Slang

Slang

Culture specific, informal words and terms that are not considered standard in a language.

Contributors in Slang

Slang

Behaving ostentatiously. An Americanism of the later 1990s heard occasionally in the UK since 2000. The usage originated in black speech of the 1940s and has been defined as ‘…carrying on in a flash ...

Bill

Language; Slang

Also "the Bill", "the Old Bill" (British) The police. A working-class London term, which slowly entered common currency during the 1970s, partly owing to television police dramas. The term’s ...

Billy (Bunter)

Language; Slang

(British) An ordinary member of the public, a customer. This item of rhyming slang meaning punter – borrowing the name of the fat schoolboy hero of children’s stories – was widely used in the service ...

Billy no-mates

Language; Slang

A friendless individual, misfit, outsider. A very widespread usage since the late 1990s. Norman no-mates is synonymous. See also "Billy-and-Dave": The phrase is formed from the witticism ‘Billy ...

breathing out of one’s arse

Language; Slang

Tired, exhausted. The phrase, evoking a desperate need for extra oxygen, is in army and Officer Training Corps usage. Synonyms: breathing out of one’s hoop/ring.

Brian

Language; Slang

(British) A boring, vacuous person. Supposedly a typical name for an earnest and tedious working-class or lower-middle-class male. The term was given humorous currency in the late 1970s and 1980s by ...