Dictionary of Unconventional English_16 docx

< up to shit no good; hopeless AUSTRALIA, 1978. < when the shit
hits the fan; when the shit flies
the moment when a crisis
starts, especially if such trouble has been expected UK, 1966.
< you’re shit and you know you are used by football fans as a
chant to disparage (and enrage) the opposing team and fans
UK,
2001
shit verb 1 to defecate. Conventional English for about 500 years
from the C14, then, sometime in the C19, slipped into vulgarity
UK, 1308. 2 to deceive someone; to lie to someone or stretch the
truth. An abbreviated form of BULLSHIT US, 1934. < shit a brick to
have a difficult time accepting something; to react with anger US,
1971. < shit all over to surpass someone or something by a great
degree
UK, 2003. < shit in to win easily or by a large margin
AUSTRALIA, 1979. < shit it to be very nervous or worried; to be
thoroughly frightened. An allusion to the bowel-loosening effect of
terror UK, 2000. < shit it in to do something with ease AUSTRALIA,
1992. < shit nickels to be very frightened US, 1968. < shit on
someone
to disparage or abuse someone UK, 1984. < shit or get
off the pot to get out of the way and let someone else try to do
it; make your mind up. Originally directed at dice players CANADA,
1966. < shit the life out of someone to frighten someone.
Variation of conventional ‘scare the life out of’ combined with
SCARE THE SHIT OUT OF UK, 1999. < shit your pants 1 to soil your
underpants by accidental defecation
UK, 2001. 2 to be terrified. To
lose control over your excretory functions is noted as a symptom
of extreme terror; however, this is used figuratively (most of the

time), often as an exaggeration
UK, 1994. < shit your shorts to
behave in a nervous or frightened manner US, 2002. < shit
yourself
to be terrified. Losing control over your excretory
functions is noted as a symptom of extreme terror; it is used here
(and most of the time) in a figurative sense, certainly as an exag-
geration
UK, 1914
shit adjective 1 inferior; shoddy; valueless; unpleasant; disliked for
whatever reason
UK, 1930. 2 unfashionable; in poor taste UK, 2001.
3 bad US, 1950. 4 despicable US, 1977. 5 good UK, 1996
shit! used for registering annoyance, frustration, despair, etc UK, 1920
shit a brick!; shit-a-brick!; shit on a brick! used for expressing
annoyance, disgust or shock AUSTRALIA, 1968
shit-all noun nothing, nothing at all. A variation of FUCK ALL US, 1981
shit and a shave noun a short sentence of imprisonment. An
inference that the sentence is for no more time than it takes to
get ready to go out UK, 1996
shit and derision!; shit and corruption!; shit and molasses!
used for registering annoyance and frustration. Originally air force,
describing weather conditions UK, 1982
shit and git verb to leave quickly US, 1994
shit and shinola noun in poker, three two’s US, 1948
shitaree noun a toilet UK, 1994
shit-ass adjective despicable, of poor quality US, 1967
shit-ass; shirt-arse noun a despicable person US, 1942
shitbag noun a despicable person or object UK, 1964
shitbag verb to denigrate or criticise someone or something

AUSTRALIA, 1986
shitball noun a despicable person US, 1998
shitbird noun a despicable person US, 1952
shit-blitz noun an intensive media campaign of attack designed to
present a negative image of someone or something
UK, 2004
shit bowl noun a toilet US, 1967
shit box noun 1 the anus UK, 1997. 2 a despicable person AUSTRALIA,
1979. 3 a small and shoddy dwelling AUSTRALIA, 1995. 4 the Chevrolet
Chevette US, 1992
shit-bo x adjective no good AUSTRALIA, 1995
shitbrains; shit-brain noun a stupid person US, 1970
shit-burner noun a person assigned to the task of cleaning out
latrines, dousing the spoils with fuel and burning the mixture.
Coined during the Vietnam war US, 1991
shitcan noun 1 any rubbish bin US, 1948. 2 a cheap car US, 1971
shitcan verb 1 to throw something away; to discharge someone from
employment
US, 1975. 2 to denigrate or criticise someone AUS TRALIA,
1950
shitcan adjective rubbishy UK, 1998
shit-chute noun the rectum US, 1977
shit creek noun < up shit creek; up shit creek without a
paddle; up the creek
stranded, in trouble. Embellishments
abound
US, 1941
shitcunt noun a contemptible person; used as a harsh term of
contempt. When neither
SHIT nor CUNT is abusive enough this

combination may serve UK, 1979
shit disturber noun a troublemaker US, 1977
shite noun excrement; hence rubbish. A variation on SHIT
phonetically similar to German Scheiße UK, 1976. < give a shite to
care, to be concerned – usually in a negative context. A variation
of
GIVE A SHIT UK, 1971
shite adjective 1 poor quality, inferior UK, 1997. 2 awful; unhappy;
emotionally upset
UK, 2002
shite! used as an expression of frustration, anger, etc UK, 1937
shit-eater noun a coprophiliac US, 1996
shit-eating adjective sycophantic UK, 1974
shit-eating grin noun a broad smile, ingratiating and unctuous US,
1957
shite-awful adjective being of very inferior quality UK: SCOTLAND, 1996
shit eh! wow! AUSTRALIA, 1972
shitehawk noun a despicable, worthless person UK, 2000
shitehead noun a contemptible person; used as a general term of
abuse. A variation of SHITHEAD UK, 1997
shitepoke noun a despicable person US, 1926
shiters noun < put the shiters up someone to frighten someone
UK: SCOTLAND, 1996
shiters adjective scared. From SHIT-SCARED (terrified) and other vari-
ations on the theme UK, 2002
shitey adjective faeces-covered; of poor quality UK: SCOTLAND, 1994
shit-fac e noun 1 a despised person UK, 1937. 2 used as an intensifier
of the degree of intoxication US, 1977
shitfaced adjective drunk US, 1968
shitfire! used as an oath US, 1970

shit fit noun 1 a bad case of diarrhoea US, 1975. 2 a tantrum US, 1968
shit-for-brains adjective stupid US, 2003
shit-for-brains; shite-for-brains noun an idiot US, 1994
shit-fuck noun a despicable person AUSTRALIA, 1997
shit happens used for conveying the inevitability of misfortune. A
tremendously popular catchphrase in the mid-to late 1980s in the
US, spawning dozens of jokes with the predictable punch-line, tee-
shirts with lists of various religions’ interpretations of the phrase,
etc US, 1983
shit-hawk noun a seagull CANADA, 1993
shithead noun an objectionable, obnoxious, despised person UK, 1961
shitheap noun a motor vehicle that is in poor repair or that lacks
power AUSTRALIA, 1984
shitheel noun a despicable person US, 1935
shit heroin noun heroin, especially if of poor quality UK, 1950
shithole; shitehole noun 1 a bad place; a dirty, run-down or
disreputable place
US, 1965. 2 the anus UK, 1937
shithook noun 1 the hand US, 1970. 2 a thoroughly unpleasant person
US, 1968. 3 a CH-47 Chinook helicopter. Vietnam war usage US, 1991
shit-hot noun a highly skilled fighter pilot US, 1983
shit hot adjective excellent, wonderful. A positive sense of SHIT
intensifies HOT (popular, fashionable) UK, 1961
shithouse noun 1 a toilet bowl; a toilet; a lavatory UK, 1795. 2 a
shoddy, dirty, unpleasant place US, 1973. 3 jail or prison US, 1969. 4 an
shit | shithouse 574
extremely unpleasant individual UK, 1999. 5 acowardUK, 2002. < to
the shithouse
to hell AUSTRALIA, 1987
shithouse adjective 1 disgusting, nasty, unpleasant AUSTRALIA, 1971. 2 no

good; hopeless; abysmal
AUSTRALIA, 1973
shithouse rumour noun gossip. A blunt version of the kinder and
gentler ‘latrine rumour’ US, 1968
shitkicker noun 1 a tough, belligerent person US, 1954. 2 acountry-
dweller, a peasant
US, 1966. 3 a person employed to do menial jobs
AUSTRALIA, 1950. 4 a prostitute. Far less common than the term
MUDKICKER US, 1967. 5 a fraudster, especially one who adopts a pose
of extreme modesty
US, 1981
shitkickers noun heavy work shoes or work boots US, 1974
shitless adverb completely, entirely, to a great degree UK, 1936
shitlips noun a person who talks nonsense. Extended from SHIT
(rubbish, nonsense) with ‘lips’ representing the mouth that emits
it
US, 1991
shit list noun an imagined list of those in disfavour US, 1942
shitload noun a great deal of US, 1991
shitman used as an intensifier of what follows US, 1967
shitmobile noun a poor quality motor vehicle AUSTRALIA, 1995
shit-nasty adjective very unpleasant UK, 2001
shit off! go away! UK, 1966
shitogram noun an especially virulent e-mail message US, 1991
shit on a shingle noun minced or creamed beef on toast. A visual
simile in UK military use, possibly of US origin US, 1994
shit on a string noun an elusive or difficult task US, 1981
shit or bust verb to make a determined final effort. A less extreme
variation of RIP, SHIT OR BUST UK, 2005
shit order noun a dirty or untidy condition, especially when applied

to military accommodation or equipment UK, 1971
shit-out noun acowardUK, 2000
shit out verb to run away; to yield UK, 1999
shit out of luck adjective very unlucky US, 1983
shitpacker noun an anal-sex enthusiast US, 1964
shit paper noun toilet paper US, 1969
shitparcel noun a prison officer UK, 1996
shitpicker noun a notional menial, demeaning job US, 1971
shit pie noun a comparative example for anything of no value UK,
1999
shit pit noun a field-latrine. Military UK, 1995
Shitport nickname Norfolk, Virginia US, 1982
shitpot noun 1 a contemptible, worthless individual UK, 1937. 2 agreat
deal of US, 1968. 3 marijuana of inferior quality. A combination of
synonyms SHIT and POT US, 2001
shitpuncher noun a male homosexual NEW ZEALAND, 1998
shits noun < for shits and giggles for no good reason. Something
is done, for example, for shits and giggles US, 2001. < put the
shits up someone
to frighten someone UK, 2002. < the shits
1 diarrhoea UK, 1947. 2 the worst US, 1971. 3 fear. Following logically
from the earlier sense as ‘diarrhoea’
UK, 1967
shit sandwich noun a troubling, odious situation US, 1968
shit-scared adjective terrified UK, 1958
shit-shaped adjective used of a prison cell that has been daubed
with excrement. A pun on ‘ship-shape’. From private
correspondence with a serving prisoner in 2001 UK, 2001
shit, shave, shower, shine used as a jocular reminder of a man’s
tasks before going out on the town. Multiple variants, probably

coined in the US Marine Corps as a pre-liberty litany US, 1968
shitshover noun a male homosexual. An obvious allusion to anal
intercourse UK, 1996
shitstabber noun a male homosexual UK, 2002
shit stain noun a stupid, despicable person US, 1997
shitstain adjective despicable, unpleasant, foolish US, 1995
shit-stick noun a despised person US, 1964
shit sticks! used as a mildly profane expression of disappointment
US, 1964
shit-stir verb to tell tales, or spread rumours, with the specific
intention of causing trouble. A limited variation of ‘stir the shit’
UK, 1999
shit-stirr er noun a troublemaker; a person who heckles or harasses,
especially for the fun of it
AUSTRALIA, 1971
shit-stirring noun harassing; heckling; troublemaking AUSTRALIA, 1971
shit stompers noun heavy work boots US, 1975
shit stopper noun a prank US, 1981
shit stoppers noun drain-pipe trousers (a tight-cut, narrow-legged
part of a Teddy Boy’s ‘uniform’)
UK, 2003
shitstorm; shit storm noun an extremely serious situation US, 1962
shit street noun an unpleasant place to be; serious trouble. You can
be ‘in’ or ‘up’ shit street; a similar location to SHIT CREEK UK, 1961
shitsure adverb certainly, definitely US, 1981
shittalay noun a Chevrolet car US, 1992
shit-talk verb to engage in bragging, insulting conversation US, 2004
shitted adjective afraid. A variation of SHIT-SCARED UK, 1997
shitter noun 1 an example of something UK, 2005. 2 a toilet or
bathroom US, 1969. 3 a criminal, usually a burglar, who fetishistically

defecates at the scene of the crime US, 1970. 4 a liar; a braggart; a
bluffer. A shortened form of
BULLSHITTER US, 1982. 5 acowardUK, 2000.
6 a horse US, 1958. 7 a prison cell used for solitary confinement US,
1972. 8 the hell. Used as an intensifier AUSTRALIA, 1971
shit the bed! used for registering wonder or satisfaction. An elabor-
ation of SHIT! UK, 2002
shit ticket noun a piece of toilet paper AUSTRALIA, 1996
shitting adjective used as a negative intensifier UK, 1966
shitting in high cotton (and wiping with the leaves) enjoying
prosperous times US, 1984
shitting-it adjective scared; very nervous UK, 1996
shittings noun diarrhoea BAHAMAS, 1982
shitting up noun in prison, a deliberate act of protest by decorating
a cell with excrement UK, 1996
shit train noun a great number; a lot of US, 1989
shitty noun abadmoodAUSTRALIA, 1979
shitty adjective 1 awful; of poor quality US, 1924. 2 in a bad mood
AUSTRALIA, 1971. 3 drunk US, 2003
shitty end of the stick noun an unfair position to be in;
inequitable treatment UK, 1974
Shitty Mcshit! used for registering frustration, annoyance, anger,
etc.
SHIT! intensified by an elaborated reduplication UK, 2000
shit up verb to scare someone UK, 2000
shitville noun any remote, forsaken town US, 1977
shitwork noun any unglamorous occupation, often dirty work UK, 1968
shitwrap noun a despicable person US, 2001
shiv verb to stab someone US, 1951
shiv; chiv; shivvie noun a homemade knife-like weapon, especially

one fashioned in prison. Almost certainly evolved from C17 ‘chive’
(knife)
US, 1915
shivaree noun a group mocking US, 1805
Shiva Skunk noun in British Columbia, a local variety of marijuana
CANADA, 2002
shiver and shake; shiver noun a cake. Rhyming slang UK, 1998
shivoo noun a party; a celebration. From French chez vous (at your
place) AUSTRALIA, 1844
shivver noun a criminal who attacks victims with a knife US, 1957
shiznit noun the very best; something of great quality. Used with
‘the’. A euphemistic embellishment of THE SHIT US, 1996
575 shithouse | shiznit
shizzle; fo’ shizzle certainly; emphatically yes. A hip-hop, urban
black coinage; the opening sound of ‘sure’ elaborated to a pattern;
especially in rhyming reduplications, ‘fo’ shizzle my nizzle’ (for
sure my nigger), ‘fo’ shizzle my sizzle’ (for sure my sister) and ‘fo’
shizzle my bizzle’ (for sure my brother)
US, 2003
shizzle my mizzle fizzle dizzle! used as a contemptuous
expression of dismissal. Popular hip-hop cryptography disguising
’suck my mother fucking dick!’ US, 2003
shizzy adjective great UK, 1993
shlemiel; schlemiel; schlemihl noun a bungler with chronic bad
luck. Yiddish. During the opening montage of the US situation
comedy Laverne and Shirley (ABC, 1976–83), the lead characters,
played by Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams, skip down a
Milwaukee sidewalk singing ‘1–2–3–4–5–6–7–8, Shlemiel,
shlamazzel, Hassenpepper Incorporated’, giving ‘shlemiel’ its
highest profile to date

US, 1948
shlep noun 1 stealing from parked cars US, 1950. 2 influence US, 2002
shlep; schlep verb to move or travel laboriously. From Yiddish
schlep or schlepen (to drag) IRELAND, 1922
shlepper; schlepper noun an inconsequential person; a nobody US,
1934
shlepper bag; schlepper bag noun a tote bag US, 2000
shlimazel; schlimazel noun a person with chronic bad luck. A
blend of German and Hebrew, literally translated as ‘bad luck’
US,
1948
shlock; schlack; schlock noun shoddy, defective or cheaply made
merchandise. From German to Yiddish to American slang US, 1915
shlocker; schlocker noun a cheaply produced horror or thriller film.
AcompoundofSHLOCK; SHLOCK (something cheap or inferior) and
SHOCKER UK, 2002
shlocky; schlocky adjective shoddy US, 1968
shlong noun 1 the penis. From the Yiddish. Also spelt ‘schlong’ US,
1969. 2 a hairstyle in which the hair is worn short at the front and
long at the back. An ellision of ‘short-long’. Better known, perhaps,
as a MULLET US, 2005
shlubby adjective ill-mannered; poorly dressed. Yiddish from the
Slavic zhlob (a coarse person) US, 1968
shm-; schm- prefix used for creating a Yiddish-sounding reduplication
of an English word, usually with the intention of diminishing the
importance of the original word US, 1929
shmagma noun marijuana UK, 2003
shmaltz; schmaltz noun excessive sentimentality, especially in
music, writing, etc. From German schmaltz (fat, lard) via Yiddish,
with a suggestion of something too greasy to be easily digested

US,
1935
shmams noun the female breasts. Derives, apparently, from
MAMMARIES on the Yiddish model of reduplication (‘mams,
shmams’) UK, 2003
’shman noun a first-year college student, a freshman US, 1987
shmatte; schmatte noun 1 the clothing trade CANADA, 2002. 2 a less
than elegant house dress. Yiddish US, 1970
shmear; schmear noun a bribe US, 1950
shmear; schmear verb to bribe someone US, 1985
shmeck; schmeck; shmee noun heroin; cocaine. From German
schmecken (to taste), but note an assonant similarity to SMACK
(heroin) US, 1932
shmecker; schmecker noun a heroin user. Yiddish, formed from
SHMECK US, 1952
shmeckler noun a heroin user or addict US, 1988
shmeer; schmear noun a package or deal. From the Yiddish US, 1969
shmegegge; schmageggy noun an incompetent person. An
American-born ‘Yiddish’ word US, 1975
shmendrick noun a naive, cowardly person. From the name of a
character in an operetta by Abraham Golfaden US, 1980
shmo; schmo; schmol noun a gullible, hapless fool. An American
addition to Yiddish. In August 1948, just as ‘shmo’ was coming
into the American lexicon, US cartoonist Al Capp introduced the
‘shmoo’ in the L’il Abner comic strip. The loveable and selfless
‘shmoo’ loved to be eaten and tasted like any food desired
US, 1948
shmooze; schmooze noun an agreeable conversation; persuasive
talk
US, 1939

shmooze; schmooze verb to gossip; to chat, to engage in idle talk;
to network; to persuade someone indirectly. Yiddish from the
Hebrew
US, 1897
shmoozy adjective chatty; friendly US, 1954
shmuck; schmuck noun 1 a fool; an objectionable person. Taken
into general usage from Yiddish; the literal meaning is ‘penis’,
hence the original Yiddish usage in this sense had a particularly
derogatory tone. The variant ‘schmuck’ seems to have been
adopted in error due to a similarity in sound to Yiddish schmuck
(jewel)
UK, 1892. 2 the penis UK, 2003
shmuck; schmuck verb to make a fool of someone US, 2001
shmucko; schmucko noun a reprehensible person AUSTRALIA, 1987
shmutter; schmutter noun clothing, especially a suit. From Yiddish
shmatte (a rag), ultimately from Polish szmatte (a rag) UK, 1977
shmutz; schmutz noun filth; dirt. Yiddish from German US, 1959
shnitzel; schnitzel noun the penis US, 1967
shnook noun an inoffensive, unassertive person; a ‘nobody’.
American Yiddish coinage US, 1948
shnookered adjective drunk US, 1985
shnorrer; schnorrer noun a freeloader. Yiddish from the German for
‘begging’ US, 1948
shnoz; schnoz; shnozz; scnozz noun the nose. A shortening of
SHNOZZLE US, 1942
shnozzle; shnozzola; schnozzle; schnozzola noun the nose US,
1930
shoat boat noun in trucking, a trailer used for hauling livestock US,
1971
shock a brew! have a beer! An intentional corruption of the

Hawaiian SHAKA US, 1989
shocked-as adjective very shocked UK, 2001
shocker noun a person or thing that is shockingly bad AUSTRALIA, 1962
shock jock noun a radio personality who tests the limits and tries to
win listeners by outrageous language, thoughts or stunts US, 1986
shock shop noun a room where electric shock therapy is
administered
US, 1962
shock treatment noun in the used car business, a very low
assessment of the value of a customer’s trade-in car US, 1980
shoddy-doo noun palms slapped in greeting US, 1976
shoddy-dropper noun a vendor of low quality clothing passed off as
high quality AUSTRALIA, 1950
shoe noun 1 a detective. An abbreviation of GUMSHOE US, 1988. 2 a
black person. A play on BOOT US, 1960. 3 in drag and motor racing, a
driver US, 1980. 4 among Quebec anglophones, the Centre
Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke. The word ‘shoe’ indicates
how the acronym CHUS is pronounced, leaving off the last
consonant in the French way CANADA, 2001. 5 a linear amplifier for a
citizens’ band radio
US, 1976
Shoe nickname Willie Shoemaker (b.1931), the most successful jockey
in the history of horse racing in the US
US, 1977
shoebite; shoe-bite noun a blister on the foot caused by a shoe’s
rubbing INDIA, 1979
shoe boot noun a prostitute. Rhyming slang UK, 2003
shoe clerk noun a poker player who withdraws from a hand at any
sign of serious betting US, 1996
shoe dog noun a shoe salesman US, 1997

shoegazer noun an aficionado of ‘serious’ introspective rock music;
hence the music itself
UK, 1999
shoegazing noun ‘serious’, introspective rock music UK, 2003
shoe laces and collar buttons noun in poker, a hand consisting of
a pair of aces and a pair of twos
US, 1988
shizzle; fo’ shizzle | shoe laces and collar buttons 576
shoe-leather express noun walking US, 1949
shoemaker noun a boy who is not particularly intelligent. Teen slang
US, 1955
shoes noun 1 tyres US, 1917. 2 car wheel rims US, 2003
shoes and socks; the shoes noun syphilis; hence any sexually
transmitted infection. Rhyming slang for
POX UK, 1992
shoestring noun a very small amount of money; a low budget US,
1904
s-h-one-t noun used as a euphemism for ‘shit’ UK, 2002
shonk noun a person who engages in dishonest business dealings.
Back-formation from
SHONKY AUSTRALIA, 1982
shonker noun the nose UK, 1998
shonky noun a dishonest person AUSTRALIA, 1979
shonky adjective of an item, phoney; of business dealings, dishonest
AUSTRALIA, 1969
shoo adjective well-dressed. Teen slang US, 1958
shoo-fly noun 1 a police officer assigned to investigate the integrity
of other policemen US, 1958. 2 on the railways, a temporary track
bypassing an unusable section of track US, 1946
shoofti; shufti noun alookAUSTRALIA, 1944

shoo-in noun a person, idea or thing with no serious competition.
Originally (1935) applied to a fixed horse race and four years later
in a more general sense US, 1939
shook adjective excited; enthusiastic US, 1973
shookon infatuated with AUSTRALIA, 1868
shook-up adjective alienated; confused; dehumanised US, 1914
shoop verb to have sex. From the song by Salt-N-Pepa US, 1994
shoosh noun silence AUSTRALIA, 1949
shoosh verb < shoosh your noise to become quiet. Especially
when used as an injunction UK, 2003
shoot noun 1 anything legitimate, unscripted or unstaged US, 1996.
2 heroin UK, 2002
shoot verb 1 to ejaculate. Most likely a shortened form of the C19
‘shooting one’s roe’ IRELAND, 1922. 2 to inject a drug intravenously
US, 1914. 3 to depart. Variants include ‘shoot off’ and ‘shoot out’ UK,
1897. 4 to flirt; to make sexual advances US, 1967. 5 to throw or toss
something AUSTRALIA, 1929. 6 to play. Usually as ‘shoot pool’, ‘shoot
crap’, etc US, 1926. 7 to drink alcohol in shot glass units US, 1991. 8 to
pick a pocket US, 1969. 9 used as an imperative, to start; to continue
US, 1915. 10 (used of a plant) to show signs of producing fruit CA YMAN
ISLANDS
, 1985. < he shoots, he scores; he shoots, he scores,
he wins
used for registering admiration of a small but telling per-
sonal victory. A cliché of football commentary applied to the
ordinary moments of life; always in the third person, even if used
of the first person
UK, 2002. < shoot a beaver to look for and see
a girl’s crotch US, 1966. < shoot a blag to gossip TRINIDAD AND
TOBAGO

, 1992. < shoot a good stick to play pool well US, 1961.
< shoot a jug; shoot a peter to break into a safe using
explosives US, 1950. < shoot a wave to surf a wave, especially if
difficult
US, 1963. < shoot an air rifle; shoot an air gun in
pool, to bet without money to back your bet US, 1990. < shoot an
azimuth
to take a compass bearing US, 1991. < shoot blanks
(said of a male) to engage in sex with a low or non-existent sperm
count
US, 1960. < shoot down in flames to absolutely defeat in
an argument UK, 1942. < shoot for two to defecate. A combi-
nation of basketball terminology and children’s bathroom
vocabulary
US, 2003. < shoot gravy to inject a mixture of blood
and drug solution that has been reheated after failing to make a
direct hit on the vein
US, 1973. < shoot it to lie. Euphemistic vari-
ation of
SHOOT THE SHIT (to tell tall tales) UK, 1959. < shoot off
your mouth; shoot your mouth off
to speak with a complete
lack of discretion; to speak boastfully US, 1864. < shoot the breeze
to chat idly US, 1919. < shoot the bull to engage in small talk US, 1902.
< shoot the con to engage in goal-oriented, truth-deficient
conversation
US, 1965. < shoot the crow; shoot the craw to
abscond; to depart hurriedly, especially without paying money that is
owed UK, 1887. < shoot the curl; shoot the tube to surf through
the hollow part of a wave US, 1957. < shoot the doughnut to aim

artillery strikes at enemy forces encircling a US defensive position
US, 1990. < shoot the duck to skateboard crouched on one leg
with the other leg extended outward US, 1976. < shoot the pier to
surf, or attempt to surf, through the pilings of a pier
US, 1962.
< shoot the scales (used of a truck driver) to bypass a weigh
station
US, 1963. < shoot the shit; shoot shit to engage in idle
conversation; to tell lies
UK, 1984. < shoot the V to make a V-sign
(the first and index fingers raised from a clenched fist, knuckles
forward). ‘Shoot’ as ‘to fire a gun’ accentuates the aggressive or
dismissive nature of this action
UK, 2000. < shoot the works on
the railways, to make a sudden, emergency stop US, 1977. < shoot
your bolt to ejaculate NEW ZEALAND, 1998 . < shoot your cuffs
(used of a man wearing a suit or sports jacket) to straighten your
arms so that the cuffs of the shirt extend beyond the jacket
sleeves. The modern version of the older (1878) ‘shoot your linen’
UK, 1909. < shoot your load figuratively, to exhaust your resources
early in a contest US, 1954. < shoot your trap to talk too much
US, 1947. < shoot your wad to ejaculate US, 1972
shoot! 1 yes! Hawaiian youth usage US, 1982. 2 used as a euphemism
for ‘shit’ in an exclamation US, 1934
shoot and scoot verb to engage in warfare involving brief contact
with the enemy and then a quick withdrawal
US, 1987
shoot-em-up noun used as a loose category for any film or
computer game with violent gunplay as a main element in
advancing the storyline UK, 2002

shooter noun 1 a gun; a pistol, especially a revolver UK, 1840. 2 apro-
fessional killer
US, 1972. 3 a criminal who specialises in breaking into
safes
US, 1949. 4 an intravenous drug user US, 1991. 5 in a functionally
compartmentalised illegal drug enterprise, the person who holds
and turns over the drugs to buyers US, 1987. 6 a pinball player US,
1977. 7 in pinball, the device that propels a ball into the playfield.
Known conventionally as a ‘plunger’ US, 1977. 8 a television camera
operator US, 1986
shooting gallery noun a place where addicts congregate to buy and
inject drugs US, 1951
shooting match noun all of something; the entire matter US, 1968
shoot it! in surfing, used to encourage a surfer to catch a wave
breaking behind them US, 1957
shoot (someone) out verb to train or prepare someone US, 1972
shoot through noun a person who fails to honour an undertaking.
Royal Navy slang, from the verb sense ‘to go absent without leave’
UK, 1989
shoot through verb to depart hastily; to go absent without leave
AUSTRALIA, 1947. < shoot through like a Bondi tram to depart
hastily. Referring to trams formerly running from the centre of
Sydney to Bondi beach, noted for their speed. Appearing slightly
earlier (1945, Australian National Dictionary) was the variant ‘go
through like a Bondi tram’
AUSTRALIA, 1951
shoot up verb to inject heroin or another drug intravenously US, 1914
shoot-up; shoot-up man noun a person who promotes a card game
or other activity involved in a swindle US, 1977
shooty noun a shotgun. Jamaican gang terminology US, 1995

shop noun 1 any place of business, where you work UK, 1779. 2 any
home or apartment where drugs are sold US, 1997. 3 a theatrical
engagement; a job
UK, 1888
shop; shop up verb to inform the police authorities against, or
reveal the whereabouts of, someone with the expected result of
arrest and imprisonment for the subject. The original (1583) sense
‘to imprison’ began, during C19, to also mean ‘to cause to be
imprisoned’, which sense survives
UK, 1976
shop around verb 1 to search for and compare different possibilities.
Extended from the practice of making actual comparisons
between shops
UK, 1922. 2 to search for a conversation on a citizens’
band radio US, 1976
shop door noun the fly on a man’s trousers US, 1965
shopping accident noun an impulse purchase later regretted
CANADA, 1993
shoppy noun 1 a shop assistant; a shop-keeper UK, 2002. 2 a shoplifter
AUSTRALIA, 1975
577 shoe-leather express | shoppy
shoppying noun shoplifting AUSTRALIA, 1975
shoppying job noun an act of shoplifting AUSTRALIA, 1975
shore dinner noun a sailor, as seen by a homosexual US, 1965
short noun 1 a car, especially a restored older car or hot rod US, 1914.
2 a drink of spirits (as opposed to wine, beer, etc), or a spirit and a
mixer. Used of drinks taken in short measures, although the orig-
inal use is also of undiluted alcohol
UK, 1837. 3 the unsmoked butt
of a cigarette

UK, 1990. 4 a brief nap US, 1976. 5 in lobstering, a lobster
that is not legal size
US, 1978. 6 a railway carriage left between
stations
US, 1977
short adjective 1 lacking money; lacking enough money to meet an
obligation
US, 1960. 2 near the end of a prison sentence or military
tour of duty US, 1967. 3 used of an amount of a drug, underweight
US, 1989. < a NOUN (part) short of a NOUN (whole) used as
the central part of a generally humorous formula – a something
short of a greater – that infers a lack of mental capacity, not
completely sane, ‘not all there’. Inspiration for these phrases
seems to be universal: ‘one planet short of a full galaxy’. Religions
account for, among others: ‘one candle short of a menorah’; ‘two
candles short of a mass’; ‘a few wafers short of a communion’;
’several fishes short of a miracle’. UK politics and current affairs:
‘quite a few red boxes short of a successful Prime Minister’;
‘various wheezes short of a Scottish parliament’; ‘a few pence
short of a euro’; ‘a few pence short of a first-class stamp’; ‘a few
digits short of a dialling code’; ‘a couple of programmes short of a
series’. Sports and games: ‘one player short of a cricket team’; ‘a
couple of cubs short of a full Lion’s pack’; ‘one helmet short of a
huddle’; ‘two cards short of a full-house’; ’several pawns short of a
full set’; ‘several pieces short of a full set’. Animals are also
popular: ‘two sheep short of a flock’; ‘a couple of kangaroos short
of a full paddock’. Food and drink: ‘several currants short of a
bun’; ‘one liquorice stick short of a Pontefract cake’; ‘two bottles
short of a crate’; ‘a nosebag short of a sack of oats’; ‘two luncheon
vouchers short of a ploughman’s’; ‘several prawns short of a

cocktail’; ‘a few stock-cubes short of a full polar ration’; ‘several
gondolas short of a Cornetto [a branded ice-cream associated with
Venice]’. Fashion: ‘three diamond clusters short of a tiara’; ‘several
gemstones short of a full tiara’; ‘more than a Dolce short of a
Gabbana [Dolce & Gabbana is a well-known fashion-house]’. And
so on. Two final examples, both with obviously limited circulation
but they demonstrate the possibilities: ‘a few billion neurons short
of a full load’; ‘a few shards of pottery short of a full
anthropological theory’
UK, 1941. < a sheep short of a paddock
lacking a full complement of intelligence AUSTRALIA, 1994. < get
short to near the end of a prison sentence or military enlistment
US, 1951. < have short arms and long pockets to be stingy
AUSTRALIA, 1966
short-and-curlies noun pubic hair US, 1967. < have by the short
and curlies
to hold someone at a disadvantage; to exercise
complete control over someone. Fanciful but convincing imagery
in which ‘short and curlies’ represent pubic hairs; a variation of
HAVE BY THE SHORT HAIRS UK, 1948
short-arm verb to perform a rectal examination US, 1994
short-arm bandit; short-arm heister noun arapistUS, 1950
short-arm inspection; small-arm inspection noun an inspection
for a sexually transmitted infection. Soldiers or prisoners are lined
up, each holding his penis. At the command ‘Skin it back and
milk it down’, each man ‘milks’ down his penis from the base to
the tip so that the inspecting doctor can check for pus at the tip
of the urethra
UK, 1919
short-arm parade noun an inspection of the genitals of a group of

men for sexually transmitted infection AUSTRALIA, 1977
short-arse; short-ass noun a short person UK, 1706
short-arsed adjective small, not tall. Extended from SHORT-ARSE (a
short person) UK, 1997
short bus noun used as a reference to the mentally retarded.
Referring to the smaller school buses used to transport special
education students in the US US, 1998
short buy noun a purchase of a small amount of drugs US, 1955
shortcake noun the act of shortchanging someone deliberately.
Used with ‘the’ US, 1974
shortcake verb to shortchange someone US, 1961
shortcake artist noun an expert at shortchanging US, 1980
shortchange artist noun a swindler who gives customers too little
change
US, 1960
short con noun a confidence game in which the victim is swindled
once, without being sent home for a bigger prize US, 1940
short con verb to engage in a short con swindle US, 1964
short dog noun a half pint bottle of alcohol; cheap wine US, 1968
short end noun in the television and film industries, unexposed film
remaining after cutting off the exposed film
US, 1990
short eyes noun a child molester US, 1976
short fuse noun an impending deadline US, 1986
short go; short order noun a drug dose that is smaller than the
addict is accustomed to
US, 1959
short hairs noun < have someone by the short hairs to hold
someone at a disadvantage; to exercise complete control over
someone. A figurative use of the literal meaning ‘to hold by the

pubic hair’ UK, 1888
short heist noun an act of masturbation US, 1974
short house noun a short person. A euphemistic variation of SHORT
ARSE UK
, 1964
shortie pyjamas noun summer pyjamas with short sleeves and
trousers legs AUSTRALIA, 1987
shortitis noun the mental state of knowing that you have almost
finished a prison sentence or military tour of duty
US, 1950
short-long noun a hairstyle in which the hair is worn short at the
front and long at the back. Most commonly known as a MULLET US,
2001
short of cars adjective on the railways, without a job US, 1977
short on adjective less than is adequate, expected or required UK, 1922
short ones noun < have someone by the short ones to have
absolute control of someone; to force submission. A figurative use
of the literal meaning ‘to hold by the pubic hair’; a variation on
HAVE BY THE SHORT HAIRS US, 1971
short pair noun in poker, a pair of tens or lower US, 1963
short round noun gunfire or artillery fired by friendly forces US, 1985
shorts noun 1 a condition of low or no funds US, 1932. 2 the last
portion of a cigarette US, 1992. 3 in poker, a pair that is beaten by a
larger pair US, 1988
short short adverb soon US, 1976
short-shorts noun very brief shorts US, 1958
short skirt noun a Mini car. Citizens’ band radio slang, punning on
the length of a mini-skirt UK, 1981
short-sleeves noun in homosexual usage, an uncircumcised penis
US, 1981

short stick noun a stick notched by a US soldier in Vietnam
counting the days until the end of his tour of duty
US, 1983
shortstop noun 1 a temporary arrangement or relationship US, 1972.
2 a gambler who makes small and conservative bets US, 1950. 3 in
pool, a very skilled player who is just below the highest tier US, 1990.
4 in a group eating setting, to take a second helping despite an
earlier request from another for seconds US, 1947
short time noun a brief session with a prostitute, long enough for
sex and nothing more
US, 1965
short-time verb 1 to serve the final days of a jail sentence or term of
enlistment US, 1975. 2 to engage in a quick sexual encounter with a
prostitute US, 1960
short-timer noun 1 a soldier near the end of his tour of duty in
Vietnam. All but the US Marines served exactly 12 months in
Vietnam; the Marines served 13 months
US, 1964. 2 a prisoner
whose release date is approaching
US, 1966. 3 someone whose
retirement date is rapidly approaching US, 1993. 4 a prostitute
engaged for a short period of time
US, 1960
short-timer’s calendar noun a calendar showing the days
remaining in a soldier’s tour of duty in Vietnam US, 1965
shoppying | short-timer’s calendar 578
shorty noun 1 a female, especially an attractive one US, 1997 . 2 a close
friend
US, 1997. 3 in a casino, a shorter-than-expected shift at a table
US, 1980

shot noun 1 an opportunity US, 1972. 2 an attempt UK, 1756. 3 the right
way to do something
AUSTRALIA, 1953. 4 an occurrence or instance; a
thing
US, 1960. 5 an instance of sexual intercourse. An abbreviation
of
SHOT OF COCK US, 1968. 6 an ejaculation US, 2001. 7 an injection of
drugs
UK, 1929. 8 cocaine UK, 2003. 9 Coca-Cola™ US, 1946. 10 a single
measure of spirits US, 2000. 11 a blow, especially a severe one US,
1996. 12 an illegal move by a gambler US, 1980. 13 a competent
pickpocket
US, 1976. 14 a person or thing UK: SCOTLAND, 1988. 15 an
incident report describing a prisoner’s misconduct US, 1976.
< have a shot at to heckle or harass someone AUSTRALIA, 1947.
< like a shot exceedingly quickly UK, 1809. < make a shot to
secret something on your body while shoplifting US, 1971
Shot noun < the Shot Aldershot (the home of the British Army) UK,
1925
shot adjective especially of a mechanical contrivance, broken;
wrecked; ruined
AUSTRALIA, 1983. < shot of rid of UK: SCOTLAND, 1823
shot! well done! BERMUDA, 1985
shotcaller noun the nominal leader of a youth gang US, 1995
shot down adjective drug-intoxicated US, 1982
shot-for-shot noun an arrangement between two homosexuals in
which they switch sex roles to satisfy each other US, 1950
shotgun noun 1 a pipe with air-holes used for smoking marijuana.
The shotgun gives a BLAST US, 1977. 2 a ritual of drinking beer,
forcing the beer out of the can into the drinker’s mouth by

opening the down-facing top after puncturing the up-facing
bottom
US, 1988. 3 a potent mix of heroin, cocaine, nitroglycerine,
phenol and kola nut administered to racehorses as a stimulant US,
1961. 4 the front passenger seat in a car. Also called the ‘shotgun
seat’. The earliest use of the term, not yet applied to a car, seems
to be in the 1939 film Stagecoach. To date, the earliest discovered
use in the sense of a car is in 1963
US, 1963. 5 a male passenger in
a vehicle equipped with citizens’ band radio
UK, 1981. 6 apolice
radar unit
US, 1976. 7 in blackjack, the player to the immediate left
of the dealer US, 1979. 8 in electric line work, an insulated line tool
formally known as a grip-all stick US, 1980. 9 an unannounced test
US, 1968
shotgun verb 1 to share marijuana smoke with someone else in the
following manner: you blow through a lighted joint or blunt which
is held with the burning end in your mouth, while your fellow-
smoker inhales the stream of smoke that is produced US, 1974. 2 to
smoke an entire marijuana cigarette in one go
AUSTRALIA, 1995.
3 while treating a hospital patient, to order every possible
treatment to avoid being wrong US, 1994
shotgun adjective 1 used of a house or apartment, having rooms set
on both sides of a central hall US, 1903. 2 wide-ranging US, 1994
shotgun! used as a claim on riding in the front passenger seat of a
car US, 1973
Shotgun Alley nickname the A Shau Valley, dense jungle terrain near
the border of South Vietnam and Laos, southeast of Khe Sanh. A

phonetic approximation US, 1990
shotgun bunk noun a sleeping space into which one must crawl
CANADA, 1963
shotgun mike noun in the television and film industries, a
directional microphone US, 1990
shotgunner noun a door gunner on an air gunship US, 1990
shot house noun an establishment that sells alcohol illegally, by the
drink US, 1978
shot of cock noun sexual intercourse US, 1968
shot on the swings noun an instance of sexual intercourse UK:
SCOTLAND
, 1988
shot out adjective in very bad physical shape US, 1989
shot rod noun a fast car. Teen slang US, 1955
shottie noun a shotgun US, 1997
shot to shit adjective ruined, utterly spoiled UK, 2001
shotty; shotti noun the front passenger seat in a car. A shortened
SHOTGUN US, 2004
shotty-gotty! used as a claim on riding in the front passenger seat
of a car. A variation on
SHOTGUN! US, 1997
shoulder noun in betting, odds of 7–4. From the TICK-TACK signal
used by bookmakers
UK, 1991
shoulder boulder noun an abandoned vehicle on the side of the
road. The hard shoulder of the road, rhymed and contrived to
make an obstacle
US, 1976
shoulder hopper noun a surfer who surfs in another surfer’s right of
way

US, 1987
shoulders noun < on the shoulders in betting, odds of 9–2.
From the
TICK-TACK signal used by bookmakers UK, 1991
shouse noun a toilet. Euphemistic for SHITHOUSE AUSTRALIA, 1941
shouse adjective no good. Euphemistic for SHITHOUSE AUSTRALIA, 2003
shout noun 1 a drink or round of drinks bought for others; the
purchase of a round AUSTRALIA, 1854. 2 your turn to buy drinks for
someone else
AUSTRALIA, 1882. 3 your turn to buy anything AUSTRALIA,
1911. 4 a call on the police radio. Derived from conventional ‘shout’
(used to hail) UK, 1970. 5 a greeting US, 1999
shout verb 1 to buy a round of drink for others AUSTRALIA, 1854. 2 to
buy something as a present for another AUSTRALIA, 1949. 3 to write
exclusively in upper case US, 1995. < shout at your shoes to
vomit US, 1987. < wouldn’t shout if a shark bit you to be
stingy
AUSTRALIA, 1986
shout-out noun a greeting; a recognition US, 1999
shove noun the member of a pickpocketing team who jostles the
victim, diverting his attention so that a confederate can actually
pick the victim’s pocket US, 1981. < give someone the shove to
dismiss someone from employment or reject the partner in a
romantic relationship UK, 1899
shove verb to have sex UK, 1969. < shove it used as a harsh
rejection of a suggestion. A shortened form of ‘shove it up your
ass’
AUSTRALIA, 1941. < shove it up the ass to reject something
completely US, 1957. < shove paper to pass counterfeit money or
stolen or forged cheques US, 1962. < shove shit uphill to take the

active role in anal intercourse UK, 1996
shovel verb < shovel coal (of a motor vehicle) to accelerate. An
allusion to steam-driven, coal-fired transports US, 1976
shovel and broom; shovel noun a room. Rhyming slang UK, 1960
shovel and pick; shovel noun a prison. Rhyming slang for NICK UK,
2000
shovel and tank noun a bank. Rhyming slang UK, 1961
shovelhead noun the V-twin Harley Davidson engine, manufactured
1966–83. Biker (motorcyle) usage
US, 1995
shovel pilot noun a manual worker UK, 2003
shovels and spades noun AIDS. Rhyming slang UK, 1998
shove off verb to go away. Naval coinage, from shoving a boat away;
often used as an injunction UK, 1909
shover noun a person who passes counterfeit money US, 1945
show noun an opportunity; a chance; an opening AUSTRALIA, 1876
8see: SHOW PRICE
show verb to arrive; to make an appearance US, 1958. < show hard
to reveal to other men that you have an erection US, 1975
show and shine verb in car customising, to prepare a car and then
exhibit it in a car show US, 1993
show-and-tell noun a public display and explanation. From the
name of a school activity for young children US, 1948
showbiz noun the entertainment industry. A reduction of
‘showbusiness’; originally theatrical US, 1945
showbizzy adjective used of the stereotypical excesses of
showbusiness UK, 1969
showboat verb to show off; to pay attention to the performance
aspects of a task. From the C19 river steamers with theatrical per-
formances and melodramatic, showy gamblers US, 1951

579 shorty | showboat
show buddy noun in the language surrounding the Grateful Dead, a
friend with whom you team up for Grateful Dead tours
US, 1994
showcase verb to show off US, 1945
showdown noun 1 in prison, private time for sex US, 1972. 2 in poker,
the moment when betting is completed and the players show
their hands US, 1982
shower noun a worthless collection of people UK, 1941. < not come
down in the last shower
to be aware AUSTRALIA, 1902
shower bath; showers noun ten shillings; hence 50p. Rhyming
slang for ‘half apound’
UK, 1960
shower cap noun a condom. Figurative application of a convention-
al item
US, 1969
shower of shit; shower of shite noun an unpleasant and
worthless collection of people. Derogatory. An elaboration of
‘shower’
UK, 1999
showers noun urination by one person on another, or other acts of
urine fetishism, especially when offered or sought in
advertisements
UK, 2003
shower-spank verb (of a male) to masturbate in the shower US, 1989
show house noun a homosexual brothel US, 1981
showie noun a person who runs or works in a stall or ride at
agricultural shows AUSTRALIA, 1980
show me the money used as a humorous urging that a statement

be backed up. A key catchphrase in the US in the late 1990s
US,
1996
show-off lane noun in trucking, the passing lane of a motorway US,
1976
show-out noun a discreet signal from an informer to a police officer
UK, 1959
show out verb to behave ostentatiously US, 1993
show pony noun a prissy, prancing fop more concerned with image
than performance AUSTRALIA, 1964
show price; show noun in gambling racing, the betting odds
displayed by a bookmaker at a point in time
UK, 1976
show shop noun a theatre US, 1981
showstopper noun a proposal that would lead to a breakdown in
negotiations; a deal-killer
US, 1997
showtime noun time for something to begin US, 1992
show-up noun a process used by police to have witnesses to a crime
identify the criminals US, 1969
show-up box noun a room in a jail where suspects are shown for
identification by witnesses US, 1953
show us your tits used as a crass male heckling catchcry AUSTRALIA,
2000
shpilkes noun an inability to sit still US, 1992
SHPOS noun a critically ill hospital patient who fails to follow medi-
cal instructions, worsening their own condition; a sub-human
piece of s hit
US, 1978
shpritz; schpritz verb to squirt or spray. Yiddish US, 1967

shrapnel noun 1 low denomination coins UK, 2005. 2 the ripple effect
in poker of a player completely losing his composure and infecting
other players with his poor play
US, 1996
shred verb to perform very well; to excel US, 1977
shredache noun the headache resulting from extreme exertion while
surfing. A punned version of the standard ‘headache’, built on
SHRED (performing well) US, 2004
shredded adjective 1 muscular as the result of intense workouts US,
2001. 2 weary; weak US, 1986
shredded wheat adjective excellent. Rhyming slang for SWEET,based
on the branded breakfast cereal; current in UK prisons February
2002
UK, 2002
shredder noun a snowboarder US, 1995
shreddies noun male underpants; army-issue underpants; panties;
female underwear. Originally a reference to the stereotypically
disgusting state of bachelor’s underwear; Shreddies™, a branded
breakfast cereal, are brown and have a woven appearance
UK, 1991
shredding adjective extreme; exciting; good US, 1987
shrewd adjective attractive; popular; savvy US, 1962
shrewd head noun a cunning or shrewd person AUSTRALIA, 1915
shrewdie noun 1 a cunning or shrewd person AUSTRALIA, 1904. 2 a
clever action
NEW ZEALAND, 1998
shriek noun 1 distilled, concentrated heroin US, 1987. 2 an exclamation
mark (!) US, 1983
shrieking sixties noun the latitudes of 60 to 69 degrees south
ANTARCTICA, 1921

shrimp noun 1 a short person UK, 1386. 2 asmallpenisUS, 1972.
3 marijuana UK, 2003
shrimp job; shrimp noun the act of toe-sucking for sexual pleasure.
A foot-fetishist’s view of an appetising similarity between toes and
shrimps
UK, 1999
shrimp queen; shrimper noun a person with a fetish for the toes
US, 1971
shrink noun a psychiatrist or therapist. From the longer and older
HEADSHRINKER US, 1966
shrinkage noun the condition of a man’s genitals after swimming in
cold water. Coined and popularised on an episode of Jerry
Seinfeld’s television programme (The Hamptons) that first aired on
24th May 1994
US, 1994
shroomer noun a recreational drug user who takes hallucinogenic
mushrooms; also, more innocently, a person who gathers wild
mushrooms
US, 2003
shroomers noun mushrooms as a pizza topping US, 1996
shrooms noun psychoactive mushrooms US, 1987
shroud noun from the perspective of a man not accustomed to
dressing up, a suit US, 1962
shtarker noun a strong and brave person. Yiddish, from German US,
1959
shtetl noun a predominantly Jewish neighbourhood. From the
German for ‘village’, originally applied to small Jewish villages in
eastern Europe UK, 1949
shtick; schtick; shtik; schtik noun 1 a theatrical routine, an act;
hence a style, routine or behaviour. From German stück (a bit, a

piece) into Yiddish, and thence more widespread US, 1961. 2 an area
of interest. From the Yiddish for ‘piece’ or ‘play’ US, 1968
shtuck; schtuck; schtook; stuk noun trouble. Not Yiddish despite
appearances, although probably formed on the Yiddish model of a
reduplicated word commencing with a ‘sh’ sound, in which case
‘shtuck’ is a variant of ‘stuck’ (in a difficult situation)
UK, 1936
shtum; shtoom; stumm adjective quiet; saying nothing. Anglicised
phonetic spelling of synonymous German stumm which, it is
presumed, reached England through Yiddish UK, 1958
shtunk; shtonk noun a nasty person; a jerk. Yiddish, from German
US, 1977
shtup noun an act of sexual intercourse US, 1986
shtup; shtoop; schtup verb to have sex. Yiddish from the German
for ‘to push’ US, 1965
shubs noun a party. Urban youth slang UK, 2005
shuck noun 1 nonsense; something of little worth US, 1851. 2 a
deception; a tease US, 1959. 3 in poker, a card that may be discarded
and replaced
US, 1981
shuck verb to deceive someone in a blustery, teasing manner. Often
used with ‘jive’
US, 1959. < shuck the ice to remove stolen dia-
monds from their settings US, 1949
shucker noun a striptease dancer US, 1981
shuckman noun a swindler US, 1965
shucks used as a register of dismay or contempt. Used where SHIT!
might do US, 1847
shucky darn used as a mock, mild oath US, 1976
show buddy | shucky darn 580

shuffle noun 1 the movement by a surfer forward on the board
while surfing, executed without crossing the feet
US, 1965.
2 counterfeit money US, 1950
shuffle verb < shuffle off to Buffalo to leave. The reference to
Buffalo, New York, is for the sake of rhyme and adds nothing to
the meaning
US, 1986. < shuffle the deck on the railways, to
switch wagons onto side tracks at stations along a line
US, 1946
shufti; shuftie; shufty; shoofti noun a quick look. Military
adoption of Arabic sufti (did you see?)
UK, 1943
’shun! Attention! A military command, abbreviated from the
extended delivery ‘Atten shun!’
UK, 1888
shunk; shunkie noun a toilet UK: SCOTLAND, 1988
shunt noun a car accident UK, 1959
shunt verb in motor racing, to bump a competitor US, 1965
shunter noun a drug dealer who becomes addicted and continues to
deal in order to fund the habit. Formed on
PUNTER (a customer)
UK, 2000
shurrit! be quiet! A phonetic slurring of SHUT IT! UK, 1982
shurrup! be quiet! A slurring of SHUT UP! UK, 1964
shush verb to steal something. Polari; a possible variant sense and
spelling of ZHOOSH (to swallow) UK, 2002
shush bag noun a bag for carrying away stolen property. Polari; from
SHUSH (to steal) UK, 2002
shusher noun a person who is employed to keep people quiet on

the street outside a nightclub. From ‘shush!’ (be quiet!) UK, 2004
shushing noun the work of keeping people quiet on the street
outside a nightclub UK, 2004
shush the mush! be quiet!, shut up! A combination of convention-
al ‘shush!’ and
MUSH (the mouth or face) UK, 2004
shush up verb to become quiet. Often in the imperative. Combines
conventional ‘shush!’ (be quiet!) with SHUT UP UK, 1999
shut verb < shut the gate in motor racing, to pass another car
and immediately pull in front of the other car, minimising its
ability to pass in return US, 1965
shut-door noun a rejection; a refusal. The image of a door being
slammed in your face UK, 2001
shuteye; shut-eye noun sleep UK, 1896
shuteyes noun a sex offender US, 1982
shut-in noun a person who stays at home and never goes out US, 1904
shut it! be quiet! UK, 1886
shutout noun any situation in which a person fails to score, literally
or figuratively
US, 1957
shutter noun 1 the eyelid US, 1945. 2 a gunman. Recorded by a
Jamaican inmate in a UK prison, August 2002 UK, 2002
shutterbug noun 1 a photography enthusiast; a photographer US, 1940.
2 a photographer who selects subjects for personal sexual
gratification, often without the subject’s knowledge or consent US,
1999
shut the fuck up! be quiet! An intensified, very imperative SHUT UP!
(be quiet!) US, 1991
shuttup! be quiet!; stop talking! A variation of SHUT UP! UK, 1955
shut up verb to cease talking; to stop making a noise. Used as a two

word exclamation the sense is imperative or (since the 1960s)
disbelieving US, 1840
shut up! verb used as a humorous, kind, even flirtatious way to
change the subject US, 1978
shut UP! shut up. The difference between the slang ‘shut up’ and
the colloquial is the emphasis on a drawn out ‘up’ with register
rising slightly for the ‘up’
US, 1989
shut-up sandwich noun a punch in the mouth CANADA, 2002
shut your crunch! be quiet! UK, 1978
shut your face! be quiet!; shut up! UK, 1809
shut your head! be quiet!; shut up! US, 1876
shut your teeth! be quiet!; stop talking! UK, 2003
shut your trap! be quiet! From TRAP (the mouth) UK, 1959
shuzzit noun marijuana. A discreet variation of SHIT US, 1971
shvartz; schvartz noun a black person; an Indian or Pakistani
person. Also seen as ‘schwartz’, ‘schvartze’ and ‘ schvartza’. The
Yiddish term schvartz (from the German for ‘black’) is an adjective,
with schvartzer as the noun for ‘a black person’. ‘Schvartz’ the
adjective became an inside, ‘code’ word among Jews for ‘a black
person’
US, 1961
shvartz; schvartz; schwartz; schvartze adjective black, especially
as a skin colour. Derogatory UK, 2002
shvitz; schvitz verb to perspire. Yiddish, from German US, 1992
shvontz; shwantz noun the penis US, 1965
shy verb to cook opium pellets for smoking US, 1946
shy adjective 1 having less of something than is desired, required or
necessary US, 1895. 2 in debt; owing money US, 1950
shylock noun 1 a person who illegally loans money at very high

interest rates and often has violent collection procedures. The
allusion to Shakespeare’s usurious money-lender in The Merchant
of Venice cannot be missed
US, 1930. 2 in circus and carnival usage,
the show’s office secretary US, 1981
shylock verb to engage in usurious loan practices UK, 1930
shypoo adjective inferior; shoddy NEW ZEALAND, 1952
shyster noun 1 a lawyer, especially an unprofessional, dishonest or
rapacious lawyer; any dishonest professional. In his Origin of the
Term Shyster, slang lexicographer Gerald Cohen demonstrates the
craft of slang etymology at its highest: ‘coined by New York
journalist Mike Walsh’ US, 1843. 2 a very poorly attended circus per-
formance
UK, 1953
siamesed adjective in motor racing and repair, closely connected or
joined together US, 1993
sib noun a sibling UK, 2000
Siberia noun solitary confinement US, 1984
sice noun in craps, the point and number six US, 1950
Sicilian price noun death, usually slow and painful, as punishment
US, 1997
sick noun withdrawal symptoms suffered by a drug addict US, 1972.
< on the sick in receipt of sickness benefit UK, 1996
sick adjective 1 suffering the symptoms of withdrawal from a drug
addiction US, 1938. 2 experiencing the bleed period of the menstrual
cycle BAHAMAS, 1982. 3 infected with HIV or suffering from AIDS US,
1990. 4 scary. Perhaps from the sensations aroused US, 1995.
5 tedious, boring; disaffecting UK, 1973. 6 excellent; wonderful. On
the principle that BAD means ‘good’ US, 1987. 7 in poker, without
further funds US, 1988

sick and tired of adjective bored or fed-up with someone or
something UK, 1783
sick and wrong! used for conveying a strong disagreement or
disapproval US, 1989
sick as an ANIMAL adjective physically sick, but not necessarily
vomiting. The earliest recorded is ‘dog’ (1705); followed by ‘horse’
(1765); ‘cat’ shows up in 1915, and ‘sonofabitch’ in 1953. ‘Sick as
a parrot’ is a jocular variation from 1979. On 20th November
2000, Judith Keppel was the first contestant to win a million
pounds on the television quiz Who Wants To Be A Millionaire;the
first question she answered (for £100) was: ‘Complete this phrase.
Assickasa–Puffin–Penguin–Parrot–Partridge’
UK, 1999
sick-bay commando noun a soldier who feigns illness to avoid
combat duty US, 1991
sickener noun anything that is depressing or disappointing UK, 2001
sickest adjective best TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 1987
sickie; sicky noun a feigned illness cited as grounds for missing
work AUSTRALIA, 1953
sickle; motorsickle noun a motorcycle. Re-pronounced abbreviation
punning on
CHOPPER (a motorcycle) US, 1967
581 shuffle | sickle; motorsickle
sickler noun a person suffering from sickle-cell anaemia US, 1994
sickness noun the range of symptoms experienced when a drug
addict is deprived of the drug
US, 1987
sicko noun an emotionally or psycho-sexually disturbed person US,
1963
sicko adjective depraved AUSTRALIA, 1993

sick pad noun a sanitary towel US, 1966
sick puppy noun a perverted person US, 1984
sick squid noun six pounds. A play on on ‘six QUID’ UK, 2002
sick to death of adjective bored or fed-up with someone or
something UK, 1890
siddi noun marijuana UK, 1998
side noun 1 a recorded tune or song. Early gramophone records held
one recording on each side US, 1936. 2 agirlUS, 1972. 3 a group of
friends TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 1973. < on the side somewhat; to
a noticeable degree UK, 1713. < on the side 1 describes an extra-
marital sexual liaison
US, 1893. 2 of work or commerce, extra to
regular or legitimate practice, often discreetly so UK, 1961. 3 used as
an announcement that you are monitoring a citizens’ band radio
channel; describes someone monitoring a citizens’ band radio
channel
US, 1976. < over the side engaged in private business or
sexual liaisons during duty hours. Originally navy, ‘over the side (of
a ship)’, meaning ‘absent without leave’; adopted into police use
UK, 1970. < put on side to assume airs and graces. Possibly
derived from the game of billiards UK, 1878
side < on the … side somewhat; to a noticeable degree UK, 1713
side arms noun 1 in poker, the lower value pair in a hand consisting
of two pairs
US, 1988. 2 sugar and cream US, 1945
sideboards noun side whiskers UK, 1857
sidebox verb to surround someone in a menacing manner UK, 1982
side-buster noun a person whose deeds do not match his
description of his deeds US, 1989
side comb noun hair parted on the side. Hawaiian youth usage US,

1982
side dish noun amistressUS, 1949
sidehill winder; sidehill gouger noun a mythical animal whose
legs are shorter on one side than the other from years of grazing
on a hillside
US, 1975
sidekick noun a close friend and accomplice US, 1906
sideman noun in a whe-whe lottery game, an assistant to the banker
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 1966
side-roader noun a rural marijuana thief; a person who grows
marijuana in a remote outdoor garden NEW ZEALAND, 1990
’sides adverb in addition; used to introduce a further matter. An
abbreviation of ‘besides’ UK, 1579
side squeeze noun a partner in romance other than your primary
partner; a romantic affair US, 1991
sidewalk pizza noun a puddle of vomit US, 1997
sidewalk Susie noun a prostitute US, 1949
sideways adjective 1 of a sum of money being gambled, split each
way (to win or place). Racing slang
UK, 1960. 2 in motor racing, out
of control, whether or not the car is actually sideways to the track
traffic US, 1973
sideways trip noun a suicide in prison US, 1984
sidewinder noun 1 a South Asian prostitute; a promiscuous South
Asian female. The allusion is to a poisonous snake found in North
America
US, 1997. 2 an unknown but very fast horse CANADA, 1974. 3 in
trucking, a U-model Mack truck with a slightly off-centre driver’s
compartment US, 1971
side work noun prostitution US, 1996

sideys; sidies noun side whiskers. An abbreviation of ‘sideburns’ or
‘sideboards’ UK, 1967
sidity; sididy; seditty adjective arrogant, boastful, showing off US,
1968
sieg heils noun haemorrhoids. Rhyming slang for PILES UK, 2003
sieve noun a hospital or admitting physician that freely admits
patients
US, 1994
sieve verb to drill holes in a safe for the placement of explosives to
be used in opening it
US, 1970
siff noun syphilis US, 1972
sift verb to move swiftly through a crowd. Adopting conventional
‘sift’ (to pass through a sieve), perhaps incorporating a gentle pun
on ‘shift’ (to move) UK, 1997
SIG (in doctors’ shorthand) a bad-tempered, thoroughly
objectionable individual. An (unofficial) medical initialism:
STROPPY
(bad-tempered) ignorant GIT (objectionable individual) UK, 2002
sight noun a large quantity UK, 1390
sight verb to understand BAHAMAS, 1980
sight adverb very much. Often used with ‘damn’, ‘damned’ or
another intensifier
UK, 1928
sight-hit verb to stare at someone or something; to ogle someone
INDIA, 1979
signal-to-noise ratio; s/n ratio noun the amount of useful content
found on an Internet site. A figurative use of a technical term US,
1997
signature noun the backblast of flame or smoke from a weapon US,

1990
signify verb to engage in ritualistic insults, goading and teasing.
Unlike
DOZENS, signifying does not make a person’s mother the
subject of the tease
US, 1932
sign on verb to register unemployed; hence to be unemployed US,
1885
signs noun hand signals showing youth gang affiliation US, 1993
Sigourney Weaver noun the vagina. Rhyming slang for BEAVER,
formed from the name of the US actress (b.1949) UK, 2003
sig quote noun in computing, an aphorism automatically included
with the user’s formatted signature US, 1991
silencer noun a motorcyle muffler. The UK conventional English
‘silencer’ is US slang US, 1973
silent adjective of an entry in a criminal’s file, unofficial; showing
crimes for which the criminal was not charged but probably
committed US, 1990
silent but deadly adjective applied to the unpleasant smell that
hangs in the air as a result of a silent fart. Unpleasant but hardly
deadly. Anecdotal evidence and experience place this term in the
1970s UK, 1999
silent captain noun in shuffleboard, the scoreboard US, 1967
silent death noun an electric train. By comparison with steam
engines, at the date (around 1950) of the introduction of electric
trains UK, 1970
silent flute noun the penis. Variation of FLUTE (the penis) UK, 1788
silent flute of love noun the erect penis UK, 2003
silent night noun a light ale. Rhyming slang UK, 1992
silent violent noun an unpleasantly aromatic fart that pollutes

without warning, a silent fart. A variation of SILENT BUT DEADLY UK,
2003
silk noun 1 a white person US, 1960. 2 a homosexual US, 1972. 3 in the
categorisation of sexual activity by teenage boys, a touch of a girl’s
crotch outside her underwear
US, 1986. 4 money US, 1950. 5 heroin UK,
2002. < hit the silk; take to silk to open a parachute after
jumping from a plane
US, 1933
silk adjective 1 white-skinned US, 1960. 2 homosexual US, 1962
silk and satin noun any combination of central nervous system
stimulants and central nervous system depressants US, 1980
silk department noun the very best AUSTRALIA, 1989
silk glove noun a guard on a passenger train. Not praise US, 1977
silk hat noun in circus and carnival usage, an egocentrist US, 1981
silkies noun a woman’s underpants US, 1986
sickler | silkies 582
silks noun silk or nylon socks US, 1972
silk-stocking adjective wealthy US, 1970
silky adjective excellent; pleasing; smooth US, 1973
silky-straight noun any hairstyle with artificially straightened hair US,
1981
Silky Sullivan noun in horse racing, any horse that comes from far
behind to win a race. Ridden by Willie Shoemaker, the original
Silky Sullivan came from 30 lengths behind to win the 1958 Santa
Anita Derby by three lengths US, 1997
silly affairs noun used as a humorous synonym for ‘Civil Affairs’ US,
1968
silly as a two-bob watch adjective very silly NEW ZEALAND, 1984
silly billy noun a fool. Formed on Billy, a familiar diminutive of

William; originally used as a nickname for William Frederick, Duke
of Gloucester (1776–1834) and William IV (1765–1837), then as a
popular name for a clown, especially a clown’s juvenile stooge UK,
1834
silly bollock; silly bollocks noun a contemptible fool UK, 1999
silly cunt noun afoolUK, 2000
silly dust noun a powdered drug UK, 2003
silly season noun from a police perspective, the summer as a
period of counterculture, pop, rock and dance festivals. From the
familiar journalistic sense. Used by late 1980s–early 90s
counterculture travellers UK, 1999
silly side bin noun psilocybin or psilocin, in powder or capsule
form. Nonsense pun on the chemical name UK, 1999
sillyvillian noun a civilian, seen from the cynical eyes of the military
US, 1963
silly walk noun in computing, an absurd procedure that must be
followed. A borrowing from Monthy Python US, 1991
sillywatter noun any alcoholic drink, especially in reference to a
drinker’s foolish behaviour
UK: SCOTLAND, 1996
silver noun 1 marijuana. Based on the colour of the leaves UK, 2000.
2 in American casinos, a silver coin or $1 chip US, 1980. 3 money US,
1966. 4 a type of bet in an illegal numbers game lottery US, 1957
silver and gold adjective old. Rhyming slang UK, 1998
silver bike noun a metal syringe. Drug addict usage US, 1970
silver bullet noun 1 an ideal, usually notional, solution to a problem.
From the mythology that a silver bullet is fatal to a werewolf; this
symbol was also adopted by the eponymous hero of television
western The Lone Ranger, 1956–62
UK, 2002. 2 a martini US, 1988

silver goose noun a proctoscope US, 1989
silver haze noun a hybrid strain of marijuana. From the frosty
colour of the leaf UK, 1999
silver lady noun a hypodermic needle and syringe US, 1993
silvermine verb to patrol a casino in search of coins left in the tray
of a slot machine or dropped on the floor US, 1985
silver plate please. Intentionally butchered s’il vous plaît US, 1990
silvers noun any coins TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 2003
silver spoon noun 1 used as a metaphor of wealth at birth,
especially in the expression ’born with a silver spoon in your
mouth’
US, 1972. 2 the moon. Rhyming slang UK, 1992
silver surfer noun an elderly or retired person who uses the
Internet. Adopting the identity of cartoon superhero the Silver
Surfer, created in 1966 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby for Marvel
Comics; this puns ‘silver’ (the hair colour) and ‘surfer’ (someone
who browses the Internet)
UK, 2001
silvertail noun 1 a member of the privileged class. Derogatory
AUSTRALIA, 1891. 2 a prisoner who enjoys privileges AUSTRALIA, 1950
silvertail adjective pretentious AUSTRALIA, 1962
silvery moon noun a black person. Rhyming slang for COON UK, 1979
silvery spoon noun a black person. Rhyming slang for COON UK, 1977
sim noun a simulator; a simulation UK, 1979
simmer down verb to calm down US, 1871
simoleon noun a dollar US, 1896
simp noun afool;asimpleton US, 1903
simp adjective 1 foolish. From SIMP (a simpleton) US, 2000.
2 fashionable US, 1965
simple as very easy. The familiarity of the phrase ‘it is as simple as

that’ has allowed a gradual clipping; first the verb was generally
considered unnecessary to express the intention, then ‘as’ was
slurred aside, finally ‘that’ is understood; it is as simple as that
UK,
2001
simple pimp noun a pimp who fails to live up to the high standards
of his fellow pimps
US, 1972
simple Simon noun 1 a diamond (the precious stone; the suit of
cards); Double Diamond™ (a branded beer). Rhyming slang,
formed from a nursery rhyme character
UK, 1992. 2 psilocybin, a
hallucinogenic mushroom US, 1970
simp twister noun in circus and carnival usage, a carousel US, 1981
sin noun < as sin extremely, especially in phrases ‘ugly as sin’ and
‘miserable as sin’ UK, 1821
sin! used for registering shock or surprise. Ironic euphemism for
FUCK! UK, 2001
sin bin noun 1 in team sports, an off-field area a player can be sent
to for a period as a punishment for breaking the rules CANADA, 1970.
2 in prison, a punishment cell or the punishment block UK, 1996.
3 a panel van or the like used for sexual encounters AUSTRALIA, 1984.
< in the sin bin ostracised AUSTRALIA, 1995
sin-bin verb 1 to temporarily remove a person from duty or office
while they are under investigation for some misdeed AUSTRALIA, 1983.
2 in team sports, to send a player to the sin bin AUSTRALIA, 1983
since Adam was a pup for a very long time AUSTRALIA, 1956
since Hector was a pup for a very long time US, 1904
since time for a very long time UK, 2003
sin city noun the neighbourhood in An Khe, Vietnam, housing

brothels, bars and other vice dens US, 1968
Sinead O’Connor; Sinead noun a doner kebab. Popney rhyming
slang, based on the name of Irish singer Sinead O’Connor
(b.1966). Popney was contrived for www.music365.co.uk,an
Internet music site
UK, 2001
sine-died adjective permanently barred (from a bar or sporting
endeavour). From Latin sine die (without a day) used in legal
language for ‘an indefinite adjournment’ UK: SCO TLAND, 1996
sing verb 1 to give information or evidence, usually to the police US,
1929. 2 in carnival usage, to make a sales pitch US, 1981 . 3 in a big
store confidence swindle, to provide false information to the
intended victim, 1997. < sing in the choir to be homosexual.
Cute code
US, 1994. < sing like a canary to give information or
evidence, usually to the police. An elaboration of SING US, 1950
Singapore grey noun hashish purportedly manufactured in
Singapore US, 1971
singbird noun a police informer US, 1982
sing-cerely used as a humorous closing in letters between singers
US, 1975
singer noun 1 in a confidence swindle, a participant who passes
information about the false enterprise to the victim US, 1985. 2 in
trucking, a recapped tyre. Named after the road noise US, 1971
Singin’ Johnny noun homebrew CANADA, 1998
single eye noun a Japanese person. Hawaiian youth usage US, 1982
single-fish noun a urination. Glasgow rhyming slang for PISH (a PISS)
UK: SCOTLAND, 1988
single-O noun a criminal, gambling cheat or a prisoner who acts
alone US, 1962

single-O verb to operate as a criminal without confederates; to oper-
ate selfishly within a criminal enterprise
US, 1950
single-O adjective selfish US, 1950
singles bar noun a bar that caters to a young, unattached clientele
US, 1969
583 silks | singles bar
single-skinner noun a single fence UK, 2002
single-stakes-about noun in gambling, a type of conditional bet UK,
2001
singlie noun a single man UK, 1995
Singlish noun a Singaporean adaptation of the English language; a
variety of English used in Sri Lanka SINGAPORE, 2001
sing on verb in the context of a calypso song, to disparage or tease
someone TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 1958
singular! great! US, 1992
sinistered area noun in Quebec, a disaster area. The French phrase
zone sinestress is the source of this phrase when used in English
in this way CANADA, 2001
sink noun in the language of hang gliding, falling air that increases
the speed of descent
US, 1977. < behind the sink depleted of
funds US, 1974
sink verb to down a drink AUSTRALIA, 1911. < sink the pink to have
sex. Snooker imagery US, 2001
sinker noun 1 a doughnut US, 1962. 2 a dent on a surfboard that
requires a resin filler
US, 1986
sin loi, motherfucker sorry about that. Xin loi or sin loi is
Vietnamese meaning something in the nature of ‘sorry about

that’. It was widely heard and widely used by US troops in Vietnam
US, 1990
sinner noun apersonIRELAND, 1991
Sip nickname the state of Mississippi US, 1970
sip verb < sip at the fuzzy cup to perform oral sex on a woman
US, 1980. < sip suds; sip on suds to drink beer US, 1986
siphon verb < siphon the python; syphon the python 1 (of a
male) to urinate. A jocular construction rhyming a reasonably con-
ventional use of ‘syphon’ with
PYTHON (the penis) AUSTRALIA, 1968.
2 (of a male) to have sex US, 1984
Sippie noun a member of the Student Information Processing Board
at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Acronym US, 1990s
sipple adjective slippery TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 1973
sip-sip verb to whisper, especially when gossiping BAHAMAS, 1982
sir and miss noun syphilis. Rhyming slang UK, 2003
Sir Anthony Blunt; Sir Anthony noun a fool; a despicable fool.
Rhyming slang for CUNT, probably coined by comedian and satirist
Peter Cook (1937–95). Sir Anthony Blunt (1907–83) was an art
historian and traitor who spied for the Soviet Union (‘the fourth
man’) and, eventually, had his knighthood removed
UK, 1979
Sir Charles noun the Viet Cong US, 1982
Sir Walter Scott noun a pint glass, a pint pot. Rhyming slang,
formed from the name of the Scottish novelist and poet,
1777–1832 UK, 1992
sis noun 1 used as a term of address for a sister UK, 1656. 2 used as a
form of address for a girl or young woman; also (when used by a
man of a younger woman) may imply no sexual interest
US, 1859

sissified; sissy; cissy adjective effeminate. From SISTER via SIS US, 1846
sissy noun an effeminate boy or man, especially a homosexual; a
coward
US, 1879
sissy bar noun 1 on a motorcyle or bicycle, a back rest for the
passenger seated behind the driver. The suggestion is that a manly
man or tough woman has no need for the back rest
US, 1969. 2 a
bar patronised by homosexuals US, 1982
sissy stick noun in pool, a mechanical device used to support the
cue on hard-to-reach shots US, 1970
sissy tank noun a jail holding cell reserved for homosexual prisoners
US, 1981
sister noun 1 used as a form of address for a woman whose name is
unknown
US, 1906. 2 a black woman US, 1968. 3 a form of address
between homosexual men. This CAMP adoption of the feminine
form is also reflected in the cross-gender assignment of pronouns
UK, 1992. 4 a fellow homosexual US, 1949. 5 a female fellow member
of a countercultural or underground political movement US, 1968
sister act noun a relationship, usually sexual, between two homosex-
uals with the same orientation
US, 1965
sister girl noun used as a female-to-female term of address, often
sternly
US, 1989
sister hix noun in craps, a six US, 1983
sisterhood noun the bond that unites male homosexuals US, 1979
sistren noun (of women) friends. Conventional ‘sisters’ with religious
and political overtones adopted for everyday use by the West

Indian and UK black communities UK, 2000
sit noun 1 in harness racing, the position immediately behind
another horse, thus using the other horse as a wind-break US, 1997.
2 in horse racing, a contract for a jockey to ride a race AUSTRALIA,
1989
sit verb < sit like Miss Queenie to sit with your legs crossed as
others work
DOMINICA, 1977. < sit on your hands to refrain from
applause at a moment when applause would be appropriate US,
1981. < sit tight to stay where you are; especially to remain in
place when it would be easier to go UK, 1999. < sit up and beg
describes elderly cars and old-fashioned bicycles and motorcycles;
also the position adopted by drivers of such vehicles
UK, 1979
sit-and-grab noun in a carnival, a food concession with seating US,
1960
sit-arse verb to wait; to do nothing. A contraction of ‘sit on your
arse’ UK, 2001
sit beside her noun a spider. Rhyming slang that seems to have its
origins in the nursery rhyme ‘Little Miss Muffet’ UK, 1992
sitch noun asituationUS, 1967
sitcom noun a situation comedy. A protocol for television comedies
since the early 1950s in which the humour is drawn from the
confluence of characters and situations US, 1964
sit-down noun 1 a meeting or conversation over a meal or while
sitting UK, 1861. 2 in organised crime, a discussion of a dispute
between members of the crime enterprise with a final and
binding decision rendered by a leader or group of leaders
US, 1975.
3 a base camp or town in the rear, away from combat. Vietnam

war use US, 1990
sit down verb to join a poker game US, 1963
sit-down money noun amongst Australian Aboriginals, government
welfare or unemployment benefits AUSTRALIA, 1978
sit hard verb (of ducks) to stay on an egg-nest as long as possible in
the approach of danger CANADA, 1958
sit in verb 1 to play by invitation with a band to which the musician
does not belong US, 1936. 2 to join a poker game US, 1967
sit on it! used as an expression of disapproval. Popularised in the
1970s by frequent use on the television series Happy Days US, 1979
sitrep noun a situation report. Military UK, 1995
sit-still noun in horse racing, a style of riding based on patience US,
1976
sitter noun 1 a woman who works in a bar, encouraging male
customers to drink and to buy them drinks US, 1987. 2 a hostess in
a brothel, neither prostitute nor madam AUSTRALIA, 1985. 3 aperson
who monitors and comforts an alcohol or drug addict who is
going through the initial stages of detoxification. A term used in
twelve-step recovery programmes such as Alcoholics Anonymous
US, 1998. 4 a person who guides another or others through an LSD
experience. An allusion to the practice of babysitting US, 1966. 5 in
pool, a ball perched on the lip of a pocket US, 1924
sitting breeches noun the trousers worn (figuratively) by visitors
who have over-stayed their welcome
BARBADOS, 1965
sitting britches noun the trousers worn (figuratively) by an idler or
laggard US, 1963
sitting down noun in fencing, the ‘on guard/en garde’ position.
From the bending of the legs UK, 1988
sitting duck noun 1 an easy target. Originally military; figurative use

of hunting imagery
UK, 1944. 2 a stolen car discovered by police
through serendipitous checking of number plates
US, 1970
single-skinner | sitting duck 584
sitting on a goldmine used admiringly of a sexually attractive
person, especially one who does not take financial advantage of
his or her attraction
US, 1972
sit upon noun the posterior. Euphemistic UK, 1961
sitzmark noun among British Columbia skiers, the imprint left in
the snow from a skier’s fall
CANADA, 1989
Siwash noun a stupid person. Originally from Chinook jargon, this
term was used by explorers for Native American Indians, but over
time it has become an insult both to the native peoples and to
the person so designated
CANADA, 1976
Siwash verb to place a non-Native American Indian person on the
list of people not allowed to buy alcohol
CANADA, 1989
Siwash blanket noun low cloud cover CANADA, 1998
Siwash logger noun a beachcomber. This term carries on the early
derogatory use of siwash for any Indians or their customs CANADA,
1962
Siwash wind noun a storm that comes on quickly CANADA, 1998
six noun 1 a lookout during a crime US, 1987. 2 asix-packofabeverage
US, 1992. 3 a six-fluid-ounce glass of beer AUSTRALIA, 1972. 4 a unit
commander US, 1976. < behind the six without funds US, 1967.
< take six to re-enlist in the military for six years US, 1968

six-and-eight noun a poor condition. Rhyming slang for STA TE UK, 1980
six-and-eight adjective honest, legitimate. Rhyming slang for
STRAIGHT (honest) UK, 1959
six and four noun heroin mixed with other substances. Probably
from the ratio of ingredients UK, 1996
sixer noun 1 anything that counts or scores as six, especially a six in
cricket UK, 1870. 2 asix-packofbeerUS, 1993. 3 a jail sentence of six
months US, 1949. 4 a corporal punishment of six strokes with a
cane. A variation of
SIX OF THE BEST UK, 1927
sixes noun a small drink of rum. Originally costing six cents TRINIDAD
AND TOBAGO
, 1968. < all the sixes sixty-six. In Bingo, House or
Tombola the formula ‘all the’ announces a double number UK, 1943
six feet under adjective dead and buried UK, 1942
six-for-fiver noun a money lender who operates informally to
advance workers money on their wages
US, 1953
sixie; sixie from Dixie noun in craps, the number six US, 1985
six moon noun a six-months prison sentence UK, 2000
six o’clock girl noun athingirlUS, 1947
six o’clock jump noun an enema given to a patient the night before
surgery US, 1946
six o’clock swill noun a last minute rush for drinks in a hotel bar
prior to six o’clock closing time. Now obsolete as opening hours
for hotels have been expanded
AUSTRALIA, 1955
six of the best noun a corporal punishment of six strokes with a
cane UK, 1912
six-pack noun 1 a well developed and defined abdominal

musculature. From the superficial resemblance between the
muscles and a six-pack of beer cans
US, 1997. 2 a car carburettor
system with six barrels US, 1993
six-packer noun a man with well-developed and defined abdominal
musculature; a well-built man. Teen slang
SOUTH AFRICA, 2003
six-packs noun in craps, a roll of twelve US, 1999
sixpennyworth noun a prison term of six months UK, 1957
six, six, and a kick noun military discipline consisting of six
months imprisonment, six months forfeiture of pay and a bad-
conduct discharge from the service US, 1991
sixteen noun an M-16 rifle US, 1985
sixteenth noun a sixteenth of an ounce (of drugs) US, 1988
six tits noun in poker, three queens US, 1948
six-to-five!; sixty-five!; sixty fifth street! used as a warning
among criminals or swindlers that a police officer is nearby US, 1950
six to four noun a whore. Rhyming slang, from racing odds UK, 1939
six-to-six noun 1 a prostitute. From their working hours – evening
to dawn
FIJI, 1996. 2 a conversation between two unit commanders
US, 1991
six-tr ey noun sixty-three; 63rd Street US, 1972
sixty days noun in dice games, a roll of six US, 1962
sixty-eight noun used as a humorous variation on sixty-nine – you
give me oral sex and I’ll owe you one
US, 1982
sixty-four dollar question; sixty-four thousand dollar
question; sixty-four million dollar question
noun a question

that gets to the heart of the matter. The US radio quiz show Ta ke
It or Leave It offered a highest prize of $64, giving rise to the
catch-phrase ‘sixty-four dollar question’. The phrase gained
currency and three decimal places in televised quiz shows on both
sides of the Atlantic
US, 1942
six up! used as a warning in the usage of counterculturalists associ-
ated with the Rainbow Nation gatherings and the Grateful Dead
that law enforcement officials are approaching US, 1994
size queen noun a homosexual male or a woman who is attracted
to men with large penises
US, 1963
sizzle noun 1 a sister, in the sense as a female companion, especially
in the phrase ‘fa’ shizzle my sizzle’. A hip-hop, urban black
coinage, formed as a rhyming reduplication of SHIZZLE (sure, yes).
After ‘fa’ shizzle my nizzle’ (yes my nigger) US, 2003. 2 an illegal drug
US, 1969
sizzle verb to be executed by electrocution in the electric chair US,
1982
sizzler noun 1 in cricket, an exceedingly fast ball; an extremely fast
horse, etc UK, 1961. 2 an unskilled cook US, 1975
sizzle seat noun the electric chair; capital punishment by
electrocution US, 1982
SK8 noun in text messaging, a skate or to skate. A variant spelling;
one of several constructions in which a syllable pronounced ‘ate’ is
replaced by the homophone ‘eight’ US, 2002
ska noun a rhythmic musical style that evolved into reggae. Coinage,
in the late 1950s or very early 60s, is generally credited to
Jamaican bassist Cluet Johnson when trying to explain the sound
and rhythm of ya-ya music; Cluet Johnson is also recorded as

using ‘skavoovee’ and ‘love skavoovie’ as a nonsensical but
American-sounding greeting JAMAICA, 1993
skagged up adjective intoxicated by or addicted to heroin UK, 1993
skanger noun a member of a Dublin/Kilkenny subcultural urban
adolescent, teenage and young-adult-male grouping that is given to
hanging around and causing trouble IRELAND, 2001
skank noun 1 a girl whose sole attraction is her immorality and sex-
ual availability. An abusive description possibly derived from
‘skunk’ US, 1966. 2 a prostitute US, 2002. 3 a confidence trick; a fraud.
After SKANK (to steal). West Indian, hence UK black UK, 1994.
4 nastiness, filth US, 1995
skank verb 1 to work a confidence trick; to operate a fraud; to work
behind someone’s back. West Indian and UK black slang which
spread into wider criminal circles. An earlier, surviving usage is a
dance style, which imagery suggests the possible etymology is of a
figurative dance around the victim of the trick
UK, 2000. 2 to move
to reggae rhythms in a particular loose-limbed style JAMAICA, 1992.
3 to steal something UK, 1997
skank off verb to play truant UK, 1997
skank-pit noun an unpleasant, distasteful place US, 1999
skanky adjective ugly; cheap; nasty US, 1975
skat; skattie noun used as a term of endearment. From Afrikaans
schat (treasure) SOUTH AFRICA, 1964
skate noun 1 an easy task US, 1976. 2 an extremely unattractive woman
who is seen as a sex object, especially one who is ravaged by age.
Possibly from obsolete ‘skate’ (an inferior horse) and influenced by
the sense ‘an unpleasant man’
UK, 2002. 3 an unpleasant man US,
1896

. 4 a lazy and/or incompetent worker. US Army usage US, 1998.
5 an act of letting someone escape wrongdoing without
punishment US, 1992. 6 a tyre US, 1976. 7 a motorcyle US, 1970 8see:
ROLLERSKATE. < do a skate to vanish NEW ZEALAND, 1998
585 sitting on a goldmine | skate
skate verb 1 to get away with something; to escape punishment US,
1945
. 2 to win easily UK: SCOTLAND, 1996. 3 in the used car business, to
steal another salesman’s sale US, 1975. 4 to dance IRELAND, 1991. 5 to
be without money
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 1996
skate Betty noun a girl who associates with skateboarders, perhaps
skateboarding herself US, 1989
skate jockey noun a driver of a small car, especially a sports car.
Citizens’ band radio slang, combines ‘skate’ (small car) with
another form of ‘driver’
US, 1976
skate rat noun a devoted, perhaps skilled skateboarder US, 1989
skating adjective drunk UK, 1984
sked noun in remote country regions, a schedule for a radio call
AUSTRALIA, 1946
sked verb to schedule. A shortening of the US pronunciation US, 2004
skedaddle; skiddadle verb to leave in a hurry. Originally US Civil
War slang, with claims of Swedish and Danish origins probably
disproved US, 1861
Skedaddle Ridge noun a hill in southern New Brunswick CANADA,
1995
skee noun 1 whisky, especially low quality, low cost whisky US, 1950.
2 opium; heroin US, 1960
skeef noun an attractive female JAMAICA, 2000

skeef adverb disapprovingly. From Afrikaans skeef (askew) SOUTH
AFRICA
, 1969
skeenteen noun used as an imaginary high number US, 1968
skeet noun 1 agirlUK, 2003. 2 in poker, a nonstandard hand consisting
of a 9, a 5, a 2, one card between 5 and 9 and one card between 2
and 5 US, 1963
skeet verb 1 to ejaculate US, 2002. 2 to eject liquid from a syringe US,
1971
skeeve noun a disgusting individual US, 1976
skeeve; skeeve out verb to disgust US, 1976
skeevie noun a disgusting person. Teen slang US, 1955
skeevie; skeevy adjective disgusting US, 1976
skeevosa noun a disgusting individual. An extension of SKEEVE (a
disgusting individual) US, 1995
skeeze verb to have sex US, 1990
skeezer noun a woman who will perform sex for crack cocaine US,
1990
skeezix noun a fool. After a character (a foundling, adopted by Walt
and Phyllis Rumpus Blossom, who grew up to be the father of
Chipper and Clovia) in Frank O. King’s newspaper comic strip
Gasoline Alley
US, 1975
skeff noun a confidence swindle TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 1975
skeg noun 1 a surfer. The variant ‘sceg’ also exists AUSTRALIA, 1985. 2 a
member of a subcultural social grouping of pubescent or
adolescent girls IRELAND, 2001. 3 afinonasurfboardUS, 1962
skeg-first adverb while surfing, said of the beginning of a ride with
the tail of the surfboard pointing towards shore
US, 1988

skeg-head noun a surfer AUSTRALIA, 1988
skein of thr ead; skein noun a bed. Rhyming slang UK, 1979
skeletons fucking on a tin roof used as a perfect simile for a
rattling noise US, 1961
skell; skel noun a vagrant, especially of the thuggish sort. Seemingly
related to the C17 ‘skelder’, an honorable cant term for ‘a pro-
fessional beggar’ which was long obsolete when ‘skell’ started to
show up in New York in the early 1970s. A favourite word of police
television dramas in the 1990s; the screeplay by Gardner Stern for
episode 2 of season 2 of NYPD Blue that aired in September 1994
was titled For Whom the Skell Rolls
US, 1957
skerrick noun a small amount of something. From British dialect
AUSTRALIA, 1854
sketch noun 1 a situation, an arrangement UK, 2000. 2 a term of
endearment for someone IRELAND, 1997. < keep sketch to keep
watch IRELAND, 1996
sketch adjective suspicious; threatening US, 2003
sketchy noun an odd or weird person. Used amongst foot-powered
scooter-riders
UK, 2000
sketchy adjective dangerous; possibly dangerous US, 2002
skew-whiff; skiwift adjective awry; askew; at the wrong angle UK, 1754
ski verb in soccer, to kick the ball unnecessarily high in the air US, 1945
-ski suffix used in combination to intensify an adjective or adverb UK:
SCOTLAND
, 1988
ski bum noun a ski enthusiast who spends as much time as possible
skiing and as little time as possible working
US, 1963

ski bunny noun a female who is learning to ski; a female who visits
ski resorts for the company but does not ski US, 1963
skid noun heroin, especially when heavily adulterated US, 1977
skid verb while snowboarding, to slide down a slope sideways US, 1993
skid artist noun a getaway driver UK, 1996
Skid Blvd. noun a jocular honorific for a living area for poor people
CANADA, 1963
skiddies noun 1 underpants UK, 1995. 2 faecal marks in underwear UK,
1999
skidge verb attack! A command inciting a dog to attack. A variant of
SKITCH! AUSTRALIA, 1983
skid lid noun 1 a safety helmet or crash helmet US, 1968. 2 a
paratrooper’s helmet
US, 1991
skid mark noun a faecal stain on a toilet bowl or underwear
AUSTRALIA, 1971
skidoo noun a snowmobile CANADA, 1961
skidoo verb 1 to depart hastily US, 1905. 2 to travel by skidoo (a
snowmobile) CANADA, 1986
skid row noun 1 in any town, the run-down area where the socially
disadvantaged and marginalised tend to congregate
US, 1931. 2 in
prison, cells for troublesome prisoners
UK, 1996
skids noun underpants. Derives from SKID MARK(s) (faecal stains in
underwear)
UK, 1996. < put the skids under (of a person or
circumstances) to ensure the imminent dismissal of someone; to
dismiss someone from employment UK, 1948
skid shot noun in pool, a shot made with backspin on the cue ball

US, 1993
skied adjective drug-intoxicated. A play on ‘sky’ not ‘ski’, as ‘HIGH in
the sky’
US, 1989
skiff noun an attractive girl BAHAMAS, 1982 8see: SKIT
skiffle noun 1 a music genre, a sort of poor-man’s rock ’n’ roll,
played on homemade or low budget instruments, popular in the
late 1950s. Originates in 1930s and 40s US black society, meaning
a house-party at which a subscription was charged to cover costs
and raise money to meet the rent. Music was played by groups of
amateur musicians. From conventional ‘scuffle’ (an impromptu
struggle)
UK, 1957. 2 a very short hairstyle JAMAICA, 1999
skill! used as a register or exclamation of approval UK, 2003
skim noun money stolen from a business or enterprise, skimmed
from the business funds like cream from milk US, 1988
skim verb to divert a portion of your earnings or winnings to avoid
paying taxes or to avoid paying your superiors in the enterprise
their share US, 1966
skimaged adjective drunk. English gypsy use UK, 2000
skimmer noun ahatUS, 1972
skimming verb criminal acquisition of credit or debit card details by
use of an electronic reader UK, 2003
skim money noun money taken from an enterprise’s net proceeds
before any accounting of the proceeds US, 1981
skimpy noun in Western Australia and the Northern Territory, a
topless barmaid AUSTRALIA, 2003
skin noun 1 apersonUK, 1958. 2 an immature or inexperienced young
person. Royal Navy slang UK, 1989. 3 contact between hands in
greeting, acknowledgement or congratulations US, 1942. 4 sex US, 1976.

skate | skin 586
5 a woman as a sex object TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 1936. 6 the foreskin
UK, 1961. 7 a condom. Literally, ‘an extra layer of (latex) skin’ US, 1965.
8 a thin paper used to roll marijuana or tobacco cigarettes US, 1996.
9 one dollar US, 1930. 10 in carnival and amusement park usage, a
shirt
US, 1982. 11 a wallet US, 1950. 12 a tyre, especially a well-worn
one
US, 1954. 13 fist fighting US, 1957. 14 an American Indian. An
abbreviated form of ‘redskin’
US, 1989 8see: SKINHEAD. < get
under your skin
to irritate; to become constantly irritating UK,
1896. < no skin off your nose it makes no difference to you.
Variations have included: ‘no skin off your ear’, ‘off your ass’, ‘off
your bugle’, ‘off you’ and ‘off Jeff’ (thus, any person’s name) UK,
1926
skin verb 1 to inject (a narcotic) into the skin as opposed to a vein
US, 1953. 2 to swindle someone US, 1819. 3 to defeat someone US, 2002.
4 in hot rodding, to remove a car’s upholstery US, 1958. 5 to surf
without a wetsuit
US, 1991. < skin (it) back to withdraw the
foreskin from your penis, either as part of a medical inspection or
masturbation
US, 2002. < skin teeth to smile; to grin. The image
of showing your teeth. West Indian and UK black JAMAICA, 1994.
< skin the cat to perform oral sex on a woman US, 2000
skin adjective 1 young, youthful; fresh, new. Royal Navy slang UK, 1989.
2 used of a film or a publication featuring nudity UK, 1977
skin and blister noun a sister. Rhyming slang UK, 1925

skin beater noun a drummer US, 1947
skin beef noun a prison sentence for an unspecified sexual crime US,
1976
skin book noun a sex-themed book US, 1970
skin boy noun an uncircumcised male NEW ZEALAND, 1999
skin chimney noun the vagina UK, 2002
skin complaint noun a bullet wound US, 1982
skinder; skinner noun gossip; slanderous rumour. From the verb
SOUTH AFRICA, 1979
skinder; skinner verb to gossip. From Afrikaans SOUTH AFRICA, 1942
skinderer noun a gossip. From SKINDER (to gossip) SOUTH AFRICA, 1993
skindering noun an act of gossiping. From SKINDER (to gossip) SOUTH
AFRICA
, 1981
skin diver noun 1 a five-pound note; the sum of £5. Glasgow
rhyming slang for FIVER UK: SCOTLAND, 1988. 2 a person who performs
oral sex on a male. The reverse of a ‘muff diver’
US, 1969
skin fighting noun a fight between members of rival gangs in which
weapons or at least lethal weapons are forbidden US, 1967
skin flick noun 1 a pornographic film US, 1968. 2 a slide used by a
dermatologist to illustrate diseases during teaching rounds US, 1980
skin-flick house noun a cinema showing pornographic films US, 1972
skinflint noun a mean person UK, 1700
skin flute noun the penis. Often arises in the phrase ‘play the skin
flute’ (to perform oral sex) US, 1941
skinful noun more than enough alcohol to achieve a drunken state
UK, 1788
skin full of noun drunk US, 1985
skin game noun 1 in gambling, a rigged game that honest players

always lose
US, 1962. 2 the science of dermatology US, 1980
skingraft noun an intramuscular injection of a drug US, 1968
skin habit noun a drug addiction based on intramuscular, not
intravenous, injections US, 1972
skinhead; skin noun 1 a member of a youth fashion and gang
movement, characterised by close-cropped or shaven scalp and
smart utilitarian wear, associated with football hooliganism, racist
violence and neo-Nazism. Early in the 1970s Richard Allen, a
pseudonym of James Moffat (1922–93), published a series of
‘youthsploitation’ novels under the general title Skinhead
UK, 1969.
2 a British Leyland ‘Allegro’ car. Citizens’ band radio slang, playing
on AGGRO UK, 1981
skinhound a sexually aggressive person CANADA, 2002
skin house noun a brothel or place where the entertainment is of a
sexual nature
US, 1970
skin magazine; skin mag noun a magazine featuring photographs
of nudes, usually women
US, 1968
skin man; skinner noun a sex offender US, 1976
skinner noun 1 a big win on an unbacked horse or other race
competitor; a betting coup
UK, 1874. 2 a gambling cheat US, 1974. 3 a
police officer
US, 1965
skinny noun 1 inside information, rumour or fact US, 1959. 2 in circus
and carnival usage, a ten-cent piece
US, 1981

skinny adjective 1 miserly; niggardly UK, 1998. 2 prepared with low-fat or
non-fat milk
US, 1997
skinny as a broom; skinny noun a bridegroom. Rhyming slang UK,
1992
skinny-dip verb to swim in the nude US, 1966
skinny dipping in the love pond noun from a male perspective,
the act of sex without a condom
US, 2001
skinny Dugan noun in craps, any combination of seven US, 1985
skinny end noun in horse racing, a third place finish AUSTRALIA, 1989
skinnymalink noun athinpersonUK: SCOTLAND, 1911
skinny-minny adjective very thin; small and thin US, 1997
skin one; skin two; skin three noun used as a rating system by US
forces in Vietnam for the films shown on base; the system
evaluated films on the amount of nudity. Higher ratings reflected
higher amounts of nudity US, 1990
skin out verb to clean something out; to finish something CANADA,
1999
skinpix noun pornographic films US, 1964
skin pop noun an injection of a drug into the skin or muscle, not
into a vein US, 1952
skin-pop verb to inject a drug into the skin or muscle, not into a
vein. Usually practised in the early stages of drug use US, 1952
skin popper noun a drug user who does not inject the drug into a
vein US, 1967
skin-popping noun an act of injecting a drug subcutaneously, not
into a vein UK, 1973
skin-pump verb to inject a drug under the skin, not into a vein US,
1952

skins noun drums UK, 1926
skin shake noun a thorough search of a person’s body, including
orifices
US, 1967
skin show noun a show featuring women approaching or reaching
nudity US, 1973
skinsman noun 1 a drummer UK, 1983. 2 a prolific lover BARBADOS, 1965
skint adjective having little or no money, penniless. Figurative appli-
cation of conventional ‘skinned’ UK, 1925
skint as a kipper’s backbone adjective having no money. An elab-
oration and intensification of
SKINT punning on ‘skinned’, the orig-
inal derivation UK, 1956
skinto adjective having little or no money, penniless. A variation of
SKINT used in Glasgow UK: SCOTLAND, 1988
skin trade noun the sex industry in all its facets US, 1986
skin up verb 1 to roll a marijuana cigarette. From SKIN (cigarette
paper) UK, 1990. 2 to expose a woman’s genitals and breasts TRINIDAD
AND TOBAGO
, 1986
skinz noun a sexually attractive woman US, 1993
skip noun 1 a skipper (a captain, a leader, etc) UK, 1830. 2 a coach; used
as a term of address for a coach. A shortened form of SKIPPER US,
1970. 3 a uniformed police sergeant. An abbreviation of SKIPPER (a
US police captain or sergeant)
UK, 2002. 4 an Anglo-Australian. From
Skip, shortening of Skippy, the name of the kangaroo star of the
children’s television programme Skippy, The Bush Kangaroo
AUSTRALIA, 1987
skip verb < skip it to forget it; to drop the subject; to dispense with

something. Often used as an imperative
US, 1934. < skip on to
leave
US, 1989. < skip the cinders; skip the ties to walk along a
railway track
US, 1977
587 skin | skip
skip adjective Anglo-Australian AUSTRALIA, 1995
skip and jump noun the heart. Rhyming slang for PUMP UK, 1992
skip-out noun a hotel guest who leaves without paying the bill US,
1958
skip out verb to leave in a hurry in order to avoid obligations UK, 1865
skipper noun 1 a police chief, captain or sergeant. Jocular, from the
C14 nautical sense US, 1929. 2 a sport’s team captain. From the use
as ‘a ship’s captain’, originally (in this sense) used of the captain of
a curling team UK, 1830. 3 a mid-level boss in an organised crime
enterprise US, 2003. 4 a prison warden US, 1950. 5 a railway guard US,
1946. 6 a derelict property used as shelter by the homeless. From
the C16 when the original sense was ‘a barn’ (from Welsh ysgubor
or Cornish sciber), hence ‘a bed out of doors’ and, finally, the
current use
UK, 1925. 7 in poker, a hand with five cards sequenced
by twos
US, 1963
skipper verb 1 to live rough. From SKIPPER (a place of rest for the
homeless)
UK, 1845. 2 to move from house to house, staying a few
nights at each, with all your worldly possessions in tow
US, 1971
skippies noun inexpensive shoes US, 1990

skippy noun a homosexual male US, 1970
skip rat noun a litter collector UK, 1996
skirt noun a woman or women objectified sexually. In conventional
English usage until the late C19 when Victorians deemed it slang;
not necessarily pejorative or contemptuous, however various
compounds, some now obsolete, objectify women: ‘a light skirt’ (a
loose woman), a
BIT OF SKIRT or ‘piece of skirt’ (a woman as sex
object), ‘flutter a skirt’ (to be a harlot) ‘run a skirt’ (to keep a
mistress) and ‘the skirt’ (women, collectively) UK, 1899
skit; skiff noun a small amount of snow CANADA, 1990
skitch verb in icy winter conditions, to grab the bumper of a passing
car and use your feet as skis as you are pulled along US, 1997
skitch! attack! A command inciting a dog to attack AUSTRALIA, 1955
skite noun 1 aboasterAUSTRALIA, 1897. 2 boastful talk AUSTRALIA, 1860. 3 a
glancing blow UK: SCOTLAND, 1985. < on the skite engaged in a
drinking binge IRELAND, 1992
skite verb 1 to boast. From British dialect AUSTRALIA, 1857. 2 to hit
someone or something with a glancing blow UK: SCOTLAND, 1911
skitters noun diarrhoea. Recorded as ‘skitter’ in the Scots Dialect
Dictionary, 1911
UK: SCOTLAND, 1988
skittery adjective worthless IRELAND, 1992
skittle verb 1 to knock someone or something down AUSTRALIA, 1938.
2 to kill someone AUSTRALIA, 1971
skittle meon noun a sexually available woman JAMAICA, 2002
skittles noun dextromethorphan (DXM), an active ingredient in non-
prescription cold and cough medication, often abused for non-
medicinal purposes
US, 2003

skitz adjective used for expressing approval UK, 2003
skive noun an evasion of duty, work or occupation; an instance of
such evasion UK, 1958
skive verb to evade a duty, work or occupation; to play truant from
school. Possibly from dialect skive (to skim or dart about), more
probable is French esquiver (to avoid, to slip away). Adopted into
military slang during World War 1, and in widespread use by the
middle of the century UK, 1919
skiver noun a person who evades work or duty, a shirker UK, 1941
skiving adjective work-shy. From SKIVE (to evade work, to shirk) UK, 1959
skivvies noun underwear. Originally applied to an undershirt or vest,
now to underwear in general US, 1918
skivvy noun 1 a domestic servant, especially a maid-of-all-work UK,
1902. 2 during the Vietnam war, a prostitute US, 1991
skivvy verb to perform heavy, boring, menial household chores.
From the noun UK, 1984
skizziest adjective the best US, 1960
skoal; skol verb to drink; to down a drink US, 1957
skolly; skollie; scolly noun especially in Cape Town, a non-white
street hoodlum or petty criminal. From Dutch schullen (to lie low)
via Afrikaans
SOUTH AFRICA, 1934
skoofer noun a marijuana cigarette US, 1980
skookum adjective big; powerful; terrific; smart CANADA, 1965
skoon noun one dollar US, 1988
skoosh noun 1 something that is easily achieved or accomplished UK:
SCOTLAND
, 1985. 2 any carbonated soft drink UK: SCOTLAND, 1985
skooshed adjective drunk UK: SCOTLAND, 1996
skop, skiet and donner noun physically violent and threatening

behaviour or activity. From Afrikaans skop, skiet en donder (to stop,
shoot and beat up). In South African colloquial use: skop (to kick,
to enjoy yourself); skiet (to shoot, to gamble with dice, to lie);
DONDER (beaten up, also an abusive term of address); skiet and
donder (used of action entertainment, ‘blood and thunder’) SOUTH
AFRICA
, 1970
skosh; skoshi noun a small amount. Korean pidgin, used by US
soldiers in Korea and brought back to the US as ‘skosh’. The word
was given a second wind in the 1970s with a radio advertisement
for jeans that promised ‘just a skosh more room’ in the crotch
area for men
US, 1970
SKP noun an escaped prisoner. A play on ‘escapee’ US, 1962
skrep noun a worn-out, decrepit prostitute TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 1973
skronk noun in contemporary music, dissonant sounds UK, 1996
skronky adjective of an electric guitar’s sound or style of playing,
excitingly raw and basic; hence, applied to fans of such music US,
2003
skua noun frozen chicken. The ‘skua’ is a large predatory gull; the
comparison with chicken is not in the nature of praise ANTAR CTICA,
1991
skuif; skuifie; skyf; skyfie noun a cigarette, especially a hand-rolled
tobacco cigarette, or one containing marijuana. From Afrikaans
skuif (apuffofsmoke)SOUTH AFRICA, 1946
skull noun 1 oral sex US, 1973. 2 a confidence swindle TRINIDAD AND
TOBAGO
, 1979. 3 a passenger in a lorry. Road hauliers’ slang UK, 1951.
4 in circus and carnival usage, a free ticket US, 1981 . < out of your
skull

very drunk or drug-intoxicated. Variation on OFF YOUR HEAD
UK
, 1968. < take a skull in a dramatic performance, to react
slowly to a line US, 1973
skull verb 1 to strike someone; to attack someone IRELAND, 1997. 2 to
shun someone
JAMAICA, 2003
skull and brains noun oral sex US, 2002
skull cracker noun strong, homemade whisky US, 1999
skulldrag verb in prison, to awake a prisoner in the early hours for
immediate transfer to another prison UK, 1996
skulled adjective drunk US, 1955
skull-fry noun chemically straightened hair US, 1970
skull fuck noun an intense assault on all the senses CANADA, 2002
skullfuck verb 1 to perform oral sex on a man; (from the male
perspective) to receive oral sex CANADA, 2002. 2 (notional) to have sex
with a head in symbolic victory. A less realistic variation of the
previous sense
US, 2000
skullie noun a skullcap US, 1993
skull job noun an act of oral sex US, 1971
skull money noun money earned in illegal ways UK, 2000
skull session noun a group analysis and discussion; a conference US,
1959
skunk noun 1 a woman, especially a promiscuous woman with
deficiencies in the area of hygiene US, 1965. 2 an unpleasant man; a
contemptible person. After the North American animal UK, 1841
skunk verb in various games, to defeat an opponent by an
overwhelming margin
US, 1843

skunk beer noun inexpensive, bitter, poor quality beer US, 1997
skunked adjective drunk US, 2001
skip | skunked 588
skunk juice; skunk juicer; skunk junker noun an illegal linear
amplifier for a citizens’ band radio
US, 1976
skunk oil noun any odorising agent injected into natural gas US, 1954
skunk weed; skunk noun an extremely potent variety of marijuana
which will produce an hallucinogenic effect; also, good quality
marijuana
US, 1982
sky noun 1 in a casino, the ubiquitous overhead surveillance system.
An abbreviated form of
EYE IN THE SK Y US, 1991. 2 ahatUS, 1976
sky verb 1 to jump high and with great elan US, 1980. 2 to leave
quickly. Vietnam war slang
US, 1982
sky-blue-pink noun an unknown, indeterminate or fantasy colour.
Jocular
UK, 1942
sky diver noun a five-pound note; the sum of £5. Glasgow rhyming
slang for FIVER UK: SCOTLAND, 1988
sky hook noun 1 in oil drilling, a non-existent tool that is often the
subject of hazing of new workers
US, 1954. 2 a citizens’ band radio
antenna US, 1976
sky jockey noun a fighter pilot. Gulf war usage UK, 1991
sky juice noun a cheap refreshment of flavoured ice JAMAICA, 1972
skylark verb to park a vehicle. Rhyming slang UK, 1964
sky man noun a preacher. A variant of the more common SKY PILOT

US
, 1959
sky-nest noun an apartment on an upper floor of an apartment
building
US, 1950
sky palace noun a church. The home of a SKY PILOT (a preacher) UK,
1981
sky-piece noun ahatUS, 1948
sky pilot noun a clergyman, especially in the forces or the prison
service. Originally nautical slang UK, 1887
skyrocket verb (of prices or statistics) to increase steeply US, 1895
sky rocket; sky noun pocket. Rhyming slang UK, 1879
sky sc out noun an air force chaplain US, 1945
skyscraper noun paper; writing paper; toilet paper; a newspaper.
Rhyming slang
UK, 1992
sky-shooters noun sunglasses US, 1997
sky six noun God. From ‘sky’ (a unit commander) US, 1876
sky’s the limit noun in poker, any game played with no limit on the
amount of bets
US, 1967
slab noun 1 a road; a highway. A specific application of the generally
conventional use as ‘a broad, solid mass’
US, 1976. 2 a thick, dark,
cold wave
US, 1991. 3 a sandwich. Teen slang CANADA, 1946. 4 a
cardboard carton of 24 cans or bottles of beer
AUSTRALIA, 1997. 5 a
phonograph record; any audio recording US, 1974. 6 apackageof
crack cocaine US, 1998. 7 crack cocaine that is heavily adulterated US,

1992
slab verb in necrophile usage, to engage in sexual activity with a
corpse US, 1987
slabbed and slid adjective ‘dead and gone’; also used in prison of
an ex-prisoner who has been forgotten UK, 1950
slab boy noun a necrophile US, 1987
slab house noun a modest restaurant serving barbecued meat US,
1975
slabs noun the testicles. Back slang UK, 1960
slack noun 1 less than harsh treatment US, 1968. 2 money US, 1972. 3 in
a military patrol, the soldier immediately behind the lead soldier
in formation US, 1971
slack verb to wear trousers, especially jeans, oversized, baggy and
sagging
US, 1992
slack adjective 1 of a woman, objectionable; of loose morals AUSTRALIA,
1977. 2 of poor quality, below standard, unacceptable; lewd, vulgar
UK, 1994. 3 unproductive; inefficient; lazy US, 1978. 4 dreadful; awful;
pathetic
NEW ZEALAND, 1981. 5 contemptibly unfair; unkind AUSTRALIA,
2000
slack Alice noun a slovenly woman. A fictitious friend called Slack
Alice featured in the television comedy monologues of Larry
Grayson during the early and mid-1970s
UK: ENGLAND, 2002
slackarse noun a lazy person AUSTRALIA, 1971
slack-arse adjective tired out, lazy or both NEW ZEALAND, 1998
slacker noun a person who avoids work, study and responsibility.
The most recent burst of popularity for the term is not its first
US,

1898
Slackers nickname Halifax, Nova Scotia. The following etymology is
offered by William Pugsley in his 1945, Slackers, Sinners and other
Seamen: so called because of the relatively slack discipline ashore
following duty at sea CANADA, 1945
slack jaw noun a dolt; a stupid person US, 1994
slack man noun in a combat march, the second man in line US, 1989
slackmeister noun someone who has perfected the art of doing
nothing
US, 1987
slackness noun 1 lewd and vulgar language. West Indian and UK
black patois UK, 1994. 2 sexual aggression, promiscuity or perversion
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 1940
slag noun 1 a contemptible person UK, 1943. 2 a prostitute; a sexually
promiscuous woman
UK, 1958. 3 an unattractive woman AUSTRALIA,
1988
. 4 a petty criminal; petty criminals UK, 1955. 5 a coward. The
earliest of many meanings, all of which are pejorative
UK, 1788. 6 a
negative criticism AUSTRALIA, 2003 . 7 an insult UK: SCOTLAND, 1985
slag verb 1 to verbally attack, to slander. Variants include ‘slag off’
and ‘slag down’ UK, 1971. 2 to spit AUSTRALIA, 1965
slag about verb to move around; to come and go UK, 1979
slag-bag noun a contemptible woman. A rhyming combination of
SLAG (a contemptible person; a sexually promiscuous woman) and
BAG (an unattractive woman) UK, 1997
slagging rag noun a parachute that is slow to open or does not
open at all
US, 1991

slaggy noun a groupie who is promiscuous and sluttish, even by
groupie standards US, 1969
slaggy adjective sluttish UK, 1943
slake verb < slake the snake (of a male) to have sex US, 1984
slam noun 1 a jail or prison. A shortened form of SLAMMER
sometimes; used as a plural US, 1960. 2 sexual intercourse US, 1982.
3 in foot-powered scootering, a very hard fall UK, 2000
slam verb 1 to inject an illegal drug intravenously US, 1996. 2 to
violently jar a mix of alcoholic spirit (usually a shot of tequila) and
carbonated soft drink. To prepare a SLAMMER from the action of
slamming a covered glass containing the mixture down on a hard
surface, e.g. a bar counter UK, 2001. 3 to hide prison contraband in
your rectum US, 2000. 4 to defecate US, 2001. 5 to criticise someone or
something harshly
US, 1916. 6 to refuse to work. Prison usage US,
1950. 7 in hot rodding and car customising, to modify a car’s
suspension so as to lower the body US, 1993. 8 while riding a
surfboard or skateboard, to lose your balance and fall US, 1984. 9 to
slam dance US, 1995
slam bam noun 1 homemade whisky US, 1980s. 2 a hastily prepared
sandwich consisting only of bread and bologna
BAHAMAS, 1995
slambang verb to successfully cheat other gamblers US, 1950
slam-bang adverb with force or noise UK, 1840
slam book noun a book with a series of questions to which friends
write answers US, 1969
slam dance verb to dance in a violent manner popular in punk and
post-punk settings. Slam dancing was good fodder for popular
television in the US, with the Chips episode that aired on 31st
January 1982 and the Quincy episode of 2nd December 1982,

both of which centred around the relatively new phenomenon US,
1981
slam down verb to confine someone to a jail cell US, 1989
slam dunk noun 1 in the language of wind surfing, an unintended,
sudden end of a ride when the board steers too hard to windward
US, 1985. 2 anything accomplished with ease US, 2001
589 skunk juice; skunk juicer; skunk junker | slam dunk
slam-dunk verb to defeat someone convincingly, if not
overwhelmingly. From the basketball sense of jamming the ball
through the hoop
US, 1992
slam-dunk adjective certain US, 1992
slam hammer; slam puller noun a tool used by car thieves to pull
out the cyclinder of the ignition lock
UK, 1977
slammed adjective incarcerated US, 1982
slammed back adjective under the influence of heroin US, 1997
slammer noun 1 adoorUS, 1946. 2 a jail or prison. Also in UK use US,
1952
. 3 solitary confinement US, 1984. 4 a mix of alcoholic spirit
(usually a shot of tequila) and carbonated soft drink, violently
jarred together and gulped down whilst fizzing
UK, 2001. 5 aperson
who slam dances US, 1995. 6 an illegal linear amplifier for a citizens’
band radio US, 1976
slammin’; slamming noun MDMA, the recreational drug best
known as ecstasy
UK, 2003
slamming adjective excellent; beautiful; fabulous. Originally late C19;
current usage started in 1980s black society and spread with hip-

hop music US, 1994
slammin’, jammin’, throw down happy feet! used for
expressing great pleasure US, 1986
slam partner noun a partner for sex, pure and simple US, 1993
slam up verb to imprison someone US, 1990
slang noun in carnival and amusement park usage, a watch chain US,
1981
slang verb 1 to sell drugs, especially crack cocaine US, 1991. 2 to berate
someone with abusive language UK, 1844. 3 to exhibit or perform in
a circus, fair or market; to perform on a stage UK, 1789
slanged adjective in fetters; in chains UK, 1812
slanger noun 1 a drug dealer US, 1997. 2 a showman. Circus use; from
obsolete slang (a travelling show; a single performance of a
travelling show) UK, 1933
slanging match noun an exchange of harsh abuse UK, 1896
slangs noun slang words or terms. Hawaiian youth usage US, 1972
slanguage noun a slang vocabulary. A jargon-like attempt to dignify
slang as a language US, 1879
slanguist noun a linguist with a special interest in slang; an expert
user of a slang vocabulary. An inevitable construction that lends
some dignity to a misunderstood academic; it is first recorded in
William Safire’s New York Times column, 26th October 1980,
although ‘slangist’ was recorded in 1885 as ‘a user of slang’
US, 1980
slant noun a South Asian person. Offensive US, 1942
slanter noun 1 a dishonest trick AUSTRALIA, 1864. 2 the eye US, 1970
slant-eye noun a person from southern Asia. Offensive US, 1962
slant six noun a six-cylinder engine configured with all six cylinders
in line slanted over 30 degrees. Introduced in 1959 for the
Plymouth Valiant, it is considered by many to be the most durable

engine ever manufactured commercially US, 1960
slantville noun a neighbourhood dominated by South Asian people
US, 1959
slanty-eyed; slant-eye noun a car of Japanese manufacture.
Citizens’ band radio slang; a specific application for generally racist
terms
US, 1976
slap noun 1 a beating. From the conventional use (to hit with an
open hand); as with SPANK it is applied with heavy irony UK, 2001.
2 a prison sentence. From a conventional ‘slap’ given as a
punishment
UK, 2000. 3 theatrical makeup cosmetics. You slap it on;
theatrical; survives in the face of lighting technology that has
made much makeup unnecessary. Also variant ’schlep’ UK, 1860
slap verb 1 to increase the charge for something; to implement a
punitive condition UK, 1922. 2 especially in jazz or funk music, to
play the double bass or bass guitar by pulling at the strings and
letting them ’slap’ back. ‘Slap-style’ is also known as ‘thumb-style’
US, 1933. < slap skins 1 to have sex US, 1995. 2 to slap palms in
greeting, farewell or approval US, 1967. < slap the bacon in the
pan
to have sex US, 1977. < slap the iron to her to put snow
chains on a truck’s tyres
US, 1961. < slap the monkey (of a male)
to masturbate. A variation of
SPANK THE MONKEY UK, 2002
slap adverb exactly; perfectly UK, 1829
slap and tickle noun 1 sex. A little slap and tickle never hurt anyone
UK, 1984. 2 a pickle. Rhyming slang UK, 1992
slap-back adjective self-congratulatory UK, 2001

slap circuit noun the underworld US, 1963
slap-down noun a humiliating situation US, 1986
slap down verb to contradict and prevent someone’s action,
especially when it is done with humiliating effect
UK, 1938
slap hammer noun a hammer designed for pulling dents but used
to break open the top of a car’s steering column to obtain access
to the ignition
US, 1996
slap-happy adjective 1 dazed; confused US, 1936. 2 obsessed with
masturbation
US, 1962
slaphead noun a bald person, whether naturally so or shaven UK, 1990
slaphead adjective bald-headed UK, 1997
slap-in-the-chops noun a shot of pure alcohol BERMUDA, 1985
slap on the wrist noun any minor punishment UK, 2002
slapper noun 1 a sexually promiscuous woman. Possibly from SLAP
(makeup) or, simply, the sound of flesh on flesh UK, 1999. 2 asmall,
heavy club
US, 1976. 3 a windscreen wiper US, 1976
slapping noun abeatingUK, 1997
slaps noun plastic flip-flops (sandals). Skateboarding usage US, 1976
slapsie-maxi noun a taxi. Rhyming slang NEW ZEALAND, 1963
slap-slap noun a small police club that fits into a police officer’s
hand
US, 1962
slap-up adjective (of a meal) excellent, generously provisioned,
superior. Originally (1823) used to describe anything or anyone
that was considered excellent
UK, 1889

slash noun 1 a urination UK, 1950. 2 the vagina US, 1972. 3 an attractive,
white woman US, 1987
slash verb 1 to urinate UK, 1950. 2 to cut a military-style peaked cap in
such a way that the downward angle of the peak is exaggerated UK,
2001. 3 to surf aggressively back and forth across the face of a wave
US, 1991
slash-and-burn adjective ruthless; unconcerned with the
consequences of a tactic. From a term describing a jungle
agricultural practice first recorded in the early 1940s US, 1989
slasher noun 1 a person who takes a perverse pleasure from
vandalism by slashing
US, 1954. 2 in prison, a self-mutilator UK, 1996.
3 a surgeon. Often teamed with anaesthetists as ‘GASSERS and
slashers’ UK, 2002. 4 in greyhound racing, a dog that cuts to the
inside rail after the first turn US, 1997
slash-house noun a toilet AUSTRALIA, 1971
slat noun 1 used to denote five shillings, or the post-decimalisation
equivalent of 25p. Originally (1788) ‘a half-crown coin’; sub-
sequently, perhaps as a result of inflation, used of a crown (a five-
shilling coin) and its value. Thus, pre-1971, ‘half-a-slat’ was ‘a half-
crown coin; half-a-crown in value’, and so it remained, despite
metrication, to represent equivalent values
UK, 1979. 2 a dollar US,
1969
. 3 a jail or prison sentence US, 1973
slate noun marijuana UK, 1996
slate verb to criticise someone or something harshly UK, 1848
slating noun an instance of harsh criticism UK, 1870
slats noun 1 ribs US, 1898. 2 prison bars US, 1950. 3 skis US, 1963
slaughter noun a concealed location used by criminals for the div-

ision or transfer of recently stolen goods UK, 1970
slaughter verb 1 to utterly defeat someone UK, 2001. 2 to severely
criticise someone or something UK, 1991. 3 to use a concealed
location for temporary storage, distribution or transfer of recently
stolen goods
UK, 2001
slaughtered adjective very drunk or drug-intoxicated US, 1989
slaughterhouse noun 1 a premises where a drug dealer stores drugs
UK, 2003. 2 a school. Teen slang US, 1958
slam-dunk | slaughterhouse 590
Slaughter on the Water noun the 1995 America’s Cup sailing race,
a lopsided victory by New Zealand
US, 1996
slave noun 1 in a sado-masochistic relationship, a person who
endures many forms of humiliation, including extreme pain and
public displays of submission US, 1963. 2 a submissive prisoner who
performs all types of menial tasks for others US, 1988. 3 ajobUS, 1946
slave verb to work, especially at a menial job US, 1974
slave bracelet noun a bracelet showing romantic devotion to
another
US, 1947
slave-driver noun a stern taskmaster US, 1854
slave market noun 1 any place where day labourers congregate US,
1978
. 2 a National Employment Service office CANADA, 1960
slave training noun the process of instructing, and conditioning the
behaviour of, a sexual submissive in order that the submissive’s
menial service and status become part of a sexual relationship,
especially when used in a dominant prostitute’s advertising matter
UK, 2003

slay verb to cause someone to laugh uproariously UK, 1927
slayer noun an assertive young woman. An allusion to the
eponymous lead in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Teen slang UK, 2003
sleaze noun 1 sordidness, sleaziness; immorality UK, 1967. 2 political
corruption US, 1983. 3 a person with low moral standards US, 1976
sleazebag noun an undesirable, unlikeable person. A useful term
when you cannot decide whether to call someone a SCUMBAG or a
SLEAZEBALL US, 1992
sleazeball noun an utterly despicable person US, 1983
sleazemeister noun an acknowledged expert on, or practitioner of,
sordidness, sleaziness, immorality or political corruption. By a
combination of SLEAZE and German meister (master) US, 1993
sleazo noun a despicable, sleazy person US, 1972
sleazoid noun a person of low character US, 1986
sleazy adjective 1 cheap; inferior; low US, 1941. 2 disreputable, especially
in a sexually enticing way UK, 1960
sleb noun a celebrity. A phonetic slurring and reduction UK, 1997
sled noun 1 a motorcycle. Biker (motorcycle) usage US, 2003. 2 acarUS,
1985
sledge noun a verbal criticism designed to put a player off their
game
AUSTRALIA, 2000
sledge verb to needle an opponent in order to put them off their
game AUSTRALIA, 1995
sledgehammer noun in pool, a stroke lacking in finesse but full of
force US, 1990
sledger noun in cricket, a fielder who baits, taunts and abuses an
opponent as tactical gamesmanship UK, 2002
sledgied adjective under the influence of MDMA, the recreational

drug best known as ecstasy UK, 1991
sledging noun the practice of needling an opponent in order to put
them off their game. Originally, and still principally, in cricket, but
now also used in reference to other sports AUSTRALIA, 1975
sleekit adjective cunning, sly. Dialect UK: SCOTLAND, 1911
sleep noun 1 a prison sentence of one year US, 1949. 2 cocaine. Rich
irony; if you do, you won’t US, 1987
sleep verb < sleep with someone to have sex with someone UK,
1819. < sleep with the fishes to be dead as a result of a murder
US, 1972
sleep around verb to be sexually promiscuous US, 1928
sleeper noun 1 a barbiturate capsule; a sleeping tablet US, 1961.
2 heroin UK, 1998. 3 a book, film, song, etc, that, having failed to sell
successfully on its initial release, eventually becomes a ‘hit’ UK, 1984.
4 in sports, a player who performs exceptionally well in spite of
very low initial expectations
US, 1878. 5 in betting, uncollected
winnings; a stake that is illegally retained by the bookmaker when
a bet is won
UK, 1956. 6 in circus and carnival usage, money that a
customer overlooks US, 1981. 7 in craps, a bet on the table that a
gambler has forgotten is his
US, 1981. 8 in dominoes, an unused
piece that rests numbers-down
US, 1997. 9 in hot rodding, a conven-
tional-looking, deceptively high-performing car US, 1965. 10 a train
with sleeping carriages
US, 1958. 11 a rock just below the land
surface
CANADA, 1987

sleeper jump noun any long distance move between performances
US, 1973
sleeping Bill noun a police truncheon US, 1949
sleeping policeman noun a speed bump UK, 1973
sleeping time noun a very short jail or prison sentence US, 1992
sleep off verb to serve a short prison sentence without difficulty US,
1950
sleep on verb to give overnight consideration to something; to put
off making a decision until the following day
UK, 1519
sleep-out noun 1 an enclosed verandah, or part thereof, fitted with a
bed for sleeping
AUSTRALIA, 1927. 2 chiefly in Victoria, a separate
outbuilding used as sleeping quarters AUSTRALIA, 2003
Sleepy-R noun the Canadian Pacific Railway CANADA, 1987
sleepy seeds noun the deposits of mucus formed about the eyes
during sleep
US, 1975
sleet noun crack cocaine. From the drug’s resemblance to sleet US,
1994
sleeve noun acondomUK, 1998. < on the sleeve used of someone
who injects drugs. From the need to roll up a sleeve before
injecting UK, 1996. < put the sleeve on someone to arrest
someone UK, 1996
sleeve verb to tattoo the lower half of the arm US, 1989
sleeveen adjective sly, devious IRELAND, 2004
sleeves noun a wetsuit of any style US, 1977
sleezer noun a person, usually female, who is substandard in some
important way
US, 1992

sleigh ride noun the use of cocaine or heroin; cocaine or heroin.
Building on the SNOW metaphor US, 1973
sleveen noun in Newfoundland, a person not to be trusted, a rascal
CANADA, 1968
slevered adjective drunk. Hip-hop, urban slang noted in connection
with a legal dispute over rap lyrics by BBC News, 6th June 2003
UK,
2003
slew noun a large amount US, 1839
slew; slew a head verb to distract someone, especially in the
commission of a crime
AUSTRALIA, 1975
slice noun 1 a woman or women, objectified sexually. From the
phrase ‘take a slice’ recorded in 1796 as ‘to intrigue, particularly
with a married woman, because a slice of a cut loaf is not
missed’; the etymology is further thought to trace back to the
proverbial phrase ‘it is safe taking a shive [a slice] of a cut loaf’,
and ‘shive’ is easily exchanged with ‘swive’ (to have sex). Perhaps
from an image of the vagina as a slice in the flesh, but also taking
a slice of bread as something necessary and in plentiful supply
UK,
1796. 2 an act of sexual intercourse (with a woman). After the pre-
vious sense, possibly influenced by synonymous PORTION UK, 1955.
< cut off a slice to have sex (with a woman). A punningly
contrived verb form of ‘slice’ (an act of sexual intercourse)
UK, 1980
slice verb < slice bread to make a payoff UK, 1970
sliced adjective 1 muscular, lacking body fat, well-sculpted US, 1984.
2 circumcised US, 1988
slice of knuckle pie noun a punch in the mouth UK, 1962

slice of toast noun a ghost. Rhyming slang UK, 1992
slick noun 1 a car tyre without a tread, used in drag racing. Usually
heard in the plural US, 1960. 2 a glossy magazine US, 1953. 3 in pool, a
skilled player who bets on his own ability
US, 1990. 4 afieldof
criminal expertise US, 1992. 5 an unarmed aircraft US, 1990. 6 a
helicopter used for troop transport US, 1971
slick adjective 1 attractive; charming US, 2001. 2 in lowball poker, favour-
able
US, 1967
591 Slaughter on the Water | slick
slick chick noun an attractive girl US, 1947
slickdick adjective smooth; plausible. Elaboration of conventional
‘slick’
UK, 1997
slicker noun 1 a world-wise, sophisticated, urban person US, 1900. 2 a
police officer
US, 1998. 3 a stolen car with all identification markings
erased or removed US, 1950. 4 an oversized, wide, smooth tyre used
in racing
US, 1958
slick leggings noun the rubbing of the penis between the thighs of
another man until reaching orgasm US, 1961
slicklicker noun an oil-spill cleaning machine CANADA, 1995
slick-sleeve noun a US Army private E-1; a US Air Force airman
basic; a police recruit. ‘Slick’ because he has no stripes on his
sleeve
US, 1970
slick superspeed noun methcathinone. From the superior quality
of the drug when compared to average SPEED (amphetamine) US,

2003
slick top noun an unmarked police car with no light on its roof US,
1976
slick-wing adjective used of a pilot in the air force, junior. The wing
insignias of the junior pilot did not have a star above them like
those of senior and command pilots
US, 1986
slicky; slickey verb to obtain something through ingenious and
unorthodox diligence, up to and including theft. An adaptation of
pidgin English by United Nations troops in Korea in the early
1950s, from ‘slick’ (not-quite-honestly smart)
US, 1968
slicky boy noun a thief or swindler. Coined by Koreans, borrowed by
US and UN troops in Korea US, 1967
slide noun a trouser pocket US, 1932
slide verb 1 to depart, to go US, 1859. 2 to ride a wave US, 1965. < slide
your jive
to talk freely. Teen slang CANADA, 1946
slide adjective used of a college course, easy US, 1974
slide and sluther noun a brother. Rhyming slang UK, 1998
slider noun 1 an electronic device that allows operation between
authorised channels on a citizens’ band radio
US, 1976. 2 a gambler
who slides rather than rolls dice in an effort to control the result
US, 2003. 3 a hamburger or cheeseburger. Originally the small
hamburgers sold by the White Tower™ chain, later any hamburger
US, 1987
sliders noun men’s shorts with an elastic waistband TRINIDAD AND
TOBAGO
, 1939

slide-rule jockey noun a navigator in an aeroplane crew US, 1959
slides noun shoes US, 1962
slim noun a handgun US, 1950
slime noun 1 heroin US, 1994. 2 British Army Intelligence Corps
personnel UK, 1995
slimeball noun a despicable person US, 1973
slimedog noun a dirty, offensive person US, 1994
slimemouth noun a foul-talking person US, 1985
slim-fast diet noun HIV or AIDS US, 2002
slim jim noun a device that is slipped into a car door and used to
open the door’s locking mechanism US, 1988
slim off verb to strip to your underwear US, 1958
slimy adjective having an insincere and ingratiating manner UK, 1602
sling noun 1 a monetary gift or tip. Wilkes records a slightly earlier
(1948) variant ‘sling back’
AUSTRALIA, 1950. 2 in horse racing, a
gratuity given the jockey and attendants by the owner after a win
AUSTRIA, 1989. 3 a bribe or illegal payment AUSTRALIA, 1948. < beat it
for the sling
to fail to appear in court AUSTRALIA, 1975. < in the
sling said of a woman experiencing her menstrual period US, 1954
sling verb 1 to throw something (or someone) in a specific direction;
hence to pass something from one person to another. Common
in C14 and C15, now dialect or colloquial UK, 2002. 2 (to discard or
abandon) someone or something; to quit something UK, 1902. 3 to
pay a tip to someone
AUSTRALIA, 1875. 4 to pay a bribe to someone
AUSTRALIA, 1939. 5 to sell illegal drugs US, 2001. 6 to engage in pro-
miscuous sexual behaviour
BAHAMAS, 1982. < sling hash to work as

a waitress or short-order cook
US, 1906. < sling ink to tattoo US,
1989. < sling your hook to go, to leave. A naval derivation,
perhaps inspired by slinging grappling hooks preparatory to
swinging across to another ship. Later use seems to be mainly
imperative
UK, 1874
sling-backs noun used generically for high-heeled shoes UK, 2002
sling-ding noun in fishing, a weight attached to a line of trawl to be
set, to moor the end CANADA, 1955
slinger noun 1 a criminal who passes counterfeit money UK, 1950. 2 a
striptease artist
US, 1981
sling off verb to speaking disparagingly to someone AUSTRALIA, 1900
sling out verb to reject something; to eject someone UK, 1959
slingshot noun 1 a drag racing car design in which the driver is
seated behind the rear wheels
US, 1962. 2 any vehicle that passes
others on the motorway at great speed
US, 1976. 3 in motor racing,
a passing method in which the car follows another’s draught and
then quickly passes
US, 1973. 4 an extremely skimpy man’s bathing
suit
US, 1991
slingshotting noun in bungee jumping, a reverse jump, beginning
with the cord stretched out, yanking the participant up in the air
US, 1992
slip noun 1 in cricket, a fielder or fielding position close to the wicket
keeper UK, 1816. 2 the price of the fare home given to a punter who

has lost all their money AUSTRALIA, 1977
slip verb 1 to give birth to a child AUSTRALIA, 1968. 2 to act
inappropriately US, 1993. 3 to insult someone in a semi-formal quasi-
friendly competition US, 2000. < slip a fatty to have sex UK, 1983.
< slip a lock to open a locked door by sliding a plastic credit
card between the door and jamb and then sliding the lock open
US, 1981. < slip her a length (from the male perspective) to have
sex with a woman
UK, 1949. < slip it to someone (of a male) to
have sex with someone. Euphemistic and naughty, both at once
US, 1952. < slip one to someone (of a male) to have sex with
someone UK, 2001
slip-and-fall noun a run-of-the-mill, often fraudulent law suit or
insurance claim resulting from an injury suffered slipping and
falling in a business establishment US, 1996
slip-in noun any lubricant used for faciliating sex, especially anal sex
US, 1962
slipper-training noun spanking with an old-fashioned gym shoe,
especially when advertised as a service offered by a prostitute UK,
2003
slippery adjective in hot rodding and drag racing, streamlined US, 1968
slippery Anne noun in a deck of playing cards, the queen of spades
US, 1950
slippery Sid; slippery noun a Jewish person. Offensive. Rhyming
slang for YID UK, 1998
slippings noun any lubricant used in anal sex US, 1979
slipping stick noun a slide rule US, 1954
slippy adjective 1 quick; spry; nimble. From dialect. Perhaps the best
known contemporary usage is the song that became the theme of
the film Trainspotting UK, 1885. 2 slippery US, 1982

slip-slap noun an old shoe, especially a slipper TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO,
1973
slip-slop noun a strap sandal with a wooden sole BARBADOS, 1965
slip-sloppy adjective very drunk CANADA, 1988
slipstick noun atromboneUS, 1970
slip-stick jockey noun a radar technician US, 1947
slip up verb to make a mistake US, 1855
Slistnoun used as a euphemism for ‘shit list’, a list of enemies US,
1974
slit noun 1 the vagina UK, 1648. 2 A person from South Asia. Offensive.
From the European perception of South Asian eyes as slanted slits
US,
1980. 3 a tablet of MDMA, the recreational drug best known as ecstasy.
slick chick | slit 592
Possibly from the sense as ‘a vagina’, punning on CUNT (a vein for
injecting)
UK, 2003
slitch noun a despicable and/or promiscuous girl. A blend of SLUT
and BIT CH US, 1963
slither noun counterfeit coins US, 1982
Sloane ranger; Sloane noun a conventional person, part of a
fashionable set, born to the privileges of the upper-/middle-class,
especially one who dwells in London. A playful blend of Sloane
Square (in Chelsea, London) and The Lone Ranger (since the
1930s, a fictional hero of the American west)
UK, 1975
slob noun 1 a slovenly person; a fat, lazy person; hence, when the
characteristics are applied to the intellect: a simple-minded
person, or, when applied to the morals, a delinquent
UK, 1861.

2 anyone of Slavic heritage. Offensive US, 1978. 3 used as a
derogatory nickname for a member of the Bloods youth gang
US,
1994
slob; slob out verb to behave in a lazy, slovenly manner UK, 2002
slobber noun food; a meal UK: SCOTLAND, 1988
slog noun an act or period of hard work UK, 1888
slog verb 1 to work hard at something UK, 1888. 2 to punch someone
UK, 1824. 3 to walk heavily. From obsolete ‘foot-slogger’ (an
infantryman, a pedestrian) UK, 1872. < slog it out to work hard at
some activity. An elaboration of SLOG (to work hard) AUSTRALIA, 1971.
< slog your guts out to work hard at something. An
intensification of
SLOG UK, 1984
sloo noun a look; a visual examination AUSTRALIA, 1989
sloosh verb to wash in a hurry and in a perfunctory fashion NORFOLK
ISLAND
, 1992
slooze noun a promiscuous female US, 1976
slop noun 1 prison food, 1996. 2 poorly formed waves for surfing
purposes US, 1965. 3 in pool, a shot made unintentionally US, 1990.
4 in computing, a built-in margin of error in one direction only US,
1983. 5 a second-year college student US, 1947
slop verb < slop the hogs in trucking, to fill a truck radiator with
water
US, 1971
slop and flop noun meals and lodging US, 1953
slope noun a person from South Asia US, 1948
slopehead noun a Vietnamese; any South Asian. Derogatory,
perjorative, offensive, demeaning US, 1966

slope off verb to depart, especially surreptitiously or in
embarrassment UK, 1861
slope-out noun an easy task US, 1957
slopey adjective used of a wave steep US, 1991
slopie noun a Chinese person or other South Asian. Offensive US, 1949
slop out verb 1 in prison, to dispose of bodily waste collected in
unplumbed toilet facilities. The first order of the day according to
Lag’s Lexicon, Paul Tempest, 1950; however, according to HM
Prison Service in 2003: ‘Slopping out was officially ended on 12th
April 1996’
UK, 1950. 2 to remove and clean plates, bowls, etc, that
have been used in a prison cell. A play on SLOP (prison food), and
the previous sense
UK, 1996
slopping out noun in prison, the regular emptying of unplumbed
toilet facilities UK, 2000
sloppy adjective 1 very sentimental US, 1883. 2 drunk US, 2002
Sloppy Joe noun a multi-layered sandwich from which the fillings
ooze. The name comes from the inevitable mess on fingers and
face, the sign of a sloppy eater US, 1961
sloppy seconds noun sex with someone who has just had sex with
someone else US, 1969
slops noun beer AUSTRALIA, 1944. < go slops to have sex with a
woman who has very recently had sex with another man or other
men
AUSTRALIA, 1985
slopshoot noun food with little nutritional value but which appeals
to popular taste. US Marine Corps slang US, 1991
slops merchant noun a habitual drinker of beer AUSTRALIA, 1962
slopsucker noun a low priority project US, 1991

slop time noun in prison, meal time. From SLOP (prison food) UK, 1996
slop up verb to drink to the point of intoxication US, 1962
slosh noun 1 a small indeterminate measure of some liquid UK, 1888.
2 a blow. From SLOSH (to hit) UK, 1936. 3 a drink, especially if watery
or weak; tea; coffee; beer; drink in general; hence, sodden or
mushy food UK, 1819. 4 the back-slash (\) on a computer keyboard
US, 1991
slosh verb 1 to pour a liquid or a sodden mass carelessly; to swallow
a drink, an oyster, etc carelessly. Usually combined with an adverb:
‘slosh down’, ‘slosh out’, ‘slosh over’, etc
US, 1875. 2 to hit someone
UK, 1890
slosh and mud; slosh noun a stud. Rhyming slang UK, 1998
sloshed adjective drunk UK, 1946
sloshing noun a beating; a thrashing UK, 1931
sloshy adjective drunk US, 1993
slot noun 1 a prison cell AUSTRALIA, 1947. 2 prison AUSTRALIA, 1976. 3 used
as a term of address among jazz lovers of the 1930s and 40s
US,
1946. 4 the perfect spot to ride a wave US, 1964. 5 a crevasse in the
snow ANTARCTICA, 2000
slot verb 1 to imprison someone AUSTRALIA, 1950. 2 to shoot someone
dead. Military UK, 1998. 3 to give something UK, 1999
slotties noun 1 a handbag. Polari UK, 1992. 2 money UK, 1992
slouch noun a lazy non-performer US, 1796
slough noun a jail or prison US, 1950
slough verb 1 to arrest someone US, 1962. 2 to close down a poker
game. Also used in the variant ‘slough up’ US, 1979
slow verb < slow your roll to calm down US, 1993
slow boat noun < get someone on a slow boat to win all of a

person’s money by luring them into making ill-advised bets US, 1951
slowcoach noun a slow-moving (or slow-thinking) person UK, 1837
slow-em-up noun any central nervous system depressant US, 1980
slow-me-down noun a sedative tablet UK, 2000
slow-mo adjective slow-motion US, 1993
slow-pay noun a person in debt who has been remiss in making
repayment US, 1973
slow pill noun in horse racing, a depressant given to a horse to
decrease its performance US, 1947
slow-play verb 1 to stall; to delay US, 1992. 2 in poker, to underbet a
hand to lure other players with inferior hands into betting UK, 1990
slowpoke noun a person who moves slowly or dawdles US, 1848
slow set noun in a disco, a set of songs (usually three) played at slow
tempo with the purpose of bringing the dancers closer together
IRELAND, 1997
slow smoulder noun a person whose career is going nowhere fast.
US Air Force usage; the opposite of a ‘fast burner’ US, 1998
slow the row, papa! take it easy! US, 1947
slud verb to fall victim to a chemical warfare attack. From the official
military warning that the victim will salivate, lachrymate, urinate,
and defecate’
US, 1991
sludge noun beer UK, 1958
SLUF nickname an A-7 Corsair attack bomber. An acronym for ‘short
little (or low) ugly fucker (or fellow)’ US, 1994
sluff verb to play truant US, 1951
slug noun 1 a drink UK, 1756. 2 a dollar US, 1981. 3 the penis. Figurative
application of the slimy invertebrate found in damp places; the
pun on conventional ‘slug’ (a bullet) into
BULLET (an ejaculation of

semen) is later
AUSTRALIA, 1945. 4 an idler. Either an abbreviation of
‘sluggard’ or a comparison to the slow-moving slimy gastropod or
land-snail UK, 1425. 5 a seal. A visual similarity ANTARCTICA, 1940. 6 a
group of cards that have been arranged and then inserted into a
deck US, 1996. 7 a hospital patient who refuses to participate in
therapy or self-help US, 1989. 8 in drag racing and hot rodding, a
piston US, 1958. 9 in the television and film industries, a piece of
593 slitch | slug
unusable film that is temporarily used to fill in for footage that
will be added
US, 1990. < put the slug on someone to hit
someone with your fist US, 1980
slug verb 1 to strike someone hard UK, 1862. 2 to drink directly from a
bottle. From the noun sense
UK: SCOTLAND, 1996. 3 to cheat playing
slot machines by inserting something other than the proper coin
in the machine
US, 1985. 4 to lie in bed. Verb formation from the
more common usage as a noun
US, 1986
slug and snail; slug noun a fingernail, a toenail. Rhyming slang UK,
1992
slugfest noun a bruising, drawn-out fight; hence, a military
engagement at close-quarters. A combination of
SLUG (to strike)
and -FEST (a concentration of the preceding noun) US, 2003
slugger noun 1 a brutish fist-fighter US, 1942. 2 a casino cheat who
tries to play slot machines with objects other than the proper coin
US, 1985

sluggo noun an extremely skimpy bikini AUSTRALIA, 1991
sluggos noun tight-fitting men’s nylon swimming briefs. So called
since they display the
SLUG (the penis) AUSTRALIA, 1987
slug huggers noun a pair of men’s close-fitting and revealing nylon
swimming trunks
AUSTRALIA, 2003
slugout noun a fight, especially between youth gangs US, 1962
sluice noun an act of sexual intercourse; sex. From an earlier sense
(the vagina) UK, 1970
slum noun 1 an apartment or house. The Oxford English Dictionary
offers several early C19 cites in this sense but deems the term
obsolete. Robert Beck (Iceberg Slim) wrote the language of the
streets, not C19 England, suggesting a slang life for the word in the
C20 US US, 1969. 2 inexpensive costume jewellery; any low-value
merchandise
US, 1914. 3 prison food US, 1950
slum verb 1 to visit a poor neighbourhood out of curiosity; to live
beneath your station UK, 1884. 2 to voluntarily mix with social
inferiors UK, 1928
slum adjective cheap; shabby; in poor taste US, 1973
slumber slot noun in trucking, a sleeping compartment behind the
seat US, 1971
slumgullion noun a make-shift stew made with whatever ingredients
are at hand US, 1963
slum hustler noun a person who sells fake jewellery US, 1973
slumlord noun a landlord who rents poorly kept-up properties in the
ghetto, often with a large profit margin US, 1953
slummadelic fire noun excellent and exciting rap music US, 2002
slummy noun small change; coins. Liverpool use UK, 2001

slung up adjective relaxed; at ease US, 1990
slurp verb < slurp at the sideways smile to perform oral sex on
a woman US, 2001
slurpage noun any beverage US, 1997
slush noun 1 counterfeit paper money UK, 1924. 2 tea UK: SCOTLAND, 1988.
< in the slush very drunk US, 1991
slush box noun an automatic transmission; a car with automatic
transmission AUSTRALIA, 1981
slush car noun a car with an automatic transmission US, 1958
slush fund noun 1 a discretionary fund, where the source of the
money and the exact way in which it is spent is not subject to any
accounting or accountability
US, 1874. 2 money collected by a
prisoner’s associates for a prisoner’s family
UK, 1996
slushing fuck pit noun the vagina UK, 2001
slush pump noun 1 a trombone. Musicians’ slang US, 1937. 2 an auto-
matic transmission; a vehicle with an automatic transmission.
‘Not used so much these days,’ noted Clive Graham-Ranger,
Sunday Times, 9th August 1981
US, 1968
slush up verb to drink to the point of intoxication US, 1949
slushy noun a kitchen hand AUSTRALIA, 1880
slushy adjective extremely sentimental US, 1889
slut noun 1 a promiscuous girl or woman UK, 1450. 2 a promiscuous
boy or man
US, 2002. 3 a prostitute US, 1961. 4 used as an affectionate
female-to-female term of address. Use of the term does not
suggest promiscuity
US, 1983

-slut suffix in combination with a sexual fetish or activity, a sexual
fetishist or (in pornography) specialist; in such forms as pain-slut,
nipple-slut, come-slut, etc. Intended to, or, at best, tends to,
diminish the status of a person so described. Widespread in
Internet pornography
UK, 2003
slut-mouth noun a person whose language is often coarse and
vulgar
US, 2001
slut puppy noun a promiscuous girl US, 1990
slutted out adjective broken down; in disrepair US, 1984
sluttish adjective sexual in a cheap way US, 2004
slutty adjective promiscuous; having a sexual appearance US, 1991
slutwear noun extremely sexually provoking clothing US, 2000
sly adjective unfair. Liverpool usage UK, 2001
sly-boots noun a cunning person. Jocular UK, 1700
sly-grog noun illegally made or supplied alcohol AUSTRALIA, 1825
sly-grogger noun a person selling sly-grog AUSTRALIA, 1897
sly-groggery noun an establishment selling alcohol without a licence
to do so
AUSTRALIA, 1907
sly-grogging noun the practice of selling alcohol illicitly AUSTRALIA, 1952
sly-grog joint noun an establishment selling alcohol without a
license to do so
AUSTRALIA, 1956
sly-grog shop noun an establishment selling alcohol without a
licence to do so AUSTRALIA, 1826
sly mongoose noun an extremely clever and devious person.
Hawaiian youth usage US, 1981
smack noun 1 heroin. Derives, possibly, from Yiddish shmeker (a

sniffer of drugs) US, 1942. 2 alcohol US, 1973. 3 disparaging talk US, 1999.
4 slang US, 1997. 5 a swindle based on matching pennies US, 1940
smack verb to murder someone UK, 1999. < smack the pony (of a
female) to masturbate. Smack the Pony is an all-women television
sketch show, first broadcast on Channel 4 in 1999 UK, 2002
smack adverb precisely. A shortened sMACK-DAB US, 1951
smack-bang adverb of a location, exactly, in the middle UK, 1984
smack-dab adverb exactly. At times reversed for comic effect US, 1892
smacked back adjective heroin-intoxicated US, 1981
smacked out adjective in an extreme state of heroin- or cocaine-
intoxication
UK, 1983
smacker noun 1 a loud kiss UK, 1775. 2 a one-dollar note US, 1945. 3 a
pound sterling. From the earlier sense UK, 1924
smackeroonie noun 1 a kiss. A teenage elaboration of SMACKER,
noted by Joanna Williamson, 1982 UK, 1982. 2 a pound sterling. An
extension of SMACKER (a pound), popularised by UK television per-
sonality Christ Tarrant (b.1946) on Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?
on Itelevision from 1998 UK, 2002
smackers noun the lips UK, 2002
smackhead noun a heroin addict. A combination of SMACK (heroin)
and HEAD (user) US, 1972
smack in the eye noun a pie. Rhyming slang UK, 1992
smack up verb 1 to attack someone; to beat someone up AUSTRALIA,
1945. 2 to inject oneself with heroin US, 1995
smacky lips noun prolonged kissing US, 1965
smage verb to masturbate NORFOLK ISLAND, 1992
small noun one hundred dollars US, 1988
small adjective 1 afraid US, 1986. 2 drug-intoxicated. Comedian Steve
Martin’s refrain of ‘Let’s get small’ inspired a wider usage of the

term US, 1978
small beer noun something or someone of little consequence or
importance
UK, 1777
small fortune noun an extravagantly large sum of money UK, 1874
slug | small fortune 594
small fry noun an insignificant thing or things, person or people UK,
1797
small house noun a latrine TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 1986
smallie noun 1 in Jamaica, a person from any other Caribbean island
JAMAICA, 1994. 2 on Trinidad and Tobago, a person from any of the
smaller English Caribbean islands northwest of Trinidad and
Tobago
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 1945
small nickel noun fifty dollars or, in a casino, fifty dollars’ worth of
betting tokens
US, 1961
small one noun one hundred dollars US, 1988
small potatoes adjective something of little consequence US, 1838
smalls noun 1 underwear UK, 1943. 2 a small amount of money as a
bribe JAMAICA, 2003
small suppository in anticipation of the br oom handle noun
the opening volley in a battle. US Naval aviator usage US, 1986
small thing noun < do that small thing used in a request for a
favour, or to signal compliance with a request UK, 1984
small-time adjective insignificant, unimportant; minor. Of vaudeville
origins US, 1938
small-timer noun an insignificant person; someone of trivial import-
ance in any given field UK, 1935
smanker noun an unmarried, middle-aged person who has no

children, objectified as a lifestyle category. Formed on the
acronym of ‘single middle-aged no kids’, and probably contrived
for marketing purposes UK, 2003
smarm verb to behave in an ingratiating manner; to flatter someone
insincerely UK, 1911
smarmy adjective smug, self-satisfied; overly sentimental UK, 1909
smart adjective fine; well; alright UK, 2001
smart alec; smart aleck; smart alick noun an offensively smart
person; a know-it-all US, 1865
smart armpit noun a know-all. Euphemistic for SMART-ARSE UK, 2000
smart-arse; smart-ass noun a person with a conceited view of their
own intelligence AUSTRALIA, 1937
smartarsed; smart -arsed adjective conceited about one’s
intelligence
US, 1960
smart as a new pin adjective very smartly dressed UK, 1893
smarter than the average bear used for a humourous, if at
times ironic, observation about another’s intelligence. Yogi Bear’s
boast about himself in the television cartoon series that first aired
in 1958 US, 1958
smart-eye verb to give someone a look that may be aggressive,
challenging or disapproving US, 2000
smartie noun 1 a shrewd operator; a person who is wise to the
various devices used by criminals AUSTRALIA, 1950. 2 an impudent,
cheeky person; an offensively smart person AUSTRALIA, 1969. 3 an
intelligent person AUSTRALIA, 1982
smarties noun tablets of MDMA, the recreational drug best known as
ecstasy. From a branded multi-coloured confection UK, 2001
smartman noun a man who engages in confidence swindles TRINIDAD
AND TOBAGO

, 2003
smart mob noun a group of protesters (or some other demon-
stration of social unrest) organised and mobilised by text
messaging. A play on conventional ‘mob’ and an abbreviation of
‘mobile’ US, 2003
smart money noun in horse racing, money bet on the basis of solid,
empirical data
US, 1951
smart-mouth verb to talk insolently to someone US, 1968
smart pill noun rabbit droppings. In the US, Michigan Upper
Peninsula usage AUSTRALIA, 2001
smarts noun intelligence US, 1970
smarty noun in horse racing, a person purporting to have inside
information but who is not to be trusted AUSTRALIA, 1989
smarty-pants noun a person who is smart, but not quite as smart as
they think they are
US, 1941
smash noun 1 a great success. A shortening of ‘smash hit’ UK, 1930.
2 momentum. Air combat slang US, 1986 . 3 money; pocket change
US, 1953. 4 wine US, 1962
smash verb < smash case in computing, to disregard any differen-
tiation between upper and lower case
US, 1991
smash and grab noun 1 a black taxi or a minicab. Rhyming slang
UK, 1992. 2 a simplistic burglary involving very little planning or
thought
US, 1969
smashed adjective 1 drunk US, 1960. 2 drug-intoxicated US, 1967
smash ’em-up noun a vehicle accident US, 1976
smasher noun 1 a very attractive female US, 1959. 2 a superlative thing

UK, 1894. 3 a baggage handler on a train US, 1977
smasheroo noun 1 a great success. An elaboration of SMASH US, 1948.
2 agood-lookingfemaleUS, 1959
smash-face adjective physical; aggressive US, 1990
smashing adjective fine; excellent; possessed of great charm; large. It
is often claimed, improbably, that this derives from the Irish
phrase is maith sin (that’s good) UK, 1911
smash-mouth noun prolonged kissing US, 1965
smash-mouth verb to kiss passionately US, 1968
smash-mouth adjective physical, aggressive US, 1989
smazzmo verb to move in an uncoordinated, jerky manner US, 1977
smear noun theatrical cosmetics US, 1952
smear verb to drop napalm on a target US, 1991. < smear a queer
to assault a homosexual US, 1993
smears noun LSD US, 1982
smeg noun 1 used as an all-purpose, non-profane insult. Used in
many different forms – ‘smeg!’, ‘smegging’, ‘smeghead’ – by
space castaway Dave Lister in the science fiction comedy
television show Red Dwarf, BBC since 1988 UK, 1988. 2 any viscous
matter of unknown origin. The variant ‘shmeg’ also exists US, 1995
smell noun digital-vaginal contact US, 1974
smell verb < smell Apple pie to be near your date of expected
return from military service in Vietnam to the US US, 1991.
< smell for water to find a spring using a divining rod CANADA,
1960. < smell some gas to be transported by motor vehicle US,
2002
smeller noun the nose UK, 1700
smell-fart noun an inquisitive know-it-all NEW ZEALAND, 1994
smellies noun 1 perfume; perfumed deodorants UK, 2002 . 2 anchovies
US, 1996

smell of broken glass noun a strong body odour, especially male.
Probably from the ‘sharp’ nature of the offending smell UK, 1973
smell of clay noun a condition ascribed to a person likely to die
soon UK: SCOTLAND, 1988
smellybridge noun the perineum (the area of skin between the anus
and the scrotum or vagina) UK, 2002
smelly hole noun the vagina UK, 2001
smell you! used for replying to an obvious brag US, 1995
smesh noun in circus and carnival usage, money US, 1981
smidge noun the smallest amount. A shortened SMIDGEN. First
recorded in 1905, but popularised by ESPN’s Dan Patrick telling
viewers that Sports Center will resume ‘in a smidge.’ US, 1905
smidgen; smidgin noun a very small amount US, 1845
smile noun something that is amusing US, 1982
smile and smirk; smile noun work; also, as a verb: to work.
Rhyming slang UK, 1992
smiley noun 1 a simplistic image of a smiling face, used for indicat-
ing laughter or happiness. First seen as an icon and later in elec-
tronic communications formed with punctuation marks, generally
as :) but with multiple variations US, 1995. 2 a tablet of LSD with the
smiley icon printed or etched thereon UK, 1998. 3 a variety of
595 small fry | smiley
MDMA, the recreational drug best known as ecstasy, identified by
the smiley motif embossed on the tablet
UK, 2002. 4 a large chain
with a padlock worn around the arm or neck US, 1997
smithereens noun small pieces or fragments; shreds UK, 1829
Smitty noun in hot rodding, a silencer packed with fiberglass,
increasing the roar of the engine
US, 1960

smock noun heroin. A corruption of SMACK or the Yiddish SHMECK US,
1960
smog verb 1 to smoke marijuana US, 2001. 2 to execute someone with
lethal gas US, 1992
smoke noun 1 a cigarette; a cigar UK, 1882. 2 marijuana; heroin;
opium; any drug that may be smoked
US, 1946. 3 a marijuana ciga-
rette US, 1967. 4 crack cocaine when smoked; heroin mixed with
crack cocaine when smoked
US, 1991. 5 denatured alcohol (ethyl
alcohol to which a poisonous substance has been added to make
it unfit for consumption) mixed with water for drinking US, 1950.
6 toxic, potentially fatal solvents used as substitutes for alcohol for
the truly desperate US, 1955. 7 a black person. Offensive US, 1913. 8 a
non-commissioned officer commanding an artillery battery US, 1988.
9 aforestfireUS, 1991. 10 one dollar US, 1975. < bring smoke to fire
a gun
US, 1997. < in smoke in hiding AUSTRALIA, 1908. < put
smoke
to fire a single round of artillery to help others mark a
target US, 1990. < the Smoke; Big Smoke; Great Smoke; the
Smokes
London; any large city. All variations are used with ‘the’
UK, 1848. < up the Smoke to London; to central London (from
the suburbs). Originally tramps’ usage; you go ‘up THE SMOKE’
(London) even when heading down from the north
UK
smoke verb 1 to shoot someone US, 1926. 2 to drive fast US, 1976. 3 to
defeat someone soundly, especially in a contest of speed US, 1996.
4 to perform oral sex on a man. Simple imagery, perhaps

influenced by the Freudian notion that smoking is an ‘oral’ habit
UK, 1984. < smoke a bowl to smoke a pipe filled with marijuana
US, 1982. < smoke a pipe; smoke the pipe to surf through the
hollow tube of a wave US, 1987. < smoke butt to curry favour
through obsequious behaviour US, 1992. < smoke it to commit
suicide by a gunshot wound in the mouth
US, 1984. < smoke like
a chimney
to smoke cigarettes heavily UK, 1840. < smoke with
the devil to drive too fast for road conditions US, 1976
smokeasy noun a clandestine venue for the illegal sale and
consumption of marijuana. Modelled on SPEAKEASY (a bar that sells
alcohol illegally) UK, 2004
smoke Canada noun marijuana, presumed to originate in Canada
UK, 2001
smoked cheaters noun dark glasses US, 1959
smoked haddock noun at a racecourse, the paddock. Rhyming
slang UK, 1961
smoked Irishman noun any person with black, brown or coffee-
coloured skin
UK, 1966
smoked out adjective 1 extremely intoxicated on marijuana or crack
cocaine
US, 1993. 2 without any crack cocaine to smoke US, 2003
Smoked Scotchman noun a person whose parentage is Scottish and
Indian
CANADA, 1960
smoked Welshman noun any dark-skinned man speaking little
English. Maybe simple racial stereotyping, but is probably
influenced by the fact that an English person attempting a Welsh

accent sounds generically Indian
UK, 1984
smoke house noun 1 a room where meetings of twelve-step
recovery programmes such as Alcoholics Anonymous are held. A
term based on the heavy cigarette smoking that is often character-
istic of the meetings US, 1998. 2 crack cocaine UK, 2003
smoke pole noun a shotgun CANADA, 1970
smoker noun 1 a social gathering, limited to men, especially one
with sexual entertainment; a film shown during such a gathering
UK, 1887. 2 a marijuana smoker US, 1961. 3 a passenger train car in
which smoking is permitted
US, 1977. 4 any diesel-powered truck US,
1962. 5 a car for sale that a car trader is using for personal transport
UK, 1965. 6 a stolen car US, 1997. 7 a high-mileage car. A car-dealers’
term UK, 1981
smokestack noun a pile of gambling tokens in the hands of an
unskilled gambler
US, 1996
smoke train noun a cigarette US, 2001
smoke-up noun in college, a notification of academic deficiency US,
1961
smoke wrench noun in car repair, an oxy-acetylene torch US, 1992
smokey noun 1 in prison, a segregation unit UK, 1996. 2 a Maori.
Offensive NEW ZEALAND, 1984
smokey bear; smokey; bear noun a police officer; the police.
Citizens’ band radio slang; from Smokey Bear (aka Smokey the
Bear), a caricatured black bear, from Capitan, New Mexico, used
since 1950 to promote forest fire prevention. The symbolic bear
wears a hat similar to that worn by US highway patrol officers and
state troopers. Also used to designate police in various forms:

‘smokey beaver’ (a policewoman), ‘smokey convention’ (two or
more police cars), ‘smokey on four legs’ (mounted police), ‘smokey
with a camera’ (police using speed detection equipment), ‘smokey
with ears’ (police with radio), etc
US, 1975
Smokey the bear noun 1 a drill sergeant in the US Army US, 1965. 2 a
military aircraft used for dropping magnesium-based flares to
illuminate the ground at night
US, 1989
smoking adjective 1 excellent; thriving; exciting US, 1975. 2 fashionably
dressed US, 1989
smoking gun noun 1 unarguable evidence, or an unmissable clue. A
term that came into popular use during the President Nixon
Watergate scandal in the US in the early 1970s US, 1974. 2 a mixture
of heroin and cocaine; heroin UK, 1998
smoko noun 1 a break from work. Originally a break for a cigarette
and normally long enough for a hot beverage
AUSTRALIA, 1865.
2 marijuana AUSTRALIA, 1987
smoky noun an Indian. Offensive CANADA, 1953
Smoky Joe noun a military aircraft that marks targets for bomber
aircraft with smoke bombs
US, 1946
smoo noun the vagina AUSTRALIA, 1992
smooch verb to kiss in a lingering manner US, 1932
smoochy adjective of music, suitable for slow, romantic dancing UK,
1966
smoochywoochypoochy noun marijuana. A pet name UK, 2001
smoodge; smooge verb 1 to play the sycophant AUSTRALIA, 1898. 2 to
kiss and cuddle AUSTRALIA, 1915. 3 to win someone around; to charm

someone AUSTRALIA, 1940
smoodger; smooger noun a flatterer AUSTRALIA, 1897
smoodgingly adverb ingratiatingly AUSTRALIA, 1962
smooth noun 1 a member of the aggressive youth fashion and gang
movement that was the final and least notable stage in the evol-
ution of the skinhead. A SKINHEAD with fractionally longer hair
became SUEDEHEAD which, in turn, grew smooth – and not
distinctive enough to survive UK, 1972. 2 on the railways, a tip of ten
cents US, 1977
smooth verb in hot rodding and drag racing, to remove ornaments
and hardware from the car body US, 1968
smooth adjective 1 used of a man’s body, hairless US, 1997. 2 calm US,
1967. 3 in lowball poker, favourable US, 1967. 4 sophisticated, urbane
US, 1991
smooth used to intensify a phrasal verb US, 1984
smooth and glassy adjective easy-going US, 1984
smoothie noun 1 the complete removal of a woman’s pubic hair;
the result thereof
US, 2001. 2 a person who stays calm and avoids
trouble US, 1967. 3 a man who is attractive, persuasive, crafty, and a
bit manipulative. Often, but not always, pejorative US, 1929. 4 a
skilled gambling cheat US, 1964
smooth leg noun a woman. Citizens’ band radio slang UK, 1981
smooth operator noun someone who is attractive, crafty, and a bit
manipulative
US, 1951
smooth trade noun an urbane, fashion-conscious homosexual man
US, 1965
smithereens | smooth trade 596
smother noun an overcoat. Allied to the practical sense of the coat

worn over a pickpocket’s arm to mask criminal activity
UK, 1934
smother verb to conceal a person, a thing or a movement AUSTRALIA,
1932
smouch verb to kiss AUSTRALIA, 1968
smoush noun a kiss. With the long vowel of ‘smooch’ AUSTRALIA, 1963
smudge noun 1 a photograph. Originally photographers’ jargon, from
blurred pictures
UK, 1931. 2 a pornographic magazine or magazines.
Extended from the previous sense
UK, 1996. 3 a photographer,
especially a press photographer. Shortened from SMUDGER UK, 1968
smudger noun a photographer, especially a press photographer. From
SMUDGE (a photograph) UK, 1961
smurf noun 1 an ordinary citizen whose personal bank accounts are
used to launder drug money. The Smurfs are well-known
children’s cartoon characters, adopted here to suggest the
innocent appearance of a money launderer
US, 1998. 2 in an
Internet discussion group, a frequent poster who adds little in the
way of content US, 1997
Smurf Juice noun the recreational drug GHB. As a marketing strat-
egy the clear liquid is dyed blue, which is the colour of Smurfs™
(internationally known children’s characters) SOUTH AFRICA, 2003
smush verb to crush. A blending of ‘crush’ and ‘smash’ US, 1991
smut noun pornography UK, 1698
smut-hound noun a man with a marked predilection for bawdiness
or indecent publications; a censor who seeks out such works US,
1927
smuts noun sexually explicit photographs or postcards US, 1962

snack noun 1 a youthful, sexually inexperienced male who is the
object of an older homosexual’s desire US, 1987. 2 something easily
accomplished
AUSTRALIA, 1941
snacker noun aboard a trawler, a deck-boy or odd-job man UK, 1974
snackpack noun the male genitals as seen in a jock strap or tight,
skimpy underwear US, 1988
snaffle verb to acquire something for your own UK, 1902
snafu noun a chaotic mess. An acronym of ‘situation normal, all
fucked up’,orthemorepolite‘situation normal, all fouled up’ US,
1941
snafu verb to bungle something; to reduce something to chaos.
From the noun sense US, 2001
snag noun 1 a girl, especially an ugly one US, 1962. 2 atoothUS, 1967.
3 a sausage AUSTRALIA, 1941
snag verb 1 to grab something; to acquire something US, 1895. 2 to
outdo someone US, 1946
snag bag noun a small bag for carrying personal effects. Prison
usage US, 1967
snagged stag noun a boy who is steadily and exclusively dating one
girl US, 1961
snaggle tooth noun a young woman or girl with irregular (or
missing) teeth. Among US boys in 2004 ‘summer teeths’ is a
nickname for British girls – some are teeth that point here, some
are pointing there
UK, 1909
snail mail noun mail sent by normal postal service. A term that was
coined after the advent of electronic mail US, 1983
snail track noun 1 a verticle line of hair on the stomach AUSTRALIA,
2002. 2 the residue of vaginal secretions, semen and/or saliva on a

woman’s thighs after sex US, 1986
snail trail noun the vagina UK, 2001
snake noun 1 the penis US, 1997. 2 among anglers, a very long rag-
worm used as bait UK, 1968. 3 in electric line work, insulated rubber
line hose US, 1980. 4 a long, serpentine putt US, 1962. 5 a subway, an
underground system US, 1960. 6 a surfer who surfs in another
surfer’s right of way
US, 1987. 7 an informer US, 1958. 8 in foot-
powered scootering, another rider who cuts in, especially one who
take’s another’s line into a trick UK, 2000. 9 an AH-1G Cobra attack
helicopter. The US Army’s primary gunship in Vietnam US, 1986.
10 a railway pointsman. From the serpentine ‘S’ on the
pointsman’s union pin
US, 1946. < able to crawl under a snake;
lower than a snake’s belly
morally reprehensible; despicable.
Variations include ‘a snake’s hips’, since World War 2, and ‘able to
crawl under a snake’s belly with a top hat on’, 1959
AUSTRALIA, 1932.
< the snake in firefighting, the hose. Used by the London Fire
Brigade
UK, 1984
snake verb 1 to have sex from the male perspective US, 2001. 2 in
snowboarding or skateboarding, to cut in front of someone US, 1984.
3 to go quietly, to move silently. The variant ‘snake off’ also exists
IRELAND, 1958
snakebite; snakie noun a mixture of cider and lager UK, 1988
snake-charmer noun in Western Australia, a railway maintenance
worker. From the prevalence of snakes along railway tracks
AUSTRALIA, 1937

snake-eaters noun the US Army Special Forces. From their jungle
survival skills
US, 1991
snake-eye; snake-eye bomb noun during the Vietnam war, one of
several aircraft bombs with descent-slowing devices to permit low-
level attacks US, 1966
snake eyes noun 1 in dice games, a roll of two one’s. A visual
metaphor
US, 1929. 2 in dominoes, the 1–1 piece US, 1959. 3 in poker,
apairofaces
US, 1988
snake fence noun a rail fence, split cedar, in six or eight interlocking
zigzag patterns US, 1805
Snake Gully noun an imaginary remote and backward place
AUSTRALIA, 1945
snakehead noun a smuggler of Chinese people. Direct translation
from a Chinese term
US, 2002
snake juice noun strong liquor, especially of rough quality AUSTRALIA,
1890
Snakenavel, Idaho noun a fictitious rural place US, 1994
snake pit noun 1 used in the US military during the conflict in
Vietnam for describing any operational headquarters US, 1966. 2 a
sergeant’s mess
AUSTRALIA, 1941
snake ranch noun a bachelor’s house US, 1990
snake room noun abarCANADA, 1912
snake’s noun an act of urination. Shortening of SNAKE’S HISS AUSTRALIA,
1966
snake’s hiss noun an act of urination. Rhyming slang for PISS

AUSTRALIA
, 1966
snakey-snakey noun sexual intercourse. From SNAKE (the penis) UK,
2001
snaky adjective in a foul mood AUSTRALIA, 1894
snap noun 1 amyl nitrite; an ampoule of amyl nitrite. From the
sound/action of breaking open the ampoule UK, 1962. 2 an amphet-
amine tablet US, 1994. 3 a mouthful of alcohol or a drink taken in
one gulp
CANADA, 1988. 4 a negative statement or taunt, often as
part of a rap performance US, 1994. 5 a humourous statement or
person US, 1970. 6 something that is simple or easy US, 1877. 7 in
pool, the first shot of the game US, 1990. 8 a photograph US, 1894. 9 a
snack; a packed meal. In dialect from 1642; usage appears to have
spread via the railways UK, 1980
snap verb 1 to insult someone in a semi-formal quasi-friendly com-
petition US, 1979. 2 to realise something suddenly; to experience an
epiphany US, 1967. 3 to flex, and thus contract, the sphincter during
anal sex
US, 1972. < snap in to engage in rifle target practice.
Korean war usage
US, 1953. < snap out of it to stop dreaming; to
face reality; to change your mind-set. Often used as an imperative
UK, 1918. < snap to it to urgently begin to do something UK, 1918.
< snap your cap to lose your sanity US, 1973
snap! used for registering a (usually minor) concidence. From the
children’s card game during which players cry ‘snap!’ whenever
matching cards are exposed UK, 1959
snap cap noun a dummy shotgun cartridge UK, 1983
snapped up adjective 1 under the influence of snap (amyl nitrate) UK,

1962. 2 very drunk CANADA, 1999
597 smother | snapped up
snapper noun 1 the vagina, especially one with exceptional muscular
control
US, 1975. 2 a girl or young woman US, 1971. 3 an infant
IRELAND, 2003. 4 the foreskin US, 1941. 5 a photographer UK, 1910. 6 in
blackjack, an ace and ten-point card dealt as the first two cards to
a player US, 1980. 7 amyl nitrite; an ampoule of amyl nitrite US, 1967.
8 a small, fast-breaking wave AUSTRALIA, 1977. 9 in lobstering, a lobster
that is not legal size
US, 1978. 10 a wooden match US, 1970. 11 the
mythical ingredient in baked beans that can be removed to
prevent flatulence
US, 1975
snapper-rigged adjective improvised; repaired in a makeshift
fashion. Nautical terminology brought ashore in Nova Scotia
CANADA, 2002
snappers noun the teeth, especially false teeth UK, 1924
snappy adjective 1 fashionably smart. Especially as ‘snappy dresser’
UK, 1881. 2 short-tempered; irritable US, 1834. < make it snappy;
look snappy
to be quick. Often used as an imperative UK, 1926
snaps noun 1 praise; recognition US, 1995. 2 money US, 1997.
3 handcuffs US, 1949. 4 snack food US, 1986
snard lumps noun snow and ice clumps that build up under the
fender of the car. In eastern Canada, they have been called
‘snowbirds’ CANADA, 1987
snarf verb 1 to drink or to eat something, especially greedily. Possibly
abbreviated and adapted from an affected UK pronunciation of
SNAFFLE (to acquire) UK, 2002. 2 to take something; to grab

something US, 1968
snark noun a caustic witticism US, 2003
snark verb to act grumpily or nastily US, 1997
snarky adjective snide, sarcastic; irritable. From the Scottish snark (to
find fault, to nag)
UK, 1906
snarler noun a sausage NEW ZEALAND, 1963
snarl-up noun a chaotic mess; often applied to a near-gridlock in a
traffic system
UK, 1960
snatch noun 1 the vagina; sex; a woman (or women) as a sexual
object UK, 1904. 2 a kidnapping US, 1931. 3 something stolen UK, 2000.
4 an air rescue of ground troops or the crew of a downed aircraft
US, 1988
snatch verb to kidnap someone US, 1932. < snatch it to quit work
taking the wages due AUSTRALIA, 1911. < snatch your time to quit
work taking the wages due AUSTRALIA, 1916
snatch 22 noun a woman who is considered so sexually unattractive
that a man would have to be drunk to attempt sex with her, but
too drunk to perform. A logical knot, formed on SNATCH (the
vagina); after Catch 22, the novel by Joseph Heller, 1961, and the
conventional usage it inspired UK, 2002
snatch box noun the vagina. An elaboration of SNATCH UK, 1961
snatch box decorated with red roses noun the bleed period of
the menstrual cycle. Formed on SNATCH BOX (the vagina) with
blood imagery US, 1999
snatcher noun 1 a thief US, 1965. 2 a police detective US, 1948
snatch fur noun female pubic hair US, 1972
snatch hair noun the pubic hair (of either gender) US, 1995
snatch hound noun a person who is obsessed with sex and women

US, 1992
snatch man noun a press photographer UK, 2001
snatch patr ol noun a combat mission in which the object is to
capture enemy troops for interrogation US, 1977
snatch-plug noun a tampon US, 1972
snavel verb to steal something AUSTRALIA, 1892
snazzy adjective stylish; fashionable; smart US, 1932
sneak noun 1 a schoolchild who tells tales or informs on his or her
fellows. School slang, from an earlier, more general sense as ‘a
despicable person, or one who behaves in an underhand manner’
UK, 1840. 2 a soft-soled shoe; a running shoe, a trainer UK, 1862
sneak verb 1 to tell tales; to inform upon someone. School slang UK,
1897. 2 to break into a building US, 1949. < sneak a peak to take a
look at something or someone
US, 1999
sneak adjective < on the sneak tip in secret US, 1995
sneak-and-peak adjective 1 designed to be quiet US, 1973.
2 undertaken for the purpose of reconnaissance US, 1974
sneaker noun 1 a person engaged in an illegal enterprise who does
not pay a regular bribe to the police but does when confronted
US,
1973
. 2 a smuggler US, 1956. 3 a linear amplifier for a citizens’ band
radio
US, 1977. 4 in hot rodding or motor racing, an unusually large
tyre
US, 1992
sneaker bitch noun a person who is too focused on conspicuous
consumption, such as high priced trainers
US, 1989

sneakernet noun in computing, to carry a disk from one computer
to another US, 1991
sneakers noun car wheel rims US, 2003
sneak go noun any secretive action AUSTRALIA, 1989
sneak-in noun a bar that surreptitiously remains open after the legal
closing time
US, 1951
sneak job noun housebreaking UK, 1996
sneaky adjective used of a recording device, easily hidden US, 1982
sneaky beaky noun a spy. Often used attributively as an adjective
UK, 1995
sneaky man noun a married woman’s adulterous sexual partner
BAHAMAS, 1982
sneaky Pete noun 1 any potent, potentially fatal, alcoholic
concoction, favoured by those whose need outweighs their ability
to pay
US, 1947. 2 marijuana mixed in wine US, 1955. 3 a member of a
US Army long-range reconnaissance patrol unit
US, 1990. 4 an
unannounced in-flight examination by a crew that boards the
plane just before take-off US, 1963. 5 in pool, an expert player’s
custom cue, designed to look like an ordinary cue US, 1993
sneeze noun pepper US, 1981
sneeze verb to arrest someone US, 1950
sneeze and squeeze noun cocaine and sex US, 1984
sneezed adjective arrested; kidnapped UK, 1996
sneeze out verb to confess UK, 1996
sneezer noun 1 the nose US, 1945. 2 in marketing, a person whose
opinion the market listens to and trusts. A logical by-product of
VIRAL MARKETING (word-of-mouth) US, 2000. 3 a jail or prison US, 1953

sneezing powder noun heroin US, 1958
snide noun 1 a cunning person; an untrustworthy person; a
contemptible person; an informer. German aufschneiden (to boast,
brag), reaching English via Yiddish. Also used in the variant
‘shnide’
UK, 1950. 2 a stolen pearl AUSTRALIA, 1933
snide adverb secretly; deceitfully UK, 2002
snide; shnide; snidey adjective false, counterfeit, sham, bogus;
hence mean, contemptible; underhand
UK, 1859
snidey adjective sneering; contemptuous; disdainful UK, 1964
snidey up verb to adulterate drugs, to prepare fake drugs for sale.
Extended from SNIDE; SNIDEY (fake) UK, 1996
sniff noun 1 cocaine US, 1990. 2 any solvent that can be inhaled for its
psychoactive effect
US, 1974. 3 a sycophant. From an image of the
sycophant’s brown nose being in the near proximity of an anus
US,
1968. 4 a girlfriend UK, 2002. < the sniff a recreational hunt for
sexually attractive company UK, 1998
sniff verb to ingest drugs by nasal inhalation UK, 1925
sniffed-up adjective under the influence of cocaine UK, 1999
sniffer noun 1 the nose UK, 1858. 2 an ampoule of amyl nitrite US, 1970.
3 a cocaine user US, 1988. 4 a device placed on a vehicle’s exhaust
pipe to measure the pollutants in the emission US, 1993. 5 a claims
investigator of unemployment and other benefit fraud UK, 1982. 6 a
computer program that surreptitiously records user passwords and
other log-in data US, 1994. 7 an outsider who tries to be part of the
pornography industry
US, 1995. 8 a handkerchief US, 1945

sniffer and snorter noun a reporter. Rhyming slang UK, 1998
sniffer bag noun a small bag of heroin intended for inhaling US, 2002
snapper | sniffer bag 598