Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with slang

everywhere else it's coke

generalist — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 12:09:16 -0800

In Chicago the standard term for bags of heroin sold on the street is "blows." I've also heard the word used as a verb, e.g. "You blow?" Does anyone have any clue as to the origin of the term?

How can I talk like a 17th century tavern wench plague victim?

KathyK — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 09:57:22 -0800

I need help with slang for a 17th century tavern wench plague victim! For Halloween, I’ve decided to go as a tavern wench during the Great Plague and have been looking around for saucy slang/phrases that a lower class woman would say during that time. I haven’t been very successful so I thought I’d come here for some ideas. Any audio sources (period movies, shows, etc) to help me develop my accent would be a great help too.

I’ve checked out the accent tag and found this which was helpful though doesn’t cover the phrase bit. Also, I’ll be watching the movie Restoration and the History Channel's documentary,The Plague.

Thanks!

Affirmative interjection: "right?"

everichon — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 09:19:07 -0800

I've noticed an informal language convention, usually among younger people, but not always. It's a kind of affirmative interjection: "Right?". For example:

Me: I'll be glad when this heat wave ends.
Interlocutor: Right? (variation: "I know, right?")

My question: Does this type of expression have a name? I initially filed it with tag questions like "innit", but it's not really a question, it's more like "totally!" with a high rising terminal. Bonus points for any links to discussion of this particular expression; a casual search at Language Log yielded nothing.

I Haven't Had So Much Fun Since the Pigs Ate My Brother

eccnineten — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 15:28:52 -0800

"I Haven't Had So Much Fun Since the Pigs Ate My Brother." Aside from this post, what year and where was the first time you heard this phrase? A variant of the phrase appears in a past askmifi post. I'm hoping someone has a few more details. Google searches show the phrase here and there, but I'm curious what this particular audience has to say. Thank you.

THE SECRETS HE KEPT HIDDEN ALL THOSE YEARS! MUM SEZ: NOT MY BOY!

OctopusRex — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 08:15:11 -0800

How would this tabloid technique be called in Fleet Street? Suppose something of considerable impact happens to a celebrity. Tabloids jump in the fray, trying to get quotes from everybody involved. They manage to get interviews with everybody involved, but celebrity won't budge and plays hide and seek. Without a reaction from the celebrity, the story can't get closure.

Tabloids react by grossly misrepresenting facts about celebrity to force a reaction, playing both sides of the game. Lettering "SHOCKING STUFF ABOUT CELEB X" on the front page and at the same time leaving him/her messages, urging him/her to "get your side of the story out and set all the lies straight".

Please don't give me "best guesses". I'm actually trying to get the trade name/slang for this type of behavior.

If you have a somewhat objective list of all the sleazy techniques that the tabloids use in order to get stories, please share.

What does "pea green pink Irish Catholic" mean?

MaudB — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 06:42:14 -0800

"Pea green pink Irish Catholic" - what, if anything, does this phrase mean and/or refer to? I'm editing the transcription of an interview with someone wherein he's talking about his relationship with his wife, an Irish Catholic. At one point he says, "she grew up in a very pea green pink Irish Catholic family, where everything is very dour and there isn’t a lot of adventure."

Has anyone ever heard that phrase, and if so, do you know what it means? I can't tell if it's a mistake in the transcript, or just something I don't know. Googling revealed nothing.

New Slang

god particle — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 21:25:08 -0800

I love slang and colloquialisms. Where can I go to pick up more? I'm very into slang and colloquialisms and will often make up my own in the middle of conversation. I'm interested in exposing myself to more via the internet. Where are some places I can go to pick up more? Urban Dictionary is alright, but I don't like its browsing system. I am less interested in non-American slang (including British slang). I remember there being some other sites kind of similar to Urban Dictionary where people would coin new words and vote on them, or something like that.
Also, slang dictionaries (the ones you buy in bookstores) are generally extremely outdated and contain phrases that I don't even consider to be slang anymore.

A case of mistaken definitions?

radioamy — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 12:27:59 -0800

What the f*ck is a hobknocker? Sounds dirty but was apparently used on a kids show... My boss's 7-year-old watches a Nickelodeon show called iCarly. They saw an episode last night (originally aired February 7th) where someone uses the word "hobknocker." Another character asks what that is, to which someone whispers the definition in his ear. The character says "ew that's gross! And illegal!"

Today my boss tells me this story and we start looking up definitions online. We mostly found gross sexual references. I'm guessing that's not the definition of hobknocker used on a kids show.

So, hive mind, any ideas? Is this a commonly used word? Is there a commonly used "clean" definition that can still be "gross" and illegal?

What does 'binned' mean?

coryinabox — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 10:22:04 -0800

What does 'binned' mean in UK slang? A friend of mine is doing a stint of work in London and has quickly picked up use of the word 'binned' in daily conversation. Except that she uses it so widely and in so many different contexts that I either don't understand the full breath of the definition or she's totally using it wrong.

So what does 'binned' mean in contemporary UK slang?

A gun by any other name

Oktober — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 10:06:47 -0800

What were some of the slang terms used for guns on The Wire? From what i remember, bodie and poot (and the other corner kids) had an unusual slang term for the guns they hid in the wheelwells of cars. It wasn't strap, heat, piece, or nine. Any ideas?

I find the nature of this technique Quite Intriguing.

Rhaomi — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 14:37:34 -0800

What's the deal with Sarcastic Caps? You know The Kind I Mean. Connoisseurs of snark will be long familiar with this Little Trick: capitalizing Certain Words in a sentence in order to express what I guess you would call Sarcastic Importance. (NO, NOT LIKE THIS -- THIS MEANS INTERNET SHOUTING AND MOTORMOUTHINESS.) What I'm talking about is Much More Subtle than that.

I see it All The Time on snarkfests like Wonkette, and have been partial to it myself. It seems to only "work" on short phrases instead of single words For Some Reason.

So, where does this Ubiquitous Technique come from? Does it have a name? And why is it so good at conveying sarcasm?

The best guess I could make is that it's based on the Seemingly Random capitalizations found in Distinguished Documents like the Declaration of Independence (previously), but I don't see how that gets transferred to Sarcastic Internet Writing. Alas, the topic is Sadly Un-Googleable.

Anybody got any ideas?

Mexican slang: "A wilson"?

everichon — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 09:26:46 -0800

I was just told that in Mexican Spanish slang, "a wilson" means "of course". So, I want to know: a) Is this true? b) If so, what is the etymology of this usage?

You think puns in one language are bad...

[ixia] — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 01:24:57 -0800

Bahasa Indonesia speakers! My late, beloved grandmother was an expert in dreadful multi-lingual puns. Help me remember a silly joke she used to tell about roosters. This joke can only be told well by someone who speaks heavily accented English, and you need to know a little Indonesian to laugh at the punchline.

Here is what I remember of the joke:

One evening, a woman is hurrying along the street, carrying her shopping. A man is running towards her, not looking where he's going. He crashes into the woman and knocks all her groceries into the gutter.

"Oh!" says the man. "I am sorry, I am sorry!"

The woman looks afronted. "Ayam sore? AYAM SORE?!"
[English translation: A chicken in the evening? A CHICKEN in the EVENING?!]

The woman then yells something at the man which translates in English to: "A rooster in the morning!"

What is this punchline in Bahasa? And where is the pun, slang or implied insult which I remember made the joke so funny? It could easily have been something a bit risque - her English jokes were fairly ribald!

I'll probably never tell this joke as well as she did, but I will send an enormous plate of love and virtual tempeh goreng to anyone who can help me remember how it went.

What are your examples of family jargon?

Ms. Informed — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 13:27:23 -0800

What are some examples of "family jargon"? For example, a friend's father once told a joke to his family that poked fun at the French. He concluded by saying, "Don't tell anyone from France." Now, within their family, "Don't tell anyone from France" means "Let's keep this between us"--and they say it even if the secret has nothing to do with the French. What are your examples of this kind of "family jargon," and what are the stories behind them? I'm looking for things that go a step beyond inside jokes--phrases that have worked their way into your family's private language. Phrases that would need to be "translated" for other people.

Thanks!

Intoxication Lexicography

Forrest Greene — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 16:49:44 -0800

What adjective is to "wanting to get intoxicated" as "horny" is to "wanting sex?" After many moons of (purely scholarly) field research, I've never come across a one-word adjectival slang description for the state of wanting to get high. There's (wanting to get...) ...high, ...loaded, ...drunk, ...wasted, ...buzzed, ...baked, ...stewed, ...toasted, ...ripped, ...lushed, on & on & on. There's also (wanting to get...) ...laid, & other terms, but many people in that condition would probably just simply describe themselves as "horny."

For a topic as filled with slang as drug & alcohol use, it seems odd there's no simple adjective to describe having the urge to indulge. The nearest I can think of is "jonesing," but that seems both a little specific (to opiate addiction) & a little widespread (like "I'm jonesin' for a Big Mac.")

Anyone?

When did you need to get off my lawn?

epersonae — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 10:30:04 -0800

What is the origin of the phrase "[you] damn kids get off my lawn!" After running across another variant for the 87,342nd time today, curiosity got the better of me. Is there a specific origin for this phrase? Anything else about its history? (Googling gets me lots and lots of uses, mostly political, but nothing useful.)

Yeah, bwee-ayyy!

unSane — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 14:15:27 -0800

Does anyone know - or care to guess at - the origin of the phrase "Yeah, bwee-aayyy!" uttered by teenagers like me in 1970s Northern England to express complete disbelief at a huge lie told by someone else? So, North Notts/South Yorks, around 1975. Your friend just told you he shagged Doreen Knickerelastic. the cutest girl in town. This is obviously a lie. You stroke your invisible beard and say "Yeah, bwee-aayyy"... a riposte to which there is no come back whatsoever.

What on earth is the origin of this? Does anyone else remember it? Or was it confined to boys at the King Edward VI Grammar School, Retford?

(I always thought it sounded French, like 'Bouillée", but I guess it could also have a hint of Jamaican "bwoy").

Those Confederates sure have my balls in a vice.

np312 — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 15:43:03 -0800

Two-part slang request. I'm looking for: 1. Colloquial terms for Southern gentlemen types, of the mint julep-sipping variety; and 2. Unique/interesting slang along the lines of, "will have my guts my for garters."

What's the (non-music-theory) significance of "Eight To The Bar"?

AmbroseChapel — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 00:10:03 -0800

What's the (non-music-theory) significance of "Eight To The Bar"? I've been listening to some forties/big band music, and hearing the phrase "Eight To The Bar" come up a lot. There's the song, "Beat Me, Daddy, Eight To The Bar", the Chattanooga Choo-Choo will play its whistle eight to the bar when nearing Tennessee, and the Boogie-Woogie Bugle Boy plays eight to the bar.

I'm well aware what it means in terms of music, (I'm sure someone will skp the More Inside and post an explanation of this anyway) -- what I want to know is, how did the phrase come to be in common usage, to symbolise, what, hipness, coolness, maybe blackness?

It's as if words like "shredding" for fast guitar playing, or "cross-fading" for what DJs do with their decks became commonplace terms. It's a reasonable obscure technical term. How did it make it into broader cultural usage -- and did it extend further? Did people say "I love your hat, it's so eight-to-the-bar"?

Is "shonk" antisemitic?

Fiasco da Gama — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 02:45:03 -0800

Is or was the word "shonky" antisemitic? Australians use the word "shonky" and "shonk" to mean, respectively poor quality or questionable goods/practices, and those who trade in them.
I've heard two versions of its history; first that the word used to have antisemitic overtones and was nineteenth-century slang for "Jew", in much the same way as "shyster" retains its ethnic meaning, and second that it's a Yiddish import into English.
For me, Google yields only poor quality, questionable results. Is there anyone who can shed some light on this?

Is "bonzer" bonzer?

It's Raining Florence Henderson — Tue, 13 May 2008 19:57:58 -0800

To bonzer or not to bonzer, that is the question for our Aussie MeFites. Do real Australians actually use the word "bonzer" in conversation? I'm writing a book (no, really - it's for my chapter in the MetaFilter novel) in which a character has been identified as Australian. I'm toying with the idea of having the character use the term "bonzer idea," however, I'm not really sure if this is just a cliché for tourists, or if people really say it. Google results return a lot of commercial sites, so that makes me suspicious. Thanks in advance.

Done and done

Mach5 — Mon, 12 May 2008 21:26:16 -0800

I do this menial task at work at least once, and usually several times a day, which involves running my scripts and then sending out a mass email. The body of my email currently consists of the word 'Done'. I'd like as many ways as possible to say 'the task is completed' and be generally silly. Go all out, synonyms, colloquialisms, slang, foreign languages, everything. This task will be all done within a month or two, and I just want to amuse myself and weird out coworkers.

Crystal Beth is off the table, thankfully

Stewriffic — Fri, 02 May 2008 11:25:30 -0800

Pippa as a baby name. Does it really mean "blow job" in Greek slang? My best friend and her husband have been having a tough time finding a girl's name they can agree on for their soon-to-arrive daughter. My friend is in love with the name Pippa, but has some concerns about its possible untoward meanings in various languages

These friends mean bunches to me. He's a friend from high school, she's a friend from grad school, and I set them up. She's worried y'all will be mean about her choice of name, but I assured her that this community wouldn't do that.

Direct quote from her email to me:

Here's my major dilemma that I want to suss out: a little Google-ing has revealed that Pippa means "blowjob" in Greek slang (possibly also in Italian...). It also (amazingly) can mean "fuck" in Swedish slang (which is amazing, since Pippi Longstocking is a Swedish gal...). As far as I know, it doesn't mean that in Norwegian. Does it mean anything in Spanish????? Sunflower seeds, yes.

The question: Can you confirm any of the above information? Are there any other languages where the name Pippa (or something that sounds like it) might cause similar problems?

They're a very well-traveled, international-living types, so this has greater weight to them than it might to say, me.

Thanks!

Spanish obscene pun?

Bizurke — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 00:33:10 -0800

Is there an obscene pun on this Spanish-language t-shirt? (photo/nsfw language inside) When I first saw this t-shirt, I read it as "I have a hair on my tongue, but I don't know what pussy (/cunt/some other slang term for vagina) it's from." Later on, I found out that in Spanish, or at least peninsular Spanish, you can throw in "coño" to mean, more or less, "fuck" or"fucking." So, I presume, it's possible to read the t-shirt as "I have a hair on my tongue, but I don't what the fuck it's from."

My question: Is this ambiguity intentional? Is this a pun? Or do my mediocre Spanish skills transform it into a pun?

NOTE: I took this picture in the gift stores around Peñiscola, in the Autonomous Community of Valencia, in case that makes a dialectal difference.

what does it mean, the shooting with/of the lights out?

garfy3 — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 08:30:32 -0800

what's the origin / meaning of the phrase "he's shooting [playing?] lights out"? searching this on the internet(s) is, well, problematic, as i seem to encounter thousands of uses of this phrase, but can't seem to find an origin story.

i assume it could mean, "she's shooting so well the lights could be off and she'd still be making the shots." or perhaps "she's shooting so well it's like she's knocking out individual light-bulbs."

i am strangely curious as to the origins of this phrase. thanks.