Dictionary of Contemporary Slang (146 page)

space
vb American

to daydream, lose concentration or enter a euphoric state. An adolescents' expression based on the earlier
spaced out
and
spacy
.

She puts on the headphones and just starts to space.

space cadet
n American

an eccentric, mad or
spaced out
person. A popular expression since the later 1970s, which has entered British and Australian usage. The term is inspired by the expression ‘spaced out' and the 1950s science fiction TV series,
Tom Corbett, Space Cadet
. ‘Space-case' is a synonymous term.

space-case
n American See
space cadet

spaced out
adj

under the influence of drugs or behaving in an eccentric or insane fashion. A term that originated in America and spread to Britain with the drug-culture of the 1960s. The term is based on the notion of being extremely
high
and disconnected from earthly realities.

spack
¹
adj Australian

an allpurpose term of disapproval or doubt, in use among schoolchildren in the late 1980s. The word, of uncertain origin, is used as an adjective or exclamation.

spack
²
, spac
n British

an unfortunate, weak or slow-witted person. A more recent synonym of
spanner
.

spacy, spacey
adj

a.
producing euphoria or evoking a dreamlike state

Spacy music.
This is spacy dope.

b.
behaving in a distracted, euphoric or
spaced out
way

spade
n

1.
a black person. The term comes from the expression ‘as black as the ace of spades' and originated sometime before the 1920s. Spade has almost never been used with racist connotations; it was the word used by white devotees of West Indian culture and music in Britain in the 1950s and 1960s, notably in the title of Colin Wilson's landmark novel,
City of Spades
, published in 1959.

‘A constable said to me, as he left the canteen, “I'm going to get a spade now, sarge”. He punched a fist in the palm of his hand.'
(Simon Holdaway,
Inside the British Police
, 1983)

2.
South African
a gun, in particular an AK-47 rifle

spaghetti-eater, spaghetti-bender, spag
n

an Italian. These are derogatory terms heard predominantly in Australia, referring to immigrants. The equivalent American term is usually simply ‘spaghetti'.

spakker
n British

a handicapped or slow-witted person. A variant form of
spack
.

spam
vb

to flood another's computing system with redundant or meaningless information. The practice is indulged in as a prank or punishment by
cyberpunks
or
net-heads
.

‘Spamming is often doled out as punishment for behaviour that runs against the grain of net culture – corporate advertising say – or posting a chain letter …'
(
Surfing on the Internet
by J. C. Herz, 1994)

spam!
exclamation British

an allpurpose exclamation of defiance, rejection, irritation. The word was defined on the internet in February 1997 by
Bodge World
.

spam javelin, spam baton
n British

the penis. The second version was recorded on the website of the Royal Marines in 2004.
Beef bayonet
is a synonym.

spangle
n British

semen. The term features in
Viz
comic's
Profanisaurus
collection.

spangled
adj British

intoxicated by drink or drugs

‘I got absolutely spangled on vodka the night before and had a really great time.'
(Johnny Borrell of Razorlight,
NME
28 March 2005)

Spanish archer, the
n British

a rejection (by an actual or potential lover). The phrase, originating in London speech, popular among students, and chosen as the title of a feature on UK L!VE (cable) TV in 1996, is a strained pun on ‘the elbow' (‘el bow' being the mock Spanish).

She gave him the Spanish archer.

spank, spanking
n British

a beating, usually a severe one. An example of menacing understatement in working-class slang, as used by police officers and criminals. The term is used
only slightly more lightheartedly as a euphemism for sadistic games or flagellation.

taking part in spanking sessions
‘D'you want your spankin' now?'
(
The Firm
, British TV play, 1989)

spankin'
adj American

excellent, exciting, powerful, impressive. A vogue term since around 2000, synonymous with
jammin'
,
quakin'
.

spank the plank
vb

to play the guitar. A piece of musicians' jargon.

spank your very crotch
exclamation British

thank you very much. A jocular alteration recorded on the Student World website in 2001.

spanner
n British

an unfortunate, weak individual, a misfit. The term became a popular phrase among adolescents in the early 1990s following its use on the BBC TV comedy,
The Mary Whitehouse Experience
. It probably originated as a schoolboy variation of
spastic
and
spasmo
, perhaps blended with
prannet
or
pranny
.

spannered
adj British

intoxicated by drugs or alcohol. The term was in use among young British holiday-makers on Ibiza in 1999.

spare
¹
n British

an unattached and presumably available female or females. A condescending, slightly archaic term, usually forming part of a phrase such as ‘a bit of spare'.

What's it like down the dancehall? Plenty of spare?

spare
²
adj British

out of control, furious. The word, usually in the form ‘go spare', has been in use since before World War II. It derives from the notion of excess.

spark
vb British

1.
to incite someone to anger or violence. A vogue term among British adolescents since the 1990s.

It's easy to spark him, but I wouldn't do it if I were you.

2.
to hit (someone). The term may be based on the phrase
spark out
, meaning (knocked) unconscious.

3.
to take drugs, become
stoned

We was sparkin'.

sparklers
n pl

jewels, gems. A long established term from the lexicon of thieves, counterfeiters,
spivs
, etc.

spark out, sparko
adj
,
adv British

fast asleep or completely unconscious. The expression is now a mainly working-class colloquialism; it was formerly a rustic expression evoking a dead fire or extinguished candle. Sparko was a variant form heard in the 1980s.

He had three or four drinks and went spark out.
She's been sparko for the last hour or so.

sparks
n British

an electrician

spark up
vb

to light a cigarette or
joint
. The phrase, which became widespread in the 1990s, also occurs as a request or demand to ‘spark me up'.

spasmo
n British

a variant form of
spastic
or
spazz

spastic
adj
,
n

(behaving like or reminiscent of) a clumsy, unfortunate, feeble, foolish or unpopular individual. A schoolchildren's vogue word in Britain from the early 1960s onwards, prompted by the publicity given to charities and other schemes to aid spastic children. The same word was used in the 1950s by adults, particularly in the armed services, and in the 1960s by schoolchildren and adolescents in the USA. The noun form is frequently shortened to ‘spas' or
spazz
; the adjective altered to ‘spazzy'.

That's an utterly spastic idea.
You can't fancy him! He looks an utter spastic.

spazz, spaz
n
,
adj

(a person who is) foolish, clumsy, incapable. A version of
spastic
used by school-children in Britain and the USA.

spazzmobile
n British

a.
an invalid car

b.
an old, decrepit or (supposedly) ludicrous vehicle

The word has been used by schoolchildren since the 1960s.

spazz out
vb American

to lose control of oneself; become hysterical or agitated, go berserk. A teenage phrase of the 1970s and 1980s, from
spastic
.

spec
adj British

excellent. In playground usage since 2000. It may derive from the appreciative use of ‘special'.

special
adj British

slow-witted, foolish. A playground term of abuse from the notion of children ‘with special needs'.

special K
n

the drug ketamine. The nickname borrows the brand name of a breakfast cereal.

specky
adj Australian

neat, clever. The fairly common term has been defined by internet slang enthusiasts as ‘nifty'. ‘Specking' was an old term for mining for gold, but the connection is not proven.

spee
n British

a friend, comrade. In an article in the
New Statesman and Society
, Maria Manning reports this word, of unknown origin, as being used in school playgrounds in the UK in February 1990.

speech
vb British

a.
to ‘chat up' a potential partner

He was speeching her all evening.

b.
to attempt to persuade, cajole

Don't try speeching me.

speed
n

an amphetamine drug. The word was first applied in the 1960s to methedrine, a powerful stimulant. By 1968 it was becoming the generic term for all amphetamines (which literally ‘speed up' the nervous system).

‘Someone suffering (and they do!) from speed hang-ups and come-downs really drags the whole scene down.'
(Letter to
Oz
magazine, June 1968)

speedball
n

a combination of stimulant and depressant (e.g. heroin and cocaine) for injection. The word arose among hard-drug users of the 1940s in the USA. By the 1980s it was also used to designate various other concoctions including those taken orally or by inhalation.

speedfreak
n

a.
a user of
speed
(amphetamines)

b.
a person who behaves as if over-stimulated, by extension from the first sub-sense

speeding
adj

under the influence of
speed

spesh
adj British

exceptional, excellent. A characteristic clipping of the standard sense in adolescent usage from the 1990s.

They were hoping for something really spesh.
You're my spesh mate.

spewing
adj Australian

extremely irritated, agitated, flustered, etc.

spewsome
adj British

nauseating, repellent. A middle-class usage, blending ‘spew' and ‘gruesome'.

spick, spic
n
,
adj

(a person) of Latin origin, (an) Italian or Hispanic. This highly offensive racist term parodies the speech of such people in the catchphrase ‘no spick da Inglish'.

spide
n British

a synonym for
chav
, in vogue in 2004. It is said to originate in Belfast slang.

spidge
n British

chewing gum. The term was posted on the b3ta website in 2004.

spiel
vb
,
n

(to give) a speech or talk, particularly a glib or persuasive patter. The expression may also encompass hard luck stories or lengthy excuses. The word originated in the 19th century, deriving from the German
spieler
(a player) or
spielen
(to play), as applied to card-sharps, hence hucksters, fast-talkers, etc.

He gave me this long spiel about how he was so overworked he wouldn't have time to help.

spiffed, spiffed-up, spiffed out
adj

dressed smartly. These expressions, now popular among American teenagers, are, like the British
spiffy
, ‘spiffing' and
spiv
, a derivation of the early-19th-century British dialect term ‘spiff', meaning dandy. Spiffed itself was heard in British speech until the 1930s and spiffed-up until the 1960s.

spifflicate
vb British