Dictionary of Contemporary Slang (148 page)

lively, attractive

sprat
vb British

to look for a sexual partner, attempt to seduce. Often in the form ‘out spratting', the equivalent of
out trouting
which may have inspired it. It may also be based on the phrase ‘a handful of sprats' (a variant of the more recent
bit of fish
), meaning successful sexual contact with a female.

sprayed
adj British

shot. An item of black street-talk used especially by males, recorded in 2003. Said to be from the resultant spraying of blood rather than bullets.

spree-boy
n Caribbean

a roisterer

spring (someone)
vb

to obtain someone's release from captivity or prison, either as a result of a legal manoeuvre or, more commonly, by assisting their escape

spring for
vb British

to pay for. A raffish expression, used typically by working-class speakers, indicating willingness or alacrity.

OK, keep your hand in your pocket, I'll spring for the grub.

sprog
n British

a.
a child, offspring

b.
a novice, new recruit

The first sense of the word has become widespread in colloquial speech since the mid-1970s, the second is limited to the context of institutions, including the armed services. The exact origin of the word is obscure, but it is reasonable to assume that it is a blend of
sprout
and ‘sprig'. Sprog also means ‘head' in Australia.

sprog some dosh
vb British

to withdraw money from a cash-dispenser or bank. A phrase used by students from the late 1990s. The
sprog
element may denote ‘give birth to'.

‘I need to sprog some dosh before we get to the pub…'
(Recorded, London student, 1999)

sprout
n British

a child. The word is a middle-class 1990s' alternative to the earlier
sprog
and the more recent
howler
and
wowler
.

sprung
adj American

infatuated. An item of teenage slang applied to someone who ‘has a crush' on another.

I could tell she was totally sprung on me.

spuck
n American

semen

spud
¹
n

1.
a potato. This universal slang term has been recorded since the 1840s. A ‘spud' was a small narrow spade (from the Middle English
spudde
, meaning a dagger, itself from the Italian
spada
, meaning a sword) of the sort used to dig up potatoes.

2.
a stupid person. This use of the word, recorded among schoolchildren, may be an alteration of
spod
rather than a reference to the potato.

3.
American
a mobile phone

4.
a fist held out in greeting

spud
²
adj British

good. In this sense the word was used by schoolchildren in 2011.

spud me!
exclamation

an invitation to someone to
high-five
the speaker

spuff
vb Australian

to ejaculate. A variant form of
spoof
, the term was used in the Australian movie
The Hard Word
in 2003.

spunk
n

1a.
spirit, vim. The word has been recorded in this sense since the 18th century. Most authorities derive it from
spong
, a Gaelic word for tinder (itself from the Latin
spongia
, meaning sponge), hence ‘spark'.

1b.
semen. The idea of a life-force, ‘vital spark' or spirit in the male context led to spunk being used in this sense (as was ‘mettle' in archaic speech) from the 19th century onwards.

2.
Australian
a
spunk rat
. The shorter form, usually referring to males only, has become increasingly widespread since about 1987.

spunk brother
n

a.
a half brother

b.
a male who has shared a sexual partner with another male

‘I wanted to go up and tell Duncan that I'm his spunk brother (through a girl I was seeing in 2005) but decided that might not go down too well.'
(Popbitch online gossip newsletter, 17 January 2013)

spunk rat
n Australian

a sexually attractive young person. The phrase is based on
spunky
in the sense of spirited, and is influenced also by
spunk
in the sexual sense.

‘But it's all right for her, she's got a whole smorgasbord selection of classic spunk rats.'
(Kathy Lette,
Girl's Night Out
, 1989)

spunky
adj

spirited. The adjective is derived from the noun
spunk
.

squaddie
n British

an army private. The word is either from ‘squad' or from the archaic
swaddy
, meaning a bumpkin.

squalay
vb British

to leave, run away. An item of youth slang of uncertain origin recorded in London in 2013.

square
adj
,
n

(a person who is) conventional, conservative or unfashionable. Since the 17th century square has been used to mean honest, reputable or straightforward. The modern sense of the word dates from the 1930s
jive talk
of black jazz musicians in Harlem, New York. (Cab Calloway's 1938 lexicon defines a square as an ‘unhip person'.)

‘To be square is to be dull, middle aged, old fashioned. To be square is to be not with it.'
(
About Town
magazine, June 1962)

squat
n American

(a)
shit
. From the action of squatting down to defecate. By extension, squat, a word used typically in country areas of the USA, is also used to mean nothing or a worthless thing.
Doodly squat
is an elaboration.

It ain't worth squat.

squawk
¹
vb

1.
to complain noisily or raucously

2.
to inform (on someone). A rarer synonym of
squeal
.

squawk
²
n

a radio message. A term used especially by police officers or military personnel for a short burst of information coming into a walkie-talkie radio or field telephone.

squawker
n British

a.
a walkie-talkie as used by police officers or security guards

b.
a mobile telephone

Both terms were commonly used from the early 1990s.

squeak
n British

a young naive teenager. A term applied by older adolescents to would-be members of the fashionable circles of London in the late 1980s. The term usually referred to a girl of the sort previously designated as a
teenybopper
.

‘The bouncer gets a bit heavy demanding ID from a group of squeaks who look like they have given their babysitter the slip.'
(
Evening Standard
magazine, May 1989)

squeal
vb

to inform (on someone). The usage arose in early 19th century dialect, spreading to underworld argot first in Britain and subsequently in the USA.

squeeze
n

1.
American
a girlfriend or boyfriend, a sweetheart. The word is inspired by the squeeze of an embrace and is often heard in the form
main squeeze
(which has the added meaning of ‘most important person').

2.
British
money, cash. The word often has overtones of hard-earned or reluctantly paid money.

squid
n American

a
swot
. A high school and campus term, perhaps suggesting oiliness or the emission of quantities of ink.

squidgy
n British

an amateur windscreen cleaner. ‘Squeegee' is an alternative form.

squidlet
n British

1.
a child

2.
a pound coin or other amount of money

squids
n British

money. A term of middle-class slang common since the later 1990s. It is an alteration of
quid
.

squiff
n Australian

a.
a drunkard

b.
a drinking bout

Both terms are back formations from the adjective
squiffy
.

squiffy
adj

(slightly) drunk, merry or inebriated. An inoffensive, lighthearted word suggesting slight disorientation, squiffy has been in use since the 19th century.

squillion
n British

a hyperbolically huge number. A pseudo-nursery word, typically used by condescending or ingratiating journalists in teenage magazines, that became a teenage vogue term of the 1980s.

‘Last week we got thirteen squillion letters asking which video company brought out Star Trek IV, our fab giveaway. Well it was CIC. So there.'
(
Just Seventeen
, teenage girls' magazine, December 1987)

squirly
adj American

restless, agitated. A word with rustic overtones which is probably a form of ‘squir-rely' (which itself was not only a metaphor, but formerly a punning synonym for
nuts
).

‘We can't afford to let him go and get squirly on us.'
(Recorded, US executive, London 2002)

squirt
n

1.
an insignificant, diminutive and/or impudent and annoying individual (usually male). This figurative use of the standard word dates from the mid-19th century. It is not certain whether it originated in British or American speech.

2.
British
money, cash, funds. The term is probably based on the idea of a squirt of oil lubricating the system, or a squirt of spirit igniting a fire or engine. The variant
squart
was recorded in youth slang in 2013.

We just need a bit more squirt and we can go ahead with our plans.

squirts, the
n

a case of diarrhoea. An alternative form of
the squits
.

squit
n British

an insignificant, small and/or irritating person. The word is a variant form of the synonymous
squirt
and has been heard since the 1880s.

‘There are 5 squits, 9 snekes, 19 cribbers, 2 maniaks, 4 swots.'
(
Back in the Jug Agane
, Geoffrey Willans and Ronald Searle, 1959)

squits, the
n

a case of diarrhoea. Both words are onomatopoeic.

‘No thanks, love, olive oil doesn't agree with me.
Gives you the squits, does it, Grandad?'
(
Nice Work
, David Lodge, 1988)

squiz, squizz
n

a look, glance. Perhaps influenced by squint and/or quiz(zical), the term is heard in Australasia and the UK.

‘Let's take a squizz at the new place.'
(
Brain Dead
, New Zealand film, 1993)

‘Have a squiz at the back pages of a society magazine…'
(
Daily Telegraph
magazine, 9 November 2002)

SRSLY, srsly
exclamation
,
adv British

the shortened version of the word may be written or spoken (pronounced without vowels) as an intensifying insistence or an expression of disbelief

That is srsly not okay.

stabby
adj

a.
spiteful, violent

b.
British
irritated and vengeful. Used lightheartedly the term is a favourite in discussions on the Mumsnet website.

Listening to teenagers talking slang just makes me stabby.

stabz
n British

the police, from their official designation as ‘constabulary'. Used in street-gang code and its imitations since around 2010.

stack
¹
adj

1.
excellent, fantastic. A teenage vogue word of the late 1980s, used as an exclamation of approval or delight. The term spread from the language of
hip hop
in New York to London aficionados.

‘Just forget about using the word mega to express your delight. The latest expression is stack!'
(
Daily Mirror
, September 1987)

2.
inferior, negative, ‘no way', etc. The word, like many similar vogue terms, is also used to mean its virtual opposite

‘Stack (meaning: not at all, i.e. Samantha Fox is immensely talented… STACK!) is now the only logo to be seen with (we know, we invented it).'
(Advertisement in
I-D
magazine, November 1987)

stack
²
n

1.
American
$1000

2.
British
a cigarette