Tagged Questions
5
votes
1answer
169 views
Why can a bird be pulled but never caught?
In the UK there is a popular idiomatic saying:
To pull a bird.
"Bird" is a well known Brit expression for a young woman. In the USA, I think "chick" is more popular. The above expression means ...
5
votes
2answers
82 views
Origin of “how we/I roll”?
The phrase "that's how we roll" (along with variants) seems to have become increasingly popular in recent years. It appears to draw attention to one's behavior or policies, asserting -- sometimes ...
6
votes
2answers
47 views
Meaning & Origin of phrase “Step into [him/her]”
I've done a bit of searching for this phrase and found the following:
"step into"
Idioms & Phrases
Involve oneself or intervene, as in He knew he'd be able to step into a job in his ...
0
votes
2answers
64 views
What is the correct use of the word “abuses”?
What is the correct use of the word "abuses"?
While the phrase: "Human rights abuses" doesn't seem incorrect, "verbal and physical abuses" does. I am tired, so if I'm being dense please don't be too ...
2
votes
1answer
266 views
What is swag? And where does it come from?
I'd just like to know where it comes from. This is a word that I've heard all my life but it has always been a special kind of curtain. I was baffled when kids started calling each other curtains so I ...
-1
votes
2answers
485 views
Why are animal names used as vulgar slang for body parts?
Asking this question in strict propriety out of genuine curiosity, why is that in (American) English animal-related names are used for vulgar names for the private body parts? In fact, all of the ...
3
votes
2answers
163 views
Why do people say “that-a-way” instead of “that way”?
I've often the following:
Bob: Have you seen Ian ?
Geoff: Yes, he went that-a-way.
What is the reason people sometimes jokily add the extra "-a-" into the phrase? Where did this come from? ...
2
votes
2answers
213 views
How did “snookered” become a slang word for “to cheat or to steal”?
In this question we discussed the etymology of the word "snooker" as a noun, based on a game played on a pool table. But dictionary.com references a form of the word, "snookered" as a slang verb that ...
8
votes
1answer
298 views
What is the etymology of “todger”?
What is the etymology of "todger"? My Concise OED is rather vague:
ORIGIN 1950s: of unknown origin (also tadger)
"Tadger" is just listed as a "Variant spelling of TODGER"
Other references ...
4
votes
3answers
296 views
What does “flustrated” mean, and is it a word?
What does the flustrated mean? Is it even a word? I am using Lingea Lexicon and it doesn’t know this word, but the Internet is full of it.
I find myself hating people for using it both in English ...
9
votes
2answers
289 views
How did the word “copacetic” come into use?
I once heard the late John Ciardi (NPR's "A Word in Your Ear") try to explain that the 1920s idiom, "copacetic" (meaning completely satisfactory), entered into the African-American vocabulary in ...
6
votes
2answers
134 views
Etymology of 'Pizzazz'
A question from December 2011 asked What is the social context of "pizzazz"?. I'm curious about the word's etymology. I checked some reference books, but they showed very little agreement ...
3
votes
2answers
267 views
Etymology of 'vape'
"Vaping" is apparently the practice of smoking one of 'em newfangled e-cigarettes. Where does the word come from and when was it first used?
1
vote
2answers
170 views
“Kamarka part” etymology? [closed]
I know of some people in south Arkansas and north Louisiana that use this phrase. An example of its use would be when you have almost used up something, you have reached the "kamarka part."
I hear it ...
6
votes
2answers
568 views
What is the origin of the phrase “buck naked”?
The phrase buck naked is well known and means "completely naked". It is synonymous to butt naked and stark naked, both self-explanatory. However, there are a few confusing aspects to the etymology of ...
13
votes
2answers
2k views
How does “pussy” come to mean “coward”?
The word pussy is often used to mean "coward".
This guy is a pussy.
and I am wondering why. How are woman's genitals related to being a "coward"?
3
votes
1answer
207 views
“Ridgy didge” — what's that mean? [closed]
Australia day is nearly upon us! And that means it's time to throw another steak on the barbie and say real Aussie things like "ridgy didge".
Flaming heck, what's that even mean, "ridgy didge"? I've ...
1
vote
2answers
117 views
Meaning and etymology of “down with”
I've searched a lot and found out that down with as a slang phrase means "being in an agreement with something". On the other hand, I know that it also means "death upon something".
So in a sentence ...
9
votes
5answers
257 views
Etymology of 'ripped' as in 'ripped abs'
ODO provides the following definition for the word ripped:
3. informal having well-defined or well-developed muscles; muscular:
through his slightly-too-tight shirt you could see he was ripped
...
3
votes
2answers
141 views
OED Appeals: Antedatings of “party animal”
The OED has made a public appeal for help in tracing the history of some English words, including:
party animal
noun earlier than 1982
When the OED added its entry for party animal, ...
4
votes
1answer
96 views
Origin of “not for quids” phrase
At various times I've supposed the informal Australian phrase “not for quids” (which apparently is analogous to “not at any price”) derives from quid, which refers to sovereigns, or guineas. At ...
9
votes
2answers
494 views
Origin of “for the birds” (Trivial; worthless; only of interest to gullible people.)
I really have looked, but the best I can come up with is this
To say that something is "for the birds" is to call it horse manure. Dating from the days of horse-drawn traffic, the expression is ...
6
votes
3answers
198 views
Origin and scope of “cruft”
I just had to look up "cruft" (jargon for software or hardware that is of poor quality), as used in a comment to an earlier question.
But I can't find any details of etymology, and I don't know how ...
13
votes
2answers
803 views
“I'm on the brew”
A conversation between two Scots:
— What do you do for a living?
— I'm on the brew.
Assuming that I have the phrase right, what exactly does "on the brew" mean here? Based on the context, I ...
6
votes
2answers
974 views
Why is a black eye called a “shiner”?
I saw a photograph of Chris Robshaw, the Harlequins captain, in the paper yesterday sporting a magnificent shiner, and naturally started to wonder where the term originated.
Consulting Etymonline ...
6
votes
1answer
716 views
I have questions coming out the yin-yang about yin-yang phrases!
Yin Yang is the Chinese philosophy of Light and Shadow, often signifying the need for balance or that everything exists in balance.
But the (reasonably enjoyable to use) phrase
Up the Ying Yang
...
2
votes
3answers
278 views
Origin of word “xfered” [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Why do some words have “X” as a substitute?
I came upon the word "xfered" recently. From what I gather, it means "transferred", and I believe it is used in ...
9
votes
4answers
674 views
Why does “klick” mean kilometer in US military slang?
Wiktionary says it is either likely a pseudo-condensed pronunciation of kilometer or onomatopoeic of the sound of a military odometer.
Though kilometers are not commonly used to measure distance ...
-3
votes
1answer
243 views
What is the origin of the nickname “Money Making Manhattan”? [closed]
What is the origin of the nickname "Money Making Manhattan" for the borough of Manhattan in New York City?
8
votes
2answers
138 views
Etymology of “catch a bosso”
Reading Look to the Lady, by Margery Allingham, I came across the apparent slang "catch a bosso," used by Lugg, the Cockney manservant, at the beginning of Chapter 6:
As soon as I caught a bosso ...
9
votes
2answers
210 views
Etymology of “ruggit”?
I did something stupid yesterday. "What a ruggit", I said to myself, meaning a stupid person. It occurred to me I hadn't heard the word for a while, so I looked it up, and found this source here
...
2
votes
3answers
352 views
Origin of using “clocked” to mean “noticed”
The word "clocked" can be used to mean "noticed", as in:
Bob: I'm gonna park here a minute. Did you see any traffic wardens
about.
Geoff: Actually, I clocked one down the road on my way up.
...
5
votes
1answer
331 views
Why do we say a check “bounced”?
A "bounced check" is a check that cannot be processed by the bank because the party who wrote the check has insufficient funds to cover the amount of the check. (To my understanding it is a non-formal ...
6
votes
4answers
4k views
Origin of current slang usage of the word 'sick' to mean 'great'? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
How and why have some words changed to a complete opposite?
How did 'sick' come to mean 'awesome' or 'really good / cool' in modern U.S. slang? I'm interested in origins ...
3
votes
1answer
445 views
Where do East End / Gangster slang terms for numbers relating to money originate?
Words like 'monkey', 'pony', 'ton' and so on are used by East End villains and Cockneys to denote numbers - ton is one hundred for example. Examples abound in popular culture (The Krays, Only Fools ...
4
votes
2answers
184 views
Is there any connection between Polari and Nadsat?
While reading the Wikipedia article on Polari, I was struck by the similarities between Polari words and these used by the Droogies in Clockwork Orange. Does anyone know if there are any links between ...
9
votes
5answers
954 views
Etymology of “to be like” meaning “to say”
It seems that "to be like" is an informal phrase for "to say". E.g.
She was so angry, she was like "I'm breaking up with you", and I was like "I'm sorry", and she was like "Go away".
Is this a ...
3
votes
2answers
983 views
Etymology of 'ends' or 'the ends' and other current British/London slang
I'd like to know more about how 'ends' came to mean 'hometown' in current London slang. I have heard it used to mean money, which is an extension of mainstream use - means to an end, for one's own ...
4
votes
4answers
702 views
What does the word “hacking” or “hacker” come from? [closed]
Is there a history behind the word "hacker" and "hacking"?
Could it have anything to do with "hashing" i.e. using a hash function?
2
votes
2answers
138 views
Etymology and meaning of “navy file”?
I've been reading Heinlein's Starship Troopers in which the crews of the starships are referred to by the Mobile Infantry as "Navy files". This appears to be an affectionately derisory term. I was ...
4
votes
2answers
5k views
Why is “gee-gee” slang for “horse”?
According to http://www.word-detective.com/0806A.html , 'many small children had noticed that a lot of grownups were shouting "gee" at horses and decided that "gee" was another name for "horse."' but ...
5
votes
3answers
699 views
Why is money called “rhino”?
I was going to the hole-in-the-wall to get some rhino the other day, when I started to wonder why cash is so-called.
I hit the books. Farmer & Henley gives no etymology. Partridge says
Origin ...
6
votes
4answers
686 views
Origin of “the wrong end of the stick”
If someone has the wrong end of the stick it means they've misunderstood something.
If they've got the shitty end of the stick it means they've got a bad deal in some bargain or share-out. This ...
0
votes
2answers
2k views
Origin of slang “doing a bid” for prison time?
Going to prison is called "doing a bid". What's the history behind that? Is it based on "doing bird" (based on being locked up like a bird)?
14
votes
5answers
698 views
Where did “wired” come from?
I am not a coffee drinker, but I just drank some coffee. I said to my Hispanic friend, "I am WIRED!" and had to explain what the slang term means. However now that I think about it, that's an awfully ...
2
votes
2answers
271 views
What is the meaning of the word “this,” all by itself?
I suppose this one might qualify as an internet meme, but I'm not sure.
I recently have begun seeing people use the word "this" as a single word sentence, such as in response to someone else's post. ...
4
votes
4answers
11k views
Where does the phrase “No skin off my teeth/nose” come from?
The phrase "it's no skin off my nose/teeth" is generally used to mean that something isn't much of a risk/concern. But where does it come from? Specifically with respect to teeth. What is tooth skin?
5
votes
2answers
2k views
Why do we “talk turkey”?
Some customers and I started to talk turkey over a programming requirement the other day, meaning that all parties involved were starting serious negotiations or discussions.
Naturally I wondered why ...
6
votes
2answers
3k views
What is the origin of the phrase “There goes the neighborhood” and does it have racial connotations?
I understood the meaning of the phrase to be relatively benign and mostly used facetiously. Can it be viewed as offensive in contemporary conversation?
10
votes
3answers
308 views
Is using “all” instead of “all used up” a regional thing?
My inlaws from Central Pennsylvania will say, "The milk is all" instead of "The milk is all gone". Another very common example, "Can you bring me some cookies?" "Sorry, the cookies are all". Anyone ...
