Dictionary of Contemporary Slang (4 page)

A list of entries with boxed comments is given at the end of the book.

aaarrrggghhh
exclamation

a (simulation of a) cry of horror, rage, disbelief, frustration, despair

aardvark
n

1
.
British
hard work, onerous tasks. A probably ephemeral pun heard among university students since the late 1980s.

‘They're giving us too much bloody aardvark, that's the problem.'
(Recorded, undergraduate, London University, 1988)

2.
American
(a male with) an uncircumcised penis. The term was used by the Dixie Chicks country rock band in interviews in 2002. It is based on the supposed resemblance to the animal's snout, and prompted by the fact that most males in the USA are routinely circumcised.
Anteater
and
corn-dog
are contemporary synonyms.

aardvarking
n American

having sex. This term, popular among college students since the 1990s, often applies to sex in a public place, possibly evoking the animal's grubbing or rooting around in the earth or simply, as with
wombat
, heard in the same milieus, used for the sake of exoticism.

This semester her number-one hobby has been aardvarking every chance she gets.

abbreve
n American

an abbreviation, shortened form of a word or phrase used e.g. in online communication

‘Preesh is my favorite abbreve.'
(Recorded, university student, North Carolina, 2010)

'abdabs
n pl British See
screaming (h)abdabs

abo
n Australian

an Aboriginal. A standard shortening used by whites which is now considered condescending or abusive: it is often part of offensive comparisons, as in ‘to smell like an abo's armpit/abo's jockstrap'.

absofuckinglutely, absobloodylutely
adv
,
exclamation

these elaborations of the standard term are examples of ‘infixing' (as opposed to prefixing or suffixing), a word-formation process unique to slang in English

‘Are you really determined to go ahead with this?' ‘Absobloodylutely!'
She was absobloodylutely legless.

Abyssinia!
exclamation British

goodbye, a jocular farewell. The expression is an alteration of ‘I'll be seeing you', sometimes further elaborated into
Ethiopia!
It is in current use among students, but may have arisen in their parents' or grandparents' generations.

AC/DC
adj

bisexual. From the label on electrical appliances indicating that they can be used with either alternating or direct
current. The slang term originated in the USA and spread to Britain around 1960.

ace
¹
n

a best friend or good person. Used by males to other males, usually as a greeting or a term of endearment. In this sense the term probably spread from black American street gangs in the 1950s to working-class whites in the USA, Australia and, to a lesser extent, Britain.

Hey, ace
!

ace
²
,
ace out
vb American

1.
to outmanoeuvre, outwit or defeat

‘I had it all figured, but those guys aced me!'
(
The A Team
, US TV series, 1985)

2.
to succeed, win or score very highly

She aced / aced out the test
.

ace
³
, aces
adj

excellent, first class. Used extensively since the late 1950s in the USA, since the mid-1960s in Australia, and by the 1970s, especially by teenagers, in Britain. The origin of the term is obviously in the highest value playing card, the meaning now having been extended from ‘best' to ‘smartest', ‘cleverest', etc.

an ace car
That film was really ace.
She's aces!

ace boon coon
n American

(in the language of black males) one's best friend. An item of black street-talk combining
ace
and
coon
with ‘boon' to provide the suggestion of a cherished companion and the rhyme, which was included in so-called
Ebonics
, recognised as a legitimate language variety by school officials in Oakland, California, in late 1996. A similar usage is found in the phrase ‘ace boom boom'. During the 1960s and 1970s the variant form ‘ace coon' was heard, often ironically referring to a self-important black male or an individual who had achieved some success, e.g. in a work group, department, etc.

You my ace boon coon!

ace in the hole
n

an advantage held in reserve until it is needed. From American stud-poker terminology, it refers to an ace (the most valuable card) dealt face down and not revealed.

aces
adj See
ace
³

acey-deucy
adj American

both good and bad, of uncertain quality. The term is at least pre-World War II, but is still heard occasionally, especially amongst middle-aged or elderly speakers. It comes from a card game similar to backgammon in which aces are high and deuces (twos) are low.

acher
n See
acre

acid
n

1.
LSD-25, the synthetic hallucinogenic drug. From the full name, Lysergic Acid Diethylamide. This has been the standard term by which users refer to the drug since its first popularity in California in 1965, in spite of the appearance of more picturesque but ephemeral alternatives. In the late 1980s, adherents of the
acid house
cult adopted the word as a slogan (usually a cry of ‘a-c-e-e-e-d!') and to refer to LSD or
ecstasy
.

2.
British
sarcasm, snide comments or cheeky exaggeration, especially in the expression ‘come the old acid', popular in working-class usage in the 1950s and 1960s and still heard. In such phrases as ‘his acid comments' the adjectival meaning is similar, but cannot be described as slang.

Don't come the old acid with me!

acid flash
n

a sudden recurrence of a much earlier experience of the drug LSD. Some users are disturbed months or years after taking the drug by sudden disorientation which lasts from seconds to hours and which may or may not be due to its effects.

acid head, acid freak
n

a user, especially a heavy or habitual user, of the drug LSD. The terms are not pejorative and were used from the late 1960s to the mid-1970s by takers of LSD or other hallucinogens about themselves and each other.

acid house
n

a youth cult involving synthetic electronic dance music (
house
) and the taking of euphoric hallucinogens such as
ecstasy
and LSD (
acid
). This fashion, celebrated in clubs and large impromptu parties and with garish clothing and lighting effects, succeeded
hip hop
,
rap
and other movements in 1988. ‘A-c-e-e-e-d!' (an elongated version of
acid
) was a rallying cry of celebrants, shouted and written on walls.

acid trip
n

a period under the influence of the drug LSD or
acid
(which produces an altered state of awareness and, sometimes, hallucinations). The experience lasts 4–6 hours at an average dose.

ackers
n British

money. The word, which has been in armed-forces and working-class use since the 1920s, was revived, in common with synonyms such as
pelf
,
rhino
, etc., for jocular use since the 1980s by middle-class speakers. It comes from the Egyptian word
akka
, denoting a coin worth one
piastre
.

acorn
n British

the glans penis,
bell-end

the baby's little acorn

acre, acher
n

1.
the buttock(s). In this sense the word is common in Australia, normally in the singular form.

2.
the testicle(s). Usually in the plural, this sense of the word is typically used by British schoolboys.

‘I told the estate agent I couldn't afford any land, so he kicked me in the balls and said, “There's a couple of achers for you”.'
(Schoolboy joke, London, 1965)

Both senses of both words stem from the simple play on the word ‘ache' which has formed part of many different puns and dirty jokes during the last forty years, involving sensitive parts of the (male) anatomy.

action gagnée
n British

a literal translation into French of ‘winning action', i.e. a successful sexual encounter. A humorous euphemism used by students in 2003 and 2004.

action man
n British

a devotee of military exercises or strenuous physical activities, or someone who makes a show of (relentless) energy. The term is applied derisively, originally by members of the armed forces to unpopular or excessively
gung-ho
colleagues, and now by extension to anyone who is showily or mindlessly
macho
. The satirical magazine
Private Eye
referred to Prince Andrew by this name in 1986 and 1987. The origin of this piece of sarcasm is the ‘Action Man' doll – a poseable commando scale model in full kit sold to children in Britain since the 1960s.

‘Right little action man i'n' 'e? 'E simply wants to be prepared when the east wind blows 'ot.'
(
Minder
, British TV series, 1988)

adam
n British

the drug
MDA
; methyl diamphetamine. Adam is an acronym from the initials, used by middle-class Londoners during the vogue for the drug since the mid-1980s. MDA is more commonly known to the press and nonusers as
ecstasy
; to users it is also
E, X
,
xtc
and
Epsom salts
.

adam and eve
vb British

to
believe
. Well-established rhyming slang which is still heard among working-class Londoners and their middle-class imitators, usually in the expression of astonishment ‘Would you adam 'n' eve it?'.

addy
n

an internet address. The abbreviation, used in internet communication and text messaging, is also spoken.

adhocratic
adj

improvised and/or temporary, as in decisions made to suit the moment rather than as part of planned policy. The term, from Caribbean speech, has been used by white as well as black youth in the UK since 2000.

adorbs
adj

adorable. A vogue term among teenagers from around 2009, originating in the USA, where college students also say and write it.

adorkable
adj

attractive, cute, though or because physically and/or socially awkward. The word, popular across the internet in 2013 and used e.g. of kittens, real people or fictional characters, is a blend of adorable and
dorky
.

aerated
adj

angrily over-excited or agitated. Perhaps originated by educated speakers who were familiar with the technical senses of aerate (to supply the blood with oxygen or to make effervescent), but usually used nowadays by less sophisticated speakers who may mispronounce it as ‘aeriated'.

Now, don't get all aerated
.

afro
n

a hairstyle consisting of a mass of tight curls which was adopted by Afro-Caribbeans and imitated (often by perming) by white
hippies
, particularly between 1967 and 1970

afters
n British

a drinking session in a pub after official closing time,
lock-in
. The term is an abbreviation of ‘after hours (drinking)'.

There's going to be afters on Friday night.
Are you going to stay for afters?

ag, agg
n British

violence, aggression. A shortened form of
aggro
, heard in provincial adolescent slang from around 1990, and previously used by
older prison inmates and members of the underworld. Like aggro, the word may be employed with the weaker sense of trouble or irritation.

If you go to the market precinct these days it's just ag
.