Read Dictionary of Contemporary Slang Online
Authors: Tony Thorne
boulder-holder
n
a brassière. A supposedly humorous phrase used invariably by males since the 1960s.
bounce
vb
1.
to leave
I'm bored. Let's bounce.
2.
to behave aggressively. The word has been used in this sense by London teenagers since the 1990s, but bounce denoting swagger dates from the late 17th century.
Look at that plum bouncing.
bounce, the
n
1.
the sack (from one's job) or a rejection (by a sweetheart). A later version of âthe boot'.
2.
one's fate, an inevitable result. Usually in expressions of resignation, such as âthat's the bounce'.
bounced (out)
adj
fired from one's job, ejected, expelled or rejected. The image is one of forcible and speedy ejection resulting in one bouncing off one's backside on the floor or pavement.
bouncy-bouncy
n
an act of sexual intercourse. A coy or joky euphemism invented by adults in imitation of children's language. It is usually used in the expression âplay bouncy-bouncy'.
bounty bar
n British
a black person who imitates white mannerisms or collaborates with white society, an âUncle Tom'. Bounty bar, derived from the trademark name of a type of confectionery, like the synonym
coconut
, implies that such people are dark (like the chocolate) outside and white inside. The term is typically used by black or Asian teenagers.
bourgie, boojie
adj
supposedly middle-class in taste and/or behaviour, materialistic, snobbish. The pejorative words, from bourgeois, originated in US speech.
Bourneville boulevard
n
the anus. The vulgarism (Bourneville is a trademark for Cadbury's chocolate) is heard in such phrases as âcruising the Bourneville boulevard', referring to âactive' and âpredatory' male homosexual behaviour, and was reported by the former
Sun
journalist and
LBC
radio presenter, Richard Littlejohn.
Marmite motorway
is a contemporary British synonym;
Hershey highway
is the American equivalent.
bovver
n British
trouble,
aggro
. A spelling, in imitation of a London accent, of
bother
in its menacing euphemistic sense of physical violence or extreme aggravation. âYou want bovver?' was the standard challenge issued by
skinheads
.
bovver-boots
n pl
heavy boots as worn as part of the
skinhead
uniform in the late 1960s. Skinheads first wore army surplus boots, later adopting âDoc Martens' (DMs).
bovver-boy
n
a.
a youth, particularly a
skinhead
, who enjoys fighting and conflict and is always attempting to provoke trouble. A coinage, based on the noun
bovver
, from the late 1960s.
b.
someone who is brought in to do a difficult job, a trouble-shooter. By humorous analogy with the above.
bovvered
adj British
concerned
Bovver
, an imitation of a working-class London pronunciation of bother, has made two spectacular appearances in the English national conversation in the last half-century. Bother, often in the phrase âa spot of bother', was part of the vocabulary of menacing understatement and euphemism favoured both by criminals and the police in the years after World War II. This style of discourse gave rise to a âgood seeing-to', meaning a murderous assault, and âhaving a word with' someone, denoting a maiming. Bother (a synonym for
aggro
, which seems to have fallen out of use) thus referred to extreme aggravation and/or physical violence, and in this sense was adopted by the skinheads of the later 1960s in their standard challenge, âYou want bovver?' Once the media became aware of the skinhead, cast him as the latest in a line of hooligan folk-devils (teddy boys and later punks were others) and fomented a moral panic around him, the public became acquainted with the phrases
bovver-boy
and
bovver-boots
(first heavy black polished army surplus boots, later lighter Doc Marten boots worn as part of the skinhead uniform). In 2005, bovver, like the US import âwhatever', became a catchphrase symbolising the blasé unconcern of youngsters, especially females and particularly, though not exclusively, working-class and so-called
chav
girls, for social niceties. This time it was part of the phrases ânot bovvered', or the defiant âAm I bovvered?' (âDoes my face look bovvered?' was a slightly later embellishment). Popularised by comedienne Catherine Tate impersonating the stroppy teenager Lauren, it was nominated Word of the Year for 2006 and featured in Tate's duet with PM Tony Blair (for me his finest moment). As blogger Sarah Phillips recorded in October of that year,ââ¦town centres, branches of McDonalds and playgrounds were suddenly filled with squawks of “bovvered” by excitable youngsters who thought they were being clever'. A media catchphrase imitating the usages of the playground and street had been appropriated, as the jargon has it, by the real frequenters of those milieux. Posher young ladies might prefer to pronounce the word correctly, and the word on its own could function as a sarcastic tag, as in âSo she hates me. Bothered'.
bowl
1
vb
a.
to leave in a hurry
b.
to swagger, adopt an aggressive gait
Look at him bowling along.
bowl
2
n
an exaggerated walk. The walker falls to one side and swings his arms. An emblematic term from youth slang in the UK and USA since the late 1990s.
Mmm, have you seen that bowl!
bowler
n British
a
chav
. The term may refer to a supposedly characteristic
bowl
or swagger. The term was posted on the b3ta website in 2004.
bowser
n British
an ugly or unattractive woman. A male term of contempt coined on the basis of
dog
and the later
bow-wow
.
bow-wow
n
a.
an unattractive woman
b.
anything inferior, unappealing or worthless Both senses of the nursery word are more recent synonyms for
dog
in its (originally American) slang sense. In City slang â
bow-wow
stocks' are poorly performing shares.
bow-wows
n pl American
dogs
in the sense of the feet
box
n
1a.
the anus. An old term popularised by male homosexuals in the 1970s.
1b.
the male genitals. A term occasionally used by British schoolboys (influenced by âcricket box', a protective shield for the genitals) and by male homosexuals.
1c.
the vagina. An uncommon, but persistent usage since the 1950s in all parts of the English-speaking world. The origin may be an unaffectionate reference to a âcontainer' or may derive from âbox of tricks'.
2a.
a coffin
2b.
a safe. Used by criminals, among others, throughout the 20th century.
3.
a guitar. This usage was adopted by British rock musicians in the late 1960s from America, where it was originally used by black jazz and rock musicians in the 1950s.
4.
American
a portable cassette/radio player. A version of the longer âghetto/beat/rasta box', heard in the later 1970s.
5. the box
television. No longer really slang, but a common colloquialism, especially in Britain.
boxed-up
adj
1.
British
comfortable, content. This vogue term of the early 1990s probably derives from the notion of a homeless person comfortably accommodated in a squat or a
basher
, etc., but was generalised to refer to any state of contentment.
Made-up
is a near synonym from northern English speech.
A new girlfriend and a flat and a car; I'm well boxed-up.
2.
American
intoxicated by drugs or alcohol. This usage may be related to the earlier âboxed out', meaning uninhibited or wild (by contrast with the colloquial âboxed-in').
boxhead
n Australian
a stupid person. The term was one of many insults employed by the former Australian prime minister, Paul Keating, in outbursts in Parliament during the 1990s.
box the jesuit
vb American
(of a male) to masturbate. The phrase was coined by analogy with the earlier
bash the bishop
and was adopted as the name of a 1990s rock band.
boy
n
heroin. Although this coded use of the standard word became common in the 1990s, it originated in US street slang of the 1920s. Its ultimate derivation is obscure, but may possibly evoke the image of a boy as an ever-present servant or a term of address for a slave.
He was trying to score some boy.
boy-dem, boi-dem
n British
the police. Used in street-gang code and its imitations since around 2010.
boyed
adj British
shamed, humiliated, condescended to, mocked. The term is an important item of multiethnic youth slang recorded during the noughties decade. It derives from the notion of black male servants or others in subordinate positions being referred to as âboy' and is an important symbolic component in, e.g., street culture where respect and shame are crucial, and in the playground where mockery is often the context.
âIf they feel they have been disrespected they don't say “dissed” any more but say that they have been “boyed”, as in looked down upon and called “boy”.'
(The Times, 30 January 2006)
boyf
n
a.
a boyfriend
b.
a boy
The abbreviation may have occurred in teenage usage, but in the UK was notable as an example of journalese attempting to replicate adolescent speech. The more generalised later sense mirrors this.
boyment
n British
an act of shaming or denigrating someone, from the adjective
boyed
. The word was in use in South London playgrounds in 2009.
boy off
vb British
to denigrate, shame, humiliate, insult, mock. Used in street-gang code and its imitations since the mid noughties decade, the word is inspired by the adjective
boyed
.
boy racer
n British
an irresponsible young car owner. A term of contempt applied to youths who characteristically decorate or customise cars and drive dangerously.
boystown
n
the male homosexual
scene
, the
gay
milieu or part of town. A code term from the 1970s gay lexicon derived from the cult 1938 film
Boys' Town
, dealing sentimentally with juvenile delinquents.
boyz
n British
£1. The term always appears in the seemingly plural form, so that one boyz = £1, ten boyz = £10. It was recorded in use among North London schoolboys in 1993 and 1994.
Bollers
and
luka
are contemporary synonyms.
bozack
n American
a.
the backside, buttocks. A term from
hip hop
vocabulary recorded in 2002.
b.
the male genitals. The term is typically used by
hip hop
aficionados. In both senses the word originated as an elaboration with an extra syllable of the word
back
in its slang meanings.
Get that hottie on my bozack.
bozo
n
a buffoon, a clumsy or foolish person. A mild term of contempt which can sometimes sound almost affectionate. It has been widely applied to the former US president Ronald Reagan. Originally from the USA and Canada, and dating from at least the 1920s, the word is now in limited use in Britain and Australia. Before the 1960s it meant a man or simple fellow, since then it has been adopted as a name for circus clowns. Attempts have been made to derive the word from Spanish origins such as
vosotros
(the familiar plural form of âyou') or a Mexican slang term for facial hair. In Italian
bozo
means a lump or bump.
âCapable of putting up with every bozo and meathead who comes his way.'
(Jonathan Keates reviewing Malcolm Bradbury's
Unsent Letters
,
Observer
, 5 June 1988)
bozo-filter
n
an alternative name for a
killfile
in the 1990s patois of
cyberpunks
and
net-heads
bra
n British
best friend. The word has been popular among younger speakers since the late 1990s.
Bessie
is a synonym.
braap, brap, blaap, blap
exclamation British