the penny drops

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-the penny drops.wav

The penny dropped as Fred realised he had been conned.

Suddenly various pennies began to drop; now I understood obscure remarks that had been made in my presence by the Ryans, or by the nuns at school, or by Old Brigid or Tommy's foster-mother.

1979, Dervla Murphy, Wheels Within Wheels, page 56:

AMY: In the time I've known you, when have you shown the slightest interest in a girl?
MELS: Penny in the air!
AMY: I've known you for, what, 10 years? I've seen you practically every day. Name one girl you've paid the slightest bit of attention to? (RORY is flustered, runs from the room.)
AMY: Oh my God! Rory! (AMY runs after RORY.)
MELS: And the penny drops!

2011 August 27 (broadcast date), Doctor Who, series 6, episode 8, Let's Kill Hitler

(UK, informal) Understanding is reached; one comprehends.

der faldt tiøren

understanding is reached, one comprehends

נפל לו האסימון (nafál lo ha'asimón, literally “the token has dropped for him”)

ירד לו האסימון (yarád lo ha'asimón, literally “the token has descended for him”)

دو هزازش جا افتاد meaning "his(/her) two thousand dropped"

дошло́ (došló, literally “[It] reached [him/her]”)


alg

(text messaging) Abbreviation of all good.


fuck you

desc

→ Mandarin: 法克魷 /法克鱿 (fǎkèyóu, “fuck you”)

fuck-you (alternative noun)
fuk u (alternative Internet)

So you're not gonna help me?! Well, fuck you!

What made you decide to mistreat him? Fuck you, that's what.

And this was the time he heard Goldman say to Bennett, "Fuck you, you little bastard, we will get you later."

1936, Violations of free speech and assembly and interference with rights of labor: hearings before a subcommittee, Seventy-fourth Congress, page 21061:

If you had a million years to do it in, you couldn't rub out even half the "Fuck you" signs in the world. It's impossible.

1951 July 16, J[erome] D[avid] Salinger, chapter 25, in The Catcher in the Rye, Boston, Mass.: Little, Brown and Company, →OCLC:

"Fuck you," said Czernobog. "Fuck you" and fuck your mother and fuck the fucking horse you fucking rode in on.

2001, Neil Gaiman, American Gods (American Gods #1):

(idiomatic, slang, vulgar, offensive) Expression to show discontent with the other party, or to show contempt.

Fuck you—I’m not giving you any!

You’ve done enough to ruin our outing, so fuck you!

(idiomatic, offensive, dismissal, vulgar) Go away, go to hell!

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

くそ食らえ (kuso kurae, literally “eat shit!”)

糞垂れ (くそったれ, kusottare, literally “dingleberry”)

کیرم دهنت (kiram dahanet, literally “my dick in your mouth”)

du-te în morții mă-tii (go into your mother's dead relatives) du-te în morții mă-tii (go into your mother's dead relatives) du-te în morții și răniții mă-tii (go into your mother's dead and wounded relatives)


DILLIGAFF

give a flying fuck
give a flying fuck#English

(US, military slang) Acronym of does it look like I give a flying fuck?.


pmpm

(medicine) Initialism of per member per month.


don't hold your breath

Suggesting that if one were to hold one's breath while waiting for the expected event, one would die before it happened

- The government says it's going to introduce free meals for all schoolchildren.
- Huh, don't hold your breath.

Don't hold your breath and don't jump to conclusions, but there is likely to be an announcement about the future of the railways in the next few weeks - [...].

2021 February 24, Christian Wolmar, “Franchising still exists - under tight Departmental control”, in RAIL, number 925, page 48:

(idiomatic, imperative) Don't wait. Said cynically to suggest that what has just been mentioned is unlikely to happen soon or at all.

держи́ карма́н ши́ре /lit: hold your pocket wider/

раскати́л губу́ /lit: you've unrolled your lip/


sub specie aeterni

(philosophy, literary) From the viewpoint of eternity.


been there, done that

Ellipsis for "I have been there and have done that".

No, I don't wanna go paragliding. Been there, done that. I found it awful.

Huntsman feints at being the Snow White retelling no one has ever seen before, but ultimately becomes the “been there, done that” of fairy-tale filmmaking.

2012 May 31, Tasha Robinson, “Film: Review: Snow White And The Huntsman”, in The A.V. Club:

He looked down at my résumé. “Wow, you interned at The New Yorker. Did you apply there?” ¶ “Nope.” ¶ He looked up. ¶ I gave the line a tug. ¶ “I just felt like, ‘been there, done that,’ you know? Also, I dated a few guys in the office so it would've been awkward.”

2013, Iris Smyles, Iris Has Free Time, Berkeley, CA: Counterpoint, →ISBN, page 7:

(idiomatic, ironic) An assertion that the speaker has personal experience or knowledge of a particular place or topic and is not too keen on revisiting or redoing it again.

曾經滄海難為水 /曾经沧海难为水

been there, done that, bought the T-shirt


explicit

Abbreviated from Latin explicitus est līber (“the book is set in order, ended”).

lbor

(obsolete) Used at the conclusion of a book to indicate the end.


NIMBY

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

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

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

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


YGM

(Internet) Initialism of you've got mail: used to inform someone that an e-mail message has been sent to them.


how-d'ye-do

“How-d’ye-do, Jewel, how-d’ye-do?” asked the visitor, with that graceful freedom which distinguishes the truly well-bred.

1836 June, Douglas William Jerrold, “Job Pippins, the Man Who ‘Couldn’t Help It’: Chap. IX”, in Blackwood’s Magazine, volume 39, number 248, page 746:

Taking him by the hand in his usual familiar manner, Mr. H. said, ‘How-d’ye-do? How-d’ye-do?[…]’

1854, John Neal, One Word More: Intended for the Reasoning and Thoughtful Among Unbelievers, page 178:

[…] but still, you know, you could recall yourself to my memory, and we could shake hands, say ‘How-d’ye-do?’ and think of—to-night.

1874, Christian Reid, A Daughter of Bohemia: A Novel, page 159:

Alternative form of how do you do (greeting).


howdy-do

Pronunciation spelling
pronunciation spelling

(US) Pronunciation spelling of how do you do.


ASL

Alternative form of asl (“age, sex, location”).

(programming) Initialism of arithmetic shift left, a type of bitwise operation.


close, but no cigar

/ˈkləʊs bʌt nəʊ sɪˈɡɑː/

From the practice of giving cigars as prizes at carnivals in the United States in the 20th century; those who did not win would fail to receive a cigar, even if they came close.

Betty ran all out in the sprint race; yet, it was close, but no cigar.

The long distance trophy [for alumni who had traveled the furthest to attend the reunion], an appropriately inscribed silver cigarette case, was awarded to Em Gooch who had made the trip from Lincoln, Neb. for the occasion. Several other members came close, but no cigar, and we trust that all those in New York and Philadelphia who failed to show up, without reason, will read these lines with a quiver.

1929 July 2, J. C. R., “’28’s First”, in Asa S[mith] Bushnell [III], editor, Princeton Alumni Weekly, volume XXIX, number 36, Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 1166, column 2:

(idiomatic, originally US, colloquial) Used to indicate that one is almost correct or has almost succeeded, but not quite.

功虧一簣 /功亏一篑

used to indicate that one is almost correct or has almost succeeded, but not quite

失之毫厘，差之千里 (shīzhīháolí, chàzhīqiānlǐ, literally “a failure of micrometres and centimetres, a discrepancy of a thousand li (five hundred kilometres)”)

lige ved og næsten slår ingen mand af hesten

чуть-чу́ть не счита́ется (čutʹ-čútʹ ne sčitájetsja, literally “‘a little’ doesn't count”)

про́мах есть про́мах (prómax jestʹ prómax, literally “a miss is a miss”)


asl

Alternative form: a/s/l

JanEdoeSN87: asl
SumLAguy19: 18/m/California

(Internet slang, text messaging) Initialism of age, sex, location: used mainly in chat rooms to request this information from the person with whom one is communicating.

age

Bro, that ride was fun asl.

(Internet slang, text messaging) Initialism of as hell.


ff.

Abbreviation of Latin foliō (“on the (next) page”), ablative of folium (“leaf, page”).

and the following (pages, paragraphs etc.)

s. (p. 3 s., p. 3s. - pàgina 3 i següents)

ss. (p. 3 y ss., p. 3 ss. - página 3 y siguientes)


CTR

(Mormonism) Initialism of Choose the Right.


so long as

I don't mind if he stays there, so long as he cleans up after himself when he's done.

Hugh helped himself to bacon. "My dear fellow, she can think what she likes so long as she continues to grill bacon like this. Your wife is a treasure, James—a pearl amongst women; and you can tell her so with my love."

1920, Herman Cyril McNeile, chapter 1, in Bulldog Drummond:

(idiomatic) Depending upon some condition or requirement; provided that; if, assuming; as long as.


kk

(Internet slang) Reduplication of k (“okay”) (indicates that no further explanation is necessary for a subject, or that the message was understood and will be acted upon without further confirmation).

(aviation, travel) confirm (originally a GDS status code, now often used as shorthand).


CMIIAW

(Internet slang) Initialism of correct me if I am wrong.


P

Initialism of produced/production date (on food or drink packaging, accompanying the use-by date)


rb

(informal, Internet slang, text messaging, chiefly Snapchat) Abbreviation of reply back.


TC

(advertising) Initialism of till cancelled/countermanded.

(Internet) Initialism of topic closed: indicating that no further replies are allowed in a discussion thread.


np

(text messaging, Internet) Abbreviation of no problem.


gg

/d͡ʒiːd͡ʒiː/

(online gaming slang) Initialism of good game.

Nature's Prophet going to get the last hit in as well. It's the entire team down for EHOME. This is GG.

2014 March 19, Free to Play (Film), spoken by Announcer:

(online gaming slang, by extension) loss, defeat, game over


jew

Pronunciation spelling of d' you, representing colloquial English.

How jew do that? ("How'd you do that?")

Pronunciation spelling of 'd you, representing colloquial English.


AMA

(Internet) Initialism of ask me anything: usually attached to the end of a prompt in an “ask me anything” interview session.


HTH

(Internet slang) Initialism of hope this helps.


nothing to it

See? Nothing to it. You just put tab A in slot B and give it a flip.

(idiomatic) Easy; simple or straightforward.


yes and amen

I take God at His word and say yes and amen to His plans.

(Christianity) An enthusiastic agreement.

My boss expected us to say yes and amen to his cockamamie plans.

(colloquial) A submissive, uncritical and unquestioning agreement.


ask my arse

(idiomatic, slang, vulgar, obsolete) A common reply to any question; once common at court and among sailors, under the name of "selling bargains".


one's back is up

From the way a cat, when angry, raises or arches its back.

My back is up, and I cannot hear the thought of wooing him any farther, nor would do it, though he were as pig a gentleman (look you) as Lucifer himself.

1835, William Hayley, The Life and Letters of William Cowper:

And I want you to be nice to Patty. For some reason her back is up.

2011, Jeannie Watt, The Baby Truce, →ISBN, page 84:

Now my back is up. “Yes, the witch,” I hiss.

2014, Kristin Butcher, Cabin Girl, →ISBN:


DBA

(business) Alternative form of dba (“doing business as”).


head

a nod's as good as a wink to a blind bat

– Idle: Is your wife a… a goer… eh? Know what I mean? Know what I mean? Nudge nudge. Nudge nudge. Know what I mean? Say no more. Know what I mean?
– Jones: I beg your pardon?
– Idle: Your wife… does she, er, does she ‘go’… eh? eh? eh? Know what I mean, know what I mean? Nudge nudge. Say no more.
– Jones: Well, she sometimes ‘goes’, yes.
– Idle: I bet she does. I bet she does. I bet she does. Know what I mean? Know what I mean? Nudge nudge.
– Jones: I’m sorry, I don’t quite follow you.
– Idle: Follow me. Follow me. And I like that. That’s good. A nod’s as good as a wink to a blind bat, eh?

1969, Monty Python's Flying Circus, "Nudge Nudge", a sketch from the third episode of the British comedy series, first broadcast on the BBC on 19th October 1969, featuring Eric Idle and Terry Jones as two strangers in a pub. Conversation

I shook my head. He couldn't see that, though. A wink is the same as a nod to a blind man.

1983, Raymond Carver, Cathedral (short story where a blind man visits a couple at their home)

(simile, colloquial) The idea/proposed action is inconsequential to the current situation.


AFAIR

Near-synonym: IIRC

In the same thread (and others as well) it was stated and AFAIR never withspoken, that light 'climbing out a gravity well' redshifts, thus looses^([sic]) energy, but not speed (and vice versa falling in).

1996 July 24, LBsys, “John Baez' gravitational rainbow”, in sci.physics (Usenet):

(Internet slang) Initialism of as far as I recall/remember.


WBAGNFARB

"Disingenuous Bystanders" WBAGNFARB

2002, CICADFL, “Happy October 8!”, in alt.fan.dave_barry (Usenet):

Flaming Tacos WBAGNFARB!

2006, Blinky the Wonder Wombat, “Re: Ink Pen this week”, in rec.arts.comics.strips (Usenet):

Wave Federation Protocol WBAGNFARB.

2012, »Q«, “[OT] Google Wave reaches Deadpool stage of development”, in alt.comp.freeware (Usenet):

(Internet slang) Initialism of would be a good name for a rock band.


NED

(medicine) Initialism of no evidence of disease.


ICE

Initialism of in case of emergency, used in mobile phones followed by the number to call if the phone’s owner is injured.


POA

(commerce) Initialism of price on application.


PD

Coordinate term: ED

(cartography) Initialism of position doubtful.


CU

(philately) in stamp descriptions, commercially used.

(Internet slang, text messaging) phonetic abbreviation of see you.


TOS

taken on strength
take on strength#English

(Commonwealth, military, historical) Initialism of taken on strength.


AAL

(aviation) Initialism of above aerodrome level.


CIO

Initialism of cry it out (in reference to the Ferber method).


DNR

The hospital ignored the DNR order because it wasn't entered on the charts.

After reviewing the patient’s case, the ethics consultants advised us to honor the patient’s do not resuscitate (DNR) tattoo.

2017 November 30, Gregory E. Holt, Bianca Sarmento, Daniel Kett, Kenneth W. Goodman, “An Unconscious Patient with a DNR Tattoo”, in New England Journal of Medicine, volume 377, number 22, →DOI, →ISSN, pages 2192–2193:

Caplan noted that while there are no legal penalties for ignoring such a tattoo, there may be legal problems if the doctors let a patient die without having their official DNR paperwork.

2020, Brian Christian, “Uncertainty”, in The Alignment Problem, New York: W.W. Norton & Company, →ISBN:

(medicine) Initialism of do not resuscitate, a legal document by which a patient may direct which medical procedures they do and do not wish to undergo in the case that they are incapacitated.


PMI

Initialism of plus, minus, interesting (used to categorize ideas in a discussion)


FTA

(Internet) Initialism of from the article, used in Internet message boards when quoting articles.


LTP

Initialism of learn to play, an insult used in online gaming.


NTA

(Internet slang, Reddit slang) Initialism of not the asshole; used as a response to AITA (“am I the asshole?”).

not the asshole

(Internet slang) Initialism of (I have) nothing to add.

(Internet slang) Initialism of not that anon.


OUIL

(US) Initialism of operating (a vehicle) under the influence of liquor.


you and whose army

you and what army (alternative)
you and which army (alternative)

–I’m going to stop you from going out with that girl! —Yeah? You and whose army?

Come on, come on / You think you'll drive me crazy? / Well, come on, come on / You and whose army? / You and your cronies

2001, “You and whose army?”, in Amnesiac, performed by Radiohead:

(rhetorical question, sarcastic) Used in response to someone’s threat suggesting that the person in question cannot do what they say alone.

やれるものならやってみろ (yareru mono nara yatte miro, literally “If you can do that, try to do it!”)


TGIF

thank God it's Friday
thank God it's Friday#English

(marketing) Initialism of Twitter, Google, iPhone/iPad or Instagram, Facebook.


CYA

cover your ass/arse
cover one's ass#English


BYO

After I check into my single room—a rustic BYO-bed-sheets situation—I return to the common area and settle in for the afternoon’s presentations.

2023 August 31, Frankie de la Cretaz, “Postcard from Camp Gaylore”, in Cosmopolitan:


IAWTC

(Internet slang) Initialism of I agree with this comment.


where's the beef

From a catchphrase in a 1980s television commercial for the fast food chain Wendy's.

(US, idiomatic) Where is the content? So what?


TANSTAAFL

Acronym, originating in the early 20th century, and popularized by Robert Heinlein's novel The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress.

tanstaafl (alternative)
TINSTAAFL (alternative)

"Gospodin," he said presently, "you used an odd word earlier--odd to me, I mean..."
"Oh, 'tanstaafl.' Means 'There ain't no such thing as a free lunch.' And isn't," I added, pointing to a FREE LUNCH sign across room, "or these drinks would cost half as much. Was reminding her that anything free costs twice as much in long run or turns out worthless."

1966, Robert Heinlein, The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress:

'Tanstaafl. There ain't no such thing as a free lunch. We both know that I was brought here for a reason. If we could get down to business.'

1985, Lance Parkin, The Infinity Doctors, page 229:

The TANSTAAFL principle applies to all techniques of statecraft, not just the economic ones.

1985, David Allen Baldwin, “National Power and Economic Statecraft”, in Economic Statecraft, →ISBN, page 140:

The TANSTAAFL principle will come into play with each implementation of a calibration setting. There are no effects without side-effects. An improvement at one location will change others.

2015, Bob McCarthy, “Calibration”, in Sound System Design and Optimization, →ISBN, page 433:

there ain't no such thing as a free lunch#English

Acronym of there ain't no such thing as a free lunch: something advertised as being "free" will invariably have hidden costs.

Robert A. Heinlein
The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress


AFAIC

(chiefly Internet slang, in combination) As far as I can ____.

As far as I'm concerned
as far as I'm concerned

(chiefly Internet slang) As far as I'm concerned; as far as I care.

(chiefly Internet slang, in combination) As fast as I can ____.


belay my last

Ignore what I just said; My previous order or request is retracted.


WWJD

what would Jesus do
what would Jesus do#English


ICU

(Internet slang, text messaging) Abbreviation of I see you.


LL

(US, military) Initialism of lesson learned.


BYOB

Whether you choose a modest family restaurant, the little café around the corner, the new BYOB everybody's talking about, or even the local pizza palace, […]

2005, Jax Peters Lowell, The Gluten-Free Bible: The Thoroughly Indispensable Guide to Negotiating Life without Wheat, Holt Paperbacks, →ISBN:

It is a BYOB affair tonight, but ice, paper cups, and mixers are for sale. As the room fills, the lines lengthen.

2011, Charles Farley, Soul of the Man: Bobby "Blue" Bland, Univ. Press of Mississippi, →ISBN, page 117:

(also attributive) Initialism of bring your own bottle/booze/beer/beverage.

(US, Utah) Initialism of bring your own Bible.

This release now supports proper BYOB readers on Fetch and WebTransport, which allows developers to prepare their ArrayBuffer so that it can be reused for read requests and thus saves memory allocation.

2023 August 1, Firefox 116.0 release notes:

(computing) Initialism of bring your own buffer.


INDY

Acronym of I'm not dead yet (“a fruit-fly gene, mutant versions of which are said to have increased the organism's lifespan”).


SON

socked on the nose
socked on the nose#English

(philately) Initialism of socked on the nose.


no entry

Used on signs to indicate that entry into the area where the sign is displayed is forbidden.


neck and neck

neck-and-neck (alternative)
neck in neck (alternative)

Figurative, from the image of competing horses abreast in a horse race who are so even (headed for a tie) that their necks are side-by-side.

The polls suggest that the candidates were neck and neck in the election.

It lay between me and Dick Riot madam; we were neck and neck for three miles, as hard as we could lay leg to ground, and running every inch, but at the first, I felt for him, found I had the foot […]

1779, Charles Macklin, Love à-la-mode, etc., page 20:

Mr. Prendergast's Rainbow filly, watched closely by Paul Jones, took the lead, and they ran almost neck and neck until near the cords, when Paul Jones made a rush, and came home by a length.

1825 November, “Sporting Intelligence”, in Sporting Magazine, volume 17, number 98, page 45:

[...] Mr. M. N. Rollason points out that on four-track lines on which the fast lines, in the centre, are flanked by the slow lines, and running at speed is permissible on all four, the traveller can enjoy some quite exciting experiences when trains are doing a "neck-and-neck" on adjacent lines.

1944 May and June, “Notes and News: Express Travel on Slow Lines”, in Railway Magazine, page 184:

Passing Iver, W.R. 4-6-0 No. 1012 County of Denbigh on the up "Capitals United Express" runs neck-and-neck with a parcels train headed by 4-6-0 No. 6821 Leaton Grange.

1960 July, Trains Illustrated, page 410, photo caption:

(idiomatic) Very close in progress, as in a race or a contest.


OTP

(instant messaging) Initialism of on the phone.


way out of a paper bag

Most likely originating as, He couldn't punch his way out of a paper bag.

way out of a wet paper bag (alternative)

My boss is so clueless, he couldn't schedule his own way out of a paper bag.

Junior varsity couldn't play their way out of a paper bag in comparison.

The old chap did not look as though he could push his way out of a paper bag.

1923, Asia, volume 23, American Asiatic Association, page 281:

Personally I don’t think this egg could punch his way out of a paper bag. He’s only been workin’ in this trap two days

1924, Harry Charles Witwer, Love and Learn, G. P. Putnam's sons, page 260:

To be fair, many people who couldn’t punctuate their way out of a paper bag are still interested in the way punctuation can alter the sense of a string of words. It is the basis of all “I’m sorry, I’ll read that again” jokes.

2003 November 6, Lynne Truss, “Introduction – The Seventh Sense”, in Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation, London: Profile Books Ltd, →ISBN, page 8:

“You'd hate his cooking[,” he said.]
 “Most guys can't cook their way out of a paper bag[,” Charlotte said.]

2014, Allie Peter, Saved by the Fireman, page 105:

(slang, idiomatic, formulaic) A minimal level of competence or effectiveness, as used in phrases where one is unable to perform.

couldn't organise a piss-up in a brewery

enough sense to pound sand into a rathole

know one's ass from a hole in the ground


CBA

And I've seen many examples of abysmal wordwrapping... Me, I CBA changing it, and you really need initials to be used all the time to work properly, else stuff gets mis-attributed.

1996 April 21, Kieron, “Re: olrs and message form”, in alt.fan.douglas-adams (Usenet), retrieved 2016-07-02, message-ID <Dq8E6q.JwB@spuddy.mew.co.uk>:

Each to their own eh Paul? Personally I like WS-FTP TEST version with just the two windows, and more importantly I CBA transferring over all the sites to anything new :o)

1996 April 23, Derek James, “Re: Internet Software”, in demon.ip.support.win95 (Usenet), retrieved 2016-07-02, message-ID <317d2ceb.4692859@news.demon.co.uk>:

(UK, vulgar, slang) Initialism of can't be arsed.

(UK, slang) Initialism of can't be asked.


FIFO

(informal) Acronym of fit in or fuck off, a warning to obey societal or institutional norms, or be expelled.


FY

(Internet slang, text messaging, vulgar) Initialism of fuck you.

(Internet slang, text messaging, vulgar) Initialism of fuck yeah.


sq.

Alternative form of seq.: "and those which follow"


NPS

nuclear power station
w:nuclear power station


y/o

Abbreviation of year(s) old; also yo, y.o.


MYOB

Why don't you MYOB? My marital status is no concern of yours.

mind your own business
mind one's own business#English


HUD

(Internet slang, text messaging) Initialism of how you doing.


PP

‘Well, I’ll bet you half a dozen of claret on it; come!’ said Wilkins Flasher, Esquire, resuming the conversation to which Mr. Pell’s entrance had caused a momentary interruption.
[…] ‘I never bet half a dozen!’ said the other gentleman. ‘I’ll take a dozen.’
‘Done, Simmery, done!’ said Wilkins Flasher, Esquire.
‘P. P., mind,’ observed the other.

1836 March – 1837 October, Charles Dickens, “(please specify the chapter name)”, in The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published 1837, →OCLC:


WTFO

Could be credited to George Carlin "WTF". However, he may have picked it up when he was a radar operator in the United States Air Force.

(military, slang, 1970s) what the fuck, over!

If you have a problem with me you can WTFO!


ICBW

(Internet slang) Initialism of I could be wrong.


SRO

I know I'm the best there is
 But all they want is a show
 Well, that's all right, I'll be glad to oblige
 S.R.O., S.R.O.

1984, “Merano”, Tim Rice, Björn Ulvaeus (lyrics), Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus (music), performed by Murray Head, Ambrosian Singers, and the London Symphony Orchestra:

What a pro!
 Herc could stop a show
 Point him at a monster and you're talking S.R.O.

1997, “Zero to Hero”, David Zippel (lyrics), Alan Menken (music), performed by Lillias White, Cheryl Freeman, LaChanze, Roz Ryan, Vaneese Thomas, and Tawatha Agee:

standing room only
standing room only#English


From c (abbreviation for see) + u (Internet slang for you) + l8r (Internet slang for later).

(Internet slang, text messaging) Abbreviation of see you later.


b/w

(music) Initialism of backed with, commonly used with old 45 and 78 RPM records, referring to the flip side (commonly called "B-side") of the record.


AGL

The company shard specific data from today’s flight on social media, revealing that the New Shepard capsule that carried Katy Perry, Gayle King and their crewmates to space hit 346,802 feet above ground level (AGL) and 350,449 above mean sea level (MSL).

2025 April 14, Jackie Wattles, Ashley Strickland and Taylor Nicioli, “Blue Origin launches star-studded crew on space tourism rocket”, in CNN:

(aviation) Initialism of above ground level: designating a measured distance from the ground to a higher level, i.e. altitude.


per curiam

Latin per (“by means of”) curiam (“the court”)

(law) An opinion delivered by an entire court rather than a single judge.


no contest

Calque of Latin nolō contendere (“I don't want to contest”).

cal

To all the things DVD does better than the videocassette, add the boxed set. In looks alone there is no contest.

2000 November 5, Peter M. Nichols, “HOLIDAY FILMS; Studios Move Slowly With DVD Boxed Sets”, in The New York Times:

Indicates the perceived lack of any real competition because the “winner” or superior choice is obvious.


sua sponte

A borrowing of Latin sua sponte (“at its own prompting; by its own impulse; of its own free will”)

uder

Decretals... ought, properly speaking, to be distinguished, on the one hand from constitutions... enacted by the Pope sua sponte without reference to any particular case, and on the other hand from rescripts... which apply only to special circumstances or individuals, and constitute no general precedent. But this nomenclature is not strictly observed.

1878, "Decretals" in the Encyclopædia Britannica, 9th ed., Vol. VII, p. 22

(law) Without prompting or suggestion; on its own initiative.


MSF

Near-synonym: M4F

(in personal ads or Internet slang) Initialism of male seeking female or masc seeking femme.


POS

Hang on, POS ... can you tell me about it later?

(Internet, text messaging) Initialism of parent over shoulder (i.e. observing the young user's conversation).


X marks the spot

From a traditional crosslike mark to indicate buried treasure.

(idiomatic) One will find what one is looking for under an obvious sign for it.


NCR

Initialism of no carbon required (of duplicating paper).


mum's the word

From mum (“silence”). Recorded since 1704.

She doesn't know anything about it yet, so mum's the word, OK?

… and that mum is the word till I give you liberty to speak

1879, Anna Katharine Green, The Leavenworth Case: A Lawyer's Story, G. P. Putnam's Sons, page 256:

“Well, does she know how you feel?” “Honestly, Charmaine, I do not even know how I feel.” “Aw. Well, you should tell her.” “I should tell no one! Can you keep this secret, Charmaine?” “Mm-hmm.” “Good. Because if you don't, I'll kill you in your sleep.” “Okay, mum's the word.”

2024 November 18, Jeremy Levick & Rajat Suresh, “March Madness” (18:44 from the start), in What We Do in the Shadows, season 6, episode 7, spoken by Charmaine Rinaldi (Marissa Jaret Winokur):

(idiomatic) Indicates that something is a secret and not to be divulged.


close but no cigar

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-close but no cigar.wav

close, but no cigar
close, but no cigar#English

Alternative form of close, but no cigar.


hand out

(baseball, slang, 1800s) a player is out


side out

(slang, baseball, dated, 19th c.) three outs.


as the actress said to the bishop

In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the occupation of actress was commonly associated with prostitute. The phrase plays on the contrasting natures of an actress or prostitute on one hand and a presumably (although possibly not actually) chaste bishop on the other.

as the bishop said to the actress (alternative)
said the actress to the bishop (alternative)
said the bishop to the actress (alternative)

Heavens, that's a big one – as the actress said to the bishop.

The important thing was where you do it, not what you do (as the actress said to the bishop)

1976, David Widgery, The Left in Britain:

"Oh, well," offered Andrews wryly, as she peeled a piece of fruit, "nothing like a hot banana — as the actress said to the bishop." She then apologized for the tacky sexual quip, explaining, "It just slipped out — as the actress said to the bishop."

1998, Timothy White, The Entertainers: portraits of stardom in the twentieth century:

He has, as the actress said to the bishop, been an unconscionably long time coming,[…]

1999, Michael Sprinker, Ghostly demarcations: a symposium on Jacques Derrida's Spectres of Marx:

(UK, humorous) Used to highlight a sexual ambiguity in an innocent remark.


ITA

(Internet slang, text messaging) Initialism of I totally agree.


all your base are belong to us

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-all your base are belong to us.wav

Mistranslation of Japanese 君達の基地は、全てCATSがいただいた (literally “we (CATS) have taken all of your bases”). This grammatically incorrect "Engrish" phrase originated in the English subtitles of the 1991 European Sega Mega Drive version of the 1989 Japanese arcade game Zero Wing and became a catchphrase and meme on the Internet in the early 2000s.

der

君達の基地は、全てCATSがいただいた

(Internet slang, humorous) Used to tout victory over an opponent, or simply as a humorous catchphrase.


senso stricto

The direct effect of a treaty provision is usually defined senso stricto, as the creation of rights in favour of individuals which they can invoke before their national courts, without need for domestic measures of implementation.

1998, Anne-Marie Slaughter, The European Court and National Courts: Doctrine & Jurisprudence: Legal Change in its Social Context:


Lord willing and the creek don't rise

En-au-Lord willing and the creek don't rise.ogg

Statements of the form "God/Lord willing and (some other condition being met)" are ancient extensions of simple acceptance of God's will in phrases like God willing and Lord willing. "Creek" originated as a reference to creeks flooding and preventing travel, but is sometimes re-interpreted as a reference to the Creek tribe.

Lord willing and the creek don't rise, we'll have that new barn finished in time for the harvest.

(idiomatic, US, informal) Barring unforeseen circumstances.


DW

(Internet slang, text messaging) Initialism of don't worry.


not the end of the world

Don't worry; it's not the end of the world if he doesn't attend.

(idiomatic) (It's of) minor importance, at least not as important as it first seemed.


there oughtta be a law

there ought to be a law
there ought to be a law#English

Pronunciation spelling of there ought to be a law.


TINC

(Internet slang) Initialism of There Is No Cabal.


how do you like them apples

"Our governor has just vetoed a bill that would offer more money to our schools. How do you like them apples?"

(colloquial, rhetorical question) A question directed jestingly or mockingly at someone who has received surprising information, ridiculing or making light of the situation.

"I can't give you a raise now; if I did, this whole company would go bankrupt, and you wouldn't have a job at all. Now how do you like them apples?"

(colloquial, rhetorical question, Ireland, US) Used after an actual or proposed action with which the listener might be displeased, and also used after refuting an argument.


servabo fidem

I shall keep faith (motto of various groups).


when all is said and done

when all's said and done (alternative)
after all is said and done (alternative)

When all is said and done, you will find it is a smaller project than it appears.


join the club

You're getting poor response times? Join the club!

(idiomatic) An expression of sympathy for a shared experience.


JFYI

for your information
for your information#English

Initialism of just for your information.


if it's all the same

If it's all the same to you, I'd prefer to stay at a hotel instead of at your house.

“Well, am I goin' your way, or are you comin' mine?” he asked. “I'll come with you, if it's all the same,” said Miss Moss. And she sailed after the little yacht out of the café.

1919, Katherine Mansfield [pseudonym; Kathleen Mansfield Murry], “Pictures”, in Bliss and Other Stories, London: Constable & Company, published 1920, →OCLC, page 171:

(idiomatic) If it makes no difference; if nobody minds; if it doesn't bother anyone.


eid mubarak

From Arabic عِيد مُبَارَك (ʕīd mubārak).

bor

عِيد مُبَارَك

Arabic عِيد مُبَارَك (ʕīd mubārak)

(Islam) A customary Muslim greeting on the days of Eid ul-Adha and Eid ul-Fitr at the end of Ramadan.


BB

B.B. (alternative)
B. B. (alternative)
bb (alternative)

(Internet slang, text messaging) Abbreviation of bye bye.


tell me about it

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-tell me about it.wav

Coordinate term: you're telling me

"I guess it's a lot of work for a cop to juggle personal relationships." / "Tell me about it."

1996, J. D. Robb, Immortal in Death, page 183:

"Go sit with him. I think he's a little depressed. It's not easy to grow old." / "Tell me about it."

2007, Daniel Silva, The Secret Servant, page 364:

"We're on the Air Force family planning routine. Mitch's been out of town so much we haven't even had a chance to try and get pregnant." / "Tell me about it."

2008, Sara Rosett, Staying Home Is a Killer, page 90:

(informal) Used to express agreement and sympathy with the previous speaker’s statement.

可不是

''used to express agreement and sympathy with the previous speaker’s statement''

分かる (わかる, wakaru, literally “(I/we) understand”)


IANAL

(Internet) Initialism of I am not a lawyer.


after the jump

The World Wide Web version of after the break.

This story continues after the jump.

Used to introduce an inline advertisement in a webpage etc.


LDO

(Internet slang) Initialism of like duh obviously.


SMD

(Internet slang, vulgar) Initialism of suck my dick.


fire at will

All cruisers, fire at will! Burn their mongrel hides!

2007 September 25, Bungie, Halo 3, spoken by Rtas 'Vadum (Robert Davi), Microsoft Game Studios, Xbox 360, level/area: The Ark:

(military) Fire when ready. A command that allows troops to use weapons at their discretion and choose their own targets, allowing the individual soldier a greater freedom of timing the shot with target movement and similar.


head

pinch punch first of the month (alternative)

en-au-pinch and a punch for the first of the month.ogg

‘Pinch and a punch for the first of the month.’ I nurse my wounded arm and look down at my giggling son.
'You just hit me.'
'No I didn't. That's what you do on the first of the month.'
'Who says so?'
He looks at me exasperated.

2009, Ellie Nielsen, Buying a Piece of Paris: A Memoir, page 208:

(British, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa) Said on the first day of a new month, while pinching and punching someone as a prank (especially by children). The victim may respond with "a flick and a kick for being so quick" and the original attacker may reply with "a punch in the eye for being so sly".

It does not seem to be the Minister for the Environment's day, he has really had a pinch and a punch for the first of the month. He received a punch a few minute ago, and now he is being pinched. It is significant that the Bill is intended to come into force on 1 April next year. The Bill was promised in the Speech from the Throne. It has gone back and forth between departments, and ended up in caucus several times, ...

1981, Parliamentary Debates, New Zealand. Parliament. House of Representatives, page 3112:

Bugger, this wasn't the goods at all – this was a pinch and a punch for the first of the month. A letter in fact from Fire Commander Bruce stating that although he was in receipt of my application, neither he nor the Fire Commander of IB were certain of the Fire Service Commission's final policy for employment of women as operational firemen.

2007, Anne Barry, Playing with Fire, page 59:

(British, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand) More generally, a pair of attacks or setbacks at the start of something.


hakuna matata

From Swahili hakuna matata (“there are no problems”). Popularized in English by the 1994 Disney film The Lion King.


fingers crossed

crossed fingers (alternative)
fingers and toes crossed (alternative)

The college application is in the mail. Fingers crossed!

Used to express that one is expectant and hoping.


MOS

Disputed, with many speculative suggestions; see Wikipedia.

(film) Without a synchronous audio track.


RMS

R.M.S. (alternative)
R. M. S. (alternative)


FOAD

So which are you looking for? An apology for my opinion, or an apology for making the fatal mistake of poor political humor? ¶ FOAD if you think I'm gonna give you the former, but to be fair, I should know better than to approach OT politics in what is nominally (and normally) an anime forum.

2006 January 16, Abraham Evangelista, “Re: My anime hero is George W.Bush !!!”, in rec.arts.anime.misc (Usenet):

(Internet slang, vulgar) Initialism of fuck off and die.


FGI

(Internet slang, vulgar) Initialism of fucking Google it.


NFI

no fucking (freaking) idea
no idea#English

(Internet) Initialism of no fucking (freaking) idea, expressing lack of knowledge on the subject matter.

no fucking

Initialism of no further information, expressing lack of knowledge on the subject matter.

Speaking of the guest list, though, it is most disappointing to find some of the third tier European princelings unable to hide their bitterness at being NFI.

2011 April 23, Marina Hyde, The Guardian:

(slang) Initialism of not fucking invited.


RTFA

Derived from the initialism RTFM, which was originally used in the context of Usenet.

(Internet slang) Initialism of read the fucking article.

(military) Initialism of ready team fire assist.


I tell a lie

I visited Canada in 1996—no, I tell a lie, in 1997.

(chiefly British, idiomatic) I am mistaken; I thought that what I said (or wrote) was true, but I have just realised that it is not.


STHU

(slang, Internet slang) Initialism of shut the hell up: emphatic form of shut up.


NN

No name, an unreleased song without an official title

(Internet) Netscape Navigator, a former web browser


FU

Rodney’s English was pretty basic that first year, but, according to Elesin, their face said FU, no translation needed.

2021, Isabel Waidner, Sterling Karat Gold, Peninsula Press, page 133:


DK

Alternative form: dk

(Internet slang, text messaging) Abbreviation of don't know.


OK yah

(British, upper class) an affirmative response


therein lies the rub

A misquotation or paraphrasing from Shakespeare's Hamlet: "ay, there's the rub".

there lies the rub (alternative)
there is the rub (alternative)

I tried to back up my database to a USB flash drive, but it isn't big enough. Therein lies the rub.

That is where the problem is found or located.


bit by a barn mouse

bitten by a barn mouse (alternative)
bitten by a barn weasel (alternative)
bit by a barn weasel (alternative)

(UK, obsolete, dialect, idiomatic) tipsy; slightly drunk


chin up

Chin up: it’s your birthday.


all systems go

Originally used in the aerospace industry to indicate preparedness to launch.

startam gatavs

everything is ready in the aerospace industry


GSTQ

God Save the Queen
God Save the Queen#English


every man for himself

كُلّ رَجُل لِنَفْسِهِ

forget about comradeship; save yourselves!

Coordinate term: every woman for herself

Men, you have done your full duty. You can do no more. Abandon your cabin. Now it's every man for himself.

1955, Walter Lord, quoting RMS Titanic Captain Edward Smith, A Night to Remember, page 86:

(nautical) A command, issued in case of shipwreck, that crew members are relieved of all duties and should try to save themselves.

(figurative) An expression of indifference, describing or advocating selfishness, lack of comradeship etc.


SOKOP

Acronym of sounds OK on paper: something that sounds like a good idea when read about, but is actually not of any practical use when trying to implement it.


I wish

- I don't know how I'm going to afford all these Christmas presents.
- Maybe you'll win the lottery and become a millionaire overnight.
- I wish!

(idiomatic, colloquial) Used to express the speaker's wish that the preceding statement were true

Had ik maar veel geld. – If only I had lots of money!

or use auxiliary hebben with inversion and maar

(conditional sentence + ii noni (nā)) -ばいいのになあ (-ba ii noni nā)


you wish

"When I grow up, I'm going to be a superhero!" / "Huh, you wish!"

"They can't bench me. I'm the best shooter on the team." / "You wish!"

(idiomatic, colloquial, somewhat derogatory, often sarcastic) Used to express the speaker's skepticism about a preceding statement concerning some desired or assumed state of affairs.

你想呀！

(idiomatic, colloquial) used to express the speaker's skepticism about a preceding statement concerning some desired or assumed state of affairs


don't knock yourself out

I'll get round to it soonish. — Well, don't knock yourself out!

(idiomatic, ironic) Don't overexert yourself (in doing something that does not require much effort).


and all that

She listens to punk rock, screamo, death metal and all that.

Harry Maguire's angry protests at not being awarded a corner gave those Welsh fans behind the goal immense pleasure. Small victories, and all that.

2022 November 29, Ian Mitchelmore, “Wales put out of World Cup misery by England as sobering tournament must signal changing of the guard”, in WalesOnline:

(informal) Used at the end of a statement to insinuate that there is more information that can be inferred from the preceding.


semper fi

(US military) Abbreviation of semper fidelis.


IYKWIM

if you know what I mean
if you know what I mean#English

(Internet slang, text messaging) Initialism of if you know what I mean.


WLTM

Outgoing, loving, sincere lady, early 50s, brunette, 5’4”, H/W proportionate, enjoys dancing, movies, much more. WLTM loving, employed, nice man, 45-62, with similar interests to share something special.

2007 February 23, “The New Phoenix Dating Page”, in The Boston Phoenix, volume 36, number 8, Boston, Mass.: The Phoenix Media/Communications Group, page 33:

(in personal ads) Initialism of would like to meet.


DBEYR

2000, Netrunner, in alt.fan.blade-runner http://groups.google.com/group/alt.fan.blade-runner/msg/3bf6f64035d142cd?dmode=source&hl=en
Then there is the WP. And of course rumours and hearsay about various other versions that may or may not have actually been shown in cinemas, (but DBEYR).

O BTW!! Greg MacLean made a believer out of most of the so called pros by winning the B.A.S.S. Eastern Division Invitational in Jan. 11-13 on Lake Okeechobee,FL. using crankbaits on 8# test line. 44 lbs 4 oz. One was a 9lb 4oz beauty!! DBEYR!

2001, Abe Watson, rec.outdoors.fishing.bass (Usenet):

2002, Jay Random, in rec.arts.books.tolkien,alt.fan.tolkien http://groups.google.com/group/alt.fan.tolkien/msg/eef8b6a23f87c23a?dmode=source
DBEYR. There is zero evidence of how people actually learnt to make cloth, as it was invented long before the invention of written records -- so long ago that not even oral traditions on that subject have survived.

(Internet slang) Initialism of don't believe everything you read.

if you believe everything you read, better not to read


SLAGIATT

Initialism of seemed like a good idea at the time.


who ate all the pies

Who ate all the pies? Who ate all the pies? You fat bastard, you fat bastard, you ate all the pies. Loser!

(British, soccer, colloquial, derogatory, rhetorical question) Used pejoratively against a fat person.


have it your way

OK, have it your way: format the hard disk and see what happens.

(idiomatic) Do something the way you want to, but be prepared for the consequences.


RAFO

(fandom slang) Acronym of read and find out.


if pigs had wings

An ellipsis (anapodoton) of if pigs had wings they would fly


head in the clouds

(figurative, usually with have or with) Used to indicate that a person is distracted or disconnected from the present situation or reality in general.

"Wife, I've a grave suspicion!" said Mahony, and took her by the chin. "While I've sat here with my head in the clouds, you've been worrying over ways and means, and over having such an unpractical old dreamer for a husband. Now, child, that won't do. I didn't marry to have my girl puzzling her little brains where her next day's dinner was to come from. Away with you, to your stitching! Things will be all right, trust to me."

1917, Henry Handel Richardson, chapter III, in Australia Felix, part III:

She was also one of the few girls without her head in the clouds.

1994, Roy F. Baumeister, Sara R. Wotman, Breaking Hearts: The Two Sides of Unrequited Love, page 72:

No one ever expected him to work; he would see his little sister stooping under the weight of the great milk-pails, and never think of helping her; he lived with his head in the clouds, but his father said, "Let him alone, he'll be a great man some day."

1860, “A Legend of the Aryan Race”, in Charles Dickens, editor, All the Year Round, volumes 3-4, page 211:

(figurative, usually with have or with) Used to indicate that a person has fantastic or impractical dreams.


price is right

Usage began in the second half of the 1900s.

The price is right for this used car.

The Government has thrown a lifeline to Alstom's Derby Works, with an offer of an order for ten Class 345 nine-car electric multiple units (EMUs) for the Elizabeth line - but only if the 'price is right'.

2024 May 1, Mel Holley, “Network News: Elizabeth line '345s' offer a lifeline for Derby Works”, in RAIL, number 1008, page 8:

(idiomatic) The cost of a thing is reasonable and represents good value.


TLDR

(chiefly Internet slang) Alternative form of tl;dr.


PCMCIA

(computing, humorous, from the above) Initialism of people can't memorize computer industry acronyms.


dear Sir

dear sir (alternative)
dear Sir or Madam (alternative)
dear Sir/Madam (alternative)
dear Sirs (alternative)
dear sirs (alternative)
Dear Sirs or Madams (alternative)

Dear Sir, You will recently have received...

(dated) Used as the salutation at the beginning of a formal letter when addressing persons – assumed to be male – of unknown names.


fare thee well

/ˌfɛː(ɹ)ðiː ˈwɛl/

/ˌfɛə(ɹ)ðiː ˈwɛl/

[ˌfɛɚ ðiˑ ˈwɛl]

General American, Mary–marry–merry merger

[ˌfɛɹ ðiˑ ˈwɛl]

I muſt not heare thee, fare thee wel kind maide,[…].

c. 1604–1605 (date written), William Shakespeare, “All’s Well, that Ends Well”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i], page 236, column 1:


Eddie would go

Named after Hawaiian waterman Eddie Aikau (1946–1978).

named-after

Just imagine what it must feel like to make it out of one of those Teahupoo tubes? ¶ *THAT'S* why we continue our quest and challenge. ¶ Eddie would go. ¶ (and we're right behind you Eddie)

2000 April 27, m@rk, “Re: Whats it worth?”, in alt.surfing (Usenet):

We'd bodysurf Pounders, north shore areas, Pupukea... I remember dolphins ( or would that be porpoises?) alongside us in most every wave, which would many times drop us onto the sand with a thud, knocking the wind outa us! Then, like the hardy keiki o ka aina buggahs we were, go right back in for more punishment! Eddie would go, and so, to an extent would us keiki!

2000 August 16, Alkahuna Kekaula Kamauoha, “Re: Screened Lanais/Porches?”, in soc.culture.hawaii (Usenet):

While they debated over the safety of the surfers, big-wave maverick Mark Foo looked out into the maelstrom of waves and whitewater and nonchalantly told one cameraman, “Eddie would go.” The saying stuck, and it eventually became popular in the Islands and in the international board-riding community.

[2002, Stuart Holmes Coleman, Eddie Would Go: The Story of Eddie Aikau, Hawaiian Hero and Pioneer of Big Wave Surfing, New York, NY: St. Martin's Press, →ISBN, page 255:

I guess we could've easily called it a day and left, but when you drive an hour to surf, you gotta go. Eddie would go, right? OK, maybe not in waist-high slop with fifty-degree air and water temps, but, I mean, like, if he were a NH surfer, he would go, wouldn't he?

2002 June 16, Atticus Fisher, “Surf Report: Finding Gems In Shit”, in alt.surfing (Usenet):

(Hawaii, surfing) Said of challenging surfing conditions, often as an encouragement.


no wucking furries

Spoonerism of no + fucking (“used as an intensive”) + worries.

A black doctor using his skills to save a dying 'KKK member on the operating table' somehow is the same as some cheap whore lawyer doing a deal with an internationally convicted criminal organisation, saying "Yeah, no wucking furries, I'll have your money, spends good to me ! "

2000 November 29, Nick S, “My Web Site Crunched”, in aus.censorship (Usenet):

“Thank you so much,” said Johnson. / “No worries,” said the barman. / “No wucking furries,” said Tim.

2007, Philip Bryer, None of Your Business, page 28:

The formal bureaucratic style jarred my ears and reminded me that I was indeed home, no wucking furries!

2008, Peter Carey, 30 Days in Sydney, page 7:

(Australia, humorous, slang, vulgar) No worries, no problems; used to express acknowledgment or agreement.


and counting

This online dictionary has 100,000 articles — and counting.

Hurry up: the train leaves in three minutes. No, two minutes and counting!

(idiomatic) used to show that the number previously mentioned is continuously changing, i.e. increasing or decreasing


no dice

A term used in the game craps when the dice land off the table, invalidating the throw.

(idiomatic) An unacceptable alternative.

We looked all over the house for it. No dice.

The board considered the proposal at the meeting, but no dice for now.

I′m a-gonna raise a fuss, I'm a-gonna raise a holler / About a-workin′ all summer just-a tryin' to earn a dollar / Every time I call my baby, try to get a date / My boss says "No dice son, you gotta work late"

1958, Cochran, Ray Edward, Capehart, Jerry Neil, “Summertime Blues” (vinyl), performed by Cochran, Ray Edward, Liberty Records, →OCLC, B-side "Love Again":

(informal) Used to express a negative outcome or decision.


yada yada yada

Lenny Bruce
Oscar Hammerstein II
Richard Rodgers
Seinfeld
The Yada Yada

Probably influenced by (or perhaps an alteration of) yatter or yatata; perhaps onomatopoeic of blather; or perhaps derived from the Norwegian expression jada, jada which has a similar pronunciation and interpretation. Sometimes popularly attributed to Yiddish, but this is dismissed by etymologists.
"Yatter, yatter" is British (specifically Scots) English for "continuous chatter, rambling and persistent talk, nagging". S. R. Crockett, The Men of the Moss-Hags (1895) xxix: "The woman's yatter, yatter easily vexed me." Yadder is a Cumberland word meaning "to talk incessantly; to chatter".
Various variant forms appear in the US 1940s–60s; for example, the 1947 American musical Allegro by Oscar Hammerstein II and Richard Rodgers contains a song called “Yatata, Yatata, Yatata,” about cocktail party chatter; see talk page for additional citations.
The phrase "yadda yadda" was first popularized by the comedian Lenny Bruce in his standup bit "Father Flotsky's Triumph," the closing track on his 1961 album "Lenny Bruce - American." It gained renewed popularity in the US in the late 1990s on the television show Seinfeld, where it appears as a catchphrase, initially in Season 8, Episode 19, entitled “The Yada Yada”, originally aired on April 24, 1997, which centers on the phrase (in the duplicative “yada yada” form).

yada, yada, yada (alternative)
yadda yadda yadda (alternative)
yadda, yadda, yadda (alternative)
yadi-yadi-ya (alternative)
yadi yadi yada (alternative)

I’m talking country codes, asbestos firewalls, yada yada yada.

1981 January 5, The Washington Post, page B1:


gtg

(Internet slang) Initialism of got to go (as a form of farewell).


see you later

Ellipsis of I will see you later or I hope to see you later.

(idiomatic) A phrase used at parting, and not necessarily implying that the person being addressed will be seen later by the speaker.


MIP

Initialism of multum in parvo (“much in little”).


BTDTBTTS

From the idea of buying a T-shirt at a tourist spot in order to show others that one has been to that spot.

been there, done that (alternative)
been there, done that, got the T-shirt (alternative)
BTDTGTTS (alternative)

been there, done that, bought the T-shirt#English

(Internet slang, humorous) Initialism of been there, done that, bought the T-shirt.


head

en-au-been there, done that, bought the T-shirt.ogg

(idiomatic, humorous) Expresses the speaker's complete familiarity with a situation, with overtones of cynicism or exhaustion.


been there, done that, got the T-shirt

en-au-been there, done that, got the T-shirt.ogg

1) From the idea of getting a T-shirt for an accomplishment, at a sport tournament for example.
2) From the idea of getting a T-shirt at a tourist spot in order to show others that one has been to that spot.

been there, done that (alternative)
BTDTBTTS (alternative)

(idiomatic, humorous) Alternative form of been there, done that, bought the T-shirt.


when push comes to shove

He is not a particularly talented builder, but when push comes to shove, he can usually get the job done.

While most chose at that time either to disband or to join the APC rally several blocks north in McPherson Park, several hundred mostly young DC-area blacks and a sizable number of militant Palestinians continued to demand their right to confront the Klan. Push somehow came to shove and the face-off began. Several hours of street fighting followed.

1982 December 18, David France, “Protests Drive Klan Rally Out Of Washington”, in Gay Community News, volume 10, number 22, page 1:

"We've demonstrated that when push comes to shove, we can be really fast, we can be agile, we can do things more slickly.

2020 May 20, Andrew Haines talks to Stefanie Foster, “Repurpose rail for the 2020s”, in Rail, page 35:

(figuratively, idiomatic) When the pressure is on; when the situation is critical or urgent; when the time has come for action, even if it is difficult.

όταν τα πράγματα φτάνουν στο απροχώρητο

ótan ta prágmata ftánoun sto aprochórito


when the chips are down

From the game of poker, in which chips laid down on the table are staked.

He wasn't a very talented musician but, when the chips were down, he played well.

When the chips are down, you need to make tough decisions.

The armed forces of North Korea, which borders on and is allied with Russian Manchuria, marched into the U. S.-sponsored South Korea Republic over the week-end — and the chips are down for American prestige throughout the Far East.

1950 June 26, Alex H. Washburn, “Korea — Sound of War”, in Hope Star, volume 51, number 214, Hope, Ark., page 1, column 1:

They say that when the chips are down, girl
Your love won't stay so long, my friend
But they don't know that your sweet loving, babe
Has been around through thick and thin

1968 December 8, Henry Cosby, Sylvia Moy, Stevie Wonder, “I’d Be a Fool Right Now”, in For Once in My Life, performed by Stevie Wonder, Tamla Records:

“Lucian and Monte basically said to me, ‘Whatever you turn in, we will be proud to put out. We give you 100% creative freedom and trust.’” It was exactly what she needed to hear most when the chips were down.

2023 December 6, Sam Lansky, “Person of Year 2023 : Taylor Swift”, in Time:

(idiomatic) When the pressure is on; when the situation is urgent or critical.


hasta la vista

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-hasta la vista.wav

1991 July 3, James Cameron and William Wisher Jr., “Terminator 2”, “Judgment Day”, Lightstorm Entertainment
John Connor: And if you want to shine them on it's "hasta la vista, baby."
The Terminator: Hasta la vista, baby.


YBYSAIA

(Canada, US, slang) Initialism of you bet your sweet ass I am: a strong affirmative response.


wwwww

(mathematics) Abbreviation of which was what we/was wanted (used at the end of a proof).


FTW

(Internet slang) Initialism of for those wondering.


go fuck oneself

You ate all the cake and you want me to make more? Go fuck yourself.

(slang, vulgar, derogatory, offensive, dismissal) To go to hell, to get lost.


DES

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-DES.wav

Delivered Ex Ship
Delivered Ex Ship#English

(Incoterm) Initialism of Delivered Ex Ship.


of a

He always used to dine at my father's house of a Sunday.

1839, John Gibson Lockhart, Memoirs of the Life of Sir Walter Scott, Bart:

So, next time they come to me of a morning and ask the same question, what do you think my answer might be?

2008, Kim Patrick, Rewarding Good Behavior in Children:

(dated, now dialectal, idiomatic) on every; in the (followed by a noun indicating a certain time)


rumour has it

rumour has it (simple past rumour had it)

rumour had it (past)
rumor has it (alternative)

Rumour has it Joe is looking for a new job.

Rumour has it that a new luxury lounge car design is also under discussion at the moment.

1964 July, “XP64: New Standard Carriage Project”, in Modern Railways, page 2:

“Why bother with the daily grind when you can go to Mosul, get paid $400 a month, get a wife – and live an Islamic way,” went an exchange between two men overheard by a fellow passenger in a taxi. Rumour has it that a woman whose husband died fighting with Isis now receives a generous widow’s pension from jihadi coffers.

2014 November 27, Ian Black, “Courts kept busy as Jordan works to crush support for Isis”, in The Guardian:


rumor has it

(American spelling) Alternative spelling of rumour has it.


what the hell

Shortened from earlier what in the hell.

What the hell is going on?

What the hell is that?!

What the hell did you do?

What the hell is this?!

What the hell is happening?!

What the hell are you?!

What the hell is it?!

What the hell happened here?

What the hell do you want?

What the hell is wrong with you?!

What the hell do you think you're doing!?

What the hell was that?!

What the hell is with you?!

What the hell was this!?

What the hell is all this!?

What the hell is all that!?

(mildly vulgar, slang) An intensive form of what.

一体全体なんだ？

いったいぜんたいなんだ？

It’s expensive, but what the hell, you only live once.

Surprisingly, dieters ate more ice cream after eating a large milkshake than after eating a small one. Dr. Polivy calls this the “What the hell” effect, which she describes as thinking “What the hell, my diet’s already broken, so I might as well eat everything in sight.”

i have had my ups and downs / but wotthehell wotthehell / yesterday sceptres and crowns / fried oysters and velvet gowns / and today i herd with bums / but wotthehell wotthehell

1927, Don Marquis, “song of mehitabel”, in archy and mehitabel:

Then one afternoon he pounced on me and before one could say Jack Robinson his hand was in my shirt. He was so strong! I struggled but his hand kept fishing about in my bra. Then I suddenly thought, “Oh jimminy cricket, what the hell” and gave up the struggle. It was extraordinary, the feeling.

1964, Robin Douglas-Home, chapter 12, in Hot for Certainties, London: Longmans, →OCLC, page 135:

(mildly vulgar, slang) Indicating acceptance, indulgence, or insouciance: Why not? Who cares?


what the heck

So there, I know, was somebody or a combination of somebodys who did not know what the heck they were doing or dealing with.

1974, United States. Congress. House. Committee on Agriculture, Agriculture and the Fuel Crisis: Hearings..., page 88:

- Eggman: What else? I shall take Gizoid back and fulfill my plans to take over the world! Once I have Gizoid acquire my ultimate weapon, "Final Egg Blaster,"… I’ll be able to use it as my final weapon of destruction!!
- Knuckles: What the heck is the "Final Egg Blaster"?!

2003, Sonic Team, Sonic Battle, Sega, published 2003, Game Boy Advance, level/area: Knuckles’ Story:


and so on

Put things where you will use them: sponges next to the sink, knives next to the cutting board, and so on.

The dirty secret of the internet is that all this distraction and interruption is immensely profitable. Web companies like to boast about "creating compelling content", or offering services that let you "stay up to date with what your friends are doing", "share the things you love with the world" and so on.

2013 June 21, Oliver Burkeman, “The tao of tech”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 2, page 27:

[…] It could ensure that the labour force is on board with a scheme to make the railways a key area of skills development - not just in engineering, but in other aspects of railway operation, just as it was under BR. And so on. But at the moment, all we are hearing are vague plans to 'renationalise the railways', whereas what is needed is a well-worked-out strategy for a public-owned railway.

2023 March 8, Christian Wolmar, “Labour passes up the chance to deliver a forceful rail policy”, in RAIL, number 978, page 35:

(idiomatic) Used to indicate that a list continues in a similar manner.


and so forth

→ Indonesian: ensopor

Dates back at least to Old English and swā forþ.

Don't forget to pack weather items appropriate for the climate: sunscreen, rain gear, and so forth.

[David] Wain packs They Came Together with supporting characters, most of them variations on stock rom-com archetypes—the exes, the siblings, the co-workers, the yuppie parents, and so forth.

2014 June 26, A. A. Dowd, “Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler Spoof Rom-com Clichés in They Came Together”, in The A.V. Club, archived from the original on 2017-12-07:

(idiomatic) Indicates that a list continues in a similar manner.

dhe kështu

indicates that a list continues in a similar manner


happy holidays

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

In the United States people say Happy Holidays to include all people on the earth: the Jewish people Celebrating Hanukah, Africans celebrating Kwanza, Middle Eastern people celebrating Eid, Christians celebrating Christmas, […]

2009, Ruben Santos Claveria, Holiday Songs and Kisses: Christmas Songs And other Poems:

Madeleine Mayfair, What Should I Write? 101 Holiday Wishes for Greeting Cards
Season's greetings and happy holidays!

(Canada, US, Philippines) A greeting used during the Christmas and winter holiday season to recognize the celebration of many holidays, sometimes starting with Thanksgiving and including Hanukkah, the winter solstice, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and New Year's Day.


easy come, easy go

They took $200 with them into the casino, and regarded their winnings as easy come, easy go.

Ridin' high when I was king / Played it hard and fast cause I had everything / Walked away, wonderin' then / But easy come and easy go and it would end

1967, Bob Gaudio, Peggy Farina, “Beggin'”, performed by The Four Seasons:

I'm just a poor boy, I need no sympathy / Because I'm easy come, easy go / Little high, little low

1975, Freddie Mercury, “Bohemian Rhapsody”, performed by Queen:

(idiomatic) Easily won and easily lost (usually said when resigned to a loss; something that comes in the same way, goes in the same way)

lehce nabyl, lehce pozbyl

easily won and easily lost; usually said when resigned to a loss

ti nalaka ti pannakasapulna, nalaka met ti pannakapukawna

an rud a fhaightear go bog caitear go bog é

vse veselje hitro mine, vsaka sreča hitro zgine


but who's counting

There are only 258 more shopping days until Christmas, but who's counting?

You've made that mistake eight times now. But who's counting?

I've been looking for a job for six months now, but who's counting?

(colloquial, rhetorical question, sarcastic, humorous) Used as a retort or comeback, often to deprecate oneself or another for excessive concern or attention to detail.


pp.

Alternative forms: per pro, p.p.

per procurationem
per procurationem#English


about to

He's standing at the edge, and I think he's about to jump.

She seemed about to say something.

And when Paul was now about to open his mouth, Gallio said unto the Jews, If it were a matter of wrong or wicked lewdness, O ye Jews, reason would that I should bear with you:

1769, King James Bible, Oxford Standard text, Acts of the Apostles, xviii, 14

I was about to say that I had known the Celebrity from the time he wore kilts. But I see I will have to amend that, because he was not a celebrity then, nor, indeed, did he achieve fame until some time after I left New York for the West.

1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter I, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:

I had travelled one morning down to Aylesbury, and had left my train, and was about to cross the footbridge, when I heard the imperious whistle of a "B1." I paused, and round the bend came the "Master Cutler" with its engine working absolutely flat out.

1955 April, W. J. Alcock, “Unforgettable Moments”, in Railway Magazine, page 271:

(idiomatic, with infinitive verb) Indicates something that will happen very soon; indicates action that is imminent; ready to; went to

I'm not about to let the lockdown stop me from going to the beach every day.

I'm not about to wander around at night to find it.

(as negative 'not about to', informal, originally US, Canada) Indicates that one has no intention of doing the stated thing at any time in the future.

(obsolete in affirmative) Indicates that one is preparing or planning to do the stated thing at some time in the future, not necessarily imminently.

عَلَى وَشْك

followed by a verbal noun in the definite form

(for both forms, particle 了 (le) is used after verb) 就要 (jiùyào)

(expressed by the future participle of the verb)

fifth infinitive of the verb (different grammatical structure; see usage example in tekemäisillään)

ketinti (verb 'intend to, be about to' + inf.)

verb + འགྲོའོ ('gro'o)/གྲབས (grabs) (colloquial/literary) + existential auxiliary ཡོད (yod)/ཡོད་རེད (yod red)/འདུག ('dug) (egophoric/assertive/testimonial)

verb + ཆོག་ཆོག (chog chog) (in the sense of readiness or preparedness)


one's lips are sealed

You're talking a lot / But you're not saying anything / When I have nothing to say / My lips are sealed

1977, Talking Heads, “Psycho Killer”, in Talking Heads: 77:

(idiomatic) One will not tell anyone else; one is keeping a secret.


ihn

(Internet, text messaging) Initialism of I hope not.


stick 'em up

A command stereotypically given by robbers, particularly when pointing a gun: Put your hands in the air! Surrender!


what's your phone number

Asks the interlocutor to give their phone number for subsequent communication.

電話番号は何ですか

でんわばんごうはなんですか

haaʼishaʼ nibéésh bee haneʼé bee shił hólneʼ?

ขอเบอร์หน่อย

kɔ̌ɔ bəə nɔ̀i


how old are you

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-how old are you.wav

Literally: What is your age in years?

Jack: (laughing at infantile humor)

Jill: How old are you?

(impolite) Used to question the mental age (maturity) of the interlocutor.

汝幾歲囉？ /汝几岁啰？

lí kúi hè--lo͘? / lí kúi hèr--lo͘? / lí kúi hòe--lo͘? / lí kúi hè--lo͘h? / lí kúi hèr--lo͘h? / lí kúi hòe--lo͘h?

คุณอายุเท่าไร (kun aa-yú tâo-rai) (add particle ครับ (kráp) for male speaker or คะ (ká) for female speaker to sound more polite, skip or adjust pronoun คุณ (kun, “you”) to the appropriate level)

bạn bao nhiêu tuổi? (replace bạn with an appropriate pronoun)


how old are you

Word by word translation of Chinese 怎麼老是你？/怎么老是你？ (Zěnme lǎoshì nǐ?, “Why is it always you?”)

zh-m

怎麼老是你？/怎么老是你？

(China, humorous) Why is it always you? You again?


where are you from

In which country or region were you born or raised?

haʼshį́į́ nandá?

in which country or region were you born or raised


how's the weather

(by extension, idiomatic) Indicating a change of subject to unimportant topics.


excuse me

请阁讲一摆

pháiⁿ-sè, chhiáⁿ koh kóng chi̍t-pái / phái-sè, chhiáⁿ koh kóng chi̍t-pái

什物？

sím-mi̍h? / sím-mi? / sím-mih? / sīm-mi̍h? / sám-mi̍h?

(Canada, US) Said as a request to repeat information.

It was so hot I took off my clothes and sat by the window to cool off.
Excuse me?

(Canada, US) Said, as though as a request to repeat information, in order to indicate disbelief or indignation.

Excuse me? Anna? Is that you? — Oh, yes. I am here!

2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)

Said as a request for an individual's attention.

Excuse me: can I get through please?

Oh, excuse me, I hadn't realized how late it was. I need to get home and make dinner.

(formal) Said as an expression of unexpected or early farewell.


(Internet slang, text messaging) thank you.


wouldn't you know it

Wouldn't you know it! I left my wallet at home.

(informal) Expresses dismay or annoyance, especially at misfortune.


there and back

Possibly a shortening of to there and back.

It took me about 20 minutes there and back.

You don't need to tell me about depression. I've been there and back.

(idiomatic) On or for a round trip journey, literal or figurative.

sinne ja takaisin

on or for a round trip journey (literal)

sinne ja takaisin

on or for a round trip journey (figurative)

проходи́ли

already covered (as in a school program)


she'll be right

she’ll be right (canonical)
she'll be all right (alternative)
she'll be alright (alternative)

/ʃɪəl bi ɹʌɪt/

So there’s shuffling, like, and a bit o’ coughing and spitting, and someone else says: ‘She’ll be right, mate. She’s on her way if you’ll hang on a tick. You’re at the party.’

1988, Janette Turner Hospital, Charades, page 77:

“Nah, she’ll be right. You go.”
“You’ll have to start mixing with the others at some point, you know.”
“It’s not just that, I got homework to do. Gotta catch up.”

2001, Anthony Eaton, A New Kind of Dreaming, page 122:

In a whisper, I suggested to Ian that we reattach the winch cable to a tree in the clearing, but of course his reply was, “Naaahh, she’ll be right, mate.”

2010, Robin Easton, Naked in Eden: My Adventure and Awakening in the Australian Rainforest, page 77:

(idiomatic, Australia, New Zealand, colloquial) OK, no problem, everything will be all right.


IDK

IDK what you're talking about.

(Internet slang, text messaging) Initialism of I don't know.


pull the other one, it's got bells on

En-us-pull the other one, it's got bells on.oga

As an extension of the phrase pull someone's leg—now that you've pulled one leg, pull the other one.

Is he going to study integrals? Pull the other one, it's got bells on—he can't even do basic multiplication.

(UK, idiomatic, humorous) Expresses disbelief.


GFY

go fuck yourself
go fuck yourself#English

(Internet slang, vulgar) Initialism of go fuck yourself.

(Internet slang) Initialism of good for you (ironically).

(Internet slang) Initialism of gay for you.


IITYWYBAD

The signs on cards, picked out with shining mica: Pies Like Mother Used to Make. Credit Makes Enemies, Let's Be Friends. Ladies May Smoke But Be Careful Where You Lay Your Butts. Eat Here and Keep Your Wife for a Pet. IITYWYBAD?

1939, John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath, published 2014, page 160:

I saw a tank one day with the cabalistic letters "IITYWYBAD" on its side, and wondered if it were the name of some South Pacific Campaign or battleground; later I learned that it meant […]

1995, William J. Leonard, Where thousands fell, page 85:

Initialism of if I tell you, will you buy another drink?.


I don't understand

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-I don't understand.wav

Indicates that the speaker is not understanding the current subject or situation.

我𣍐曉聽 /我𫧃晓听

góa bōe-hiáu thiaⁿ / góa bǒe-hiáu thiaⁿ / góa bē-hiáu thiaⁿ


do you speak English

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-do you speak English.wav

Asks the interlocutor whether or not they are able to speak in the English language.

англыз бызшәа жәдыруама?

do you speak English? (English specifically)

sler angliysliylep kuučïndap turganar ba?

слер английслийлеп куучындап турганар ба?

bạn có nói được tiếng Anh không? (generic, replace bạn with other pronouns depending on the speakers' relationship, anh, chị, bà)

praat jy Afrikaans?

do you speak...? (fill with the name of the current foreign language)

你識唔識講廣東話？ /你识唔识讲广东话？

nei⁵ sik¹ m⁴ sik¹ gong² gwong² dung¹ waa⁶⁻²

parles-tu français ? parlez-vous français

biasa kayong magsalitang kapampangan na?


you shouldn't have

Abbreviated from full sentence with verb, such as "you shouldn't have gone through all that trouble" or "you shouldn't have spent so much money".

What a lovely vase! You shouldn't have!

(idiomatic) Used to express gratitude at unnecessary generosity, especially when receiving a gift.

你太客氣了 /你太客气了

used to express gratitude at unnecessary generosity


and how

Did it create a disruption? And how!

It created a disruption, and how.

However, just as Wenger was preparing to introduce Andrey Arshavin and Tomas Rosicky, Van Persie struck - and how.

2011 December 10, David Ornstein, “Arsenal 1 - 0 Everton”, in BBC Sport:

Liverpool have resembled a shadow of their real selves this season. The old guarantees, such as intensity and firepower, have been missing far too often.
They all returned here - and how - in the most spectacular manner as Manchester United, who have been undergoing a revival this season, were blown away by a team in full cry.

2023 March 5, Phil McNulty, “Liverpool 7-0 Manchester United”, in BBC Sport:

(idiomatic) Used to strongly confirm the preceding utterance.


no biggie

It's no biggie. It should only take five minutes to make a new one.

My teeth are, like, too small / But no biggie / It's so awesome

1982, Frank Zappa, Moon Zappa, “Valley Girl”, in Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch:

(idiomatic, colloquial) Synonym of no big deal: not important, not something to worry about.


the fuck

Perhaps modelled after the hell, short for in the hell as in "What in the hell, ...".

да еба

vulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns

So the man didn't like publicity; so the fuck what?

2010 January 28, Stephen Metcalf, “Salinger’s Genius”, in Slate, New York, N.Y.: The Slate Group, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-11-21:

"Let me get you a glass!" she beams, then drags me to the adjacent room to see her press officer, hairdresser and makeup artist tucking into food and fizz. "Look at this!" she says, mock-appalled at the scene. "Seriously, what the fuck is this about?"

2011 April 29, Tim Jonze, quoting Cat Deeley, “Nerdy but nice”, in Alan Rusbridger, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-11-15:

Poland is depressing and there's vampires in Romania. Spain is far too hot and where the fuck is Lithuania?

2016 June 19, “Brexit” (14:33 from the start), in Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, season 3, episode 16, via HBO:

interrogative pronoun
interrogative pronoun#Noun

(vulgar, slang) Used with an interrogative pronoun as an intensifier to express anger, frustration, incredulity, or other strong emotion.

Shut the fuck up!

Get the fuck out!

Calm the fuck down!

Back the fuck off!

Stay the fuck away from me!

Hurry the fuck up.

Let's get the fuck to work.

“Get the fuck out of my house!” Sinclair bellowed, his face red, eyes bulging.

2004, Pun Plamondon, Lost from the Ottawa, page 84:

Ponytail tells fat boy, Drive the fuck off, get us out of here. He keeps the window down, still death-staring, You mine, motherfucker, wait and see, at Mickie.

2007, Ron Liebman, Death by Rodrigo, New York: Simon & Schuster, →ISBN, page 134:

(vulgar, slang) Used after verbs forming a part of a phrasal verb as an intensifier to imply aggressive emphasis.

да го еба

vulgar: intensifier forming part of a phrasal verb

The fuck did you come from?

The fuck do you know all of this!?

The fuck was that?

The fuck you think you are?!

The fuck?

(said incredulously; also as what the fuck?)

(vulgar, slang, by ellipsis) Used as a shortened form of the common interrogative phrases.

—Mom, I'm going out with my friends tonight. —The fuck you are!

‘You're not a self-respecting person.’
‘The fuck I ain't,’ the kid said.

1997, Robert Stone, Dog Soldiers, page 88:

(vulgar, slang) Used to emphatically express that something isn't true.

I'm feeling the fuck good today.

"Not really. It was okay. Fucking Natalie's cousin was down there thinking she was the fuck cute. That bitch came up! She met a fucking dude that play for the damn NFL," I said as I sat down.

2005, Daaimah S. Poole, What's Real, New York, N.Y.: Dafina Books, →ISBN, page 113:

Dudley [Althaus] taught me countless things about being a journalist. But the best advice was in three words: "Maybe I'm wrong." You get into a story. You think you have it figured out. But wait, "Maybe I'm the fuck wrong." Then you get deeper into it and discover things you had never thought of.

2016, Ioan Grillo, Gangster Warlords: Drug Dollars, Killing Fields, and the New Politics of Latin America, New York, N.Y. […]: Bloomsbury Press, →ISBN, page 349:

"You can come over whenever you want to. I just got my stuff settled in here. You gon have to mind the place cause I haven't put anything up yet. I stay in Dunwoody. Close to Perimeter," I threw in there, so she would know that I was living the fuck goodt.

2019, Tonya Williams, Give Them a Reason to Hate You Shawty: A Hood Love Story, Shan Presents, →ISBN, page 161:

rihanna ate kiss it better so tf bad

2023 August 4, @mainbitchclique, Twitter, archived from the original on 2024-01-19:

(vulgar, slang, African-American Vernacular) Used to emphasize an adjective; fucking.

dafuq

said incredulous and used for less serious situations


ESAD

(Internet slang, vulgar) eat shit and die


go figure

The car wouldn't start yesterday no matter what I did, but today it works just fine. Go figure.

Expresses perplexity, puzzlement, or surprise (as if telling somebody to try to make sense of the situation).


pleased to meet you

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Sapaa-pleased to meet you.wav

A polite formula used when being introduced to somebody.

ܬܦܵܩܬܵܐ ܦܨܝܼܚܬܵܐ

tpāqtā pṣīḥtā

真歡喜捌汝 /真欢喜捌汝

chin hoaⁿ-hí pat lí / chin hoaⁿ-hí pat lír / chin hoaⁿ-hí pat lú

お初にお目にかかります

おはつにおめにかかります

お初にお目に掛かります

おはつにおめにかかります

rất vui được gặp bạn (generic, replace bạn with an appropriate pronoun)


must have killed a Chinaman

Referring to a putative, and otherwise unrecorded, Anglo-Australian superstition that killing a Chinese person brought about bad luck.

It appeared as though someone in the Battalion must have killed a Chinaman, as the weather continued rough and stormy, with strong wind.

1925, L. M. Newton, The Story of the Twelfth: A Record of the 12th Battalion, page 132:

(Australia, dated, now offensive) A jocular explanation for bad luck.


SAG

(on a letter) Initialism of Saint Anthony guide.


n'est-ce pas

Borrowed from French n'est-ce pas ? (“isn't it?”).

I know him well, we artists have the common touch, n'est-ce pas?

1935, Thomas Wolfe, Of Time and the River, page 763:

It is just a little quarrel of two most worthy women, n'est-ce pas

2003, Richard Pevear, Larissa Volokhonsky, The Adolescent, translation of original by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, published 1875, page 527:

(chiefly humorous) Used to form tag questions.


c'est la vie

Incidentally, it is common to store Prolog code in files with a .pl suffix. It’s an indication of what the file contains (namely Prolog code) and with some Prolog implementations you don’t actually have to type in the .pl suffix when you consult a file. Nice — but there is a drawback. Files containing Perl scripts usually have a .pl suffix too, and nowadays there are a lot of Perl scripts in use, so this can cause confusion. C’est la vie.

2006, Patrick Blackburn · Johan Bos · Kristina Striegnitz, Learn Prolog Now!, §1.4

An expression of acceptance of misfortune in life; that's life; such is life; so it goes


NAD

(medicine) Initialism of nothing abnormal (or no abnormality) discovered (or detected).


brb

(Internet slang, text messaging) Alternative letter-case form of BRB.


how do you do

how-do-you-do (alternative)
how-d'ye-do (alternative)
how-de-do (alternative)

"How do you do?" began Pollyanna politely. "I'm from Miss Polly Harrington, and I'd like to see Mrs. Snow, please."

1913, Eleanor H. Porter, chapter 8, in Pollyanna, L.C. Page, →OCLC:

pleased to meet you
pleased to meet you#English

nice to meet you
nice to meet you#English

(formal, dated) A greeting used upon being introduced to someone. Alternatives are how are you, pleased to meet you, and nice to meet you. (Sometimes used as a rhetorical question among familiar parties, depending on the region).

始めてお目にかかります

はじめておめにかかります


I'll be a monkey's uncle

/ˈɑːl bi ə ˈmʌŋkiz ˌʌŋkəl/

Uncertain; the term monkey’s uncle appears in 19th-century works and may allude to early ideas about what is now called the theory of evolution. The term may then have gained more currency after the widely publicized 1925 Scopes Trial in Tennessee, United States, in which a high-school teacher was found guilty of having violated a law prohibiting the teaching of human evolution in a state-funded school.

Well I’ll be a monkey's uncle! I would never have thought that tourists would go into space!

"Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle!" Lem said. "I've heerd of rifles with transits on 'em, but I ain't ever seen one. Mind if I look at her?"

1943, Field and Stream, New York, N.Y.: Henry Holt and Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 34:

Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle, I actually solved that one.

1970 February, Tech Engineering News, Cambridge, Mass.: Board of Directors of Tech Engineering News, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 35, column 3:

[...] I made as if to step inside—wham, bang, I'll be a monkey's uncle if he didn't slam the door in my face! What was I supposed to do now? It wasn't exactly a cheerful situation.

1987, Sholem Aleichem [pseudonym; Solomon Naumovich Rabinovich], “[The Railway Stories] The Happiest Man in All Kodny”, in Hillel Halkin, transl., Tevye the Dairyman and The Railway Stories (Library of Yiddish Classics), New York, N.Y.: Schocken Books, →ISBN; republished New York, N.Y.: Schocken Books, [2008?], →ISBN, page 149:

But I know I am better than that. I completed two and a half years at the M.J.C., and I'll be a monkey's uncle if I did it all just to be neglected in some backwoods, drafty, lo-tech, no-glory, never-been-remembered-for-all-the-great-things-I-do, dead end court wizard position.

2002, Steve Morrill, Michael Saldivar, Dan LaReaux, Michael LaReaux, “The Three Authors’ Tale II”, in The Three Authors’ Tales, Lincoln, Neb.: Writers Club Press, iUniverse, →ISBN, page 40:

Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle if it isn't my old pal, Captain Pete. I haven't seen you in years. Good to see you!

2008, Carla Hester, chapter 7, in The Adventures of Penelope Plum (Penelope Plum Mysteries), [Bloomington, Ind.]: Xlibris, →ISBN, page 46:

"Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle. That's incredible and …" he was silent working it out, "and that means that I am actually the last of the McNaughtens and now live here in Weatherwood.["]

2014 October 20, Rosamond Carter, Weatherwood, Bloomington, Ind.: Balboa Press, Hay House, →ISBN, page 252:

(idiomatic) Often preceded by well: expressing complete surprise or disbelief.

Michael Quinion
Scopes Trial
The Observer


that's that

It is quite simple. You're grounded for a week and that's that!

Oh well, that’s that then.

They gave a little frightened cry and ran off as hard as they could. "So that's that," said I to myself, as I watched them scampering. I knew that I had better stay where I was.

1872, Samuel Butler, chapter 6, in Erewhon […] , London: Trübner & Co., →OCLC:

The jury is satisfied and the verdict is that you needn't fuss. So that's that, and let's talk about something else.

1908, F. Marion Crawford, chapter 17, in The Primadonna:

(idiomatic) There is nothing more to say or to do concerning the matter and is not up for discussion or debate.

и толкова

there is nothing more to say or to do concerning the matter


FYF

(Internet slang, vulgar) Initialism of fuck your feelings.


end of story

(colloquial) That is as much as I know, am prepared to reveal or am willing to say about the subject.

If you don't want to move back to the States, we won't. End of story.

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

“You doxx, you get suspended, end of story,” he said, and then abruptly left the call.

2022 December 16, Bernhard Warner, quoting Elon Musk, “Musk Faces Growing Anger Over Twitter Ban of Journalists”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

(colloquial) That is the definitive fact; there can be no argument.


TWYM

(Internet slang) Initialism of that's what you mean.


no probs

[...] Adelaide, its vineyards, and beaches and a curious serenity. No probs, they’ll tell you all through Australia. No probs, she’ll be right. The dust in this happy-go-lucky land is not swept under the carpet, it just naturally collects there.

1979, Robert Morley, Sheridan Morley, Morley Marvels: Memoirs, Notes, and Essays of the Famed Actor, Raconteur, Collector, Hotel Guest and Man of Leisure, A. S. Barnes & Company, Incorporated, page 127:

No probs at all. Here—let me show you an idea I'm working on.

1992, David S. Mason, Shadow Over Babylon, Dutton, page 197:

If you are peaceful, chances are there'll be no probs—but ya never know. If you are practicing nonviolent civil disobedience and expect to be arrested.

2004, Sandra Choron, Harry Choron, College in a Can, Houghton Mifflin Books, page 83:


habtm

(databases) Acronym of has and belongs to many, a many-to-many relationship in a database.


Homer nods

Horace acknowledges that honeſt Homer''' nods ſometimes: He is not equally awake in every Line: […]

1677, John Dryden, “The Authors Apology for Heroique Poetry; and Poetique Licence”, in The State of Innocence, and Fall of Man: An Opera. Written in Heroique Verse, and Dedicated to Her Royal Highness, the Duchess, London: Printed by T[homas] N[ewcomb] for Henry Herringman, at the Anchor in the Lower Walk of the New Exchange, →OCLC:

Thoſe are but Stratagems which Errors ſeem, / Nor is it Homer Nods, but We that Dream.

1709, Alexander Pope, An Essay on Criticism, London: Printed for W. Lewis in Russell-street, Covent-Garden; and sold by W. Taylor at the Ship in Pater-Noster-Row, T. Osborn in Grays-Inn near the Walks, and J. Graves in St. James's-Street, published 1711, →OCLC, page 12:

He [de Vigneul-Marvin] knows that Homer''' nods sometimes, and that Faults are found in the beſt writers. He is an Author himself, and conſequently may commit an Over-ſight as well as Pindar, Virgil, Horace, and all the moſt celebrated Ancient and Modern Authors.

1713, [Jean] de la Bruyere, N[icholas] Rowe, “Of M. de la Bruyere’s Book, entitul’d, The Characters: Or the Manners of the Present Age”, in The Works of Monsieur De La Bruyere. In Two Volumes. Containing, I. The Moral Characters of Theophrastus. II. The Characters, or, The Manners of the Present Age. III. M. Bruyeres Speech upon His Admission into the French Academy. IV. An Account of the Life and Writings of M. Bruyere. By Monsieur Coste. … Revis’d by the Paris Edition: With an Original Chapter, Of the Manner of Living with Great Men: Written after the Method of M. Bruyere, by N. Rowe, Esq., 6th edition, volume I, London: Printed for E[dmund] Curll, at the Dial and Bible, and J. Pemberton, at the Buck and Sun; both against St. Dunstan's Church in Fleetstreet, →OCLC, page 102:

And Homer nods: The Arizona Cardinals and Philadelphia Eagles played in this year's NFC championship, not NFL championship as we said in a Friday follow-up (since corrected).

2009 April 27, James Taranto, “When Pigs Flu: But … but … Mexico has Socialized Medicine!”, in The Wall Street Journal, archived from the original on 2016-03-22:

Alternative form of even Homer nods (“not even the most vigilant and expert are immune to error”).


SMT

Send Me There, implying that one wishes to be sent to a place where one may possess or experience something.


horses for courses

/ˈhɔɹsəz fɚ ˈkɔɹsəz/

An allusion to the fact that a racehorse performs best on a racecourse to which it is specifically suited.

Not long ago, a group of Thames-side penthouses went up for sale with giveaway Ducati motorbikes worth £13,000 apiece. […] "In many cases giveaways are horses for courses, the inducements matching the styles of properties being marketed," he [David Hollingworth of London and Country Mortgages] adds.

2003 May 14, Christopher Browne, “Bonanza time for home buyers”, in The Independent, London, archived from the original on 2017-11-21:

Far be it from me to judge what anyone else finds attractive – each to their own, horses for courses, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and any number of similar well-meaning platitudes – but no one's going to start arguing forcefully that Mick [Hucknall]'s ever been 'classically handsome'.

2014 November 10, Helen Coffey, “What does Mick Hucknall have that other men lack?”, in The Daily Telegraph, London, archived from the original on 2015-03-11:

Emailed greeting cards and digital photos may be more acceptable now, but are not a substitute for the post on every occasion. "People will still want to pour their heart out in letter or want that special photo of a grandchild. It's horses for courses," he [Alki Manias of NetValue] said.

2002 March 13, Sarah Left, “Email beats snail mail for residential use”, in The Guardian, London, archived from the original on 2016-03-05:

However intense music becomes, there's always a limit to how far it can go. And that limit is marked out by its genre or style. […] It's an age-old rule, this insistence on "horses for courses", but in the modern era many musicians have become impatient with it. They dream of a music that knows no limits, which can do everything, all at once.

2013 January 12, Ivan Hewett, “John Zorn: Master of all styles and none”, in The Daily Telegraph, London, archived from the original on 2016-03-15:

We must note, too, the good position (third) gained by Esmond as an undeniable instance of the "horses for courses" theory, for Esmond won the Peverill of the Peek Plate on this course two years in succession—1892–3.

1894 December, Baily’s Magazine of Sports and Pastimes, volume 62, London: Baily Brothers, →OCLC, page 417:

Almost immediately he went on to press for stricter standardisation in the future, saying that "horses for courses" was a luxury B.R. could not afford and that manufacturers must expect more detailed specifications from railway engineers in the future.

1961 July, “Editorial: Sir Brian begs the questions”, in Trains Illustrated, page 385:

(chiefly British, idiomatic) Different people are suited for different jobs or situations; what is fitting in one case may not be fitting in another.

適材適所 class yojijukugo

different people are suited for different jobs or situations


IJS

(Internet slang) Initialism of I'm just saying: indicates that the accompanying statement is merely a helpful comment of some kind, and not intended to be the last word on the topic.


IKIWISI

information overload situations; user differences of opinion on preferred displays or interaction styles; or a number of users saying such things as, "I can't really tell you what I need, but I'll know it when I see it (IKIWISI)."

1989, Software risk management, page 125:

Another sort of prototype helps in the situation where you are not even sure what behaviour you want - the ikiwisi' syndrome (I'll know it when I see it). This is the sort of prototype that is built for evaluating user interfaces. Prototyping is therefore experimentation designed to yield information for the development process

1990, Strategies for software engineering: the management of risk and quality:

customers or users do not always know what they want or what they need. Before the arrival of the microcomputer, for example, very few customers would have been capable of expressing their need for a microcomputer. The needs and segments covered only appear clearly once the product or service is on the market - this is known as the 'ikiwisi' syndrome (I'll know it when I see it). But what are the needs of the customer?

1991, Managing Quality Dynamics, page 26:

Users also often find it difficult to define what they want in abstract or verbal terms independent of some working system : I'll know it when I see it' (IKIWISI). A prototype provides a means for users to say more precisely what they do or do not want. The general idea, then, is to construct a series of prototypes, to allow prospective users to examine each one, and say what changes they want in the next one.

1991, Towards a Theory of Cognition and Computing, page 175:

An acronym has been coined in this industry to express the "I'll know it when I see it" phenomena: IKIWISI.

1995, Electronic Document Management Systems: A Portable Consultant:

One of the fundamental difficulties of creating computer systems is the IKIWISI principle. I find it hard to envisage what it is I want, but I am sure that I'll know it when I see it. This principle describes the behaviour of users, who find it far easier to assess a working model than to review a technical document

1997 Design, Specification and Verification of Interactive Systems ’97: Proceedings of the Eurographics Workshop in Granada, Spain, June 4–6, 1997 (2012 reprint)


QFT

(Internet slang) Initialism of quoted for truth (used after repeating the text of a previous post one agrees with)


that's what's up

I choose this particular terminology because of the frequency with which I heard it used either in describing a person (“she knows what's up”) or as a statement of approval in response to a particular thought or idea that was introduced (“that's what's up”)

2009, Anthony Kwame Harrison, Hip Hop Underground: The Integrity and Ethics of Racial Identification, page 112:

“Dog, I told you the nigga Turtle said he'll be here 'round 6:30. It's only six o'clock, so if the nigga don't show in thirty minutes, we'll just bounce and do the shit ourselves,” Flick said.
“All right, that's what's up,” Pokey said, taking a seat on the bleachers, watching the basketball game.

2013, Tyler Gore, G.A.B.O.S.: Game Ain't Based on Sympathy, page 106:

(slang) Used to express acquiescence or concurrence; true; indeed.

(slang) Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see that's, what's up.


&c.

A use of the ligature & to stand for the et in etc. Compare & cetera.

1612, George Wither, Epithalamia, Or Nuptiall Poems Upon the Most Blessed and Happie Mariage Betweene the High and Mightie Prince Frederick the Fifth, Count Palatine of the Rhein, &c., and Princesse Elizabeth, Sole Daughter to Iames, by the Grace of God, King of Great Britaine, France and Ireland:

1739, W. (William) Webster, Remarks on The Divine Legation of Moses, &c. in Several Letters - If I had not done amongst them the Works that no other Man did, they had not had Sin, &c. John 15:24

Let us conceive, then, of an Algebra in which the symbols x, y, z, &c. admit indifferently of the values 0 and 1, and of these values alone.

1854, George Boole, “Signs and their Laws”, in An Investigation of the Laws of Thought, on which are Founded the Mathematical Theories of Logic and Probabilities, London: Walton and Maberly, page 37:

1902, William Paton Buchan, Plumbing: A Text-book to the Practice of the Art Or Craft of the Plumber - Where a Geyser or hot-water heater is used it is a good and wise precaution to see that the bath-room, &c., when it is used is well ventilated.

1977, K. P. Punnoose, Bookdealers in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka &c.

(archaic) Alternative form of etc.: …and so on, …and other things.


AFAICT

(Internet slang) Initialism of as far as I can tell.


it's Greek to me

it's all Greek to me
it's all Greek to me#English

Alternative form of it's all Greek to me.