay Times (St. Petersburg, Florida, p. 142) of 23 Sep 1979 offers a lengthy article about outfitting pleasure sailboats that ends with this advice (emphasis added):
You are the ultimate interior decorator for your boat. Remember there are no hard and fast rules, just go with whatever floats your boat.

(idiomatic) Do whatever makes you happy or stimulates you.


whatever creams your twinkie

Related to the Twinkie brand of cream-filled snack cake.

1998: “Gidget”, alt.support.marriage (Google group): Why NOT Get Married?, the 3ʳᵈ day of November at 9 o’clock a.m.
I guess the thrill is in the conflict, not in the need to know. Hey, whatever creams your twinkie, Binky.

2001: “Armin Scheans”, rec.motorcycles (Google group): Buell M2 Cyclone vs Honda VTR 1000, the 23ʳᵈ day of November at 2:53pm
Of course, you can’t ride a stat sheet and there are more to bikes than just numbers. Get whatever creams your twinkie.

2003: “johnny dupe”, alt.music.pink-floyd (Google group): AMPF Official drunk thresad NPFR, the 25ᵗʰ day of January at 9:10am
I’m whacked on antidepressants and Diet Coke, and i’m willing to bet my buzz is better.
But whatever creams your twinkie.

(idiomatic, informal) Do what you will, whatever makes you happy.


miau

(Internet slang) Alternative spelling of meow


wd

(Internet slang) Abbreviation of well done.


alack

From Middle English alacke, alagge, probably from ah + lack.

On a day, alack the day: / Loue, whoſe Month is euery May, / Spied a bloſſome paſſing faire, / Playing in the wanton ayre:

c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Loues Labour’s Lost”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iii], page 133:

Alack, would that Edward listened more to me and less to the queen’s kith! These Woodvilles!

1843, Edward Bulwer[-]Lytton, The Last of the Barons, London; New York, N.Y.: George Routledge and Sons […], →OCLC:


bullseye

From bull's + eye. May have come from the practice of English archers shooting an arrow through the eye socket of a bull's skull as a test of skill. The connection to philately comes from the shape of the key plate or vignette.

A cry when someone hits the bullseye of a target.

—Did John steal the petty cash? —Bullseye.

(by extension) A response to a totally accurate statement.

oikein

response when someone makes an accurate statement


word up

What's up?; what's happening?; what's the word?


wha

Wha? Speak up, I can't hear you!

Pronunciation spelling
pronunciation spelling


bloody hell

bloody hell ! (canonical)
in the United States (rare)

Bloody hell! My team lost again!

Bloody hell! Where did you come from, scaring me like that!

He's not really eating those, is he? Bloody hell! That's disgusting!

Bloody hell, there was little wonder he was distracted. In the past few hours, he had endured more shocks than he had in centuries.

2006, Alexandra Ivy, When Darkness Comes, page 32:

Bloody hell! To hell with Milner. No, Oom Paul said after each new concession, no, no further. Send the troops, Alfred Milner said.

2007, Ingrid Winterbach, translated by Elsa Silke, To Hell with Cronjé, page 55:

“Bloody hell,” she moaned. “Bloody hell, bloody hell.” Though her hands were trembling, she managed to reload the crossbow just as Sue had told her; then she began to shakily run towards where she thought the sound had come from.

2007, L. H. Maynard, M. P. N. Sims, Demon Eyes, page 145:

An expression of dismay, disgust, anger, surprise etc.


soz

Rhotacism of sorry; sorry + -z. Documented since at least 1987.

I'd like to apologise, unreservedly, to pigs everywhere, but especially those on my farm […] So Hermes pig collars all round to my herd and soz soz soz.

1996 September 1, “Dear Annie: Ready to wear”, in Independent on Sunday:

I'm soz about what happened.

1999, “Love Comes to Royston Vasey”, in The League of Gentlemen, season 1, episode 5, spoken by Henry Portrait and Ally Welles:

Soz Mike, I thought you were showing me a fool proof way of going xna

2001, Jocyber, “Morning'”, in alt.fan.scarecrow (Usenet):

Soz for bringing it up again, but it is good to have a healthy attitude towards this..!!!!

2002, *Patrick-Blue*, “Soz I Missed This (look) ??”, in alt.sports.soccer.everton (Usenet):

U2 says soz for online snafu [title]

2005 February 7, John Oates, “U2 says soz for online snafu”, in The Register:

Does it auto update when the disc is inserted or will i^([sic]) get the option to ignore the update?¶ Or do i^([sic]) just DL pal games to be on the safe side?¶ Soz for all the questions but wanna make sure I get it right

2007, >{daZza}<, “Wii info”, in alt.warez.uk (Usenet):

(slang, chiefly UK or Internet) Synonym of sorry


handbags

From handbag + -s; in sense “fight”, clipping of handbags at dawn, handbags at ten paces (1980s).

Person A: Not another cheeseburger, Marcia?

Person B: What's it to you?

Person A: Well, you're fat enough as it is.

Person B: You can talk!

Person C: Ooh - handbags ladies!

(British, slang) Said jocularly in response to a particularly derogatory, bitchy or catty dialogue; calm down; cool it.


zam

Then suddenly — Zam! Zowie! Smash! The Post sends back an article which I was positive it would buy, and which, in fact, it had ordered. One manuscript after another is flung back into my face […]

1945, The Author and Journalist, volumes 30-31, page 9:

You never know when some enemy of the Free World might worm his or her way into your confidence and then — ZAM! Wipe you out.

2007, J. W. Brodie-Innes, The Devil's Mistress, page 21:


alr

(Internet slang, text messaging) Clipping of alright.


yop

(colloquial, informal) Yes; affirmative.


hoh

"Hoh, hoh!" cried Ab'm, pointing a big fat finger at her, that might have been cleaner; "hear her now. An' she said her shoes warn't never goin' to wear out. Hoh, hoh!"

1900, Margaret Sidney, The Adventures of Joel Pepper:


man on

(soccer, basketball) An outcry warning a teammate of an approaching opponent, usually from the rear.


time out

(idiomatic) To call for a suspension of activity or conversation.

(live action roleplaying games) Used to announce the end of time in and the beginning of time out.


sugar honey ice tea

Derived from the words chosen so that their initials, in sequential order, spell out shit.


fol-de-rol

Fol-de-rol and fiddle dee dee and fiddley faddley foddle. All the wishes in the world are poppycock and twaddle.

Nonsense word traditional to English ballads and madrigals.


herro

(offensive) Pronunciation spelling of hello.


jeah

(slang, nonstandard) variant of yeah; yes.


brekekekex

Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek βρεκεκεκέξ (brekekekéx), coined by Aristophanes in the comedy The Frogs.

lbor

Brekekekex! co-ax! co-ax! O happy, happy frogs!
How sweet ye sing! would God that I
Upon the sweet bubbling pool might lie,
And sun myself to-day
With you! No curtained bride, I ween,
Nor pillowed babe, nor cushioned queen,
Nor tiny fay on emerald green,
Nor silken lady gray,
Lies on a softer couch. O Heaven!

1871, John Stuart Blackie, The Musical Frogs:

Iris:
He warbled a plaintive rondo —
Of brekekekex koax —
Chorus:
Koax!
Iris:
The other frogs thought it splendid,
Most splendid —
Chorus:
Most splendid!
Iris:
Applauding him when he ended
With brekekekex koax —
Chorus:

1898, Harry Greenbank, Adrian Ross (lyrics), “A Frog he lived in a Pond”, in A Greek Slave

(nonce word) Nonsense word supposedly imitative of frogs.


bye-bye

Bye bye! Let's play again some time!

1995, HAL Laboratory, EarthBound, Nintendo, Super Nintendo Entertainment System:


jinkies

Jinkies! Tweety's Back!

“Jinkies, Holly,” I said calmly. “Hold your horses.”

2004, Jerrilyn Farmer, Mumbo Gumbo: A Madeline Bean Novel, page 104:

"Jinkies, that's the man from the dart game!" Velma exclaimed.


howay

Howay the lads

Howay man ye slowin' wa doon like!

(Geordie) A general cry of encouragement.


you know

First attested as a filled pause in the early 18th century, as a euphemism in the mid-19th century.

I don’t usually get nervous in games and, you know, taking free kicks and penalties but that’s the first time I’ve been that nervous in, in a game, where I have to, I’m in a situation where I’m, you know […]

2002 December 15, “Interview with David Beckham”, in Breakfast with Frost, spoken by David Beckham, via BBC:

Once, I remember, I was watching the twins on a trampoline, you know, and they looked so beautiful, and I was happy because they were happy, you know.

2013, Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke, Before Midnight (motion picture), spoken by Jesse (Ethan Hawke):

(informal) Expression signifying a pause or hesitation.

يَعْنِي

expression signifying a pause or hesitation

A: I heard you want to... do something with me.
B: Do what?
A: You know... umm...
B: Sex?
A: Yeah.

(informal) Expression used to imply meaning, rather than say it, such as when a person is embarrassed.

But I guess that's life, you know?

I just wasn't into it, you know?

This was already a fresh departure for me. I was not used to get things that way, you know.

1899 February, Joseph Conrad, “The Heart of Darkness”, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, volume CLXV, number M, New York, N.Y.: The Leonard Scott Publishing Company, […], →OCLC, part I, page 198:

"I heard Winnie the Pooh was like garlic to a vampire to the Chinese commies," he said. "Popular arts and music, poetry, dancing and singing is a threat to those in power, and I'm really trying to bring back that rock-and-roll rebellious spirit into music, you know."

2024 January 29 [2024 January 26], Tim Lee, Ray Chung, quoting Brendan Kavanagh, “London YouTuber hid in van, received death threats after piano face-off”, in Luisetta Mudie, transl., Radio Free Asia, archived from the original on 2024-01-29:

rhetorical question
rhetorical question#English

(informal) Used as a rhetorical question to confirm agreement, knowing or understanding at the end of a statement.

you see

confirming attention, understanding, and/or agreement

You know, he's actually pretty nice.

Tali: You know, there's always a few who go on their Pilgrimages and never return. I always assumed something bad happened to them, but maybe they just wanted a different life.

2008, BioWare, Mass Effect (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Engineering, SSV Normandy:

2016, Voice of America, Learning English (public domain), archived from the original on 2017-09-25:

You know, Pete, I am new to D.C. The city is big. — Yeah. But you learn a little more every day.

(informal) Used to introduce information.

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see you, know.


derp

BASEketball
South Park
Succubus_(South_Park)

Probably from dur, British informal exclamation for “stupid” or from duh, an exclamation indicating faltering speech and assumed stupidity, glottalized for emphasis. Popularized by BASEketball (1998) and "Succubus", a 1999 episode of South Park. See also twerp possibly related to Welsh twp meaning fool.

I put chips in my soup instead of crackers. Derp.

Now that I think of it, i'm surprised that you didn't make fun of his first name as well- 'How could you believe in a guy who has a girly first name?' derp- you are a fool.

1997 February 25, Pete Treichler, “Re: Patrick Incompentence Redux”, in alt.sports.hockey.nhl.pit-penguins (Usenet), message-ID <Yn4ObEO00iV6A1SFx_@andrew.cmu.edu>#1/1>:

(slang) Draws attention to an act of foolishness or stupidity.

Rob Schneider derp dee derp. Derp dee derpity derpy derp. Until one day, a derp a derp a derp a derp.

2002 November 27, Trey Parker, “The Biggest Douche in the Universe” (14:28), in South Park, season 6, episode 15:

Me: Hi, remember me from SSG? Can I ask you about herping the derp?
R1: Oh, hai Tom. Sure, that would be the derp that was herping blah blah blah...

2011 January 10, Tom Allen, “Re: Expression of a woman's sexuality”, in soc.sexuality.general (Usenet), message-ID <add2880c-51f2-48ba-bcb1-4f9bff60dd58@l24g2000vby.googlegroups.com>:

(slang) A placeholder for unimportant details, blah blah blah.


fire in the hole

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-fire in the hole.wav

A warning of an imminent explosion in a confined space, especially a grenade or blasting charge.

Before screaming “Fire in the hole!” and detonating a cache of confiscated fireworks on a residential street two years ago, Los Angeles police Det. Damien Levesque repeatedly walked away from critical discussions about the safety of the operation.

2023 July 14, Brittney Mejia, Libor Jany, Richard Winton, “LAPD refused to ID officers behind a huge fireworks explosion. Now we have their names”, in Los Angeles Times:

(loosely, by extension, humorous) A warning of any imminent explosive detonation.

(slang) A generalized warning that something is about to happen.


heita

I can hear the conversation: "Heita, bra. Let's go. We don't need bullets."

2008, Ben Trovato, Ben Trovato's Art of Survival, page 51:

‘Het ou Pellie!’ I suppose that is the most typical of the popular greetings that belong essentially to Cape Town; but the origin would be hard to trace. One expert thinks it falls into the Malay-Portuguese group.

1964, w:Lawrence G. Green, Old Men Say, page 61:

‘Heita’ is a popular greeting used by the mapantsula. It simply means ‘hello’. Of course, one can go further by saying ‘Heita hoezet majita?’ (Hello, how are you, friends?).

1986, T. Thoka, English usage in Southern Africa, University of South Africa, page 20:

(South Africa, colloquial) Greeting, hello; hi


wye aye

Wye aye man!

(Geordie, Wearside, Durham, Northumberland) A positive yes, of course.


blackfriars

(obsolete, UK, thieves' cant) look out; beware


hoo

From Middle English hoo, ho. More at ho.

Our enemy is banish'd! he is gone! Hoo! hoo!

c. 1608–1609 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Coriolanus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):

With, hoo! such bugs and goblins in my life

c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):

(obsolete) hurrah; an exclamation of triumphant joy

Hoo yee!

(Geordie) Used to attract the attention of others.


we aye

We aye man!


glug

Uncorking, first pour, and re-corking of a bottle of bourbon whiskey. During the pour, glugging can be heard.
Onomatopoeic, imitating the sound of pouring or swallowing liquid.

listen/core

Uncorking and first pour of Wild Turkey 101 bottle - 2021-10-15 - Andy Mabbett.mp3

listen

The sound made when a significant amount of liquid is poured out of a jug, bottle, etc., or when such an amount is swallowed by a person.


stap my vitals

Corruption of stop + my + vitals. Compare stap me.

You have married a woman beautiful in her person, charming in her airs, prudent in her conduct, constant in her inclinations, and of a nice morality - stap my vitals!

1845, William Hazlitt, Lectures on the English Comic Writers:

The true Preux des Dames, (regretfully) went out with the full periwig, stap my vitals!

1854, Tom Taylor, Charles Reade, Masks and Faces:

"Stap my vitals, Bill" (this was to Shakespeare), "there's a great wave coming and you're on the top of it".

"Stap my vitals, Tuppy, old corpse," I said, concerned, "you're looking pretty blue round the rims."

Stap my vitals Neal cried, and I knew he was quoting Otway.

(obsolete) An exclamation of surprise or anger, sometimes used as an oath.


whoop-de-doo

'Whoop-de-doo!', yelled a surprised Conrad as the large engine ignited in front of them. That's the biggest thrill of my life.'

It felt like Daddy might come waltzing into the room any minute, look around at all the food and people, and say, "Whoop-de-doo! What a party!"

2001, Pamela Walker, Pray Hard, →ISBN, page 29:

Exclamation indicating (now often sarcastic) excitement or enthusiasm.


pretty please

Please? Pretty please? Pretty please with sugar on top?!

Cynthia: Please?
Centurion: No, sorry. I can't do that.
Cynthia: Pretty please?
Centurion: What does that mean?
Cynthia: Just... the same as "please", except I'm pretty.
Centurion: Still no.

2014 October 27, Sam Leifer et al., “The Phallus”, in Plebs::

(childish or humorous) An emphatic form of please.

bliefies

an emphatic interjection to make commands more polite


apologies

/əˈpɒləd͡ʒiːz/

/əˈpɑləd͡ʒiːz/


z.l.

Yitzhak Rabin (z"l) was a warrior turned peace-maker.

(Hebrew) Of blessed memory, may he/she/they rest in peace; used after a reference to one or more people who died.


no duh

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-no duh.wav

It says here not to drive with the sun shade covering the windshield of your car. No duh!

A long pause was followed by Hannah saying, “Well, no duh!”
“What?”
“That sign. Did you read that sign?”
“No, what did it say?”
“It said ‘State Prison Next Exit: Do Not Pick Up Hitchhikers.’ That′s why I said, no duh! Like they have to tell people not to pick up hitchhikers.”
“That was a strange sign,” I agreed.

2005, Robin Jones Gunn, Gardenias For Breakfast, page 99:

“I could maybe buy that one, for some who has advanced up the scale of faith. However, I have trouble believing it would be sellable to the general population.”
“That′s a big ‘no duh.’ Now, I hope you don′t mind me keeping your feet to the fire. Let′s get back to your idea that maybe there are multiple paths to Heaven. And by the way, I hope you know you′re making me dizzy.”

2008, Donald James Parker, All the Stillness of the Wind, page 127:

Ultimately, humans aren′t wholly monogamous either. (Can we hear a “No duh,” from the bleacher seats?)

2010, Joselin Linder, Elena Donovan Mauer, Have Sex Like You Just Met - No Matter How Long You've Been Together, page xvii:

(chiefly US, colloquial, sarcastic) An expression or exclamation that something is exceedingly obvious or apparent, or that one would have to be extremely foolish not to realize something immediately.


xiexie

From the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of Mandarin 謝謝／谢谢 (xièxie, “thank you”).


I never did

185?, Charles Dickens, Little Dorrit
‘Why, good gracious, Amy, what ever brought you here?’
‘I wanted to see you, Fanny dear; and as I am going out all day to-morrow, and knew you might be engaged all day to-day, I thought—’
‘But the idea, Amy, of you coming behind! I never did!’

"Well, I never did!" she exclaimed in a scandalized whisper. "Trying to set fire to the 'ouse — oh, fie".

(idiomatic, dated) An exclamation of great surprise.


well, I never

(idiomatic) An exclamation of great surprise.


weh

oh weh ! oh weh ! " — Sweetest mother, you have the illness ; oh weh ! oh weh ! It was so

1864, Flora Dawson, Princes, Public Men, and Pretty Women: Episodes in Real Life:

"Oh, weh! oh, weh!" The Child-Who-Was-Tired pushed and pulled them apart, muffled them into their coats, and drove them out of the house.

1910, Katherine Mansfield, The Child-Who_Was-Tired:

Perhaps it's in Lausanne, at the shore of Lake Leman, and in the widow's arms that Wolf wrote Oh weh! Perhaps she whispered it into his ear, when they first slept together, or when he parted from her. Perhaps it was her oh weh! he could never forget.

1992, Ewa Kuryluk, Century 21, →ISBN, page 307:

I tell you that it's true compassion, baby, oh weh.

"Kill one village, But leave another. Kill one village, But leave another. On the lake: weh weh weh weh weh.

2012, Regina F. Bendix, Galit Hasan-Rokem, A Companion to Folklore, →ISBN, page 90:

At last one night the Master of Sorcerers in secret places raised his voice and cried: “Weh-h-h-h! Weh-h-h-h-h-h!”

2017, Frank Hamilton Cushing, Zuñi Folk Tales:


nee way

Nee way man!


tarnation

/tɑɹˈneɪʃən/

From darnation, influenced by tarnal (from eternal); see darn.

"Tarnation! You all right?" "Hell, no, I ain't all right!"

2002, T. T. Flynn, Prodigal of Death: A Western Quintet, →ISBN, page 41:

“They contain the precise description of the place where the nuggets are hidden.” “Tarnation! Is that true?"

2008, Marlies Bugmann, Karl May, Winnetou III, page 338:

“Tarnation,” Jasper murmured, his attention turning to the thing in the Aether bubble.

2013, Kady Cross, The Girl With The Iron Touch, →ISBN:

(archaic) Used to express anger, irritation, disappointment, annoyance, contempt, etc.


hadaway

Hadaway wi ye!

(Mackem and Geordie) Begone, be off, go away.


rivo

Rivo, says the drunkard. Call in ribs , call in tallow

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

Then ther's my chub , my epicure , Quadratus , that rubbes his guttes , clappes his paunch , and cries Rivo , intertayning my eares perpetually with a most strong discourse of the praise of bottle ale and red herrings

1601 (date written), Iohn Marston [i.e., John Marston], What You Will, London: […] G[eorge] Eld, for Thomas Thorppe, published 1607, →OCLC, (please specify the page):


thanx

X is pronounced /ks/ in English. thanks + -x.

What can I say? THANX It was wild!

1982 December 25, “Jack In Berserkely (personal advertisement)”, in Gay Community News, volume 10, number 23, page 14:

(slang, intentional) Alternative spelling of thanks


hoo man

Hoo man, slow doon like!


yirra

From Afrikaans jere, a minced oath or alteration of Heere or Here (“Lord, God”, interjection), derived from Heer (“Lord”).

We’re going to have a hell of a drought. Yirra it’s tough being a farmer!

1987, Marguerite Poland, Train to Doringbult, page 11:

(South Africa, colloquial, possibly offensive) An exclamation used to express shock or exasperation.


bravissimo

'He has spoken, Sir,' replied Lowe, whose angry passions were roused by the insults of Dangerfield, and who had, for the moment, lost his customary caution.
'Ha!' cried Dangerfield, with a sort of gasp, and a violent smirk, the joyousness of which was, however, counteracted by a lurid scowl and a wonderful livid glare in his wild eyes; 'ha! he has? Bravo, Sir, bravissimo!' and he smirked wider and wider, and beat his uninjured hand upon the table, like a man applauding the denouement of a play.

1863, Sheridan Le Fanu, The House by the Churchyard:


bread-and-butter

Reflecting that bread and butter are archetypally basic foodstuffs (daily necessities) in the places where the English language developed; compare daily bread, put bread on the table, earn one's bread, bread and water (as prisoners' diet or poverty diet), and know which side one's bread is buttered on.

(archaic) A general saying used to ward off bad luck

(archaic) A saying specifically used to ward off bad luck when separating hands to walk either side of a tree


agad

O here a' comes—Ah my Hector of Troy, vvelcome my Bully, my Back; agad my heart has gone a pit pat for thee.

1693, [William] Congreve, The Old Batchelour, a Comedy. […], 2nd edition, London: […] Peter Buck, […], →OCLC, Act II, page 11:


rock on

The circus is coming to town? Rock on, dude!

(informal) An expression of celebration.


come on

→ Portuguese: camone

I'll show you where the auditorium is. Come on!

Come on, George! You can win!

Synonym of let's go, a cheer or expression of support, encouragement, &c.

let's go

Come on! You can't possibly expect me to believe that.

Aw, come on! Get on with it!

Come on, we don't want to miss the train!

An expression of frustration, exasperation, or impatience; hurry up.

Come on! I'm not afraid of you.

BOX: […] Hark ye, sir—can you fight?
COX: No, sir.
BOX: No? Then come on—

1847, John Maddison Morton, Box and Cox:

An expression of defiance or as a challenge; approach; come at me.


so what

I lost my red shoes. – So what? Get a new pair.

(colloquial, rhetorical question, impolite) A reply to an unimportant or irrelevant statement, indicating indifference on the part of the speaker.


incoming

(military) A warning that something is coming towards the addressee, especially enemy artillery fire.


come on down

Come on down! Breakfast is ready!

An invitation to someone in the upper part of a building to come downstairs.

An invitation to someone living to the north to come for a visit.

Veronica Johnson, come on down!

A catchphrase used on the television game show "The Price is Right", inviting a member of the audience to come to Contestant's Row to play the game.


get real

You want me to stay here with you in this dump? Get real!

(informal) Expresses disbelief, or urges someone to face reality.


lork

“Lork, Mrs Richards!” cried Miss Nipper, taking up her words with a jerk. “Don’t. See her dear Papa indeed! I should like to see her do it!”
“Won’t she then?” asked Polly.
“Lork, Mrs Richards, no, her Pa’s a deal too wrapped up in somebody else, and before there was a somebody else to be wrapped up in she never was a favourite, girls are thrown away in this house, Mrs Richards, I assure you.”

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


the hell with it

I can't understand these directions to building this doghouse because they're so poorly written. The hell with it!

“The hell with it,” the world’s richest man wrote on Twitter. “Even though Starlink is still losing money & other companies are getting billions of taxpayer $, we’ll just keep funding Ukraine govt for free.”

2022 October 15, “‘The hell with it’: Elon Musk says SpaceX will fund Starlink internet in Ukraine”, in The Guardian:

Forget about it; a disgusted or frustrated dismissal of something.

чёрт с ним (čort s nim, literally “devil with it”)


ye gods

Seventeenth-century British variant of oh my God, probably intended to avoid blasphemy. Compare Danish I guder.

Would he not far rather lay him down lengthwise along the line of the equator; yea, ye gods! go down to the fiery pit itself, in order to keep out this frost?

1851 November 14, Herman Melville, “Chapter 2”, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC:

(idiomatic, dated, euphemistic) Used to express surprise or incredulity.


ay, chihuahua

Ay, chihuahua! I didn't hear you coming.

Ay, chihuahua! The computer crashed and I'm going to have to start all over again.

Expression of dismay, annoyance, or resignation.


pray tell

From pray (“ask (politely)”) + tell (“explain”).

Pray tell us, how will they fare while you are away?

(archaic) Please explain (something the requester does not yet understand).

But how, pray tell, do you "notice" something that happens when you're asleep?

(idiomatic, usually sarcastic) Expressing incredulity, please explain (some claim or position the speaker doubts).


begorrah

(Ireland) Alternative spelling of begorra


begorra

A minced oath from alteration of by God.

But, begorra, whin they seen it was raly Bill Malowney himself that was in it, it was only who'd be foremost out agin, tumblin' backways, one over another, and his raverence roarin' an' cursin' them like mad for not waitin' for him.

January - June 1850, “Bill Malowney's Taste of Love and Glory”, in The Dublin University Magazine: A Literary and Political Journal, volume 35, page 698:

Begorra, an' 'twas th' foinest sight yez niver saw to' see th' refor-rumed naughty-twos mate their dear lovin' home-definder, Carrie Nation.

1902, University of Michigan, The Wolverine, volume 2, number 12, page 18:

But it's absolute balderdash, Bertie. I mean, listen to this: "Sure and begorra, I don't know what's after being the matter with you, Michael." I mean, what on earth is this "what's after being" stuff mean?
B.W. Wooster: My dear old Gussie, that is how people think Irish people talk.

1992 April 26, “Hot Off the Press”, in Jeeves and Wooster, season 3, episode 5, spoken by A. Fink-Nottle (Richard Garnett):

Sure and begorra, 'twas the second time I lost me balance and fell into yer drink.

2009, Patti B. Pruitt, Spring Break with Paddy O'Rourke, book II, page 28:

(dated, Ireland, now literary) Alternative form of by God


deuces

Nigga! You got until tonight to get your shit, deuces nigga!

(African-American Vernacular, slang) peace; goodbye (because of the associated gesture holding up two fingers)


yes'm

yes + -'m, a contraction of ma'am (itself a contraction of madam).


crickets

Seraphina. You have more money, Betsy, than you will know how to spend; all your own. / Betsy. Oh, gracious! Won't I have as much dinner as I can eat every day! / Mrs. Green. Yes, my love, you can have everything you wish for. / Betsy. Oh, crickets!

1859, S[arah] Annie Frost, “Misfortune”, in Parlor Charades and Proverbs: Intended for the Parlor or Saloon, and Requiring No Expensive Apparatus of Scenery or Properties for Their Performance, Philadelphia, Pa.: J. B. Lippincott & Co., →OCLC, page 39:

"Oh Crickets! I seen you at the The-ayter one Night," she said. "I was there with Ollie Pozozzle of Minneapolis. Me and him come out just behind you. […]"

1902, George Ade, “The Fable of the Long-range Lover, the Lollypaloozer, and the Line of Talk”, in The Girl Proposition. A Bunch of He and She Fables, New York, N.Y.: R. H. Russell, OCLC 776243245; republished Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Literature House, 1969, OCLC 695700303, page 9

In the early hours of the morning, Arabelia was deep in thought as she looked over several scrolls. She worried she would never find any word of the missing snow globe even with all the fairies helping her to read. Everyone was getting very tired. / "Oh crickets! I need some rest!" Aurora said. / "Go on ahead, Aurora. But before you take a nap, can you put this scroll back up on the shelf?" Arabelia asked. Aurora responded with a light snoring sound.

2014, Patricia Arnold, chapter 3, in Brooke and the Fairy Merry Christmas (The Magical Murphy Farm; 5), [s.l.]: Marquette Press:


de nada

1976, American review: the magazine of new writing: Issue 25, link
Mooch-ass grassy-ass! Ha ha, de nada, jefe

"I'm really grateful to you for being nice to her." "De nada," he answered with a small bow and a quick swipe to her behind as she passed.

1996, Ellen Feldmen, Rearview mirror, link:

She shook her head slowly. “De nada. You don't owe me anything, Rio.

2010, Lara Adrian, Lara Adrian's Midnight Breed 8-Book Bundle, link:


wakey

“Wakey Brother Monster,” he said to Rose as he spread his replacement piece of toast.

2016, W S Markendale, Owen Pendragon: Guild of the Round Table:

'Come on now, wakey!' called Diane, who was already up and dashing round the room.

2021, Margaret Thornton, Cast the First Stone:

Used to encourage someone to wake up.; wakey wakey.


get stuffed

Get stuffed! I don't want to talk to you again!

Eventually, she heard him say something in his deliberate, gruff voice: just two words:
“Get stuffed!”

1992, Émile Zola, translated by Douglas Parmée, Nana, published 1998, page 243:

“You could wear them at fancy dress parties,” I suggested.
“Get stuffed!” he growled.

2007, James Hosier, “Getting Stuffed”, in John Patrick, editor, Dreamboys: A New Collection of Erotic Tales, page 130:

“And what, pray tell, is that? Money? Well, you can get stuffed!” he said sitting down in the chair.

2010, Jeff Wright, Sage, Dead Gorgeous, page 593:

(UK, Ireland, colloquial, dismissal, euphemistic) Used to tell somebody to go away or to leave one alone.


no can do

From Chinese Pidgin English, calquing Chinese 不能做 (bùnéng zuò, “cannot do”).

But I can't go for that, no no / No can do

1981, “I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)”, in Private Eyes, performed by Hall & Oates:

Tony Stark: If Thanos needs all six, why don't we just stick this one down a garbage disposal?
Doctor Strange: No can do.
Wong: We swore an oath to protect the Time Stone with our lives.

2018, Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely, Avengers: Infinity War:


nop

(informal, rare) Alternative form of nope


boo hoo

"Boo hoo!" cried Lisa after she misplaced her saxophone.

So you broke it. Boo hoo! Get a grip, and clean up the mess.

(used ironically, spoken as an ordinary word) it is not worth crying about, an expression of contempt


bugger off

Derived from bugger (idiomatic, obsolete, UK, Ireland, Commonwealth) “sodomite”, (idiomatic, vulgar, UK, Ireland, Commonwealth) “man”, especially in the colloquialism (idiomatic, dismissal, UK, Ireland, Commonwealth) old bugger for “an old man”.

lb

(idiomatic, vulgar, UK, Commonwealth, Ireland, emphatic, colloquial, dismissal) Go away.

Bugger off! You are joking, aren't you?

(idiomatic, vulgar, UK, Commonwealth, Ireland, emphatic, colloquial) An expression of disagreement or disbelief.


frig it

(idiomatic, vulgar) An expression of frustration similar to, but not as vulgar as fuck it.


fsck

At some point in your Linux career you should ask yourself:
"If there are 3.4 million successful, happy Mandrake users...what the fsck is wrong with me?"

2002, David D. Huff Jr., “Re: Mandrake 8.2 Musings”, in alt.os.linux.mandrake (Usenet):

What the fsck are you on?

2002, Lev Lafayette, “Re: "We are all Africans under the Skin"”, in alt.politics.nationalism.white (Usenet):

2003, Agelmar, Re: SSH problem, alt.roundtable, http://groups.google.com/group/alt.roundtable/msg/789b5801baee1417?dmode=source
At least I know what the fsck is going on with Slack...

(computing, Internet slang, text messaging, vulgar, euphemistic) Fuck.


bite me

Circa the 1980s in the United States, likely from the phrase bite my ass.

She swiped at her tears with the palm of her hand, slipped his front-door key into the breast pocket of his leather suit jacket, whispered to the dead man, "Bite me, asshole."

2009, James Patterson, Maxine Paetro, The 8th Confession:

(idiomatic, slang, offensive) An expression of discontent or aggravation to another party.

"We was talking and stuff, and I'm, like, I am SO not going there! And he just went, okay whatever, and I'm like FINE! Like I could care less, and then he goes, like, yeah bite me—"

2005, Ellen Notbohm, Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew, page 37:

"I don't know, Tedd; can you sing without soap?" "Bite me."

2006 April 5, Dan Shive, El Goonish Shive (webcomic), Comic for Wednesday, Apr 5, 2006:

"Whatever. I'm going to go use your computer, see if Rhoda or Lucy are online." "Just be sure to stay out of the folder named 'Gender Studies' before eleven-fifty!" "Bite me."

2013 May 10, Dan Shive, El Goonish Shive (webcomic), Comic for Friday, May 10, 2013:

(idiomatic, slang) A taunting phrase, essentially meaning "I don't care".

(idiomatic, slang) A command similar to "Leave me alone!", "Go away!" etc.


for God's sake

For God's sake, don't scare me like that!

Put some pants on, for God's sake!

“The structure is deteriorating. The roof was leaking. The floor is sinking,” Mr. Biden said in a speech in front of the tunnel, the oldest in the Northeast, where the crowd included dozens of union workers. “This is the United States of America, for God’s sake. We know better than that.”

2023 January 30, Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Mark Walker, quoting Joe Biden, “Biden Visits Decrepit Rail Tunnel to Promote $1 Trillion Infrastructure Law”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-01-30, Politics:

An exclamation of anger, surprise, or impatience.

مِنْ أَجْلِ اللّٰهِ

“For God's sake!—quick!—quick!—put me to sleep—or, quick!—waken me!—quick!—I say to you that I am dead!”

1850 [1845], Edgar Allan Poe, “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar”, in The works of the late Edgar Allan Poe:

‘Utterson,’ said the voice, ‘for God's sake, have mercy!’

1886, Robert Louis Stevenson, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde:

Indicating a heartfelt or urgent request.

Herran tähden

indicating a heartfelt or urgent request


oh dear

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

Oh dear, I seem to have lost my ticket.

“[…] Churchill, my dear fellow, we have such greedy sharks, and wolves in lamb's clothing. Oh, dear, there's so much to tell you, so many warnings to give you, but all that must be postponed for the moment.”

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

An expression of dismay, concern, worry or disapproval.


hot damn

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

(Canada, US) A minced oath from "god damn".


wowsers

“Wowsers, you look amazing!”

2009, Elle Kennedy, Heat of the Storm, page 44:


GDI

(euphemistic, slang, rare) Abbreviation of goddamn it.


bests

* (end to a letter) Perhaps short for "best regards and best wishes".

(rare) A polite, formulaic end to a letter or email.


yoinks

Yoinks. I braced myself for the worst, my brain already screaming for coffee. "We've had a discussion, and we thought we should tell you something.” Cancer? Bankruptcy? Double yoinks. "What's wrong?”

2010, Douglas Coupland, Generation A, →ISBN, page 12:

“Yoinks, the first mystery I've ever actually wanted to solve and this is the one you guys pick not to wrap up within a half hour.

2011, Grant Guimont, Hot Wings & Rug Burns, →ISBN:

She crossed her eyes and stuck out her tongue, holding an imaginary noose above her neck. “Yoinks,” I said. “Yoinks indeed, but what did she expect?

2012, Tom Ryan, Way to Go, →ISBN, page 64:

Yoinks and gadzooks at what I did see! Yoinks as I watched the display! Yoinks and away such feathered artistry! Yoinks you would have the same say!

2016, Alliance Poets World-Wide, Poetry To Embrace with Love Book Three, →ISBN, page 109:

Used for emphasis to express strong emotion


jinks

We scrubbed 'em with horse-brushes on the stones. Jinks, but I rubbed some holes in 'em!

1924, D. H. Lawrence, The Boy in the Bush:

Indication of surprise or amazement; jinkies.


rhubarb rhubarb

Chosen as a word for producing indistinct background noise because it contains no very sharp or recognizable phonemes: see rhubarb (“noise”).

Those glottals glugged like poured pop, each /rebarbative syllable, remembrancer, raise /‘mob' rhubarb-rhubarb to a tribune's speech /crossing the crackle as the hayracks blaze...

1981: Tony Harrison, The Rhubarbarians I in collection Continuous: 50 sonnets from 'The School of Eloquence' . Rex Collings, London (1981)

(stage direction) They all rise and drink. Rhubarb, rhubarb...To convey the next stage of To convey the next stage of general inebriation, the remarks that follow are spoken in a sing-song.

1983, Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn, Victory Celebrations:

(film stage direction) Pan to a shot of the crowd of humanists surging forward and murmuring "Rhubarb, rhubarb".

1995, Sandra M. Gilbert, Susan Gubar, Masterpiece Theatre: An Academic Melodrama:

(film) Background noise of simultaneous conversations, none of which is decipherable since the actors are repeating the word rhubarb or other words with similar attributes.

Human beings and human speech are historical inventions as well: our actual experience for long enough was of ‘ourselves', the local tribes of people, dogs and horses, and of the ‘others', theria (wild beasts) and barbaroi (who make noises that only vaguely sound like speech, as "rhubarb, rhubarb").

1997, Stephen R L Clark, Animals and Their Moral Standing:

‘Barbarians' who made noises which sounded like ‘rhubarb-rhubarb' to Greeks who could not (and did not want to) understand them.

1998, Richard Wallace, Wynne Williams, The Three Worlds of Paul of Tarsus:

I heard my name amongst so much mumbo jumbo. “Rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb, Robert.”

2005, Robert Leslie Fielding, Other People Other Worlds: The Collected Short Stories of Robert Leslie Fielding:

(derogatory) Speech which is undecipherable to the listener because it is in a language he or she does not understand; mumbo jumbo.

Not allowed to blah blah blah rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb. Just what I don't need when I'm feeling kind of seedy.

1998, Brigid Lowry, Guitar Highway Rose:

Judith recruited me as the voice of the grass roots. I said rhubarb, rhubarb to oblige her, but I felt like a charlatan. I had mobilized out of a genuine sense of outrage at Cathy's treatment, but the demand to enter the Oxford Union was another matter.

2001, Sheila Rowbotham, Promise of a Dream: Remembering the Sixties:

All tutors and examiners are familiar with the essay which begins, in effect, 'All the poets of the seventeenth century said, "Rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb," and in this Marvell was no exception.'

2005, Judith Woolf, Writing About Literature: Essay and Translation Skills for University Students of English and foreign literature.:


diddle

From dialectal duddle (“to trick”) (16th century), and diddle, duddle (“to totter”) (17th century), perhaps dissimilated from dialectal didder, dither (“to shake, tremble”), from Middle English dideren (“to shake, quiver, tremble”) and Middle English bididren (“to seduce, deceive”), from Old English bedidrian, bedyderian (“to trick, deceive”). Compare also Saterland Frisian diedelje (“to play or sing without a melody”), Dutch bedodden, bedotten (“to trick, fool, diddle”), German Low German Diedeldentjes (“pranks, pranking”). Possibly influenced or reinforced by the name (which itself was probably chosen as an allusion to duddle) of the swindling character Jeremy Diddler in Kenney's Raising the Wind (1803).
Meaning "to have sex with" is from the 19th century; "to masturbate" is from the 1950s. Compare dildo.

cog

What's that tune that goes "diddle di-dum, diddle di-dum, diddle di-dum-dum"?

A meaningless word used when singing a tune or indicating a rhythm.


okey-dokey

Reduplication and modification of okay. First attested in the 1930s.

(colloquial) An exclamation of accordance; okay, OK.