Read Dictionary of Contemporary Slang Online
Authors: Tony Thorne
a diminutive and/or irritating person, imitator, epigone. The term can also be used as a combining form, as in âhe's a mini-me Hayward', i.e. an inferior imitator of Hayward. From US usage from the Mike Myers
Austen Powers
comedy movies.
mink
1
n
1a.
American
a woman, particularly a provocative, spirited and/or sexually attractive or active woman
1b.
American
the female sex organs, female sexuality
We gotta get us some mink.
2.
Irish
a gypsy. The word is used by Romany travellers to refer to themselves, presumably evoking the fast-moving and alert animal and perhaps reflecting the irony that the mink is considered both valuable and vermin.
mink
2
, minky
adj British
excellent. A term of approbation recorded among art students in the south of England in 2002.
minky
n British
1a.
vagina
1b.
a female, attractive female
1c.
a collective term for females
2.
a dirty person
In its various neutral, pejorative and appreciative senses the usage is long-established, based on supposed attributes of the animal.
mint
adj British
excellent, fashionable. A vogue term of approbation used by adolescents since the 1990s. Synonyms are
fit
and
top
.
minted
adj British
wealthy, solvent. A term widespread in all age-groups since around 2000.
miraculous
adj Scottish
drunk. The humorous and ironic usage may derive from the word's resemblance to
ridiculous
, which is used in the same sense or, as Eric Partridge suggests, may be a mocking adaptation of a 19th-century euphemism such as â(in) miraculous high spirits'.
mish
n British
a journey or task. This abbreviated term for âmission' was popular among adolescents in the later 1990s, and can probably be considered as a new coinage, although the
same word was recorded in public-school slang as early as 1913.
mitch
vb British
to play truant,
bunk off
. Partridge dates this usage to the mid-19th century. It is still heard (
ditch
is a current synonym).
mither
vb British
to complain, nag, bother or prevaricate. A northern English dialect word which is now widely known due to its use by comics such as Jasper Carrot and in the soap opera
Coronation Street
. It is a variant form of âmoither' or âmoider', words first recorded in the 17th century and meaning both to babble and to baffle or bewilder.
I can't stand his endless mithering about what he's going to do and how he's going to afford it.
mithered
adj British
shivering with cold. Used by adolescents since 2000, the word originates in provincial English dialects.
mitt, mit
n
the hand. A shortening of âmitten', first used to mean glove (particularly in boxing and baseball) and, later, the hand. This American slang term, popular among pugilists and underworld âtough guys', crossed the Atlantic in the early 20th century. âMitten' itself is from an old French word (
mitain(e)
) which was either a pet name for a cat or a corruption of the Latin
media
; half(-fingered).
âHe started with a cartwheel/finished in the splits/leaving Salome with his toupee in her mits.'
(
Salome Maloney, the Sweetheart of the Ritz
, poem by John Cooper Clarke, 1980)
mixin'
n British
fighting, from black speech. Synonyms are
tanglin'
,
startin'
.
mix-up
n British
an argument. In this sense the term is used by black British speakers and teenagers of other backgrounds.
MLE
The common ground linguistically for young people of differing first, second and third languages, the common language for white, Afro-Caribbean, South and East Asian, Polish or Somali children coming together in a UK secondary school will not be their family language and may not be the standard English promoted by teachers and used in textbooks. In practice it is likely to be a mixed, highly colloquial and highly ânonstandard' language whose use extends beyond the playground into clubs and into the habitats of street gangs. This emerging variety or set of subvarieties has been characterised as a dialect by some academic linguists, notably recently by Professor Paul Kerswill, who has popularised the notion of MLE, âMultiethnic London English'. This way of speaking is sometimes called by professionals âmultiethnic urban vernacular', while the popular press has referred to it (58 times, incidentally, between 2006 and 2011) by the derisive epithet âJafaican' â fake Jamaican â because of the large number of Caribbean and black British terms it contains and because of its distinctive accent: an enunciation, rhythm and intonation heavily influenced by Black and âAsian' pronunciation. Members of the public who dislike this style of speech may dismiss it as âghetto-speak', while its users employ words like âslang', âyout-speak' or simply âour language'. The interesting question is whether, in a world of âkidults' and âadultescents', MLE may no longer represent simply a developmental phase in socialisation. In the absence of traditional constraints to what extent will speakers in the future abandon the language of adolescence when entering the adult world of work and family? It has also been suggested by some sociolinguists and journalists that by labelling this new variety âyouth language' we are introducing a new and dangerous distinction, a new instance of social prejudice and discrimination, in effect suggesting that young people are linguistically deviant or deficient and promoting inter-generational conflict. I think that it is the accent of MLE which is most likely to have a lasting influence on the British branch of the English language, while its vocabulary will remain to some extent restricted to describing the activities of teenagers and young adults. As this dictionary deals not in sounds but in vocabulary, I have preferred to use the umbrella term âmultiethnic youth slang' to characterise what others categorise as MLE.
mob, the
n American
organised crime, the mafia. Mob was used to refer to gangster syndicates from the 1930s onwards, in underworld and police jargon and subsequently in journalese. The term is now standard. It has produced derivatives such as âmobster' and âmobbed-up' (involved with the mob).
moby
1
adj
1a.
American
huge
A moby truck.
1b.
American
overweight
Getting/going moby.
Both terms derive from the fictional whale
Moby Dick
as a symbol of enormity. The first sense may be appreciative or neutral, the second usually pejorative.
2.
British
nauseous,
sick
. An item of rhyming slang from Moby Dick.
moby
2
, moby dick
n British
a mobile phone. A term used by teenagers since 2000.
Brick
was an earlier synonym.
mockers
n British
misfortune, curse, frustration. An expression which is used by schoolchildren as an exclamation, sometimes of defiance, more usually in an attempt to put off or jinx an opponent in sports or games. Mockers probably derives via the Yiddish
makeh
, from Hebrew
makah
, meaning âplague' or âwound', reinforced by the English words âmock' and âmuck (up)'. In adult usage the word normally appears in the phrase
put the mockers on
, meaning to ruin, thwart or jinx.
mockie
n American
a Jew. A pejorative term of uncertain etymology; it may be related to the British
mockers
, but this cannot be demonstrated conclusively.
mockney
n British
(a person) affecting a quasi-proletarian accent. The term arose in theatrical circles and was picked up by the media in the late 1980s to refer to attempts by upper- and middle-class speakers to modify their accents in order to render them more stylish and âstreetwise'.
mod
n British
a member of a 1960s youth cult characterised by an obsessive interest in fashionable clothing, in the riding of motor-scooters and in listening and dancing to soul and ska music. The first mods, who began to gain prominence in 1962, referred to themselves as modernists, whence the more lasting epithet. The intention behind the word at this time was to distinguish these style-conscious, mainly working-class young people from the parochial or traditional appearance and attitudes then prevalent in Britain.
âWhen we found out that mods were just as conformist and reactionary as anyone else, we moved on from that phase too.'
(Pete Townshend,
Rave
magazine, February 1966)
mode
adj British
affectedly fashionable, pretentious. A deliberate mispronunciation of
mod
, heard in the 1960s and used to express derision.
Oh yes, get a load of that gear, very mode!
MoFo
n American
a disguised form of
motherfucker
, used in conversation and in journalese in the 1990s
moggy, moggie, mog
n British
a cat. Moggy was originally a term of endearment or familiarity for any animal. In northern English dialect it was used to designate, e.g., a mouse, calf or cat. The exact etymology of the word is uncertain; it may be from the Norse
magi
, meaning stomach, or from the use of âMaggie' as a name for a pet.
âCan I just inform you that in South Lancashire a moggy is not a cat, it is a mouse or a small insect. When will the rest of the country learn this?'
(Reader's letter to the
Independent
, 4 September 1992)
moist
adj British
despicable, terrible, âpathetic'
The tough kid in the playground probably doesn't know or care that ageing UK TV celebrity and know-all Stephen Fry says it's his favourite word, or that, on the other hand, there's a Facebook group dedicated to hating it. Our alpha-youth just knows that, as one such solemnly told me, âIt's the strongest word, the worst thing you can say about someone.' The actual sound of it is prissy, but in 2013 it was the put-down
du jour
on the street and in the playground. The Yoofs' attempts to define âmoist' range from âidiotic' via âreally annoying' and âno ratings, silly, naff' to âborderline
gay
' (in all senses), but my informant puts it more brutally: âHe's moist an' we all hate the wet man.'
Moist has featured in the USA, in TV comedies and in the 2003 movie about a white wannabe imitating black
gangstas
Malibu's Most Wanted
, but has its own history in the UK where it has been used by
posh
grownups as a synonym for
wet
or
weedy
, i.e. hopeless and ineffectual, and by not-so-posh older speakers in its sexual sense, too (a connection that hasn't escaped some of its young users).
Jez's joining the church youth group. Raah, that's moist, man!
mojo
n
a.
a magic charm, spell or influence. A black American concept, popularised elsewhere by its use in blues and rhythm-and-blues records of the 1950s and early 1960s. The word's origin is thought to be West African, but no specific source has been identified.
b.
any un-named object; thingummy. The word can be used as a euphemism for anything, but is characteristically employed for sex organs or drugs.
moll
n
a.
Australian
a prostitute. Moll, a short form of âMolly' (itself a familiar version of âMary'), has been used to denote a woman of âeasy virtue' since at least the time of
Moll Flanders
by Daniel Defoe, published in 1722. This sense has survived in Australia, where a âband moll', for instance, is a
groupie
.
b.
American
a woman, specifically a
female companion. This sense of the word, familiar from its use in crime fiction as âgun moll' or âgangster's moll', is now outdated.
molly
exclamation British
the term, recorded in 2000, was defined as ââ¦used to alert someone to the fact that their inability to act seriously or stop laughing is starting to irritate you'
Molly
n
the drug MDMA,
ecstasy
âWhy US pop has gone mad for Molly, aka ecstasyâ¦From Jay-Z to Madonna and Miley Cyrus, dance music's move into the mainstream has seen more and more references to the drug in song lyrics.'
(Guardian, 15 July 2013)
momser, momzer
n
a.
a contemptible person, particularly a cadger or sponger
b.
a cheeky, enterprising or self-willed person