Slang and uncoventional english part 106 potx

Zz
z noun 1 in hip-hop culture, used for replacing the letter ‘s’ when
creating plurals
US, 2002. 2 an outcast; a despised person US, 1963
Z noun an ounce of narcotics US, 1975. < the Z the demilitarised
zone US, 1976
-z suffix used in the abbreviating of a forename, by truncating the
given name to its first open syllable which is then closed with -z.
Examples: Gary or Gareth becomes Gaz; Jeremy, Jez; Terry or
Terence, Tez; Sharon, Shaz
UK, 1984
za noun pizza US, 1996
zac noun a six-month or six-year prison sentence. From ZACK (six
pence) AUSTRALIA, 1919
Zacatecas purple noun a potent variety of marijuana originating in
Mexico. Named after the location and the colour of the buds
US, 1974
Zachary Scotts; Zacharys noun diarrhoea. Rhyming slang for
TROT S ; formed on the name of US film actor Zachary Scott
(1914–65) UK, 1992
zack; zac noun a sixpence; the sum of six pence. Origin unknown.
Perhaps from Scottish dialect saxpence (sixpence), or possibly
Yiddish from German sechs (six). After the introduction of decimal
currency in 1966, it came to mean ‘a five-cent piece’, or its value,
a similar coin with about the same comparative value; dying out
from the 1980s, now seldom heard AUSTRALIA, 1898. < not have a
zack to be broke AUSTRALIA, 1989. < not worth a zack worthless
AUSTRALIA, 1962
zaf tig; zoftig adjective sexy; buxom. From German/Yiddish for ‘juicy’
US, 1932
zag verb when faced with two courses of action, to take the right

one. Most commonly used in variations of ‘I zigged when I should
have zagged’ US, 1948
zags noun thin papers used for rolling cigarettes. From the branded
name Zig Zag™, the dominant rolling papers during the hippie
years US, 1970
zambi noun marijuana presumed to originate in the Republic of
Zambia US, 1998
zambuck noun a member of St John Ambulance Brigade. From a
proprietary name of an antiseptic ointment commonly used by
them AUSTRALIA, 1918
zami noun a lesbian. From a misplaced juncture of the French les
amies (women friends) TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 2003
Zanussi noun < on Zanussi drug-intoxicated; wildly excited or
distracted. A variant of ON ANOTHER PLANET, from the advertising for
Zanussi, a manufacturer of domestic electrical appliances UK, 1995
zap noun 1 amyl nitrite UK, 1996. 2 an electrical shock US, 1994
zap verb 1 to kill someone. A major piece of slang from the Vietnam
war US, 1942. 2 to shoot someone. A Royal Navy variation on the
previous sense UK, 1989. 3 to finish something off. A figurative vari-
ation of the sense ‘to kill’ UK, 1999. 4 to defeat someone heavily US,
1968. 5 to give someone an electrical shock; to administer electric
shock treatment to someone. Recorded as ‘administering shock
treatment’ in ‘The language of nursing’, Philip C. Kolin, American
Speech, p. 209, Fall–Winter 1973
US, 1995. 6 to operate electronically,
often by remote-control, 2001. 7 to overwhelm someone US, 1967.
8 to move quickly US, 1974. 9 to have sex US, 1985. 10 to present, to
give US, 1967. 11 to steal something UK, 2002. 12 to use the (remote)
fast-forward facility on video playback to pass advertising; to use a
remote control to switch between television channels (to avoid

advertising, or simply to find a programme that engages you) US,
1983. 13 to send a text message UK, 2003. 14 to heat something up in
a microwave oven US, 1999. 15 to give a student in college a
notification of academic deficiency US, 1968. 16 in Canadian military
aviation, to affix a sticker on which is the badge of a military unit
onto an aircraft of another service CANADA, 1982
zap over verb to change your mind UK, 1972
zapped adjective 1 drug-intoxicated US, 1979. 2 spicy US, 1983
zapper noun any remote-control device used with domestic
entertainment equipment – television, stereo, video, DVD player,
etc US, 1981
zappy adjective lively, energetic UK, 1983
zap up verb to enliven something UK, 1988
Zat? 8see: OWZAT?
zatch noun the genitals of either gender. Originally used of female
genitals UK, 1950
Zazu Pitts noun diarrhoea. Rhyming slang for THE SHITS,formedon
the name of the US film actress, 1914–65 UK, 1992
zazzy adjective ostentatious, showy US, 1961
Z-bag noun the bed US, 1968
Z-bars noun in motorcyle racing, handlebars each shaped like the
letter Z, facing each other US, 1973
zebbled adjective circumcised UK, 2003
zebra noun a cadet officer in the US Air Force. An allusion to how
conscious the officer is of his stripes US, 1946
zebra adjective racially mixed US, 1971
Zec noun an area in Quebec where logging and hunting are
controlled or prohibited CANADA, 1992
zeds noun 1 sleep. Royal Navy slang; echoic, based on UK
pronunciation of ‘z’, from the strip-cartoon legend ‘zzzz’ as an

indicator of sleep. Used in phrases such as ‘racking (or piling) up
the zeds’ (sleeping) and ‘zeds merchant’ (someone who likes to
sleep)
UK, 1989. 2 central nervous system depressants UK, 1983
zeek freak noun a person who greatly enjoys sex while under the
influence of crack cocaine US, 1989
zeke noun in circus usage, a hyena US, 1981
Zelda noun 1 a girl or a woman, especially if dull or uninteresting.
Possibly after Zelda Fitzgerald (1900–48) with the suggestion that
the name is dull and old-fashioned; Zelda Fitzgerald was herself
named after the character of a gypsy queen in a romantic novel
US, 2002. 2 a high school girl who is a socially inept outcast US, 1961.
3 a witch. Perhaps from the character Aunt Zelda, a 2000-year-old
witch in Sabrina, The Teenage Witch, from a 1962 comic book cre-
ation, subsequently in animated and live-action television series
UK, 2002
zeller noun an over-devoted surfer US, 1988
zen noun LSD. From the other-worldly state sought by Zen
Buddhism UK, 1978
Zen noun MDMA, the recreational drug best known as ecstasy US, 1989
zen in verb to grasp completely through intuition US, 1967
zenith noun ketamine hydrochloride, an anaesthetic used as a
hallucinogen US, 2002
zeppelin noun a poker player who contemplates long and hard
before every bet or play US, 1996
zero noun 1 a person of no significance; a nobody US, 1979. 2 a
gambler who is a chronic loser US, 1996
zero verb 1 to kill someone US, 1990. 2 to identify or locate someone
or something US, 1955
zero-dark -thirty noun very early in the morning US, 1991

zero out verb 1 to kill someone. Korean war usage US, 1989. 2 to be
killed US, 1992
zero week noun the orientation week preceding eight weeks of basic
military training US, 1968
Z-game noun the game with the lowest betting limits in a gambling
operation or cardroom. There need not be 26 tables to arrive at
the Z-game; it is the lowest-stakes table in the place
US, 1988
zhoosh; jhoosh noun 1 ornamentation UK, 2002. 2 clothing UK, 1968
zhoosh; jhoosh verb 1 to swallow something UK, 2002. 2 to tidy the
appearance of something; to tittivate, to trim, to ornament
UK, 1997
zhooshing noun shop-lifting UK, 1995
zhoosh off; jhoosh off verb to leave; to go UK, 2002
zhooshy adjective showy, ornate UK, 2002
ziff noun a beard. Origin unknown. Now all but obsolete AUSTRALIA,
1917
ziffed; be-ziffed adjective bearded. From ZIFF (a beard) AUSTRALIA, 1973
zig noun < get the zig to become annoyed or angry with someone
UK, 2000
zig verb 1 when faced with two courses of action, to take the wrong
one. Most commonly used in some variation of ‘I zigged when I
should have zagged’
US, 1948. 2 to shoot down an enemy fighter
plane
US, 1986
Zig and Zag noun 1 a variety of LSD identified by a picture of
television puppets Zig and Zag UK, 1996. 2 an act of sexual
intercourse. Rhyming slang for
SHAG, formed from a double act of

television puppets, in turn named from an in-and-out movement
UK, 2003
ziggerboo noun an eccentric or crazy person US, 1947
zig-zag noun 1 cigarette rolling papers. A brand name that acquired a
generic meaning US, 1968. 2 sex with a prostitute US, 1954
zig-zag adjective unreliable; dishonest TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 1960
zigzag man noun 1 marijuana UK, 2003. 2 LSD. Perhaps from a icon
printed on the drug UK, 2003
zig-zig noun sexual intercourse. Familiar pidgin in the Far, Near and
Middle East and Mediterranean, originally military; a variation of
JIG-A-JIG. Used by US soldiers in the South Pacific UK, 1918
zig-zig verb to have sex. Familiar pidgin in the Far, Near and Middle
East and Mediterranean, originally military; a variation of JIG-A-JIG
US
, 1918
zilch noun 1 nothing US, 1940. 2 a socially inept outcast US, 1965
zillion noun an almost unimaginably large number. One of several
invented numbers used to convey a large number; probably
coined by Damon Runyon US, 1944
zillionaire noun a multi-millionaire US, 1946
Zimbo noun a person from Zimbabwe NEW ZEALAND, 1995
zimmer noun agirlUS, 1990
zinc noun an obviously unfashionable child or youth. Pejorative.
Commented on by the Plain English Campaign in October 2003
UK, 2003
zine noun an inexpensively self-published magazine devoted to such
topics as hobbies, music, film and politics. An abbreviation of
FANZINE, ultimately ‘magazine’ US, 1978
zined noun a fan magazine editor US, 1976
zinfandel noun serious trouble. Zinfandel is a wine from California

that seems not to have travelled well CANADA, 1970
zing noun 1 energy, vigour US, 1918. 2 sex appeal. A nuance of the pre-
vious sense US, 1961. 3 an amphetamine tablet US, 1997
Z-ing noun the practice of targeting tourists as victims of crime by
the ‘Z’ as the first letter on the car number plate, designating a
rental car US, 1994
zing verb 1 (of a bullet) to ricochet US, 2001. 2 to travel quickly US, 1920.
3 to affect someone suddenly and forcefully US, 1975. 4 to feel
pleasurable sensations resulting from drug use UK, 1971. < zing it
in
to bet heavily US, 1979
zing! used to represent a sudden change in circumstance or
emotion
UK, 1919
zingaro noun in circus and carnival usage, a gypsy US, 1981
zinger noun 1 the punch-line of a joke; the last word US, 1964. 2 an
arranged ending to a competition
US, 1959. 3 a surprise, an awkward
or unexpected turn of events US, 1973. 4 an exceptionally good
example of something
UK, 1955. 5 a very attractive woman US, 1959.
6 an amphetamine tablet US, 1993. 7 a hot pepper US, 1996. 8 ahard
stare that is intended to impart bad luck on the recipient
US, 1979
zingy adjective exciting, energetic US, 1948
zip noun 1 an Italian or Sicilian criminal brought to the US for
criminal purposes, especially murder
US, 1993. 2 a Viet Cong; a
Vietnamese; any South Asian person US, 1970. 3 energy UK, 1900.
4 methamphetamine US, 1997. 5 cocaine. Probably from ZIPPED

(drug-intoxicated) US, 1998. 6 used for representing the sharp sound
of, for instance, a bullet or a mosquito as it moves through the air;
specifically of bullets, it is often reduplicated: ‘zip-zip’ or ‘zip, zip’
UK, 1875. 7 nothing at all; zero US, 1900. 8 a hand-made gun, a zip
gun US, 1967
zip verb 1 to move quickly US, 1852. 2 to kill someone US, 1982. < zip
it
to stop talking. From the image of zipping your mouth shut US,
1999. < zip your lip; zip your mouth to stop talking. The image
of a zip fastener (zipper) sealing your lips; may be mimed rather
than spoken; often as an imperative US, 1942
zip ball noun in pinball, a ball that leaves play without having scored
US, 1977
zip-five noun a prison sentence of a maximum of five years US, 1964
zip gun noun an inexpensive, homemade gun, usually consisting of
a tube, a grip and a rudimentary striking device US, 1950
zipped noun drug-intoxicated US, 1973
zipper noun 1 a scar US, 1978. 2 an electronic display of news or
publicity which is scrolled across a screen fixed to a building US,
2003. 3 a short but well-formed wave US, 1988. 4 a trap play in poker
US, 1996
zipperhead noun 1 a Vietnamese person. Offensive US, 1987. 2 a
stupid person US, 1989
zipper ripper noun in craps, a roll of ten. Evolved from the more
common
BIG DICK (a roll of ten) US, 1999
zippily adverb energetically, swiftly UK, 1983
zippiness noun an energetic quality, speediness UK, 1924
zippity-doo-dah noun nothing at all. An elaboration of ZIP (zero) US,
1977

zippity-doo-dah! used as a nonsensical, all-purpose utterance.
From the lyrics of a song in the 1946 Walt Disney film Song of the
South US, 1992
zippo noun 1 nothing. An embellised form of ZIP US, 1993. 2 energy US,
1981. 3 a tank-mounted flame thrower. An allusion to the branded
cigarette lighter US, 1966
zippo verb to set something on fire and burn it. An allusion to the
branded cigarette lighter US, 1966
zippo job noun the burning of a village as part of a military sweep
through the area US, 1988
zippola noun nothing at all US, 1994
zippy noun someone whose lifestyle mixes hippy ideals and modern
technology. An acronym of ‘zen-inspired professional pagan’ UK,
1990s
zippy adjective lively, bright, energetic, vigorous; fast, speedy US, 1904
zips noun the first decade of the 21st century UK, 2003
zip squat noun a very small amount. Two words that mean ‘nothing’
US, 1990
zip top noun A Jewish person. Offensive US, 1987
zip up verb to stop talking. The image of a zip fastener sealing the
lips
UK, 1999
zirconia flush noun in poker, four diamonds. Named after the
synthetic diamond US, 1996
zit noun an acne pimple US, 1966
zitfarm noun a teenager. From the adolescent tendency towards ZIT
(a pimple, a spot)-production in agricultural quantities US, 1981
zizz noun a snooze, a brief sleep; sleep. Military usage; echoic in as
much as the cartoon-strip legend ‘zzzz’ is an accurate indicator of
sleep UK, 1941

Z-game | zizz 718
zizz verb 1 to sleep. Military usage; echoic in as much as the
cartoon-strip legend ‘zzzz’ is an accurate indicator of sleep
UK, 1942.
2 to prepare food in a blender UK, 2002
zizzy adjective fancy, showy US, 1954
Z-list noun denotes all that is associated with a level of minor-
celebrity so despised that obscurity is almost achieved. A notional
social grouping that contrasts with A-LIST (top-rank celebrity); ‘Z-list’
inclusion is a matter of derogatory opinion US, 1979
zloty noun in poker, low-stakes betting. Named after the lowest value
coin in the Polish monetary system
US, 1996
zob noun an unlikeable, despicable person US, 1911
zobbit noun an officer. Royal Air Force lower ranks’ usage, from
Arabic dabat (an officer)
UK, 1967
zod noun someone who is socially inept to the extreme US, 1982
zog noun the US federal government. A basic piece of racist, right-
wing political vocabulary in the US US, 2000
zoinks! used for expressing fear or surprise. Popularised as a
signature line of the character Shaggy, voiced by Casey Kasem, on
the television cartoon Scooby Doo, Where are You? (CBS,
1969–72). Repeated with referential humour
US, 1972
zol noun a marijuana cigarette US, 1955
Zola Budd noun a police vehicle, especially a slow-moving armoured
vehicle; a small bus, especially a Toyota. Township slang; after the
South African-born British Athlete (b.1966) who was involved in a
controversial incident in the 1984 Olympic 3,000 metres race.

SOUTH AFRICA, 1985
zombie noun 1 a dull, personality-free person. From the belief of
certain west African religions that corpses can be revived to walk
the earth without souls US, 1941. 2 in poker, an expert player who
shows no emotion, no matter how good or bad his hand is
US,
1979
. 3 a policewoman. Usually in the plural UK, 1956. 4 among air-
traffic controllers, a suspicious unidentified flying object
UK, 1982
zombie verb to put someone into an apathetic condition. From a
belief in soulless corpses that walk the earth (and film sets) having
been revived by voodoo
UK, 1990
zombied adjective very drunk. In a condition generally seen among
the undead UK, 2002
zombie job noun during the Korean war, a night patrol US, 1957
zombie medicine noun tranquillizers. From the desired effect of the
medication UK, 1996
zombie weed noun phencyclidine, the recreational drug known as
PCP or angel dust
US, 1981
zone noun a state of such concentration that consequent action
seems instinctual. Often in the phrase ‘in the zone’ US, 1995. < on
the zone
lost in a daydream US, 1974. < the zone astateofbeing
qualified for, and meeting all other parameters for, a promotion in
rank. Originally Royal Navy, then army use
UK, 1962
zoned out adjective mentally absent US, 1971

zone out; zone off; zone verb to absent yourself mentally, with or
without the aid of drugs US, 1992
zoner; zonie noun someone from Arizona US, 1991
zonk verb 1 to fall asleep, especially as a result of drugs or drink. Also
used with ‘out’ US, 1970. 2 to hit or strike, literally or figuratively US,
1969
zonked noun the recreational drug GHB. From the drug-intoxicated
sense of ZONKED US, 2000
zonked adjective 1 intoxicated on a drug, especially marijuana; drunk.
Also used with ‘out’
US, 1958. 2 exhilarated; intoxicated by an
abstract thought
UK, 1980. 3 exhausted US, 1968
zonker noun a drug user who indulges to excess. A cartoon strip by
Garry Trudeau has had a laid-back marijuana-smoking character
called Zonker since 1972
US, 1996
zonkers noun the female breasts. An abbreviation of BAZONKAS US, 1995
zonking adverb used as an intensifier of adjectives that convey
positivity or largeness UK, 1958
zonks noun an indefinitely long time. A variation of YONKS UK, 1982
zoo noun 1 the section of a prison where ‘vulnerable prisoners’ are
kept for their own safety. In Prison Patter, 1996, Angela Devlin
notes that an
ANIMAL is ‘a sex offender’, and animals are kept in a
zoo
UK, 1996. 2 a police station. Citizens’ band radio slang US, 1976.
3 in motor racing, the pit area where cars stop for fuelling and
repairs
US, 1980. 4 a brakevan (caboose) US, 1977. 5 a notional or

actual grouping or assemblage of people; the place where they are
assembled. Often mildly contemptuous UK, 1924. 6 a zoophile, a
person with a sexual interest in animals UK, 2002
zoob noun a large penis AUSTRALIA, 1985
zoo book noun a student directory with photographs of each student
US, 1968
zoobs noun the female breasts. A blend of BOOB(S)andBAZOOMS US,
1968
zoo doo noun compost made from multi-species faeces US, 1981
zooed adjective 1 drunk US, 1979. 2 crowded. Surfer usage US, 1988
zooie noun a cylindrical implement that holds the butt of a
marijuana joint, 2001
zook noun a marijuana and tobacco cigarette; may also contain
crack cocaine
UK, 2000
zookeeper noun in motor racing, the official in charge of the pit
area US, 1980
zoom noun 1 phencyclidine, the recreational drug known as PCP or
angel dust US, 1994. 2 marijuana laced with phencyclidine, the rec-
reational drug known as PCP or angel dust. ‘Zoom!’ is a comic
book caption for the drugs’ combined effect US, 1982
zoom verb 1 to move very quickly. From aviation slang US, 1946. 2 to
induce someone to commit a crime that they were not otherwise
inclined to commit US, 1970
zoom bag noun a military flier’s flight suit US, 1991
zoomer noun 1 an energetic fool. From ZOOM (to move quickly) UK,
2000. 2 a person who sells fake crack cocaine and then quickly
disappears US, 2002
zoomers noun the female breasts US, 1968
zoomie noun 1 a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy

US, 1991. 2 in drag racing cars, an exhaust pipe that curves upward
directing some of the exhaust gases to heat the tyres US, 1968. 3 a
crew member of a military jet aircraft. A term used by the infantry
and navy US, 1948
zooms noun the female breasts. A shortened form of BAZOOMS US, 1968
zoo-only adjective applied to the sexual predilection of a zoophile
with no other interests UK, 2002
zoot noun 1 a ZOOT SUIT US, 1947. 2 a marijuana cigarette. Also called a
‘zut’ or ‘zootie’ UK, 1996. 3 a cigarette butt TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 1956
zoot canary noun a fashion model. Beatniks’ use, therefore late
1950s UK, 1984
zooted; zooted up adjective drug-intoxicated US, 1986
zooter noun 1 in cricket, a non-spinning ball bowled by a spin-
bowler. Coinage credited to Australian cricketers Shane Warne
(b.1969) and Terry Jenner (b.1944) to describe a style that they
developed
AUSTRALIA, 2002. 2 a ZOOT SUITER US, 1994
zootie adjective emotionally unbalanced or drug-intoxicated US, 1990
zootied adjective very marijuana-intoxicated US, 1982
zoot suit noun a type of man’s suit characterised by its exaggerated
style: padded shoulders, long jacket, high-waisted trousers, bright
colours. Perhaps by reduplication of ‘suit’ US, 1942
zoot suiter noun a member of an identifiable group of zoot-suit-
wearing young men, characterised by fashion and as flashy and
vulgar
US, 1943
zoot up verb to dress in a zoot suit and accessories US, 1947
zooty adjective fashionable, stylish. Derived from, and an allusion to,
ZOOT SUIT US, 1946
zoo-zoo; zuu-zuu noun in prison, sweets, snacks, soda or any other

special treat
US, 1981
zoquete noun heroin. Directly from Spanish for ‘block’ or ‘chunk’ UK,
2003
719 zizz | zoquete
Zorba the Greek; Zorba verb to urinate; an act of urination. Also
used as a noun. Rhyming slang for
LEAK, formed on the title of a
1946 novel by Nikos Kazantzakis and 1964 film UK, 1992
zorch verb in computing, to move or process quickly US, 1983
zorries noun inexpensive, practical foam rubber thong sandals US, 1990
zot noun zero; nothing US, 1965
zot verb to move suddenly or swiftly. Perhaps from the nonsense, all-
purpose word – especially used as a substitute for God – coined
by US cartoonist Johnny Hart (b.1931) US, 1974
zotz noun a planned murder; an assassination US, 1988
zotz verb to kill someone US, 1982
zotzed adjective drunk or drug-intoxicated US, 1992
zounds! used for registering a strong reaction. Compounded from
‘God’s wounds!’, modern usage is often ironic UK, 1616
zowie! used as a vocal representation of an instantaneous
happening
UK, 1913
z’s noun sleep. From Z’s as the representation of snoring in comic
strips used with a verb such as ‘catch’, ‘cop’, ‘cut’, get’, ‘grab’ or
‘rip’
US, 1963. < stack z’s to sleep US, 1975
zubrick; zoob noun the penis. Mainly in soldiers’ Arabic shufti
zubrick or shufti zoob (let’s see/show the penis), possibly enhanced
by the rhyme on

PRICK but not rhyming slang UK, 1958
zucchini noun an extended fibreglass field hut ANTARCTICA, 1991
zug up verb to cut hair unevenly TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 1959
zuke noun in American casinos, a gratuity US, 1985
Zulu noun 1 a black person. Offensive US, 1960. 2 a large marijuana
cigarette
US, 1973
Zulu princess noun in homosexual usage, a young and attractive
black man
US, 1987
zulu time noun Greenwich Mean Time US, 1960
’zup? used as a greeting. A slurred ‘what’s up?’ US, 1990
zut adjective stupid TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 1984
zymotic; zymy adjective contemptible. A figurative application of the
conventional senses relating to infectious disease and containing
putrefactive germs, thus creating a synonym for LOUSY. Noted in
use amongst teenagers UK, 1965
Zorba the Greek; Zorba | zymotic; zymy 720
0-9
10–1; ten-one adjective broken. Teen slang taken from citizens’
band radio jargon
UK, 1982
10–4; ten-four used as an acknowledgement that a message has
been received US, 1976
11 noun the loudest possible amplification. From a comic conceit in
the film This Is Spinal Tap
US, 1984
110 per cent adverb absolutely, utterly UK, 2001
12 noun a recording available on twelve-inch vinyl disc UK, 2002
125 noun cocaine. Rhyming slang, from the Inter-City 125, the

nearest thing the UK has to a high-speed train
UK, 2001
12-er noun a twelve-pack of beer US, 2003
14 nickname 1 used as an indication that a person is a member of a
northern California Mexican-American gang. ‘N’ for Norteno (the
name of a gang) is the fourteenth letter of the alphabet US, 1985.
2 a member of the Nuestra Familia prison gang. ‘N’ is the
fourteenth letter of the alphabet
US, 2000
151; one-fifty-one; fifty-one noun crack cocaine US, 1998
187; one-eight-seven noun 1 a homicide. From the California penal
code number used by the police as radio shorthand for a
homicide. Adopted into the lyrics of
GANGSTA RAP(S)fromLos
Angeles Police Department usage US, 1992. 2 no possibility; no
chance. A figurative use of the previous sense, hence ‘any possi-
bility is dead’. US, 1996
1984 adjective oppressively authoritarian. Directly from the novel
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell, 1949
US, 1970
21 nickname Newquay, Cornwall. Puns ‘new key’: ‘He’s got the key of
the door, never been twenty-one before’ UK, 1981
24/7; twenty-four seven adverb at all times – twenty-four hours a
day, seven days a week US, 1989
24-hour hootch noun a beverage of apple juice, yeast and aspirins
CANADA, 1989
276 nickname the prison gang more commonly known as the Black
Guerrilla Family US, 2000
288; two eighty-eight adjective too disgusting, too gross. An
excruciating pun on 288 as ‘two gross’ (2 x 144 = 288)

US, 1995
28 cheeks noun girls who are not romantically or sexually faithful to
one partner; two timers. Teen slang, of uncertain origin. This may
well also apply in the singular SOUTH AFRICA, 2003
2C-B noun 4-bromo-2, 5-dimethoxyphenethylamine, a mild
hallucinogen used recreationally
US, 1995
364; three-sixty-four noun a 364-day jail sentence in the US, the
maximum jail term for misdemeanours, served in county jail US,
1992
365; three-six-five noun a mutton chop. So named because it is
served for breakfast every day of the year NEW ZEALAND, 2001
365; three-sixty-five adverb all the time. Every day of the year US,
1990
37461 noun crack cocaine UK, 2003
3750 noun marijuana UK, 2003
3-m noun (1) mutual (2) manual (3) masturbation US, 1985
3-peat; three-peat verb to win a sports championship three times
consecutively. When he was the coach of the Los Angeles Lakers
basketball team, Pat Riley sought and obtained a trademark for the
term US, 1992
40 noun 1 a forty-ounce bottle of malt liquor. Also spelt out as ‘forty’
or ‘forty-ounce’
US, 1990. 2 a 40-milligram dose of the synthetic opi-
ate oxycodone used recreationally
US, 2001
404; four-o-four adjective mentally lost, very unaware. From the
Internet message ‘404, URL not found’
US, 1997
411; four-one-one noun gossip, information. 411 is the universal

telephone number for directory enquiries – known commonly as
‘information’ in the US US, 1991
415 noun a prison gang with black members US, 2000
420 man; four-twenty man noun a cheat; a fraudster. A reference
to the Indian Penal Code INDIA, 2003
45 noun a single song recording on vinyl. From the rpm (revolutions
per minute)
UK, 1950
5000; five thousand goodbye. An abbreviation of AUDI 5000! US, 1996
50 Cent adjective homosexual. Rhyming slang for bent, formed on
the stage name of New York rapper Curtis Jackson (b.1977)
UK, 2005
5318008 noun a numerical sequence that displays boobies (the
female breasts) upside down in the window of a calculator or
mobile phone. Probably first seen in the 1970s, still in use, 2003
5-H-1-T noun shit. A euphemism employed by some doctors UK, 2002
5 watter; five watter a fool. A play on the dimmest unit of
electric lighting and a person who is not very bright; in Royal Air
Force use, 2002 UK, 2002
6–10 verb to have sex UK, 1981
64; six-four; six-fo’ noun a 1964 Chevrolet Impala, an ultimate prize
of car customisers and lowriders US, 1997
650 lifer noun in Michigan, a prisoner sentenced to life in prison for
possession of more than 650 grams of cocaine US, 1997
69; sixty-nine verb to engage in simultaneous, mutual oral sex with
someone US, 1971
69; sixty-nine; sixty-niner noun mutual, simultaneous oral sex
between two people (used of both the position and the act) UK, 1888
6-up; six-up noun a police officer US, 2003
79 noun an M79 grenade launcher. Vietnam war usage. It is a single-

shot, break-open, breech-loading, shoulder-fired weapon US, 1992
7-up noun in casinos, a wire bent in the shape of a seven that is
slipped into slot machines to trigger a payout US, 1997
8; number 8; number eight; eight noun heroin. H (heroin) is the
eighth letter of the alphabet US, 1994
80’s bush noun a bushy female hairstyle, popular in the 1980s and
mocked thereafter
US, 2001
88 used as a symbol of fascist and racist beliefs. ‘H’ is the eighth
letter of the alphabet, and so 88 translates into HH, or ‘Heil Hitler’
US, 2000
8th; eighth noun an eighth of an ounce, especially of a drug UK, 1989
9; nine noun 1 a 9mm pistol US, 1990. 2 a nine-gallon keg of beer
AUSTRALIA, 1943
900 noun in skateboarding, a jumping manoeuvre of two and a half
revolutions
UK, 2004
98; ninety-eight noun any classic car, especially an Oldsmobile 98
US, 1997
99s used euphemistically to avoid swearing in citizens’ band radio
transmissions UK, 1981