"Tt" in Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English ppsx

Tt
T noun 1 marijuana. The simplest abbreviation of TEA UK, 1950.
2 cocaine. Probably an abbreviation of another slang term for
‘cocaine’ such as
TOOT UK, 2003. 3 a tee shirt UK, 2003. < to a T
precisely, exactly UK, 1693
T nickname the local rail system serving urban and suburban Boston,
Massachusetts. used with ‘the’. From the official designation
‘Boston Transport’
US, 1987
ta thank you. An abbreviation of ‘thanks’ or ‘thank you’; originally
childish or juvenile, now widespread UK, 1772
tab noun 1 a tablet, usually one taken as a recreational drug; a single
dose of LSD. Originally medical and pharmaceutical jargon, added
to the vocabulary of drugs users in the 1950s
UK, 1961. 2 a tabloid
newspaper US, 1951. 3 a bill, especially in a restaurant or bar US, 1946.
4 a cigarette. Originally northern dialect, spread with media usage
UK, 1934. 5 a walk or march across country UK, 1982. 6 an enterprise,
an activity US, 1946. < run a tab to order drinks without paying for
each one, paying instead the entire bill at the end of the session
US, 1995
tab verb 1 to march or otherwise travel on foot across country.
Military UK, 1982. 2 to make a drug into tablet form US, 1967
tabasco noun napalm US, 1991
tabbed adjective dressed stylishly US, 1980
tabla noun a surfboard. Spanish, imported to the US from Mexico by
American surfers US, 1977
table noun a pinball machine UK, 1977
table dance noun in a strip-club, a semi-private sexual performance
near or on a customer’s table US, 1992

table grade adjective used of a woman, sexually appealing. A clear
suggestion of oral sex, or eating US, 1972
table-hopper; table-topper noun a necrophile US, 1987
table manners noun in poker, a player’s mannerisms, which may
provide clues as to the relative strength of his hand
US, 1981
table muscle noun the stomach US, 1984
table pussy noun a woman with good looks and manners US, 1970
tablescor e verb to take food left on restaurant tables US, 1997
table talk noun in poker, idle chatter that does not rise to the level
of intentionally distracting talk US, 1979
table time noun a time-based charge for playing pool US, 1993
table zamboni noun a cleaning rag used by a bartender. Zamboni is
an ice resurfacer used on ice rinks US, 1987
tab out verb to pay a bar bill and leave the bar US, 1992
tabs noun the ears US, 1970
tacit noun < take a tacit to stop talking US, 1947
tack noun 1 anything that demonstrates a quality of vulgarity, bad
taste or kitsch US, 1986. 2 a tattoo US, 1992. 3 marijuana UK, 1996
tacked adjective drunk or drug-intoxicated US, 2004
tacked back adjective covered with tattoos US, 1989
tacked out adjective in trucking, running at full speed. A
construction from ‘tachometer’ US, 1971
tacker noun a child. From British dialect (Devon and Cornwall)
AUSTRALIA, 1942
tackety bit; tackety noun the female breast. Glasgow rhyming slang
for TIT from the local pronunciation of ‘tackety’ (steel-tipped and
-heeled) boots UK: SCOTLAND, 1988
tackie noun a tyre SOUTH AFRICA, 1978
tackies noun running shoes, trainers SOUTH AFRICA, 1913

tackiness noun a state of unrefined vulgarity US, 1977
tackle noun 1 the male genitalia. Originally ‘a man’s tackle’ sub-
sequent familiarity reduced the necessity for ‘a man’s’
UK, 1788.
2 food and drink; ’stuff’; more recently, drugs UK, 1857
tackle verb to court; to flirt TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 1987
tacky adjective vulgar, unrefined, unattractive, aesthetically
unappealling; ’cheap and nasty’
US, 1862
taco adjective Mexican. Offensive. From the Mexican street food US,
1990
taco bender noun a Mexican or Mexican-American. Offensive US, 1992
Taco Hell nickname a Taco Bell™ fast-food restaurant US, 1990
tacoland noun a Mexican or Mexican-American neighbourhood.
Offensive
US, 1981
taco wagon noun a car embellished with bright colours, chrome and
other accessories associated with Mexican-American car
enthusiasts
US, 1960
tad adjective little; a small amount. Perhaps from dialect tad (toad)
UK, 1940
tadger noun the penis. Originally dialect; survives in rhyming slang
FOX AND BADGER UK, 1961
tadpole noun an OH-6 light observation military helicopter. From its
shape US, 1991
tadpole factory noun the testicles UK, 2003
ta ever so thank you. An elaboration of TA and variation of THANKS
EVER SO UK
, 1970

Taff ia; Taf ia noun a notional conspiracy of influential Welsh people,
especially Welsh-speakers, that control many areas of Welsh life for
its own benefit. A blend of TA F F (Welsh) and ‘mafia’ (a criminal
association) UK: WALES, 1980
Taff y; Taf f noun a native of Wales. From Welsh Dafydd (David – the
Welsh patron saint and everyday christian name) as heard by
English ears. Taffy since about 1700; Taff since 1929 UK, 1964
tag noun 1 the stylised signature of a graffiti artist. From ‘tag’ (a
label) US, 1998. 2 a stylised signature often confused with graffiti US,
1997. 3 a nickname, or popular designation US, 1950. 4 a number
plate US, 1972. 5 a planned murder US, 1982. 6 in the television and
film industries, a very short final scene US, 1990
tag verb 1 to shoot and hit someone or something US, 1992. 2 to strike
or hit someone or something US, 1975. 3 to catch or arrest
someone, or convict someone of a crime US, 1966. 4 to spray-paint
graffiti in a signature styling US, 1980. 5 to tattoo part of the body
US, 1993. 6 to bestow a nickname on someone US, 1960. 7 to identify
someone or something US, 1951
tag-along noun someone who joins an activity without invitation US,
1961
tag and bag verb to put a name tag on a corpse and place the body
in a body bag. Vietnam war usage US, 1981
tagger noun a person who writes his signature in a stylised fashion
on public walls, subways, etc US, 1997
tagging crew noun a group of graffiti artists US, 1989
tag plant noun a prison number plate manufacturing shop US, 2000
tag shop noun the area in a prison where number plates are
manufactured US, 1958
Taig; Teague nickname a Catholic. From the anglicised spelling of
the Irish name/nickname Tadhg UK, 1971

tail noun 1 the backside, buttocks and/or anus UK, 1303 . 2 a woman,
regarded as a sexual object; women, collectively, categorised with
the same regard UK, 1846. 3 an act of sexual intercourse or sexual
intercourse in a general sense. The earlier, obsolete, senses of
‘penis’ and ‘vagina’ come together in a logical consequence UK, 1933.
4 a person who is following someone else closely and secretly US,
1914
. 5 in prison, an informer US, 1990. 6 the term of a prisoner’s
parole US, 1992. 7 in hot rodding, a fox tail or racoon tail tied to the
car
US, 1960. < bust your tail to give the maximum effort US, 1996
tail verb to follow someone closely and secretly US, 1907. < tail ’em
in the gambling game two-up, to throw a pair of tails AUSTRALIA, 1911
tail-better noun in the gambling game two-up, a player who bets on
tails
AUSTRALIA, 1963
tail-end Charlie noun someone at the rear of any group or
expedition. Originally the name given to the rear gunner on a
Royal Air Force bomber, hence ‘the man at the back’ UK, 1941
tailgate verb 1 to walk very closely behind another person. A vari-
ation of the conventional sense
UK, 2003. 2 to eat and drink
clustered in parking lot before a sports event
US, 1995
tailgunner noun a homosexual male NEW ZEALAND, 1998
tailie noun in the gambling game two-up, a player who bets on tails
AUSTRALIA, 1919
tail lights noun LSD UK, 1998
tailor noun in gin, a win without the opponent scoring US, 1950
tailor -made; tailor; taylor noun a factory-made cigarette US, 1924

tail pain noun anal pain TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 2003
taily noun the penis US, 1982
taima noun marijuana. Possibly an elision of Spanish Tailandés (Thai)
and marijuana UK, 1998
taint noun the perineum US, 1955
t’aint no crack, but a solid fact what I am saying is the truth US,
1973
Taj Mahal noun a dome covering radar antennae at NORAD air
defence radar stations CANADA, 1995
take noun 1 an opinion; a view. Possibly from television and film
jargon, ‘take’ (a recorded scene), suggesting a point of view
UK, 2001.
2 stolen property, especially money US, 1888. 3 atheftAUSTRALIA, 1975.
< on the take accepting bribes US, 1930
take verb 1 (of a male) to have sex with someone UK, 1915. 2 to defeat
someone UK, 1939. 3 to successfully swindle someone UK, 1946.
< take advantage (of a man) to seduce someone, to have sex
with someone, to force sex upon someone. Euphemistic, but
often jocular US, 1928. < take back water to back down on a
brag or dare; to refuse a challenge. This phrase is derived from
rowing CANADA, 1972. < take care of someone to kill someone;
to kill one or more, especially as an expedient solution to a
problem UK, 1984. < take in laundry to wear underwear internally
UK, 2001. < take it in the shorts to be abused or defeated US,
1994. < take it lying down to submit tamely UK, 1961. < take it
Nelson
to relax UK, 1996. < take on for the team to accept
responsibility for an unpleasant task for the greater good of a
group. Originally a baseball team, used as an ex post facto expla-
nation of a batter advancing to first base after being hit with a

pitch US, 2001. < take one to be open to bribery UK, 1970. < take
one for the team in a social situation, to pay attention to the
less attractive of a pair of friends in the hope that your friend will
have success with the more attractive member of the pair US, 2002.
< take someone apart to absolutely defeat someone in a fight;
to reprimand someone severely UK, 1984. < take someone for a
ride
1 to swindle or deceive someone US, 1925. 2 in a car, to take a
planned victim to a convenient spot for murder US, 1927. < take
stoppo to escape. Based on ‘stoppo’ (a getaway) UK, 1956. < take
the biscuit
used in the context of surprise or annoyance at
something which is remarkable or extraordinary UK, 1907. < take
the cake
used in the context of surprise or annoyance at
something that is startingly improbable US, 1900. < take the
cheese
to be considered in the most negative manner; in a
figurative sense, to take the prize for being worst UK, 1997. < take
the micky; take the mickey; take the mick; tak e the
michael
to make fun of someone; to pull someone’s leg. All vari-
ations of rhyming slang MIKE BLISS; MICKY BLISS (PISS); literal and
euphemistic translations of TAKE THE PISS. The variations on
‘mickey’, ‘mick’ etc. may be given an initial capital UK, 1935.
< take the piss; tak e the piss out of someone 1 to make a
fool of someone; to pull someone’s leg. To
PISS and hence deflate
a bladder gives the central idea of deflation, in this case by making
a fool of; perhaps coincidentally an inflated bladder (on a stick) is

the mediaeval comedy prop associated with a fool UK, 1984. 2 to
implement a urine test. A literal pun on the sense ‘to tease
someone’
UK, 1996. < take the ta-ta kiss; take the ta-ta to
make a fool of someone; to pull someone’s leg. Rhyming slang for
TAKE THE PISS, formed on a goodbye kiss UK, 1992. < take yourself
in hand
(of a male) to masturbate UK, 1953
take a little, leave a little used as a description of the standing
orders that carnival workers have for cheating customers
US, 1985
take a running jump!; take a running jump at yourself! used
as a contemptuous expression of dismissal
UK, 1933
take a train! used as an all-purpose insult US, 1951
takedown noun the amount earned US, 1990
take down verb to arrest and convict someone US, 1997. < take
someone down a peg
to reduce a person’s self-esteem; to force
a brash or bumptious person to conform UK, 1959
take-down brights noun the very bright lights on a police car used
when ordering a driver to pull over US, 1992
take-homes noun a several-day supply of methadone US, 1989
take it away! commence the entertainment!; start the music! UK,
1984
take-man noun the member of a criminal gang who actually steals
the money AU S TRALIA, 1975
take money noun the proceeds of a robbery or other illegal scheme
US, 1975
take night to make day used for describing an all-out effort

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 1986
taken short adjective desperate to urinate or defecate UK, 1890
take-off noun 1 in a gambling operation, the amount of the bet
money taken by the house US, 1950. 2 a mimicking impression; a
parody US, 1846. 3 in surfing, the catching of a wave and start of a
ride
US, 1970
take off verb 1 to use a drug, especially to inject a drug US, 1952. 2 to
bring someone to orgasm US, 1975. 3 to go; to leave UK, 1959. 4 in
surfing, to catch the momentum of a wave and begin a ride US,
1970. 5 to rob a place; to steal something US, 1960. 6 to mimic or
parody someone or something
UK, 1766. < take off a piece of
work
to masturbate US, 2002
take-off artist noun an escaped prisoner UK, 1996
take on verb to have sex with someone US, 1972
take-out noun in poker, the minimum number of chips that a
player can buy from the bank at once US, 1967
take out verb 1 to kill someone US, 1939. 2 to win a game, an award a
prize or the like AUSTRALIA, 1976
taker noun a thief who snatches a chain from the wearer’s neck.
Recorded by a Jamaican inmate of a UK prison, August 2002
UK,
2002
takey-ah-ways noun take-away food. Pronounced with a mock
Maori accent
NEW ZEALAND, 1998
take you everywhere twice – the second time to ap ologise
used as a jocular reprimand to a companion who has just said or

done something contrary to the accepted social code; or (replacing
you with him or her) to the company at large, as a humorous
acknowledgement of such a faux pas
UK, 2002
take your pick adjective stupid. Rhyming slang for THICK, possibly
formed from the title of a television quiz show broadcast between
1955 and 68 UK, 1998
takkies noun running shoes SOUTH AFRICA, 2001
takkouri noun hashish. A corruption of Tunisian takrouri (hashish)
UK, 1998
talala noun the vulva and vagina TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 1959
talc; talco noun cocaine. Another white powder as a metaphor US, 1984
talent noun 1 a categorisation of sexually attractive people (within a
given area), usually by heterosexual men of women and by
tail | talent 638
homosexual men of men; occasional use by women increased in
the 1990s
UK, 1947. 2 an intelligent, resourceful criminal US, 1962.
< the talent in the entertainment industry, the actors, the
performers
US, 1991
talented adjective attractive US, 1996
Tale of Two Cities; tale o’ twos adjective thefemalebreasts.
Rhyming slang for
TITTIE(S), formed from the title of Charles
Dickens’ novel, 1859. Often spoonerised as ‘Sale of Two Titties’
UK,
1960
Taliban adjective given as a nickname to any eccentric or
unconventional student, especially one of Arab ethnicity. Teen

slang, post 11th September 2001; from the Muslim fundamentalist
government. The words ‘terrorist’ and ‘fundamentalist’ are also
current as nicknames US, 2002
talk verb 1 to betray someone; to inform on someone US, 1924. 2 to
have a sexual relationship in prison
US, 1982. 3 (used of a truck) to
emit a clear sound from the smokestack
US, 1971. < talk game to
analyse the business of prostitution
US, 1972. < talk noise to exag-
gerate; to lie US, 1986. < talk shit 1 to disparage someone or
something; to exaggerate
US, 1965. 2 to talk nonsense US,mid-C20.
< talk smack to disparage someone or something US, 1993.
< talk stink to malign someone or something. Hawaiian youth
usage US, 1981. < talk story to gossip; to engage in idle
conversation. Hawaiian youth usage US, 1981. < talk the hind
legs off a donkey
to talk until a listener is distracted; to talk
persuasively. The surviving variation of many de-legged creatures:
‘bird’ (1929), ‘cow’ or ‘dog’ (1887), ‘horse’ (mainly dialect), ‘jackal’,
etc
UK, 1915. < talk though your neck to talk nonsense UK, 1899.
< talk through your arse; talk through your ass; talk out
of your arse
to talk nonsense UK, 1985. < talk through your hat
to talk (ill-informed) nonsense US, 1888. < talk to Ralph Beukler
to vomit CANADA, 2002. < talk to Ralph on the big white phone
to vomit US, 1989. < talk to the canoe driver to perform oral sex
on a woman US, 1971. < talk to the seals to vomit. Surfer usage

US, 1997. < talk trash to engage in aggressive verbal sparring; to
speak offensively US, 1967. < talk turkey to speak candidly and
openly about an important issue US, 1903
talk and walk noun the practice of professing psychological
improvement in a prison therapeutic setting to improve your
chances of parole US, 1971
talk at verb to talk to someone. The ‘at’ is a folksy affectation that
decreases the formality of the statement US, 1999
talkdown noun the conversational technique used to guide an LSD
user who is having a difficult time back to reality US, 1994
talker noun in the circus or carnival, a person who entices
customers into the side show US, 1960
talkie noun a film with sound; a film. Mainly historical, as an
opposite to silent films US, 1913
talking handbag noun a portable radio UK, 1996
talking head noun an expert guest on a television or radio news
show US, 1977
talking woman noun a female performer who banters with the
audience as she strips off her clothes US, 1950
talkman noun an electrical torture device attached to a prisoner’s
face. Gulf war usage, punning on the Walkman™ portable music
device
US, 1991
talk of the devil! said of a person who, while being spoken of,
arrives unexpectedly; hence, an ungracious, though not necessarily
unfriendly, greeting to that person. A shortening of the proverb
‘Talk of the Devil, and he’s presently at your elbow’
UK, 1666
talk powder noun any central nervous system stimulant US, 1988
talk to the hand; tell it to the hand (because the face isn’t

listening); speak to the hand
used for expressing a complete
lack of interest in what is being said. Usually followed with
‘because the face don’t give a damn’ or something in a similar
vein, accompanied by a gesture of a raised hand, palm facing the
other person
US, 1995
talk -up noun in sales and marketing, a raising of awareness and
expectations. A jargon-like variation of ‘praise’ UK, 1999
tall adjective 1 used of a jail sentence, lengthy US, 1992. 2 drug-
intoxicated. A play on
HIGH US, 1946
tallboy noun a 16-ounce can of beer US, 1984
tall grass noun in circus and carnival usage, an extremely remote
location
US, 1981
tallie; tally noun chiefly in Queensland, a tall, 750 ml bottle of beer
AUSTRALIA, 2003
tall or der noun an excessive demand, a difficult thing to achieve US,
1893
tall poppy noun an eminent, wealthy or successful person when
viewed as needing deflation
AUSTRALIA, 1902
tall poppy syndrome noun the habit of denigrating successful
people. An outgrowth of the Australian’s strong sense of
egalitarianism and habit of siding with the underdog
AUSTRALIA, 1983
tall story; tall tale noun an elaborate lie; an (enjoyable) exagger-
ation
UK, 1846

tall wine noun sex in which the woman below the man moves and
keeps her buttocks up off the bed TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 1986
Tally adjective Italian UK: SCOTLAND, 1985
tallywhacker; tallywacker noun the penis US, 1966
tam noun a knitted hat used by a Rastafarian to contain his
dreadlocks. An abbreviation of conventional ‘tam o’shanter’
JAMAICA, 2002
tamale noun the vagina. The imagery is of a savoury dish (originally
from Mexico): a rolled pancake with a spicy filling
US, 1998
tamboo bamboo noun the penis. An allusion to a musical
instrument made from a length of bamboo TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO,
1980
Tammie noun a capsule of Temazepam™, a branded sleeping pill US,
1997
tammy noun a tampon UK, 2001
tamp verb to walk US, 1953
Tampa; Tampa pilot noun in shuffleboard, a hide disc on your side
of the court near the apex of the ten US, 1967
tampax noun filter-tipped cigarette(s). From the similarity in
appearance between the white tubes of manufactured cigarettes
and Tampax™, a well-known brand of tampons
UK, 1984
tampi; tampee noun marijuana JAMAICA, 1975
tamping noun abeatingUS, 1967
tampon noun 1 a snobbish, unpleasant person. An allusion to the
nature of tampons in the sense that they are all ‘stuck up cunts’,
punning on ‘stuck-up’ (snobbish) and CUNT (an unpleasant person)
UK, 2001. 2 a fat marijuana cigarette US, 1997. < maybe your
tampon will be flushed

perhaps you will be feeling better;
maybe your mood will have improved. Note south Wales dialect
tamping (angry)
US, 1988
tampon dick noun a contemptible man UK, 1997
tamp up verb to beat someone physically US, 1962
tampy noun marijuana BAHAMAS, 1982
ta muchly thank you very much. A deliberate solecism used for
humorous effect
UK, 1969
tan verb 1 to consume something voraciously; to do something
briskly or with urgency UK: SCOTLAND, 1988. 2 to burgle somewhere
UK: SCOTLAND, 1988. < tan someone’s hide; tan someone’s arse
to beat someone on the buttocks (as a punishment) UK, 1670
T and A noun visual depictions of sexually provocative females.
From TITS AND ASS; TITS AND ARSE US, 1993
T and T verb to tape record and trace the origin of a phone call US,
2001
tangerine dream noun a type of MDMA, the recreational drug best
known as ecstasy. Named for the colour of the tablet and after a
German group that plays electronic, synthesized music
UK, 1996
Tangier tiger noun a low grade variety of hashish from the foothills
of the Rif Mountains UK, 2003
639 talented | Tangier tiger
tangle noun < on the tangle drinking; on an alcohol binge NEW
ZEALAND
, 1966
tangle verb to fight US, 1990. < tangle ass to brawl US, 1950.
< tangle assholes to become involved in a confrontation US, 1985

tanglefoot noun 1 strong, homemade whisky US, 1860. 2 barbed wire
staked to the ground as a defensive perimeter around a military
camp or base US, 1990
tango noun a type of MDMA, the recreational drug best known as
ecstasy. From the colour of the tablet; possibly an abbreviation of
TANGERINE DREAM, or named after Tango™, a branded carbonated
orange drink that, according to the product’s advertising, has a
surreal effect on all who drink it
UK, 1996
tango boat noun an armoured landing craft US, 1971
tango november noun a token black soldier in an otherwise white
unit or corps, especially the officer corps. From the military
phonetic alphabet ‘TN’, short for ‘token nigger’
US, 1990
tank noun 1 a jail cell, especially one in a local police station US, 1912.
2 an intentional loss in a competition. Originally boxing slang. Also
called a ‘tank job’
US, 1955. 3 a room in the Pentagon where the
Joint Chiefs and Staff meet jointly with the Operations Deputies
US, 1986. 4 asafeNEW ZEALAND, 1937. 5 a safe burglary. Prison slang.
NEW ZEALAND, 1999. 6 of money, all you have with you UK: SCOTLAND,
1988. 7 an old and heavy surfboard US, 1988. 8 a heavy-set woman
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 1964. 9 an ugly girl US, 1966. 10 money. Probably
evolves from TANKER (a prizefighter who accepts payment to throw
a fight in a fixed boxing match)
UK, 1991. < go in the tank used
of an athletic contest, lost on purpose US, 1955. < in the tank
drunk US, 1975
tank-ass noun buttocks that are disproportionately large US, 2001
tanked adjective 1 drunk or drug-intoxicated. Also used as ‘tanked up’

UK, 1893. 2 in computing, not operating US, 1991
tanker noun 1 ahiredthugUK, 2003. 2 a heavy drinker. From TANK UP
(to drink) CANADA, 1984. 3 a boxing match or other athletic contest
that has been fixed
US, 1955
tanker wanker noun someone who flies in air-to-air refuellers. A
Royal Air Force term, formed by rhyming the airborne ‘tanker’
with an all-purpose pejorative; reported by Squadron Leader G.D.
Wilson, 1979 UK, 1979
tankman noun a safe-blower AUSTRALIA, 1972
tank money noun funds that are employed to give a fraudulent
impression of substance or wealth UK, 2000
tank town noun a small, unimportant town. A possible railway
etymology US, 1906
tank tracks noun in the Canadian military, folds that develop along
the top of the official beret CANADA, 1995
tank-up noun a drinking binge NEW ZEALAND, 1959
tank up verb 1 to administer fluids to a dehydrated hospital patient
US, 1994. 2 to consume large quantities of something, especially
alcohol US, 1902
tanner noun in pre-decimalisation currency, sixpence, 6d; a coin of
that value. Inflation has rendered the conversion from 6d to 2½p
meaningless UK, 1811
tanorexia noun an addiction to sunbathing, especially by means of
sunbeds. A punning combination of ‘tan’ and ‘anorexia’ which
sacrifices the meaning of anorexia for a journalistic tag
UK, 1997
tanorexic noun a person who is addicted to sunbathing, especially
by means of sunbeds
US, 1998

tans noun the standard US Army summer khaki uniform US, 1990
Tans noun the Black and Tans IRELAND, 1992
tantie noun < tantie come to town to experience the bleed
period of your menstrual cycle TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 2003
tanty noun a tantrum AUSTRALIA, 1987
tan valise noun a blonde prostitute US, 1960
tap noun 1 a blow given or received in a fight UK, 1996. 2 amurderUS,
1963. 3 in circus and carnival usage, the admission price US, 1981
tap verb 1 to borrow something, especially money UK, 1953. 2 to ask f
or, or imply readiness to accept, a tip. Used by ships’ stewards
UK, 1961.
3 to successfully attract a partner for sexual intimacy UK, 2002. 4 to
have sex
US, 1949. 5 to kill someone US, 1963. 6 to intercept a telephone
communication. From an earlier sense of intercepting a telegraphic
message
UK, 1869. 7 in poker, to bet all of your chips, or an amount
equal to an opponent’s bet, depending on context
US, 1947. < tap a
kidney to urinate US, 1997. < tap the pot in bar dice games, to bet
the total amount of the pot
US, 1971
tap city noun when gambling, the position of being out of funds US,
1976
tap code noun a method of cell-to-cell communication in a prison
where talking is forbidden
US, 1982
tap dancer noun 1 a black person who curries favour from white
people with obsequious conduct
US, 1974. 2 a delivery truck driver

US, 1971
tape and tuck verb (used of a male) to tape your penis and testicles
between your legs in an effort to pass as a woman AUSTRALIA, 1985
tape dance verb to buy a block of stock at a price slightly higher
than the last price on the tape for that stock US, 1988
tapioca noun 1 semen; an urgent need to ejaculate semen. The
unsettling image of a hot milk-pudding UK, 1980. 2 a joker (the
playing card). Rhyming slang
UK, 1992
tapo noun an inadvertent error in a taped message US, 1982
tap-out noun a complete depletion of funds, especially in gambling
US, 1979
tap out verb 1 to run out of money, usually as a result of gambling
US, 1939. 2 in a casino, to relieve a dealer from duty US, 1961
tapped adjective 8see: DOOLALLY
tapped-out adjective having been emptied. A figurative use of ‘tap’
(to draw off liquid) UK, 2001
tapper noun 1 a persistent borrower UK, 1981. 2 a boy who persists in
asking a girl for a date when reason would dictate a strategic
retreat. Teen slang US, 1951. 3 someone who sells the police false or
useless information in return for a small sum UK, 1959
tappers noun dice that have been loaded with mercury that shifts
when the dice are tapped US, 1962
tap up verb to approach someone with a proposal UK, 2001
tar noun 1 coffee. Citizens’ band radio slang, from the colour rather
than the consistency US, 1976. 2 crude, dark, gummy heroin, usually
from Mexico US, 1992. 3 opium. From the colour and consistency of
raw opium US, 1936. 4 crack cocaine and heroin mixed and smoked
together UK, 2002. 5 rum TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 2003. 6 a sailor.
Probably a shortening of obsolete ‘tarpaulin’ UK, 1676

tara; ta-ra; tarra; tra goodbye. Originally northern, now more
widespread through the agency of Coronation Street and other
television programmes; possibly a slovening of TA-TA UK, 1958
tar and feather; tar noun a leather jacket. Rhyming slang UK, 1992
Tara Palmer-Tomkinson; Tara Palmer; tara noun a drama.
Rhyming slang, formed from the name of a celebrity-socialite; gen-
erally applied to a minor inconvenience UK, 2000
tararabit goodbye. A Liverpudlian elaboration of TARA (goodbye),
thus ‘goodbye [for] a bit’
UK, 1984
tar baby noun a black person. Offensive. From the Br’er Rabbit
stories by Joel Chandler Harris
US, 1962
tar beach noun a flat urban rooftop, used for sleeping or drug use
US, 1970
tardust noun cocaine. A pun on STARDUST (cocaine) UK, 2003
tariff noun 1 the portion of a life-sentence to be served in custody. A
nuance of the conventional sense
UK, 2002. 2 the fee charged by a
prostitute
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 2003
Tarka verb to have anal intercourse. Rhyming slang, based on the
novel by Henry Williamson (1895–1977), Tarka the Otter, rhyming
with ‘
DOT her’ (to have anal sex) UK, 2002
tarmac noun in Canadian military aviation, the ramp section of an
air base hangar line CANADA, 1995
tarnation noun used as a euphemism for ‘damnation’ US, 1790
tarred adjective drunk BARBADOS, 1965
tangle | tarred 640

Tarrier noun a Catholic, especially of Irish descent UK, 2002
tart noun 1 a woman AUSTRALIA, 1903. 2 a promiscuous woman UK, 1887.
3 a prostitute UK, 1894. 4 a girlfriend or sweetheart UK, 1864. 5 a wife
or female partner. Rhyming slang for ‘sweetheart’
UK, 1864. 6 a weak,
ineffectual man. A term of abuse, used to call a man a woman; a
wider gender-only sense of ‘tart’ than when applied to a woman
UK, 1999
tartan noun cocaine. Etymology unknown UK, 2001
tartan banner noun a sixpenny coin; sixpence. Rhyming slang for
TANNER that dropped out of circulation after decimalisation in
1971
UK, 1960
tartanize verb to adapt an English product for Scottish use or sale;
hence, the adjective: tartanized UK, 2004
tarted-up adjective 1 dressed like a prostitute; dressed smartly UK, 1947.
2 of a thing, business, building, etc, having a new image or presen-
tation. Often derogatory in tone
UK, 1984
tart fuel noun bottled alcopop (branded alcoholic beverage with the
characteristics of a soft drink) or other alcoholic drinks deemed to
be for feminine consumption. A fashionable drink amongst young
women who will, when inebriated, it is suggested/hoped by the
coiner of this term, relax their moral standards and behave
promiscuously
UK, 2002
tart’s delight noun a frilly, fussy, looped-up way of hanging lace
curtains at windows UK, 1980
tart’s fart noun used as a comparitive measure of little or negligible
worth UK, 2002

tart up verb to dress someone up or decorate something smartly.
Often with the implication of tastelessness or tawdriness UK, 1952
tarty adjective like a prostitute UK, 1918
Tarzan noun 1 sex outdoors US, 1966. 2 a soldier who is overly anxious
to take the highly visible and dangerous point position on a
combat march US, 1991. < like ten Tarzan quickly; loudly TRINIDAD
AND TOBAGO
, 1984
tash; tache noun a moustache UK, 1893
tashered adjective drunk UK, 2002
tash test noun a man’s moustache seen as an indicator of homo-
sexuality and, hence, predictive of HIV status. Formed from TAS H (a
moustache). A medical observation that, hopefully, was more witty
than practical
UK, 2002
task noun in prison, an act of masturbation UK, 1996
Tasmaniac noun apersonfromTasmaniaAUS TRALIA, 1867
Tasmanian Tiger noun a strain of marijuana, known elsewhere as
New Zealand green, Thai Buddha and Hawaiian head AUSTRALIA, 2002
Tasmanian yawn noun vomiting, especially when experienced
crossing the Tasmanian Sea
AUSTRALIA, 1995
tassel dance noun a sexual dance focused on the woman’s breasts
and the tassels worn attached thereto US, 1977
tassie noun an intaglio (an engraved figure or design). Used by
antique dealers UK, 1977
Tassie noun 1 Ta sma nia AUSTRALIA, 1892. 2 aTasmanianAUSTRALIA, 1914
taste noun 1 an alcoholic drink US, 1919. 2 asampleUS, 1990. 3 asmall
sample of drugs, especially heroin
US, 1952

taste-face noun a heroin user who lends his syringe to others in
return for small amounts of heroin US, 1978
-tastic suffix used as an intensifier. On the model of POPTASTIC US, 2003
tasty adjective 1 attractive, sexually appealing UK, 1899. 2 worthwhile;
valuable; exhibiting strength
UK, 1975. 3 competent; polished. The
term can be applied to either the work or the person who did it
IRELAND, 1999. 4 used of a known, especially well-respected criminal;
capable of physical violence UK, 1975. 5 having a pleasing flavour;
appetising. In conventional use from the early 1600s; by mid-C19
considered colloquial UK, 1617
Taswegian nickname a person from Tasmania. Blend of Tasmania
and Norwegian
AUSTRALIA, 1961
tat noun 1 an article, or collection of articles, of inferior or rubbishy
quality; odds and ends of material. The spelling ‘tatt’ is also used
UK, 1951. 2 a tattoo US, 1994. 3 a swindle featuring dice and doubled
bets
US, 1963
tata noun nonsense TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 1990
ta-ta goodbye. At first chiefly nursery, now (in the US) simply highly
affected
UK, 1823
ta-tas noun the shakes AUSTRALIA, 1977
tatas noun the female breasts US, 1995
Tate and Lyle noun style. Rhyming slang, formed from the
company that describes itself as ‘world leader in carbohydrate
ingredients’
UK, 1992
tater; tatur; tottie noun a potato UK, 1759

tatered adjective drunk US, 1993
taters noun the buttocks US, 1999
taters in the mould; potatoes in the mould; taters adjective
cold. Rhyming slang, most commonly used as ‘taters’ UK, 1934
tats noun dice, especially loaded dice or dice marked for cheating UK,
1688
TAT T (in doctors’ shorthand) tired all the time UK, 2002
tatted adjective tatooed US, 1990
tatting down noun an act of tidying away possessions and making
ready for travel. Used by late 1980s–early 90s counterculture
travellers
UK, 1999
tattletale noun 1 in trucking, a device that records time and speed
data, used by company officials to assure compliance with laws
and regulations. Known conventionally as a ‘tachograph’ US, 1962.
2 in motor racing, a specially designed tachometer that measures
and records the engine’s highest speed during a run or lap
US, 1965.
3 in trucking, a dangling chain that shows the approximate weight
of the load by its distance from the axle US, 1961
Tatts nickname 1 Tattersalls (a racecourse enclosure) UK, 1991. 2 a
lottery originally run from Tattersall’s Hotel, Sydney AUSTRALIA, 1916
tatty adjective shabby, tawdry UK, 1933
tatty-bye goodbye. Probably a conflation of TA-TA and ‘bye!’.
Popularised by Liverpool comedian Ken Dodd (b.1929); in
widespread use by the mid-1970s UK, 1980
taury rope noun the Pope. Glasgow rhyming slang, formed on
Scottish dialect for ‘tarry rope’ UK: SCOTLAND, 1988
taw; toy noun in marbles, a marble used for shooting UK, 1709
tawny adjective excellent US, 1993

tax; taxing noun the fee paid to enter a crack house US, 1992
tax verb 1 to steal something; to rob somewhere UK, 1994. 2 to steal
valuables from vehicles that are waiting at traffic lights UK, 1996. 3 in
Montreal, to forcibly confront and force someone to hand over
money, jewellery or clothes CANADA, 2002. 4 in prison, to extort
money or other payment such as tobacco from a weaker prisoner
by threat of violence
UK, 1996. 5 to tease or berate someone US, 2001
taxi noun a call girl. Glossed as ‘Colloquialism used in the
appropriate urban circles for a prostitute who operates at a place
required by her clients[.]’ by Nigel Hankin, Hanklyn-Janklyn, 2003
INDIA, 2003
taxi bit noun a prison sentence of between five and fifteen years US,
1950
taxi-cab noun a crab; crab meat. Rhyming slang UK, 1992
taxi-cabs; taxis noun pubic lice. Rhyming slang for CRABS UK, 1959
taxi dance verb to work as a taxi dancer US, 1973
taxi dancer; taxi girl noun a woman who will dance and talk with
bar patrons, but stops short of prostitution; a prostitute
US, 1930
taxing noun 1 the theft of high-price training shoes being worn by
the victim UK, 1992. 2 the robbery of drug dealers by drug dealers
UK, 2002
taxi rank; taxi noun 1 an act of masturbation. Rhyming slang for
WANK UK, 1992. 2 a bank. Rhyming slang UK, 1998
taxi-rank; taxi verb to masturbate. Rhyming slang for WANK UK, 1984
taxpayer noun a building that generates enough rental income to
pay the taxes on it US, 1921
641 Tarrier | taxpayer
taylaylay noun the vagina TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 2003

TB noun 1 tuberculosis US, 1912. 2 in circus and carnival usage, a dull
town where business is poor. An abbreviation of
TOTAL BLANK US, 1981
TB adjective loyal, true blue US, 1997
TBF noun severe morbidity, usually terminal. A ‘total body failure’ US,
1989
TBH adjective potentially available for gay sex. Acronym of ‘to be had’
UK, 1970
T-bi rd noun 1 a Ford Thunderbird. First sold in October 1954, the
Thunderbird became an American cultural icon
US, 1994.
2 Thunderbird™ wine US, 1973. 3 a T-33 jet trainer aircraft US, 1956.
4 a capsule of amobarbital sodium and secobarbital sodium (trade
name Tuinal™), a combination of central nervous system depress-
ants
US, 1993
T- bone noun a Model T Ford car, first built in 1908 US, 1970
T- bone verb while driving a car, to drive into the side of another car
US, 1991
Tbowlnoun a toilet US, 1982
TBP in doctors’ shorthand total body pain UK, 2002
TCB verb to take care of business. Coined by the black community
and then spread into widespread use US, 1964
T-dot nickname Toronto, Ontario. From the proliferation of high-tech
businesses in the city
CANADA, 2004
tea noun 1 marijuana US, 1935. 2 in horse racing, a drug (especially
cocaine or strychnine) which will stimulate a horse
US, 1951. < not
for all the tea in China!

certainly not!; not at any price
AUSTRALIA, 1937
tea and cocoa verb to say so. Rhyming slang UK, 1992
tea and toast noun the mail, the post. Rhyming slang UK, 1992
teabag noun 1 a contemptible person. Rhyming slang for SLAG UK,
2000. 2 a marijuana cigarette US, 1982
tea-bag verb in the pursuit of sexual pleasure, to take a man’s
scrotum completely into the mouth, sucking and tonguing it US, 1998
tea-bagger noun in motor racing, a lover of British sports cars US,
1965
teabagging noun the sucking of a man’s entire scrotum US, 1998
teabags verb to steal something. Rhyming prison slang: from
TEALEAF (a thief), punning on ‘bag’ (to steal) NEW ZEALAND, 1999
tea boat noun in prison, a financial alliance between several
prisoners to pay for tea UK, 1996
tea boy noun a person who runs errands and performs other menial
tasks UK, 1968
tea, br eakfast and dinner noun everything TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO,
1990
tea caddy noun an Irish person. Rhyming slang for PADDY UK, 2000
teach noun a teacher UK, 1958
teacher noun a traffic police officer who lectures violators instead of
issuing citations
US, 1962
teacher arms noun the flabby arms of an overweight person
AUSTRALIA, 2000
teacup queer noun an effeminate homosexual man US, 1957
tea’d up adjective marijuana-intoxicated US, 1959
tea for two; teafer noun a Jewish person. Rhyming slang for ‘Jew’
UK, 1992

tea girl noun a quasi-prostitute in a Vietnamese bar who cadges US
servicemen into buying her drinks, especially of Saigon tea
US, 1966
tea grout noun a Boy Scout. Rhyming slang UK, 1961
tea head noun a user of marijuana US, 1949
tea hound noun a marijuana user US, 1951
tea-leaf verb to rob someone; to steal something. Rhyming slang;
from the noun sense UK, 2000
tealeaf; tea-leaf noun 1 a thief. Rhyming slang UK, 1903. 2 asmall
penis. A small, limp, black visual metaphor
JAMAICA, 2002
tea-leafing adjective inclined to thievery. Rhyming slang for THIEVING
extended from TEALEAF (a thief) UK, 1960
team noun a criminal gang UK, 1950. < on the team homosexual,
from the homosexual point of view
UK, 1993
team adjective dressing in a style that identifies you with a particular
group
US, 1989
team cream noun an orgy US, 1970
team-handed adjective working together as a gang. From TEAM (a
criminal gang)
UK, 1996
team Jesus noun a group of zealous, proselytising Christian students
US, 2004
tea pad noun an apartment, house or room where marijuana is
smoked US, 1938
tea party noun a social party where marijuana is smoked US, 1968
teapot noun 1 a heavy user of marijuana UK, 1983. 2 standing with
your hands on your hips

NEW ZEALAND, 1998
teapot lid; teapot noun 1 a Jewish person. Rhyming slang for YID
UK
, 1960. 2 a child. Rhyming slang for KID UK, 1960. 3 apound
sterling. Rhyming slang for
QUID UK, 1960
teapot lid; teapot verb to fool, to pretend. Rhyming slang for KID
UK
, 1934
tear noun 1 a spree, a period of self-indulgent enjoyment UK:
SCOTLAND
, 1985. 2 an expedition to deface advertising billboards US,
2001. 3 a manipulation of a record to create a musical effect that
plays a sample in two sections with a jolt-effect in the middle, 2002.
< on the tear engaged in a drinking session IRELAND, 2003
tear verb 1 to leave, especially in a hurry US, 1951. 2 to surf
aggressively and with skill US, 1988. < tear a passion to tatters
in a dramatic performance, to over-act US, 1973. < tear a strip off
someone; tear someone off a strip
to reprimand someone UK,
1941. < tear it to frustrate or thwart someone’s intentions, usually
in the phrase ‘that’s torn it’ UK, 1909. < tear off a chunk to have
sex US, 1973. < tear off a tab; tear off a scab to open a can of
beer
NEW ZEALAND, 1984. < tear off; tear off a piece to have sex
US, 1964. < tear someone a new asshole to thrash someone; to
abuse someone verbally US, 1968. < tear the arse out of to
destroy or spoil something UK, 1999. < tear the roof off to create
or intensify mass excitement through the agency of loud music. A
refinement of ‘raise the roof’ (to make a great noise) UK, 2001.

< tear them apart; tear them up to delight an audience UK,
1933. < tear your pants to commit a social gaffe US, 1947
tear-arse around; tear-arse about; tear ass verb to race about
wildly. Elaboration of ‘tear’ (to rush) UK, 1999
tearaway noun a minor criminal, one who tends towards violence at
the slightest excuse. Originally a ‘ladies’ tearaway’, a criminal
specialising in snatching (tearing away) women’s handbags UK, 1958
teardrop noun 1 a dose of crack cocaine, packaged in the corner of a
plastic bag US, 1994. 2 a surfboard that is wide at the rear and
narrow at the nose AUSTRALIA, 1963
tearjerker noun a melodramatic or sentimental and sad story or
song US, 1921
tear-off noun a minor criminal, one who tends towards violence at
the slightest excuse. A variation of TEARAWAY UK, 1966
tearoom; t-room noun a public toilet. From an era when a great
deal of homosexual contact was in public toilets; probably an
abbreviation of ‘toilet room’, a term used in reported criminal
prosecutions of homosexuals in the late C19. A public toilet in
Illinois was the focus of Laud Humphrey’s famous sociological
study Tearoom Trade
US, 1941
tea-room crui ser noun a male homosexual prostitute who frequents
public toilets
US, 1982
tea-room trade noun a sexual partner found in a public toilet US,
1980
tear-up noun 1 a gang fight; a brawl. From conventional ‘tear-up’ (a
commotion)
US, 1964. 2 in jazz use, a period of wild, inspired music-
making US, 1958. 3 any valueless letter addressed to Scotland Yard.

Officially filed in the Metropolitan Police’s General Registry as GM
[General Matters]51 UK, 1999
taylaylay | tear-up 642
tease and please noun sexual arousal after which satisfaction is
delayed under the pretence that such gratification is denied,
especially when advertised as a service offered by a prostitute
UK,
2003
teaser noun 1 in horse breeding, a horse used to test a mare’s
readiness for breeding US, 1976. 2 in sports betting, a bet that ties
two or more games together US, 1975
teaspoon noun a measure of heroin or other narcotic drug UK, 1996
tea strainer noun a trainer (a shoe). Rhyming slang UK, 1992
tea-towel head noun an offensive term for an Arabic person
AUSTRALIA, 1981
tea-towel holder noun the anus. A resemblance in shape and detail
UK, 2002
tea wagon noun in the television and film industries, the console
used by the sound mixer
US, 1977
tec noun adetective UK, 1879
tecate; tecatos noun heroin. Directly from Mexican Spanish US, 1982
tecato noun a heroin or morphine addict. Directly from Mexican
Spanish
US, 1970
tech noun 1 a technical college, an institution that provides further
and higher education. Often ‘the Tech’ is used for your local one
UK, 2000. 2 a technician; someone employed to deal with techno-
logical devices, especially in a creative milieu. Also called a ‘techie’
US, 1942. 3 a nine-millimetre handgun US, 1995

tech dog noun in foot-propelled scootering, a rider with strong tech-
nical skills
UK, 2000
technical; tech noun in foot-powered scootering, any trick that is
performed on a flat surface or ledge and requires a good deal of
technical skill UK, 2000
technicolour laugh noun an act of vomiting; vomit AUSTRALIA, 1964
technicolour yawn noun an act of vomiting AUSTRALIA, 1964
techno adjective as a combining form, denotes intrinsic technological
expertise or inspiration, especially in relation to computing,
gadgetry or music fashions US, 1989
technobabble noun pretentious scientific chatter. Modelled on
‘psychobabble’
US, 1981
technodolt noun a person who is completely technologically
illiterate US, 1990
technodweeb noun a person who is passionately interested in tech-
nology US, 1990
technosavvy noun someone who understands technology US, 1996
technowords noun a scientific vocabulary US, 1996
teddy noun a bottle of alcohol, legal or otherwise CANADA, 1986
teddy bear noun 1 a dose of LSD identified by the printed picture of
a teddy bear
UK, 2003. 2 a person who dresses and behaves in a
showy manner. Rhyming slang for LA IR AUSTRALIA, 1944. 3 apear.
Rhyming slang, formed from a cuddly toy UK, 1992
teddy bear suit noun heavy winter garments issued to US troops
during World War 2 and later in Korea US, 1982
Teddy Boy; Teddy; Ted noun a member of a youth cult of the mid-
to late 1950s, characterised by a style of dress loosely inspired by

fashions of the Edwardian era (1901–10). Edward abbreviates to
Teddy and Ted. Teddy boys referred to themselves as Teds UK, 1954
Ted Frazer noun a cut-throat razor. Rhyming slang UK, 1997
Ted Heath noun a thief. Rhyming slang, formed (satirically) on
Edward Heath (1916–2005), Conservative Prime Minister 1970–74
UK, 1972
Ted Ray adjective homosexual. Rhyming slang for FA Y; probably
formed from the British comedian and actor (1905–77); however,
Bodmin Dark, Dirty Cockney Rhyming Slang, 2003, suggests an
American jazz musician of the same name
UK, 2003
Teds noun 8see: EDWARD HEALTH
teedle-ee noun a urination. Glasgow rhyming slang for PEE UK:
SCOTLAND
, 1988
teed off adjective angry US, 1950
teef verb to steal something. A mispronunciation of ‘thieve’ or an
elision of
TEA-LEAF (to thieve) UK, 1997
teem noun team. Fashionable misspelling UK, 2002
teenager noun 1 a person aged between 13 and 19. Originally ‘teen-
ager’. Since about 1955 has usually been written as one word, and
since about 1960 has been regarded as standard English US, 1935.
2 cocaine UK, 2002
teener noun one sixteenth of an ounce US, 1993
teen-flick noun a film intended for teenagers UK, 2003
teenie noun 1 a younger teenager US, 1968. 2 one-sixteenth of a dollar.
Trader usage US, 1992
teensy adjective tiny. A childish corruption US, 1899
teensy-weensy adjective very small US, 1906

teenth noun asixteenth of an ounce (of drugs) UK, 2001
teeny adjective very small UK, 1825
teenybop adjective of or for teenyboppers US, 1967
teenybopper noun a young teenager, especially a girl US, 1965
teenyhooker noun a young female prostitute US, 1982
teeny weeny adjective tiny. ‘Teeny’ came from ‘tiny’, and then the
reduplicative ‘teeny weeny’, which is often found in the same
breath as ‘itsy bitsy’ US, 1931
tee off verb 1 to annoy or to irritate someone US, 1961. 2 to fart UK, 1998
tees noun dice on which some numbers are repeated, usually made
with identical numbers on opposite sides US, 1950
teeth noun cocaine; crack cocaine. From the resemblance of the
drug to small teeth US, 1994. < my back teeth are floating Iam
desperate to urinate UK, 2001
TEETH (in doctors’ shorthand) tried everything else, try homeopathy.
Medical slang UK, 2003
teeth and tits used to remind dancers that an attractive smile and
a distracting display will stop an audience noticing the footwork.
Theatrical UK, 2005
teething tr oubles noun initial problems with any new device,
invention, enterprise, technology, etc UK, 1937
teev noun a television AUSTRALIA, 1982
teflon adjective describes a person to whom blame doesn’t stick.
From the non-stick properties of polytetrafluoroethylene,
trademarked as Teflon™ US, 2004
tekno noun the recreational drug ketamine. Back slang for ‘on ket’
UK, 2004
tele noun a television set; television. Early use mainly US (as
television itself), adopted enthusistically in the UK in the mid-50s
US, 1940

telegram noun 1 a message designed for mass distribution from
prisoner to prisoner, passed from one cell to the next US, 1992. 2 in
prison, a written notice given to an inmate who has been placed
on report for an offence UK, 1996
telegraph verb to inadvertently disclose or reveal your intentions to
an opponent UK, 1925
telephone noun a bilingual Canadian who serves as a go-between
for English and French speakers CANADA, 1979
telephone booth noun in poker, a player who regularly ‘calls’
(matches the bet of the previous player) US, 1988
telephone number noun a long prison sentence US, 1950
telephone numbers noun 1 a large sum of money US, 1979. 2 in
horse racing, a winning bet at high odds
US, 1934
telephone pole noun 8see: FLYING TELEPHONE POLE
telephone tag noun the serial leaving of messages when two people
who are trying to talk by telephone can never reach each other US,
1979
telescope noun the penis. A jocular euphemism US, 1968
teletubby; telletubby noun a husband. Rhyming slang for HUBBY,
formed on Teletubbies, a BBC television programme for young
children, first seen in 1996 UK, 1998
643 tease and please | teletubby; telletubby
tell noun 1 an unintentionally honest reaction; a revealing piece of
body-language. Adopted from gambling jargon
UK, 1999. 2 in
gambling, any mannerism that reveals the relative value of the
player’s hand
US, 1991
tell verb < I’ll tell you what; tell you what I’ll tell you

something; this is how it is; often as the introduction to a
suggestion UK, 1596. < tell it like it is 1 to speak directly, candidly
and with a self-righteous conviction of access to a great truth
US,
1965. 2 to tell the whole truth. In black usage originally US, 1964.
< tell on someone to inform on someone UK, 1539. < tell
someone where to get off to severely rebuke someone; to
scold someone US, 1900. < tell the tale in a swindle, to explain to
the victim just how he will profit from the arrangement being
proposed US, 1989
tell < tell someone where to stick i t to emphatically reject. A
variation of ‘stick it up your arse’
UK, 1999
teller noun a skateboarder whose tales of accomplishments are exag-
gerated US, 1984
telling-off noun a scolding, a reprimand. From TELL OFF UK, 1911
tell it to the marines! used for registering disbelief. Formed,
apparently, from an inter-service jibe against the credulity of the
marines
UK, 1806
tell me another one used for registering disbelief UK, 1914
tell off verb to scold or reprimand someone UK, 1919
telltale noun in the language of wind surfing, a streamer on the
mast used to determine wind direction US, 1985
tell-tale-tit noun someone who tells tales. A nursery term, featured
in children’s playground rhymes
UK, 1841
telly noun television US, 1940. < off the telly as seen on television
UK, 2000
Telly nickname Telegraph Avenue, Berkeley, California US, 1966

telly- prefix telephone. Used for constructions such as ‘tellypole’ or
‘tellywires’ US, 1970
temazzies; temazies; temmies; temazes; tems noun
Temazepam™, a branded tranquillizer UK, 1998
temp noun a temporary worker US, 1980
temp verb to work as a temporary worker US, 1980
temper noun a restaurant customer who leaves a 10% tip US, 1995
temperanc e punch noun a non-alcoholic fruit punch drink US, 1957
temple balls; temple bells; temple hash noun potent hashish
shaped as small balls, claimed to originate in Nepal US, 1971
temple du vin noun Le Clos Jordan, a winery to be designed by
Frank Gehry on the Jordan Bench, on Ontario’s Niagara Peninsula,
Canada’s main wine-producing area CANADA, 2002
ten noun 1 a perfectly beautiful woman. Based on a grading scale of
one to ten, popularised in the 1979 film 10 starring Bo Derek US,
1979. 2 a tablet of MDMA, the recreational drug best known as
ecstasy US, 2003
ten adjective very good. Teen slang, from the marking of schoolwork
UK, 1977
ten-bob twist noun a drug sale involving drugs, usually marijuana,
costing ten shillings UK, 1983
ten-cent line noun in an illegal betting operation, the ten percent
charge for making a bet
US, 1973
ten-cent pistol noun a dose of heroin that is either adulterated with
a poison or contains a more pure heroin than usual, sold or given
to someone with the intent of injuring or killing them
US, 1966
ten-cent rock noun ten dollars’ worth of crack cocaine US, 1991
ten commandments noun bare feet. As Long John Silver said, it is

good to have ten toes TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 2003
tend verb to mind your own business US, 1995
ten-days noun any temporary job TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 2003
ten-day sweat noun treatment for a sexually transmitted infection,
involving heat therapy and sulpha-based drugs US, 1949
tender adjective 1 in poker, said of a hand that is probably unplayable
US, 1988. 2 weakened by oxidation; rusty CANADA, 1992
tenement noun in hold ’em poker, a ten and nine US, 1996
ten F noun a gall bladder patient. Often a fat, fair, fecund, fortyish,
flatulent, female with foul, frothy, floating faeces US, 1985
ten-man job noun a very tough man, a very hard man to arrest UK,
1998
Tennant Creek noun a Greek person. Rhyming slang, from the
name of a goldmining town in the Northern Territory
AUSTRALIA, 1977
tenner noun 1 a ten-pound note; the value of £10; a ten-dollar note
UK, 1845. 2 a prison sentence of ten years US, 1950. 3 in the television
and film industries, a 10,000-watt spotlight US, 1990
Tennessee top hat noun a hairstyle in which the hair is worn short
at the front and long at the back. Better known, perhaps, as a
MULLET US, 2000
tennies noun tennis shoes; trainers US, 1965
tennis, anyone? used for humorously suggesting an activity. Seen
as quintessentially British and enormously witty in its many
variant forms
US, 1951
tennis racket; tennis noun a jacket. Rhyming slang UK, 1992
tennis shoes noun tyres US, 1976
ten one hundred noun the act of urination US, 1976
ten over noun a surfing stance in which the surfer’s ten toes extend

over the nose or front of the board US, 1991
ten percenter noun a person who buys and resells stolen goods US,
1976
tens noun amphetamine UK, 2003
tense adjective used of a computer program, smart and economical
US, 1983
tension noun crack cocaine US, 1993
tensky noun a ten-dollar note. The ‘sky’ is a meaningless decorative
embellishment
US, 1962
ten-spot noun 1 a ten-dollar note US, 1954. 2 a ten-pound note.
Adopted directly from the previous sense UK, 1984. 3 a ten-year
prison sentence US, 1965
Tenth Street noun a ten-dollar note US, 1946
’tention noun in poker, a ten US, 1951
tent peg noun an egg. Rhyming slang UK, 1949
tent pole noun an erect penis. From the image of an erect penis
pushing up against a sheet US, 1992
tent squirrel noun in circus and carnival usage, a performer US, 1981
tenuc; teenuc noun the vagina; an unpleasant or despicable person.
Back slang for
CUNT UK, 1904
termination dust noun the first snow of the winter. Because it
terminates construction in the north US, 1957
termite noun acarpenterUS, 1963
terper noun a professional dancer. An abbreviation of Terpischore,
daughter of Jupiter and Mnemosyne, the muse of dancing US, 1973
terps; turps noun a cough syrup containing elixir of terpin hydrate
and codeine, abused for non-medicinal purposes US, 1971
terr; ter; terro; terry noun a guerilla soldier; a terrorist. Originally

Rhodesian military slang
SOUTH AFRICA, 1978
terra-poo noun a crossbreed of terrier and poodle US, 2001
terrible adjective excellent US, 1960
terrible Turk noun work. Rhyming slang UK, 1992
terribly adverb used as a positive intensifier with the meaning
exceedingly, greatly, very UK, 1833
terrier noun a railway track worker US, 1977
terrif adjective terrific. Not a lot of thought goes into clipped
adjectives, and with a few exceptions they do not last long US, 1951
Territory rig noun any of various adaptations of formal attire worn
by men in far northern Australia
AUSTRALIA, 1964
tell | Territory rig 644
terrorist noun a teacher who intimidates his pupils into learning.
Teen slang, post 11th September 2001
US, 2002
terrorize verb to cover something with graffiti US, 1997
terror track noun in cricket, a wicket best suited to fast bowlers UK,
1996
Terry to on noun a prostitute’s pimp. Rhyming slang for HOON
AUSTRALIA
, 1973
Terry Waite adjective late. Rhyming slang, formed (surely with irony)
on the church envoy and hostage negotiator (b.1939) who was
held hostage in Beirut for 1,760 days between January 1987 and
November 1991
UK, 1998
tess noun a young man TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 1960
test verb < test the shocks to have sex in a car US, 1997

tester noun a sample of drugs UK, 2000
testicules noun the testicles UK, 2003
test-tube baby noun a poker player whose experience is largely
limited to simulated computer poker games
US, 1996
test-tube wallah noun a forensic scientist. Police use UK, 1971
tete noun the female breast TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 2003
Texas Cadillac noun a Chevrolet Suburban sports utility vehicle
CANADA, 1991
Texas gate noun a cattleguard CANADA, 1997
Texas mi cke y noun a very large bottle of alcohol CANADA, 2001
Texas p ot noun marijuana cultivated in Texas US, 2003
Texas Ranger; TR noun danger. Glasgow rhyming slang UK:
SCOTLAND
, 1988
Texas rat noun in the used car business, a car previously owned by a
salesman or other long-distance driver US, 1968
Texas stop noun slowing down but not fully stopping as required by
law at a stop sign US, 1962
Texas sunflowers noun in craps, a roll of two fives US, 1983
Texas tea noun 1 marijuana US, 1938. 2 oil US, 1984
Texas toothbrush noun the penis. In Texas, known as an ‘Oklahoma
toothbrush’
US, 1994
Texas Volkswagen noun aCadillacUS, 1956
Texica n noun aTexanUS, 1984
Tex-Mex noun marijuana, of Tex an-Mexican origin UK, 1998
Tex Ritter; tex noun bitter (beer). Rhyming slang, formed from the
US cowboy film actor, 1907–74 UK, 1992
text verb to send a text message on a mobile phone UK, 2001

textile noun among naturists, a person who wears clothes UK, 1995
textile adjective clothed, as distinct from nude. From the noun sense
UK, 1995
tezzers noun the testicles UK, 2003
TFB too fucking bad US, 1996
TFTF an after-dinner bloated condition unsuited to the
advancement of romance. A coded message: ‘too fat to fuck’
UK,
2002
TG noun a young member of a youth gang US, 2001
TGIF Thank God it’s Friday. Notable variations: the restaurant chain
‘T.G.I. Friday’s’, established in New York in 1965, now worldwide;
and the controversial UK television programme TFI Friday,
1996–2000
US, 1941
T-grams noun a grandmother US, 1998
TH noun in betting, odds of 8–1 UK, 1991
Thai Buddha noun a strain of marijuana, known elsewhere as New
Zealand green, Tasmanian tiger and Hawaiian head AUSTRALIA, 2002
Thai green noun a strain of marijuana originating in Thailand UK,
2002
Thai stick noun marijuana cultivated in Thailand, soaked in hashish
oil, wound on short thin sticks of bamboo which are bundled for
sale; a cigarette rolled from marijuana cultivated in Thailand
US,
1975
Thai weed; Thai noun marijuana cultivated in Thailand; marijuana
from Thailand soaked in hashish oil
UK, 1997
Thames trout; trout noun a condom. Appears to be a London

coinage, probably after the rare appearance of a condom floating
down the River Thames; remembered by a correspondent from
Sheffield as a 1970s usage UK, 2004
thang noun thing. Slang by vowel exchange US, 1977
thanie noun heroin UK, 2003
thank fuck used in relief when others may be grateful to God.
Euphemistic use of ‘fuck’ for what might otherwise border on
blasphemy UK, 1999
thank goodness used as a register of heartfelt or exaggerated grati-
tude
UK, 1872
thanks a bunch used as an insincere or derisory declaration of
gratitude UK, 2003
thanks a bundle used as an insincere or derisory declaration of
gratitude UK, 1990
thanks a million thank you very much indeed. Usually sincere, but
occasionally derisory UK, 1984
thanks awfully thank you! Quintessentially English middle- and
upper-class UK, 1890
thanks but no thanks used when declining an offer UK, 1979
thanks ever so thank you! UK, 1914
thank you and good night! used in final dismissal of a foolish
suggestion, or in surrender to overwhelming misfortune. A
valedictory phrase that became a broadcasting cliché which
inspired a catchphrase
UK, 1975
thank-you-m’am noun a bump or dip in a road which produces a
moment of slight uneasiness in the stomach US, 1960
that adjective used as a mildly derogatory prefix to a (usually proper)
noun UK, 1976

that adverb to such a degree; so; very. In conventional use from the
mid-C15, but by C20 considered colloquial or dialect UK, 1999
that pronoun used persuasively in anticipated commendation UK, 1849
that and this noun urine; an act of urination. Rhyming slang, PISS,
also employed as a verb
UK, 1961
Thatcher noun a type of MDMA, the recreational drug best known
as ecstasy. From Margaret Thatcher (b.1925), former UK Prime
Minister 1979–90, later Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven; her name
is used here by an illicit drug manufacturer, perhaps as a tribute to
her commitment to free enterprise
UK, 1996
Thatcher wagon noun a car with the back cut away CANADA, 1987
that had to hurt! used as a humorous if not particularly sympath-
etic observation of a painful event US, 1992
that’ll be the day! used of something that is not very likely to
occur or be done AUSTRALIA, 1941
that’ll happen used as a humorous comment on something that
should not happen or never happens. Coined and popularised by
ESPN’s Keith Olberman US, 1997
that plays used for expressing approval US, 1966
that’s chalk! that’s great! BAHAMAS, 1982
that’s close used for expressing doubt about a statement or
request US, 1973
that’s dead! used for expressing a strong negative US, 1991
that’s that used in final emphasis of a preceding statement: that’s
all there is, there is no more UK, 1872
that’s the name of that tune used for summing up or signalling
the end of an explanation. A signature line of actor Robert Blake
on the television police drama Baretta (ABC, 1975–78). Repeated

with referential humour, especially after Blake’s arrest in the early
2000s for the murder of his wife
US, 1978
that’s the ticket! used as a humorous expression of assent. From
a skit on Saturday Night Live featuring Jon Lovitz as a pathological
liar US, 1986
645 terrorist | that’s the ticket!
that’s what I’m talking about! I agree strongly! Almost a cliché
US, 2002
that’s word! used for expressing strong assent US, 1992
that time noun the bleed period of a woman’s menstrual cycle US,
1954
that way adjective homosexual. Shortened from the euphemistic
phrase ‘that way inclined’
UK, 1956
thaw shay noun a spendthrift IRELAND, 2000
THC noun marijuana. The psychoactive chemical in marijuana is
delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC
US, 1971
THC doctors’ shorthand for what the homeless require from a day
and night’s hospitalisation: three hots and a cot (three meals and
abed)
UK, 2002
the adjective 1 my. Colloquial UK, 1838. 2 used in the formation of
colloquial nicknames for places. Thus Alice Springs becomes ‘the
Alice’; Mount Isa becomes ‘the Isa’; Cloncurry becomes ‘the
Curry’; Wollongong becomes ‘the Gong’
AUSTRALIA, 1883
theatrical noun an actor. Generally seen in the plural UK, 1859
Thelma Ritter; the thelma noun a toilet; the anus. Rhyming slang

for
SHITTER, formed from the name of the US film actress,
1905–69 UK, 1998
Thelonius Monk; thelonius noun semen. Rhyming slang for SPUNK,
formed from the name of the US jazz pianist, 1917–82 UK, 1992
them’s my orders used as an apology for acting in accordance
with orders US, 1973
them’s the breaks used as a world-wise expression of resigned
acceptance of a misfortune US, 1988
them’s the rules used as a humorous deference to protocol or
rules US, 1997
them things noun marijuana cigarettes US, 1992
the nerve of the scurve! used as a humorous exclamation, half
admiring US, 1975
there adverb < be there to be alert and alive to your situation UK,
1890. < have been there; have been there before to have
experienced something
UK, 1877. < have someone there to
cause someone to be at a loss; to nonplus someone
UK, 1937
there it is used as a common form of assent by US soldiers in
Vietnam US, 1991
there I was with Davey Crockett used as a humorous
introduction to a story. A signature line used by the Trooper Duffy
character played by Bob Steele on the television comedy FTroop
(ABC, 1965–67). Repeated with referential humour US, 1967
Theresa Truncheon; Theresa noun a police officer; the police. An
example of
CAMP trans-gender assignment, in this case an assonant
play on ‘truncheon’ as stereotypical police equipment UK, 1992

there’s no answer to that! used in answer to a question,
implying an innuendo within the question which renders an
answer unnecessary. A catchphrase of British comedian Eric
Morecambe, 1926–84, widely adopted as a useful face-saver UK,
1975
there you are noun tea (a drink). Rhyming slang for CHAR UK, 1992
there you are then!; there you are! used as the (triumphant) last
words in an argument as a point is proved. Often preceded by ‘so’
or ‘well’ UK, 1907
there you go! used for expressing approval US, 1970
thermos bottle noun a tanker lorry. From the shape US, 1976
these and those noun 1 the toes. Rhyming slang UK, 1960. 2 the n
ose. Rhyming slang AUSTRALIA, 1960. 3 clothes. Rhyming slang UK, 1992
the shot heard ’round the world noun the homerun hit by New
York Giants Bobby Thompson to defeat the Brooklyn Dodgers in
the final game of a three-game playoff series for the National
League Championship in 1951. An allusion to the first skirmish of
the American Revolution on the village green in Lexington,
Massachusetts, on 19th April 1775
US, 1951
thesp noun an actor. An abbreviation of the conventional ‘thespian’
UK, 1962
thews noun muscles; the thighs; the forearms. A variation of the
conventional sense as ‘vigour’; only recorded in the plural
UK, 1966
They noun the mysterious authority over all authority, the power
behind the throne. Beloved in the political culture of the 1960s
US,
1968
Theydon Bois noun noise. Rhyming slang, formed from the name

of an Essex village
UK, 1992
thick adjective 1 in close association, familiar, intimate. Often
elaborated as
THICK AS THIEVES UK, 1756. 2 stupid, dense UK, 1935.
3 sexually appealing, attractive, well built US, 1998. 4 of a bet, large
UK, 1991
thick-a adjective very dense. Used in Maine, as in ‘thick-a-fog’, ‘thick-
a-snow’ or ‘thick-a-vapor’ US, 1978
thick and thin noun 1 the chin. Rhyming slang UK, 1992. 2 gin.
Rhyming slang
UK, 1992
thick as a docker’s sandwich adjective very stupid. ‘Thick as’ is
used as the basis for many similes UK, 1998
thick as a plank adjective very stupid. The simplified variation of
THICK AS TWO SHORT PLANKS UK, 1980
thick as a pudding adjective very stupid. A north of England vari-
ation on a theme; the ‘pudding’ is a Yorkshire pudding UK:
ENGLAND
, 2003
thick as pigshit adjective very stupid UK, 1999
thick as thieves adjective in close association, familiar, intimate,
inseparable UK, 1833
thick as two short planks adjective very stupid. Originally military;
one of the best-known modern variations on a Shakespearean
theme UK, 1984
thick dick; thick Dick noun a stupid person. Teen slang UK, 1982
thick ear noun a blow round the head. From the swelling of the ear
– if the blow is accurate UK, 1909
thick end of the stick noun an unfair position to be in, or

inequitable treatment UK, 1957
thick head noun a headache, especially one that results from
drinking alcohol UK, 1991
thickhead adjective idiotic, foolish, stupid. From the noun sense UK,
1999
thickie; thicky; thicko noun a fool. Variations of THICK UK, 1968
thick on the ground adjective abundant, numerous, crowded UK, 1893
thick piss noun semen NEW ZEALAND, 1998
thief noun in horse racing, a horse that runs worst when its chances
seem best US, 1976
Thief Row noun London Heathrow airport. Jocular but telling UK, 1999
thieve noun < on the thieve engaged in the occupation or act of
stealing
UK, 2001
thieving adjective inclined to thievery. Originally in conventional use
UK, 1598
thighbrows noun female pubic hair that escapes the confines of
underwear or swimwear UK, 2002
thigh-highs noun stockings worn up the middle of the thigh US, 1995
thigh opener noun a vodka gimlet US, 1985
thighslapper noun in pantomime, the role of principal boy. From
the traditional gesture by which an attractive actress convinces an
audience of her manhood UK, 2003
T. Hill noun Tommy Hilfiger™ clothing US, 1998
thimble and thumb; thimble noun rum. Rhyming slang UK, 1992
thimble-titted adjective small breasted US, 1994
thin noun in prison, a key UK, 1996
thin blue line noun the police. From the image of, and originally
recorded as, a line of police holding back a crowd UK, 1984
thing noun 1 used to replace any noun that the user cannot or does

not wish to specify. Also called a ‘thingy’ US, 1968. 2 the penis. Since
Chaucer, and still UK, 1386. 3 the vagina. Euphemism. Early use
implied in obsolete ‘thingstable’ (1785) where ‘thing’ replaces CUNT
that’s what I’m talking about! | thing 646
in a policeman’s title US, 1970. 4 an interest, obsession, attraction US,
1841
. 5 a romantic affair US, 1974. 6 an instinctive or irrational dislike
of, or aversion to, someone or something UK, 1936. 7 heroin; a
capsule of heroin
US, 1958. 8 cocaine UK, 2002. < do your own
thing; do your thing
to behave according to your own self-
centred philosophy, appetites and idiosyncracies. Originally a black
coinage, adopted by the hippies in the 1960s
US, 1967. < have a
thing for; have a thing about
to be attracted, perhaps
obsessively so, to someone or something UK, 1936. < the Thing an
M-50A1 Ontos antitank tracked vehicle, heavily armed US, 1990.
< the thing the requisite, notable or special point UK, 1850
thingamajig; thingumajig; thingummyjig noun used as a psuedo-
term for something the name of which is unknown, forgotten or
not important UK, 1824
thingamerry; thingumbobsy noun an object the name of which
escapes the speaker BARBADOS, 1965
thingie; thingy noun 1 a thing UK, 1933. 2 the penis UK, 1977
thingio noun used as a vague replacement for an unremembered or
unnamed person, object or action. A variation of THINGIE (a
replacement noun) UK, 2001
thingio verb used as a vague replacement for an unremembered or

unnamed verb UK, 2002
thingo noun an unnamed, or temporarily unnameable, person or
thing AUSTRALIA, 1966
things noun 1 possessions, personal effects carried with you at a
given time
UK, 1290. 2 garments, clothing UK, 1634. < do things to
someone
to excite someone, especially sexually; to arouse a
passion, whether deep or momentary UK, 1951
things are crook in Tallarook things are very bad. Tallarook is a
town in central Victoria AUSTRALIA, 1963
things-on-the-springs noun a military inspection of a soldier’s gear
displayed on his bed US, 1991
thing-thing noun an object the name of which escapes or is
unimportant to the speaker US, 1976
thingumabob; thingummybob noun used as a replacement for any
noun that the user cannot or does not wish to specify UK, 1832
thingummy noun used as a replacement for any noun that the user
cannot or does not wish to specify UK, 1796
thingummy-whatsit noun used as a euphemistic replacement for
any noun that the user cannot or does not wish to specify
UK, 2002
thingy noun in drag racing, a car that has been modified and
enhanced for speed US, 1960 8see: THINGIE
thin hairs noun < have someone by the thin hairs to hold
someone at a disadvantage; to exercise complete control over
someone
US, 1946
think verb < think outside the box to reject standard
assumptions and strive for a creative solution to a problem. From

a brain-teaser puzzle which can be solved only if you reject the
boundaries of a box. It vaulted into cliché use quickly, and
provided the inspiration for author Jim Tompkins’ 2001 book
Think Outside the Box: The Most Trite, Generic, Hokey, Overused,
Cliched or Unmotivating Motivational Slogans
US, 1999. < think
your shit doesn’t stink
to be very conceited UK, 1961. < you’re
not paid to think
a catchphrase admonition in response to any
excuse that begins ‘but I thought ’. Originally a military truism UK,
1971
think again, dearie used for humorously expressing the negative
US, 1987
think it ain’t? used for expressing affirmation US, 1992
thinko noun a momentary loss of memory or disruption in a
thought process. A play on ‘typo’ US, 1991
think-piece noun a serious article of journalism UK, 1960
think tank noun a toilet. Punning on the term usually applied to
non-governmental organisations that analyse policy
US, 1997
thin man noun a person who does not exist who is placed on a
payroll as a bookkeeping fiction US, 1973
thinny noun a very thin hand-rolled cigarette or joint UK, 2000
thin one noun a dime, or ten-cent piece US, 1962
thin on the ground adjective sparse, scarce. The natural opposite of
THICK ON THE GROUND (abundant) UK, 1942
thin-out verb to depart UK, 1987
third base noun in casino blackjack, the seat immediately to the
dealer’s right

US, 1985
third degree noun an intense level of interrogation US, 1880
third hat noun an assistant drill instructor in the US Marine Corps.
Generally the drill instructor who hands out physical discipline –
Physical Incentive Training US, 2004
third leg noun the penis US, 1994
third rail noun 1 a bill, especially in a restaurant. A term of the
1940s music industry
US, 1950. 2 an extremely controversial political
issue. Like the third rail in an electric railway system, it is to be
avoided US, 2000. 3 inexpensive, potent alcohol US, 1962
third sex noun homosexuals as a group US, 1896
third-world botherer noun a person who acts upon the need to do
good in less fortunate areas of the world UK, 2000
third world brief case noun a large portable stereo system associ-
ated, stereotypically, with black youth culture US, 1987
thirst monster noun a crack cocaine user US, 2002
thirsty adjective intensely craving crack cocaine US, 1992
thirteen noun 1 marijuana; a marijuana cigarette. Because ‘M’ is the
13th letter of the alphabet US, 1966. 2 in a deck of playing cards, any
king US, 1996 8see: 13
thirteen nickname the Mexican Mafia prison gang US, 2000
thirteenth gear noun in trucking, neutral gear, used to coast down
hills US, 1971
thirty days noun in poker, a hand with three tens US, 1963
thirty dirty miles noun in a game of poker, a hand with three tens
US, 1963
thirty miles of railroad track noun in poker, a hand consisting of
three tens US, 1988
thirtysomething adjective describing the age of the generation of

baby boomers as they moved into their thirties. From the name
of a television drama (1987–91) focusing on YUPPIE angst US, 1990
thirty-thirty noun a central nervous system stimulant other than
amphetamine packaged to look like and sold as amphetamine US,
1993
thirty-weight noun strong coffee. Inviting a comparison with motor
oil US, 1976
this and that noun a hat. Rhyming slang AUSTRALIA, 1937
this and that verb in cricket, to bat. Rhyming slang UK, 1961
thisavvy noun this afternoon. A Liverpool slurring UK, 2001
this is it used when something that has been talked about happens
or is happening UK, 1942
this is me used in place of ‘hello’ when answering the telephone
US, 1978
this time it’s personal used as a humorous assertion that an
issue is being taken personally. A moderately popular catchphrase
from Jaws: The Revenge (1987)
US, 1999
this will separate the men from the boys; this will sort the
men from the boys this task, event, crisis or activity will only be
successfully managed by someone of sufficient experience or
maturity. The original use, ‘this is where the men are separated
from the boys’ or ‘this is where they separate the men from the
boys’, is attributed to US film actress Mae West, in which case this
dates to the late 1930s and is laden with sexual innuendo UK, 1974
T.H. Lowry noun a Maori. Prison rhyming slang, formed from a
famed horse-breeder NEW ZEALAND, 1997
Thomas Cook noun a look. Rhyming slang, invented by the
advertisers for travel company Thomas Cook in the slogan ‘Take a
Thomas Cook at our Prices!’ and now in limited circulation. UK,

1998
Thomas More noun a whore. Rhyming slang, probably formed from
the renaissance writer and Catholic martyr (1478–1535) UK, 2003
647 thingamajig; thingumajig; thingummyjig | Thomas More
thong feminism noun contemporary forms of feminism CANADA, 2002
thook verb to spit UK, 2006
thooleramawn noun a contemptible, incompetent person IRELAND,
1989
Thora H ird; Thora noun 1 a third-class university degree. Rhyming
slang, based on British stage and screen actress Dame Thora Hird
(1911–2003)
UK, 1998. 2 a turd, hence an act of defecation.
Rhyming slang, based on the name of British stage and screen
actress Dame Thora Hird (1911–2003) UK, 2002
thorazine shuffle noun the slow, dragging walk of a patient being
medicated with thorazine
US, 1994
thorn noun 1 a nail. Used by workers in the building trade in
Glasgow
UK: SCOTLAND, 1988. 2 a knife US, 1993
thoroughbred noun a drug dealer who sells high quality, pure drugs
US, 1970
those days noun the bleed period of a woman’s menstrual cycle US,
1954
thou noun 1 a thousand US, 1867. 2 a thousandth of an inch UK, 1902
though used, after a question or statement, as an intensifier; truly.
A colloquial term
UK, 1905
thousand miler noun a sateen shirt worn by railway workers US, 1946
thousand percent adverb completely. The most famous use of the

term in the US came in 1972 when Democratic presidential
nominee Senator George McGovern announced that he was ‘one
thousand percent’ in support of his running mate, Thomas
Eagleton, despite revelations that Eagleton had once received
shock treatment; McGovern dropped Eagleton from the ticket
several days after this endorsement
US, 1963
thousand-yard stare; thousand-metr e stare noun a lost,
unfocused look, especially as the result of brutal combat
US, 1986
thou shalt not be found out; thou shalt not get found out
propounded as the Eleventh Commandment UK, 1974
thrap verb (of a male) to masturbate UK, 2001
thrash noun 1 a high-spirited party UK, 1967. 2 astyleofhardrock
music that appeals to disaffected suburban adolescent boys – fast,
relentlessly loud and heavy US, 1994
thrash verb 1 to surf aggressively and with skill US, 1988. 2 to
skateboard aggressively and with skill US, 1989. 3 in drag racing, to
work on a car hurriedly if not frantically in the hours just before a
race US, 2003
thrashed adjective tired, worn-down, exhausted, especially as a result
of excessive indulgence in hedonistic pleasures; dishevelled
US, 1999
thrasher noun 1 a party where guests bring bottles of alcohol that
are poured into a rubbish bin for all to share. Michigan Upper
Peninsula practice and usage US, 2003. 2 a person who violently
responds to the pricks of a tattoo needle US, 1997. 3 a skilled and
fearless skateboarder US, 1984
threaders adjective fed-up; being ready to lose your temper. Royal
Navy, especially marine, slang; an abbreviation of ‘threadbare’,

suggesting patience worn thin UK, 1989
threads noun clothes US, 1926
three noun a three-dollar bag of heroin US, 1976. < or three either
by exaggeration or understatement, used for emphasis of an
amount UK, 1976
three; three up verb in prison, to share a cell with two other
inmates
UK, 1996
three and a half noun in Quebec, an apartment with a living room,
kitchen, bedroom and bathroom. Similarly, in Quebec, a ‘two-and-
a-half’ is an apartment with a living-dining room, bedroom and
bathroom; a ‘four-and a half’ has two bedrooms; and so forth up
to ‘seven-and-a-half’
CANADA, 2002
three and four noun a whore. Rhyming slang UK, 2003
three-bagger noun 1 an unattractive girl. From the tease that she is
so ugly that you have to put two bags over her head and one over
yours
US, 1987. 2 a train pulled by three engines US, 1946
three-balls noun a Jewish person. An allusion to the historical
signage outside a pawn shop US, 1980
three blind mice noun rice. Rhyming slang, formed from a nursery
rhyme
UK, 1992
three-bug noun in horse racing, an inexperienced jockey given a
weight allowance of ten pounds
US, 1990
three-cents people noun a poor family. When the colonial British
Guyana dollar was based on the British pound sterling, ‘three
cents’ was used to indicate cheapness. The term survives as a

metaphorical relic
GUYANA, 1998
three-D adjective said of a school that recruits basketball players but
does not prepare them for life after college. It is said that the
college that does not teach players to play defense, does not instill
discipline, and in the end does not award diplomas to many of its
student athletes
US, 1983
three day chop noun a period of partial or absolute withdrawal
from drugs or a drug-substitute UK, 1996
three days by canoe adjective a long distance US, 1993
three days’ delay noun in Quebec, three days’ notice CANADA, 2002
three days older than dirt adjective very old indeed US, 1994
three-decker noun a three-storey house. Coined and primarily used
by Irish immigrants and then Irish-Americans in Boston US, 1990
three deuces noun in hot rodding, three two-barrel carburettors US,
1992
three-dollar bill noun 1 used for comparisons of something that is
rare or odd US, 1942. 2 a homosexual. From the expression ‘as
strange as a three-dollar bill’
US, 1965
three drags and a spit noun a cigarette. Gay use; a deliberate
reversal of rhyming slang SPIT AND DRAG (a cigarette) thereby
avoiding the rhyme on FAG and its derogatory homosexual
connotations UK, 2002
three Ds noun 8see: DERRY-DOWN-DERRY
three’d up adjective in prison, used of three inmates sharing a single
cell UK, 1974
three fates noun in poker, three queens US, 1988
three fifty-seven; three fifty-seven Magnum noun acentral

nervous system stimulant, the exact nature of which is unknown,
sold as amphetamine on the street US, 1993
three-fingered salute noun when operating a computer, the keyed-
combination of the characters Ctrl-Alt-Delete used to restart the
machine US, 2004
three-finger fuck around noun a disorganised activity with no
apparent purpose
US, 1991
three-for -two noun fifty percent interest US, 1967
three-hairs noun a Vietnamese woman. From the perception of the
US soldier that the pubic hair of Vietnamese women is very sparse
US, 1991
three H enema noun in hospital usage, an aggressive enema –
high, hot and a hell of a lot US, 1980
three-holer nickname an aircraft with three engines, especially the
Boeing 727 US, 1985
three hots and a cot noun room and board. From the sense of HOT
as ‘a meal’ US, 1930
three-hundred club noun a notional association of those who
experience a temperature swing of three hundred degrees
farenheit, usually by rolling naked in the Antarctic night and then
entering a sauna
ANTARCTICA, 2003
three-legged beaver noun a homosexual man. Two legs and an
erect penis make the three legs, feminised by BEAVER (a
woman/vagina) UK, 1981
three-martini lunch noun a leisurely business lunch paid for from
an expense account, often centred around alcohol
US, 1972
three minutes noun a gang punishment in which the offending

member must fight another gang member for three minutes US,
2001
three moon noun a three-month prison sentence. A multiple of
MOON, included here for the singular nature of the plural UK, 1950
thong feminism | three moon 648
three on the tree noun a three speed manual transmission with
the gear shift mounted on the steering column
US, 1993
threepenny bits; thrupennies; threepennies; thrups noun 1 the
female breasts. Rhyming slang for, (
TIT(S)) , based on a small coin
(3d) that ceased to be legal tender with decimalisation in 1971;
when this slang was coined, you got 80 threepenny bits to the
pound UK, 1961. 2 an urgent need to defecate; diarrhoea. Rhyming
slang for
THE SHITS AUSTRALIA, 1971
three-phase set noun in electric line work, a set of three shovels: a
cup-shaped spoon, a spade and a shovel
US, 1980
three-point c and b noun a painful parachute landing. The three
points were the head, heels and buttocks, while the ‘c and b’ was
a ‘crash and burn’ US, 1991
three-rounder noun a petty criminal, a small operator. From the
three-round bouts of junior and novice boxing
UK, 1961
threes noun 1 the third landing or floor level in a prison UK, 1978. 2 in
poker,threecardsofthesamerankinahand
US, 1967. < all the
threes
thirty-three. In Bingo, House or Housey-Housey calling, the

formula ‘all the’ announces a double number
UK, 1943
three-sheet verb to wear theatrical makeup in public US, 1971
three sheets in the wind adjective very drunk UK, 1821
three-sixty noun a complete, 360-degree turn; in the UK, especially
while joyriding US, 1927
three-skinner noun a marijuana- or hashish-filled cigarette
fashioned out of three cigarette papers
UK, 2003
threesome noun group sex with three participants US, 1972
three squares noun three square meals a day US, 1922
three-time loser noun a criminal who has been convicted of a third
serious crime, probably guaranteeing life imprisonment US, 1966
three-toed sloth noun a slow-thinking, slow-talking, slow-acting
hospital patient US, 1985
three-toke killer noun extremely potent marijuana. Derived from
the perception that the marijuana will produce extreme intoxi-
cation after only three inhalations US, 1993
three-tone noun of a car, badly repaired after an accident. A play on
the advertising of ‘two-tone’ cars (cars painted in two colours) UK,
1981
three-two-hundred out, one-six-hundred in adjective completely
confused. From the standard 6400-mil circular artillery chart US,
1968
three up and three down noun a master sergeant in the US Army.
From the stripe configuration US, 1991
three up and two down noun a sergeant first-class or platoon
sergeant in the US Army. From the stripe configuration US, 1991
three-way noun sex involving three people simultaneously US, 1985
three-way adjective (used of a woman) willing to engage in vaginal,

anal and oral sex US, 1967
three-way freeway noun a woman who consents to vaginal, anal
andoralsexUS, 2001
three wheel trike; three-wheeler noun a lesbian. Rhyming slang
for DYKE UK, 2003
thrift verb to live a frugal, if attractive, lifestyle US, 1997
thrift shop noun any low-limit, low-ante poker game US, 1996
Thrilla in Manilla nickname the heavyweight boxing championship
fight between Muhammed Ali and Joe Frazier on 1st October
1975 in Manilla, won by Ali when Frazier’s manager Eddie Futch
threw in the towel before the 15th round
US, 1998
thrilled adjective pleased, delighted UK, 1937
thrilled to bits adjective utterly delighted; very pleased UK, 1964
thriller noun a sensational (adventure) story told as a play, film or
novel; such a form of entertainment. A narrow sense of the
general meaning UK, 1889
thrill pill noun a central nervous system stimulant in tablet form. A
reduplication that never really caught on; too true for a
euphemism and too euphemistic for the street US, 1953
throat noun < have someone by the throat to have someone
completely under control
AUSTRALIA, 1947
thrombo noun a fit of rage. From ‘thrombosis’, suggesting a rush of
blood to the head
UK, 2002
throne noun 1 a toilet seat; a pedestal lavatory (as a place on which
you sit)
UK, 1922. 2 the most coveted position for a bookmaker at
the track

AUSTRALIA, 1989
throttle artist; throttle jerker; throttle puller noun a train
engineer
US, 1977
throttle jockey noun a combat jet pilot US, 1956
throttling pit noun a lavatory AUSTRALIA, 1971
through-the-card noun a wager that bets on all the races at a
meeting. Commonly used when gambling on greyhound racing UK,
2001
through-ticket noun in pool, a player who continues to play and to
lose money until he has lost his entire bankroll
US, 1993
throw noun 1 the cost of an item or action, usually preceded by a
specific amount. Probably from the old side shows of the fair US,
1898
. 2 an act of vomiting; vomit AUSTRALIA, 1967
throw verb 1 to disconcert, to confuse US, 1844. 2 to deliberately lose a
contest
US, 1868. 3 to break an addiction US, 1952. < throw a fin;
throw the fin
while surfing, to reach the top of a wave and
expose to the air the surfboard’s fin(s)
US, 1987. < throw a fit to
become very angry or agitated
US, 1926. < throw a party to lose
heavily when gambling US, 1982. < throw a shape to make an
impression, 1999. < throw a shi ne to ignore someone. Usage by
Mexican-American youth (Pachucos) in the southwestern US
US,
1947. < throw a shoe to suffer a tyre blowout or flat tyre US, 1963.

< throw blows to fight US, 1965. < throw flame in trucking, to
show an actual flame or a red glow suggesting a flame on a
smokestack US, 1971. < throw forty fits to become very angry or
agitated. An occasional intensification of THROW A FIT UK, 1984.
< throw gravel to accelerate briskly from a dirt road shoulder US,
1962. < throw hands to fight US, 2002. < throw it to someone
from a male perspective, to have sex US, 1969. < throw off at to
deride someone or something AU S TRALIA, 1812. < throw one from
the male perspective, to have sex US, 1954. < throw shade to
project a defiant attitude
US, 1995. < throw shapes to box IRELAND,
1995
. < throw signs to flash hand signals, almost always gang-
related US, 2001. < throw teddy out of the pram to throw a
tantrum; to lose your temper. An allusion to childish behaviour
UK,
1998. < throw the bald-headed champ to perform oral sex on
a man US, 1972. < throw the book at someone to discipline or
penalise someone severely. Making maximum use of the rulebook
that inspires the punishment US, 1960. < throw the head to lose
one’s temper IRELAND, 1995. < throw the kno ckwurst from the
male perspective, to have sex US, 1973. < throw the latch in a
hotel, to activate a mechnical device advising hotel employees to
carefully watch activity in a particular room
US, 1954. < throw the
leg over
to mount a racehorse AUSTRALIA, 1989. < throw the
voice; throw your voice
to vomit AUSTRALIA, 1962. < throw up
your set

to flash gang hand signals US, 1995. < throw waist to
thrust with vigour during sex TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 2003. < throw
your weight about; throw your weight around
to ‘show off’
in an unpleasant, domineering way; to bully people
UK, 1917
throwaway noun an outer garment quickly discarded by a criminal
after a crime to thwart easy identification US, 1987
throw away verb to abort a foetus TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 1939
throwaway adjective used of a gun unregistered and not capable of
being traced, and thus used to place in the vicinity of someone
whom the police have shot to justify the shooting US, 1981
throwdown noun a large party US, 1996
throw down verb 1 to threaten someone with a weapon US, 1972. 2 to
kill
US, 1963. 3 in basketball, to forcefully drive the ball down through
the basket
US, 1997. 4 to dance. Sometimes embellished with ‘some
happy feet’ as a direct object US, 1983
throw-down gun; throwdown noun a gun that is not registered
and not capable of being traced, and thus placed by the police in
the vicinity of someone whom they have shot to justify the
shooting US, 1983
649 three on the tree | throw-down gun; throwdown
throw off verb to perform at a skill level below your capability US,
1965
throw-out noun 1 the prize that a carnival game operator arranges
for a player to win to entice more customers to play
US, 1985. 2 a
trinket thrown by a parader to spectators

US, 1951
throw-up noun a large, simple piece of graffiti art US, 1994
throw up verb 1 to vomit. Abbreviated from the elaborately elegant
‘throw up your accounts’ (C18)
UK, 1793. 2 to create large graffiti
pieces (especially on trains, walls, etc)
US, 1994
thrush noun 1 a female singer US, 1940. 2 an attractive young woman
AUSTRALIA, 1960
thrust noun amyl, butyl or isobutyl nitrite. A definite suggestion of
sexual vigour and therefore, probably, derives from brand
marketing as a male sex-aid
UK, 1996
thruster noun 1 an amphetamine or other central nervous system
stimulant
US, 1969. 2 a modern surfboard with three fins AUSTRALIA,
1985
thrutch noun a difficult challenge ANTARCTICA, 2003
thud nickname an F-105 Thunderchief aircraft. From the fact that
many were shot down during the Vietnam war. A two-seated F-105
was known as a ‘double thud’ US, 1965
thug noun a youth gang member UK, 2003
thugged-out adjective in hip-hop culture, self-sufficient and danger-
ous. From conventional ‘thug’ (a violent person) which has been
adopted by some urban blacks as an honourable term and con-
dition
US, 2002
th-uh, th-uh, that’s all folks used as a humorous farewell. Used
as the sign off on Looney Toon cartoons produced by Warner
Brothers by a stuttering Porky the Pig. Repeated with referential

humour US, 1955
thumb noun marijuana; a marijuana cigarette. Probably because you
suck your thumb for comfort in much the same way as you suck
on a cigarette US, 1960. < on the thumb hitchhiking UK, 2004.
< with the thumb in betting, used for indicating that the
current odds will not continue to be offered for long. From the
TICK-TACK signal used by bookmakers UK, 1991
thumb verb to hitchhike US, 1932. < thumb your nose to treat
someone or something contemptously US, 1973
thumb buster noun 1 a knob attached to a car or truck’s steering
wheel to help the driver make turns quickly. When the steering
wheel returns to its normal position, the knob can injure the hand
of a driver who is not careful
US, 1971. 2 a railway mechanic US, 1977
thumb-check noun a cursory examination of a long document or
packet of documents. US naval aviator usage US, 1986
thumb job noun a hitchthiker; the act of hitchhiking. Citizens’ band
radio slang US, 1976
thumb merchant noun a hitchhiker US, 1976
thumbs down noun a rejection or refusal. From the gesture
famously used to signal ‘no mercy’ for gladiators in the arenas of
ancient Rome and Hollywood UK, 1929
thumbsucker noun a long and complex piece of journalism; a writer
of such articles US, 2003
thumbs up noun approval; positive news. After the gesture that
spared the life of Roman gladiators UK, 1951
thump noun afightUS, 1971
thump verb to defeat someone soundly UK, 1594
thumper noun 1 a hand grenade launcher US, 1990. 2 a drummer US,
1981

. 3 a piece of rope used by dog handlers to discipline sled dogs
ANTARCTICA, 1982. 4 in electric line work, an underground fault locator
US, 1980
thumper bumper noun in pinball, a bumper that upon impact with
a ball scores and then propels the ball back into play
US, 1977
thump gun noun an M79 grenade launcher. Vietnam war usage US,
1982
thumping adjective unusually large or heavy; of an untruth,
outrageous UK, 1576
thumping adverb used as an intensifier of adjectives of large size UK,
1961
thunder noun 1 male sexual prowess TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 1989.
2 heroin UK, 2002. < do a thunder to defecate IRELAND, 1994
thunder verb to excel US, 1989
thunderbags noun underpants AUSTRALIA, 1971
thunderbirds noun the female breasts. From the mammaric and
lexicographic symbolism of the science fiction Thunderbirds,
especially Thunderbird 2, in cult television supermarionation
puppet-series Thunderbirds by Gerry Anderson, from 1965, and
relaunched in the 1990s
UK, 2001
Thunderbirds are go used for denoting or announcing that
something is proceeding. A catchphrase from Thunderbirds, a cult
science fiction puppet series, first broadcast on television in 1965
UK, 2001
thunderbowl noun a lavatory UK, 1982
thunderbox noun a lavatory. Originally coined for a ‘portable
commode’ UK, 1939
thunderbumper noun a cumulonimbus cloud CANADA, 1995

thunderdome noun a variety of MDMA, the recreational drug best
known as ecstasy. A reference to the film Mad Max: Beyond The
Thunderdome, 1985 UK, 1999
thundering adjective forcible, violent; hence, as an intensifier: great,
excessive UK, 1618
thundering adverb excessively UK, 1809
thunderingly adverb violently, forcibly, powerfully, energetically;
greatly; excessively UK, 1680
Thunder Road noun Highway 13, north of Saigon, South Vietnam.
So named because of the US Army’s frequent
THUNDER RUNS on
Highway 13 US, 1971
thunder run noun 1 during the Vietnam war, a tactic of having a
small armoured convoy drive at high speeds shooting at both
sides of the road to thwart ambushes by the Viet Cong; in Iraq in
2003, used by soldiers of a death or glory incursion into Baghdad.
Possibly originating in the Korean war, 1950–53, where it was used
figuratively for a final bar crawl before leaving a posting
US, 1983.
2 in white-water rafting, the most treacherous rapids or the act of
negotiating them US, 2003
thunder thighs noun large, heavy thighs, especially on a woman US,
1977
thunk noun in computing, code that supplies an address US, 1991
thunk verb used as an alternative past tense of ‘think’ in place of
‘thought’. Intentionally jocular or rural UK, 1876
TI nickname the federal correctional institution, Terminal Island,
California US, 1981
tia noun marijuana. A Spanish aunt such as AUNT MARY (marijuana)
UK, 2003

TIA used as Internet shorthand to mean ‘thanks in advance’ US, 1997
Tibb’s Day noun the day after Resurrection, Judgment Day etc, i.e. a
day that will never come in this lifetime. C. L. Apperson, in English
Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases, calls it ‘a day neither before nor
after Christmas’. Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1870)
points out that there never was such a saint as St Tibb, hence the
use of the term as a synonym for ‘never’
CANADA, 1999
tic noun phencylidine US, 1977
TIC noun when a criminal is on trial, a crime which does not form a
part of the case being heard but which the defendant may request
to have taken into account during sentencing. A partial acronym
of ‘taken into account’
UK, 1996
tical noun marijuana. A coinage claimed by rap artist Methodman;
usage spread with his adoption of ‘tical’ as one of many drug-
related aliases US, 1998
tick noun 1 a moment; a second, a minute UK, 1879. 2 credit, deferred
payment. Generally in the phrase ‘on tick’ (on credit) UK, 1642. 3 in
spread-betting, a tenth UK, 2001. 4 in basketball, a shot US, 1986. 5 in a
hospital, an intern US, 1994
throw off | tick 650
tick verb < tick along nicely to make satisfactory progress Ireland
IRELAND, 2003
tick adjective sexually attractive UK, 1950
ticked off adjective angry US, 1959
ticker noun 1 a clock, especially a pocket watch US, 1964. 2 the heart.
Analogised to a clock ticking
US, 1930. 3 courage AUSTRALIA, 1977
ticket noun 1 an ordinary person. Used generally in Glasgow and

MOD culture UK, 1985. 2 an amusing or charming person IRELAND,
1992
. 3 a follower (not an originator) of Mod fashion UK, 1964. 4 a
professional licence; a certificate of qualification. Originally military
US, 1951. 5 a warrant or bill of detainer US, 2002. 6 an official
misconduct report in prison US, 1976. 7 an order to be locked in
solitary confinement
US, 1965. 8 in prison, a contract for a killing or
beating US, 1974. 9 in horse racing, a betting receipt US, 1951. 10 a
playing card. As in the expression ‘I held some good tickets’
US,
1961. 11 LSD; a dose of LSD. Another LSD-as-travel metaphor US,
1969. < just the ticket; that’s the ticket exactly what is
required UK, 1838
ticket agent noun an LSD dealer. Premised on a TRIP metaphor US,
1974
Ticket Bastard nickname the Ticketmaster ticket service US, 1994
ticket of leave man noun a parolee UK, 1998
ticket-punching noun in the military, nearly automatic promotion
from rank to rank with short periods in combat to justify the pro-
motion
US, 1988
tickets noun the female breasts. A term from the coarse sector of
the entertainment industry, recognising the selling power of sex US,
1977. < have tickets on yourself to be conceited AUSTRALIA, 1918
tickety-boo adjective fine, correct, in order, satisfactory. Originally
military; a variation of ‘ticket’, as in JUST THE TICKET (correct), with
Hindu tikai babu (it’s all right, sir’)
UK, 1939
tick-hunter noun an ardent bird-watcher, usually one who is excit-

able. From a bird-watcher’s habit of ticking-off observations in a
note book
UK, 1977
tick in cow’s arse noun something or someone who is very close to
something or someone else TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 1982
ticking-off noun a reprimand UK, 1984
tickle noun 1 a robbery or other profitable criminal enterprise.
Probably derives from the image of a poacher ‘tickling a trout’, an
activity for the ‘light-fingered’ UK, 1938. 2 in the sport of polo, a
weak hit on the ball UK, 2003. 3 a pleasurable sensation caused by
drug use UK, 2000. 4 a deep v-bottom on a boat; also, especially in
Newfoundland, a narrow strait between mainland and an island
CANADA, 1947
tickle verb 1 to prime an engine. To start the cold engine of a
motorcycle, it is sometimes necessary to prime the carburettor, or
‘tickle the pot’
US, 2003. 2 to administer oral sex to a male
pornographer performer before or between scenes to help him
maintain an erection US, 2000. 3 to rob NEW ZEALAND, 1998. < tickle a
bug
in computing, to activate a normally inactive malfunction US,
1991. < tickle the peter to steal from a till or cashbox AUSTRALIA,
1941. < tickle the pickle from the male perspective, to have sex
US, 1964
ticklebelly noun the queasy feeling experienced when a car crests a
poorly graded hill too fast
CANADA, 2002
tickled; tickled to death; tickled pink adjective very pleased UK, 1907
tickler noun 1 an office system that serves to remind of impending
deadlines

US, 1905. 2 anything worn on the penis that is designed to
stimulate the vagina or the clitoris during sex UK, 1974
tickle your fancy noun a homosexual. Rhyming slang, NANCY (BOY),
noted as a post-World War 2 term by Ray Puxley, Cockney Rabbit,
1992, who suggests a corruption of the children’s song ‘Billy Boy’
as a possible source UK, 1992
ticklish adjective difficult, awkward UK, 1591
tick off verb to reprimand someone UK, 1915
tick-tack; tic-tac noun 1 a system of hand signalling used by
racecourse bookmakers UK, 1899. 2 a signal of any kind. From race
track use UK, 1992
tick-tack; tic-tac verb to signal betting information by tick-tack
AUSTRALIA, 1956
tick-tacker noun a person who signals betting information by tick-
tack
AUSTRALIA, 1897
tick-tacking noun an illegal system of sign language used between
bookmakers and touts on a racecourse
AUSTRALIA, 1899
tick-tack man noun a tick-tacker AUSTRALIA, 1939
tick-tick noun a bicycle with three gears TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 2003
tick-tock noun a clock. A children’s colloquialism, from the conven-
tional imitation of the ticking of a clock
UK, 1984
tick-tock used to mark the passing of an instant. From the ticking
of a clock UK, 1959
tick twenty noun ten o’clock US, 1946
ticky adjective old-fashioned, out-of-date US, 1960
tic-tac noun 1 a person who signals betting information by tick-tack
UK, 1990. 2 a fact. Rhyming slang, from the race track signalling

system UK, 1992. 3 phencyclidine, the recreational drug known as
PCP or angel dust US, 1994
tid-bit noun an appetising and toothsome woman US, 1973
tiddie; tiddy noun the female breast. A variation of TITTY UK, 2003
tiddle verb to urinate. A children’s colloquialism UK, 1961
tiddled off adjective annoyed, cross. After TIDDLE (to urinate), thus a
variation of
PISSED OFF UK, 1977
tiddler noun 1 any small fish. Originally applied to a stickleback UK,
1885. 2 anything small; a child, a small animal, a small drink, etc UK,
1927. 3 any small coin (of size rather than denomination) UK, 1966.
4 a player of tiddleywinks US, 1958
tiddler’s bait; tiddley bait; tiddley; Tilly Bates adjective late.
Rhyming slang UK, 1960
tiddly; tiddley adjective mildly drunk UK, 1905
tiddlywink; tiddly-wink; tiddleywink; tiddly; tid noun 1 an
alcoholic drink. Rhyming slang UK, 1859. 2 a Chinese person.
Rhyming slang for
CHINK (a Chinese person) UK, 1977
tidemark noun a dirty mark that is left by, and marks the extent of,
a child’s neck-washing regime UK, 1961
tide’s in adjective experiencing the bleed period of the menstrual
cycle US, 1999
tide’s out adjective experiencing the bleed period of the menstrual
cycle US, 1999
tidy adjective 1 large, considerable. As in the song sung by Boy
Scouts: ‘The great meat pie was a tidy size, / And it took a week to
make it, / A day to carry it to the shop, / And just a week to bake
it’ UK, 1838. 2 satisfactory; good; decent; correct. Widely exampled by
John Edwards, Tal k Tidy ! (the title is defined in the book as ‘speak

properly!’), 1985 UK, 1844. 3 sexually attractive; sexy UK, 2000
tidy! in South Wales, used as a positive affirmation UK: WALES, 1985
tidy; tidy up verb 1 to make something orderly, clean, etc UK, 1821.
2 to wash the vulva and vagina TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 1978
tidy and neat; tidy verb to eat. Rhyming slang UK, 1992
tidy away verb to clear up for tidiness’ sake UK, 1867
tidy whities noun white, boxer-style men’s underpants US, 1994
tie verb to inject with a drug UK, 2003. < tie on one to get very
drunk US, 1996. < tie the knot to marry UK, 1605. < tie them
down on the railways, to apply hand brakes US, 1946
tie a knot in it! addressed to someone (usually a male) who needs
to urinate but is having to control the urge; also, said to someone
who is whistling tunelessly
UK, 2001
tie and tease noun sexual bondage alternating pleasurable stimu-
lation and deliberate frustration, especially when advertised as a
service offered by a prostitute UK, 2003
tie-eye noun a commotion or ruckus CANADA, 1999
tie off verb to restrict the flow of blood in a vein in preparation for
an injection of narcotic drugs US, 1996
651 tick | tie off
tie-tongued adjective suffering from a speaking disability such as a
lisp
BARBADOS, 1965
tie-up noun the rope or cord used to restrict the flow of blood in a
vein in preparation for an injection of drugs
UK, 1996
tie up verb to apply an improvised tourniquet, usually on the arm,
preparatory to injecting a drug
US, 1990

tiff noun a petty quarrel; a brief peevish disagreement UK, 1754
tiger noun 1 a person who is keen for or enthusiastic about
something AUSTRALIA, 1896. 2 a male homosexual UK, 1983. 3 a wife. A
Cockney endearment UK, 1980. 4 an outstanding sportsman; a confi-
dent climber; a formidable sporting opponent UK, 1929. < take a
tiger for a walk
(used of a food addict) to eat in moderation. A
term in twelve-step recovery programmes such as Alcoholics
Anonymous
US, 1998
tiger cage noun an underground, high security jail cell US, 1992
tiger country noun 1 rough, uncultivated country or terrain
AUSTRALIA, 1945. 2 any challenging situation. From World War 2,
referring to territory patrolled by German Tiger tanks NEW ZEALAND,
1945
. 3 in hospital operating theatre usage, any part of the body
where surgery is high risk
US, 1994
tiger in the tank noun a linear amplifier for a citizens’ band radio.
From the 1960’s Esso advertising slogan ‘Put a tiger in your tank’
US, 1976
tiger lady noun a female Vietnamese civilian building worker at a US
facility during the war
US, 1990
tiger piss noun Tiger Paw™ beer. A south Vietnamese speciality,
made with formaldehyde US, 1991
tiger stripe noun a scar from intravenous drug injections US, 1958
tiger stripes noun camouflage worn in the jungle US, 1971
tiger suit noun jungle camouflage uniforms worn by soldiers in the
South Vietnamese Army US, 1990

tiger sweat noun strong, illegally manufactured whisky CANADA, 1999
tiger tank noun a thing of little worth. Rhyming slang for, WANK
(rubbish), usually phrased ‘not worth a tiger tank’; from the
advertising slogan ‘put a tiger in your tank’
UK, 1980
Tiggerish; tiggerish adjective energetically enthusiastic and cheerful.
From the character of Tigger, created by A.A. Milne, 1882–1956,
especially as filtered through the Disney animations of Winnie the
Pooh’s adventures UK, 2003
tight noun 1 a close friend BAHAMAS, 1982. 2 in poker, a hand consisting
of three cards of the same rank and a pair. Known conventionally
as a ‘full house’ CANADA, 1988. < in a tight in serious trouble US,
1984
tight adjective 1 tipsy; drunk US, 1830. 2 lacking generosity, mean UK,
2000. 3 aggressive; cruel; unpleasant. From the previous sense as
‘mean’, punning on ‘mean’ as ‘cruel’
UK, 1999. 4 hard; severe;
difficult UK, 1764. 5 of a slot machine, disadvantageous to the
gambler in terms of the frequency of payouts US, 1984. 6 used of a
hard bargain US, 1828. 7 of money; hard to come by; in short-
circulation UK, 1846. 8 used of a player in poker extremely
conservative in play and betting US, 1990. 9 of a contest, close,
evenly matched US, 1848. 10 friendly US, 1956. 11 good; fashionable; in
style
US, 1998
tight-arse noun a person who is mean with money UK, 1999
tight-arsed adjective 1 mean, close-fisted, ungenerous UK, 1966.
2 puritanical; very restrained; self-centred UK, 1990
tight as a crab’s arse adjective miserly UK, 1999
tight as a gnat’s twat adjective miserly UK, 2001

tight-ass noun a highly strung, nervous person US, 1971
tight-assed adjective highly strung, nervous US, 1970
tighten verb < tighten the wig to smoke marijuana US, 2001.
< tighten up someone’s game to educate or coach someone
US, 1972
tightener noun 1 any alcoholic drink US, 1969. 2 in horse racing, a race
seen as preparation for the next race US, 1994
tighter than a c amel’s arse in a sand storm adjective miserly. An
elaboration of
TIGHT (mean) UK, 1999
tighter than bark to a tree adjective miserly CANADA, 1992
tight fight with a short stick noun a difficult job with poor
equipment to do it
US, 1954
tight hole noun an oil well whose discovery and location have not
been reported
US, 1997
tight laces noun commerically manufactured cigarettes, especially
with filters US, 1990
tight-roll noun a manufactured cigarette US, 1984
tightwad noun a miserly person US, 1906
tighty-whities noun form-fitting men’s jockey shorts US, 1985
tig ol’ bitties noun large breasts. An intentional Spoonerism of ‘big
old titties’ US, 2001
tigre; tigre blanco; tigre del norte noun heroin. Possibly
‘branded’ types of heroin, from Spanish for ‘tiger’, white ‘tiger’ and
‘northern tiger’ UK, 2003
Tijuana 12 noun a cigarette made with tobacco and marijuana US,
1982
Tijuana Bible noun a pornographic comic book US, 1979

Tijuana chrome noun silver spray paint. Tijuana is just across the
border from California in the Mexican state of Baja California.
Californian youth often took their customised cars to Tijuana,
where much of the best and some of the shoddiest customising
work was done
US, 1993
T ijuana taxi noun a well marked police car US, 1976
tik noun a potential victim. West Indian and UK black UK, 1996
Tilbury Docks; the Tilburys noun any sexually transmitted
infection. Rhyming slang for POX, formed on a part of the Port of
London. An earlier, now obsolete sense for this rhyme was ‘socks’
UK, 1992
tiles noun dominoes US, 1959. < on the tiles partying NEW ZEALAND,
1984
till-tap verb to steal money from a cash till US, 1970
till tapper noun in a casino, a person who steals coins or tokens
from a slot machine being played by someone else
US, 1999
till tapping noun theft from a cash register when the cashier is
distracted US, 1964
tilly noun (especially in Queensland and northern New South Wales)
a utility truck AUSTRALIA, 1957
Tilly noun used as a personification of the police US, 1970
T illy Bates adjective 8see: TIDDLER’S BAIT
tilly-tallied adjective drunk. Possibly from obsolete ‘tilly-vally’
(nonsense), which is what tends to be spoken when drunk
UK, 1999
tilt noun 1 especially in the Maritime Provinces, a crude shelter, open
on one side and with its back to the wind CANADA, 1958. 2 in pinball,
a mechanism on the machine that ends a game when the player

moves the machine too forcefully US, 1979. < on tilt used of a
poker player’s playing, exceptionally poor US, 1979
Tim noun a Roman Catholic. Who the original Tim is or was is
unknown UK: SCOTLAND, 2000
timber noun 1 a toothpick US, 1948. 2 in horse racing, a hurdle in a
steeplechase race US, 1976. 3 in poker, the cards that have been
discarded
US, 1951. 4 in the circus or carnival, a person playing a
game or concession with the house’s money in an attempt to
attract other patrons to play
US, 1968
timber nigger noun a Native American Indian. Offensive. Used by
sporting enthusiasts and those in the tourist industry to describe
Native American Indians involved in the fishing/hunting rights
debate US, 1993
timber rider noun in horse racing, a jockey in a steeplechase event
US, 1976
timbit noun a rendezvous for coffee and snack proposed by one
police officer to another. A doughnut hole from Tim Horton’s™;
tie-tongued | timbit 652
refers to the dough that is punched out of a ring doughnut, fried,
and sold as a ‘hole’
CANADA, 2000
time noun time in prison; a jail sentence UK, 1837. < (he) wouldn’t
give you the time of day; too mean to give you the time
of day
applied to a notoriously mean person UK, 1984. < do time
1 to serve a prison sentence, especially in a manner that preserves
the prisoner’s sanity
UK, 1865. 2 to stay after school in detention US,

1954
. < for the time in poolroom betting, playing with the loser
paying for the use of the table US, 1967. < have no time for
someone
to have no respect for someone AUSTRALIA, 1911. < in no
time; in less than no time immediately UK, 1822. < make
time; make time with someone
to have sex with someone; to
make sexual advances towards someone
US, 1934
time-and-a-half noun in blackjack, the payout to a player of one
and a half times their bet when the player is dealt a natural 21. A
pun using a term usually applied to an overtime rate of pay
US, 1977
time of the month noun the bleed period of a woman’s menstrual
cycle. Barely euphemistic UK, 1931
time out! used for warning others of approaching police US, 2000
timer noun father. An abbreviation of ‘old-timer’ CANADA, 1993
time-stretcher noun a prisoner whose attitude and actions serve to
make the time served by others seem longer than it is
US, 2002
time through the gate noun the on-the-job experience of a prison
officer UK, 1996
Timmy noun a Tristar aircraft. In Royal Air Force use UK, 2002
timothy noun a brothel. A shortening of ‘Timothy Titmouse’,
rhyming slang for ‘house’ AUSTRALIA, 1950
timps noun timpani (kettle-drums); timpanists. An abbreviation of
‘timpani’ UK, 1934
Timshop noun a Roman Catholic chapel UK: SCOTLAND, 1996
tim tam noun a tampon. Abbreviation and reduplication AUSTRALIA, 2001

tin noun 1 apolicebadgeUS, 1958. 2 a police officer US, 1950. 3 a gun US,
1986. 4 asafeUS, 1970. 5 one ounce of marijuana. Probably from a
pipe tobacco tin as a measured container US, 1946. 6 beer in any
quantity or container US, 1980. 7 in drag racing, a trophy, especially
one awarded without a cash prize US, 1965. < does what it says
on the tin; does exactly what it says on the ti n
used as an
assurance that whatever is so described will be, or behave, as
expected. From a catchphrase-slogan for Ronseal™ wood-
treatments; first introduced in the early 1990s, the phrase is now
part of the company’s registered trademarking, and widely applied
in the sense recorded here
UK, 2001
tin-arse; tin-bum noun a lucky person. Derives, perhaps, from a play
on ‘copper-bottomed’ AUSTRALIA, 1953
tin arse; tin arsed adjective lucky AUSTRALIA, 1919
Tina Turner; tina noun 1 a profitable activity. Rhyming slang for,
‘earner’; formed from the popular US singer and actress (b.1938)
UK, 2001. 2 Rhyming slang for GURNER (a person intoxicated by
MDMA) UK
tin bath; tin noun 1 a laugh. Rhyming slang UK, 2002. 2 a scarf.
Rhyming slang UK, 1992
tin can noun 1 a safe that is easily broken into by criminals US, 1949.
2 an older ship in disrepair US, 1970. 3 a citizens’ band radio set.
From one of the most primitive technical means of communi-
cation: two tin cans joined by a piece of string
US, 1976
tinchy adjective petty; small BAHAMAS, 1982
Tin City noun a sheet metal barracks in Guam used to house
Vietnamese refugees after the North Vietnamese conquest in 1975

US, 1990
tin col lector noun a police officer or prosecutor involved in investi-
gating police misconduct US, 2001
tincture noun 1 an alcoholic drink. Popularised, if not inspired by the
‘Dear Bill’ letters in Private Eye UK, 1980. 2 a light drug in liquid
form. A jocular euphemism
UK, 1968
tin dog noun a snowmobile NEW ZEALAND, 1969
tin ear noun tone deafness US, 1935
T in-Ear Alley noun the boxing world. A journalists’ pun on ‘Tin-Pan
Alley’
(the world of music) UK, 1961
tin flute noun a suit. A variation of WHISTLE AND FLUTE in Glasgow
rhyming slang
UK: SCOTLAND, 1988
t’ing noun thing. West Indian and UK black pronunciation UK, 1994
ting noun money; a payment, especially in an illegal context TRINIDAD
AND TOBAGO
, 1989
ting-a-ling noun 1 the penis BAHAMAS, 1982. 2 a ring (jewellery).
Rhyming slang
UK, 1992. 3 in playing cards, a king. Rhyming slang
UK, 1992
tin grin noun any person with orthodontia US, 1977
tings noun the testicles. West Indian pronunciation of ‘things’ UK, 2000
tingum noun a person or thing the name of which escapes the
speaker
BAHAMAS, 1995
tin hat noun 1 a fool, an idiot. Rhyming slang for PRAT UK, 1998. 2 on
the railways, a company official US, 1977. < put the tin hat on it;

put the tin hat on something
to bring an unfortunate
sequence to an unwelcome climax; to finish something off
UK, 1919
tinhorn noun a cheap and offensive person US, 1887
tinhorn adjective shoddy; inconsequential; inferior US, 1886
tin Indian noun aPontiaccarUS, 1993
tinker noun 1 a member of the travelling community.
Conventionally ‘an (itinerant) mender of pots, pans, kettles etc.’,
but now more generally applied
IRELAND, 1997. 2 a child, especially a
mischievous child. Remembered in use in New Zealand in 1904
and in Australia in 1910 NEW ZEALAND, 1996. 3 a piece of scrap from
wreckage CANADA, 1983
tinker’s cuss; t inker’s damn; tinker’s toss noun something of no
value
UK, 1824
tinkle noun urine, the act of urination US, 1960. < give a tinkle to
telephone someone. From the ringing bell of original telephones
UK, 1938
tinkle verb to urinate. Children’s vocabulary, used coyly by adults US,
1960
tinklebox noun a piano US, 1946
tin lid noun 1 a Jewish person. Rhyming slang for YID UK, 1992. 2 a
child. Rhyming slang for KID AUSTRALIA, 1905
tinned dog noun canned meat AUSTRALIA, 1895
tinnie; tinny noun a can of beer AUSTRALIA, 1964
tinny noun 1 an imprecise measure of marijuana wrapped in tinfoil,
usually enough for about three cigarettes NEW ZEALAND, 1995. 2 a
small aluminium boat

AUSTRALIA, 1979. 3 a station wagon with a steel
body and no wood trim US, 1993
tinny adjective lucky AUSTRALIA, 1919
tinny house noun a place where marijuana tinnies are sold NEW
ZEALAND
, 1999
tin plate noun 1 a mate. Rhyming slang NEW ZEALAND, 1992. 2 in circus
and carnival usage, a law enforcement official in a small town US,
1981
tin sandwich noun a harmonica; a mouth organ. Used as the title
of an album of harmonica music by Tommy Basker, ‘The Tin
Sandwich’, 1994
US, 1999
tinsel-teeth noun 1 any person with orthodontia US, 1979.
2 orthodontic braces US, 1971
Tinsel T own nickname Hollywood US, 1939
tins of beans; tins noun jeans (denim trousers). Rhyming slang UK,
1992
tin soldier noun a prostitute’s client who pays not for conventional
sex, but to act as a prostitute’s ‘slave’. Noted as a ‘voyeur-type
male, usually of middle- or upper-class background’ by David
Powis, The Signs of Crime, 1977
UK, 1977
tin tack noun 1 dismissal from employment. Rhyming slang for SACK.
Recorded in 1932 but believed to be late C19
UK, 1932. 2 afact.
Rhyming slang based on
BRASS TACKs, generally plural UK, 1999
tin tank noun a bank. Rhyming slang UK, 1932
653 time | tin tank

tin termites noun rust UK, 1972
tints noun 1 sunglasses US, 1972. 2 tinted car windows US, 1980
tiny noun 1 a child AUSTRALIA, 1961. 2 a very young member of a youth
gang
US, 1981
tiny gangster noun a young member of a youth gang US, 1989
tiny mind noun < out of your tiny mind; out of your tiny you
arecrazy,foolish,mad
UK, 1970
Tiny Tim noun a five-pound note; the sum of £5. Rhyming slang for
FLIM, formed on a character in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol,
1843 UK, 1992
Tio Taco noun a Mexican-American who curries favour with the
dominant white culture. Literally ‘Uncle Taco’, referring to a
Mexican dish made with a fried corn tortilla US, 1969
tip noun 1 a point of view, an aspect or perspective; a concentration
upon an aspect
UK, 1994. 2 special information conveyed by an
expert or insider; a piece of professional advice; private knowledge,
especially in connection with investment or gambling
UK, 1845.
3 that which is ‘tipped’ to win; the probable winner in a race UK,
1873. 4 a dirty or chaotically untidy place. Especially applied,
apparently, to teenagers’ bedrooms; from a community site where
rubbish is tipped
UK, 1983. 5 a small group with specific economic
functions, such as a drug-selling enterprise US, 1995. 6 agangUS, 1990.
7 a rubber thong sandal CAYMAN ISLANDS, 1985. 8 a crowd gathered in
front of a carnival game or show US, 1968. 9 a steady, repeating
player in a carnival midway game US, 1985

tip verb 1 to convey expert, inside or specialist information, especially
about a profitable investment or a probable winner UK, 1883. 2 to
give a gratuity
UK, 1706. 3 to behave foolishly. Gulf war usage US, 1991.
4 to reckon that something will occur AUSTRALIA, 1955. 5 to perform
oral sex. A shortening of TIP THE VELVET (to kiss with the tongue) UK,
2002. 6 to become aware of a swindle US, 1963. < tip it in trucking,
to drive fast US, 1946. < tip someone the wink to warn someone;
to privately signal to someone UK, 1676. < tip the brandy to lick,
suck and tongue another’s anus. A combination of TIP (to perform
oral sex) and BRANDY AND RUM (the buttocks) UK, 2002. < tip the
bucket on someone to denigrate or criticise someone AUSTRALIA,
1986. < tip the gas in drag racing, to fill the petrol tank US, 1968.
< tip the ivy to lick, suck and tongue another’s anus UK, 2002.
< tip the load to go to confession AUSTRALIA, 1989. < tip the
velvet
1 to kiss with the tongue, especially to ‘tongue a woman’.
Based on obsolete ‘velvet’ (the tongue) UK, 1699. 2 to perform oral
sex UK, 2002. 3 in homosexual sex, to lick, suck and tongue
another’s anus
UK, 1997
tip-fiddle noun a military deployment list. Back-formation from
TPFDL (time-phased forces deployment list)
US, 2003
tip-off noun a warning; an item of private information. A variation
of TIP UK, 1901
tip off verb to give information to someone, especially about an
impending crime US, 1891
tipper noun a dump truck US, 1971
tippety-run noun a form of cricket played by children in which the

person batting has to run every time the ball is hit. Also with great
variation as ‘tip-and-go’, ‘tip-and-run’, ‘tippety’, ‘tippety-cricket’,
‘tippety-runs’, ‘tippy-cricket’, ‘tippy-go’, ‘tippy-go-run’, ‘tippy-runs’,
‘tipsy and tipsy-runs’ – and that’s ignoring vast spelling variation
AUSTRALIA, 1983
tipple noun 1 alcohol; especially a drink of regular choice. From the
conventional verb
UK, 1581. 2 by extension, a recreational drug of
choice
UK, 2000
tippy-toe verb to walk on tiptoe. Childish variation of conventional
‘tiptoe’ UK, 1901
tips noun in betting, odds of 11–10 UK, 1991
tip-slinger noun a person who offers racecourse tips AUSTRALIA, 1915
tipster noun in horse racing, someone who gives his opinions on
various horses and their chances in a race US, 1951
tip-toe verb in motor racing, to manoeuvre carefully through or past
an obstruction or dangerous condition US, 1980
tip-top adjective excellent UK, 1755
tip up verb to join a gang, especially a prison gang US, 2000
tip-up town noun a collection of ice fishing shanties on a lake’s
frozen surface. The ‘tip-up’ is the small fishing pole used for ice
fishing. Michigan Upper Pensinula usage
US, 2003
tire noun an apron worn by a young girl to keep her dress clean. This
very old word – Shakespeare often used it – is still in use in Nova
Scotia
CANADA, 1988
tire billy noun a short stick with a weighted head used by truck
drivers to test the air pressure of their tyres

US, 1971
tired adjective boring UK, 1987
tired and emotional adjective drunk. A barbed journalistic
euphemism thought to have been coined, or noted in political
use and gleefully adopted, by satirical magazine Private Eye UK, 1981
tire-kicker; tyre-kicker noun in the used car business, a customer
who studiously inspects the cars for sale, seemingly at the expense
of ever getting around to buying a car. Reported by sales assistants
in a UK electrical goods retail chain in August 2002 as meaning ‘a
customer who spends a long time looking and fails to make a
purchase’
US, 1997
tish note noun in circus and carnival usage, counterfeit money,
especially when used to pay a prostitute US, 1981
tissue noun 1 crack cocaine. The variant ‘tisher’ is also used UK, 1998.
2 (especially in Tasmania) a cigarette paper AUSTRALIA, 1966
tissue odds; tissue noun a betting forecast used by bookmakers.
From the flimsy paper originally used for this purpose
UK, 1942
tiswas; tizwas; tizz-wozz noun a state of excitement or confusion.
Originally Royal Air Force use; possibly a blend of ‘it is/it was’ as a
variation of ‘not know if you are coming or going’ or a variation of
TIZZ (an emotional state). From 1974–82 Tiswas was a popular
Saturday morning television programme that demonstrated the
qualities of excitement and confusion UK, 1960
tit noun 1 the female breast US, 1928. 2 any finger-touch button such
as on an electric bell; thus any button-like or knobby
protruberance that vaguely resembles a nipple. Originally military
UK, 1943. 3 a police officer’s helmet. From the shape UK, 2002. 4 a
fool. Often as ‘look a right tit’ or ‘an absolute tit’, and the

amusing popular favourite ‘feel a right tit’ UK, 1947. 5 asmallraised
bump on a computer keyboard key, most commonly the f and j
keys, to provide orientation for the user’s fingers
US, 1991. < atit
full of Wild Turkey
used for describing an alcoholic’s fondest
sexual fantasy US, 1994. < get tit to succeed in the goal of
touching or fondling a girl’s breasts US, 1974. < on the tit enjoying
charity, or quasi-charity, in the form of undemanding work US, 1957
tit adjective undemanding, easy US, 1990
tit about verb to waste time; to play about; to be engaged in trivial
activity UK, 1999
tit and clit chain noun a decorative chain that connects a woman’s
pierced nipples and clitoris US, 1996
titanic noun someone who performs oral sex on first acquaintance.
A jokey reference to ‘going down’ (performing oral sex) first time
out; the RMS Titanic famously sunk on her maiden voyage
UK, 2002
titbag noun 1 a brassiere US, 1994. 2 a fool. An elaboration of TIT (a
fool) UK, 2001
titch nickname applied to a person of small stature or a little child.
Derives, via the earlier spelling ‘tich’, from music hall entertainer
Little Tich (diminutive comedian Harry Relph, 1868–1928), who
took as his stage name the nickname he was given as a child from
his resemblance to Arthur Orton, the man who claimed to be the
missing heir to an English baronetcy, Richard Tichborne
UK, 1934
titchy adjective small, of small stature, insignificant. From TITCH UK,
1950
tit-clamp noun a device, designed to cause discomfort or pain for

sexual stimulation, that is attached to a breast or nipple UK, 1995
tit-for-tat noun 1 a reaction equal and opposite to the action UK, 1556.
2 a hat. Rhyming slang. Can be shortend to ‘titfer’, ‘titfa’ or ‘tit-for’
UK, 1930. 3 a trade union traitor. Rhyming slang for RAT AUSTRALIA, 2002
tit-fuck noun an act of rubbing the penis in the compressed
cleavage between a woman’s breasts US, 1972
tin termites | tit-fuck 654
tit-fuck verb to rub the penis in the compressed cleavage between a
woman’s breasts
US, 1986
tit-hammock noun a brassiere UK, 1961
tithead noun an idiot. Elaboration of TIT (an idiot) on the pattern of
DICKHEAD (an idiot) UK, 1999
titi noun the female breast TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 2003
tit joint noun a bar or club featuring bare-breasted women servers
US, 1984
tit-kisser noun a man sexually obsessed with women US, 1977
tit lift noun a procedure in cosmetic surgery to enhance the female
breast
UK, 1992
tit mag noun a magazine that features pictures of half-naked or
naked women in erotic poses UK, 1976
tit magazine noun a magazine featuring photographs of naked
women US, 1972
tit-man; tits-man noun a male with a (declared) primary interest in
a woman’s breasts as a point of attraction US, 1974
tito noun a rand (unit of currency). Teen slang, after South African
Reserve Bank Governor Tito Mboweni
SOUTH AFRICA, 2003
tit off verb to annoy or to aggravate someone UK, 1997

tit ring noun a ring that passes through a pierced nipple US, 1984
tit run noun a walk through a crowd in search of attractive female
breasts US, 1995
tits noun 1 when preceded by a characteristic or adjective, a person
(of either gender) of the type defined by that characteristic or
adjective
UK, 1997. 2 heroin. Probably from TITS (exceptionally good)
UK, 2002. < get on someone’s tits to annoy or irritate someone.
Used by either gender UK, 1945. < off your tits drunk or drug-
intoxicated UK, 2000. < the tits the best; absolute perfection,mid-C20
tits adjective exceptionally good US, 1966
tits! used for expressing excitement US, 1992
tits and ass; tits and arse adjective said of a film, television
programme, or magazine featuring nudity
US, 1965
tits out adverb in an uncompromising fashion, determinedly. Office
jargon with a non-gender specific application UK, 2005
tits up adjective dead; out of operation. A coarser BELLY-UP, of military
(possibly Royal Air Force) origin UK, 1981
tittie twister noun a pinch and twist of the breast, especially the
nipple US, 1997
tit tip noun a female nipple US, 1982
tittle-tattle verb to inform on someone. A nuance of the conven-
tional sense (to chat, to gossip), perhaps influenced by ‘tell-tale’ UK,
2003
titty; tittie noun the female breast IRELAND, 1922
titty bar; tittie bar noun a bar featuring bare-breasted female
servers and/or dancers
US, 1991
titty-deep adjective used of a fox hole shallow US, 1990

titty-fuck noun an act of rubbing the penis in the compressed
cleavage between a woman’s breasts. Elaboration of TIT-FUCK US, 1988
titty-fuck verb to rub the penis in the compressed cleavage between
a woman’s breasts US, 1998
titty hard-ons noun erect nipples AUSTRALIA, 1996
titty pink adjective a bright pink shade of lipstick. Thought to
resemble the colour of a nipple US, 1982
tittytainment noun television programming that exploits sex. Used
in the German media
US, 1998
tit-wank noun an act of sexual gratification in which the penis is
rubbed between a female partner’s breasts UK, 2002
tit willow noun a pillow. Rhyming slang; playing on the pillowing
effect of a
TIT (the female breast) UK, 1932
tizz verb to frizz something up AUSTRALIA, 1967
tizz; tiz; tizzy noun a state of panic or confused excitement US, 1935
tizzic noun a lingering, throaty cough BARBADOS, 1998
tizz up verb to dress up AUSTRALIA, 1977
tizzy adjective ostentatiously dressed AUSTRALIA, 1953
tizzy up verb to smarten or spruce something up AUSTRALIA, 1960
TJ nickname Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. On the California-Mexico
border, just south of San Diego, California
US, 1981
T-Jones noun amotherUS, 1988
tjorrie noun 8see: CHORRIE
TL noun a sycophant. From the Yiddish tuchus leker (ass licker) US, 1972
TL C noun tender, loving care US, 1973
TM noun 1 a commerically rolled cigarette. A shortened form of
TAILO R-MA D E US, 1976. 2 transcendental meditation US, 1979

TMB doctors’ shorthand applied to an elderly patient. An initialism
of ‘too many birthdays’
UK, 2002
TMI used for expressing the sentiment that a conversation has
become too personal, that the speaker is imparting too much
information US, 1997
TMT used to designate the person who will feature in your immedi-
ate masturbatory fantasies
UK, 2002
TNT noun 1 heroin. A play on DYNAMITE (a powerful drug) UK, 1977.
2 amyl or butyl nitrite UK, 1998. 3 a variety of MDMA, the rec-
reational drug best known as ecstasy. A pun on TNT (the explosive
trinitrotulene), suggesting that the ecstasy experience is explosive
UK, 1999. 4 fentanyl, a synthetic narcotic analgesic that is used as a
recreational drug
, 2004
TNX used as Internet discussion group shorthand to mean ‘thanks’
US, 1997
to preposition at. In conventional use from C10 to mid-C19; now in
regional and dialect use in the UK, and colloquial use in the US
UK, 1985
toad noun 1 an unattractive, older male homosexual US, 1985. 2 a very
sick, derelict hospital patient. An initialism for a ‘trashy old
alcoholic derelict’ US, 1977. 3 a black prisoner US, 1989. 4 a used car
that is in very poor condition
US, 1980
TOAD used for describing what happens when a surfer catches a big
wave and almost immediately falls from his board. An abbreviation
of ‘take off and die’
US, 1988

toadie noun the vagina US, 1998
toadskins noun money. A play on FROGSKIN CANADA, 1912
toad-stabber; toad-sticker noun a knife US, 1945
to and fro noun snow. Rhyming slang UK, 1992
to-and-fro’ing; to’ing-and-fro’ing noun a constant moving about
UK, 1961
to and from noun an English person. Rhyming slang for POM
AUSTRALIA
, 1946
toast noun 1 something that is completely broken or inoperable US,
1991. 2 a forest that has been burnt by a forest fire US, 1991. 3 a
narrative poem US, 1976. 4 an amusing story told as part of a rap
performance. Adopted from a West Indian DJ’s ‘toast’ (to perform
a lyric)
US, 2000
toast verb to heat a powdered drug such as heroin for injection
CANADA, 1966
toast adjective dead US, 1983
toasted adjective 1 drunk US, 1980. 2 emotionally unstable ANTARCTICA,
1997
toasted bread adjective dead. A variation of the familiar rhyming
slang ‘brown bread’; UK, 1998
toast rack noun a very thin cow NEW ZEALAND, 2002
tobacco juice; tobacco stain noun faecal stains in the underwear
or on a toilet bowl US, 1966
tobaccy noun tobacco US, 1935
Tobago love noun a relationship in which there is little or no display
of affection TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 1993
Tobago sugar noun wood waste left by termites TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO,
2003

655 tit-fuck | Tobago sugar
tober noun a field or other site recognised as the temporary home
and responsibility of a circus, fair or market. Shelta
UK, 1890
Tobermory noun a story. Rhyming slang, from the main village on
the Isle of Mull, Scotland
UK, 2001
tober omee noun a toll collector, a rent collector; a landlord UK, 1934
tober showman noun a travelling musician UK, 2002
Toblerone; tobler noun alone; on my own. Rhyming slang, formed
from a branded chocolate confection. Often as ‘on my tobler’
IRELAND, 2003
to buggery adverb used to intensify an adjective. In phrases like
‘blown to buggery’ UK, 2002
toby noun the road, the highway. From Shelta tobar or tob er UK, 1958
toby jug noun the ear. Rhyming slang for, LUG. UK, 1992
tochis; tuckus; to chas noun the buttocks. Yiddish US, 1934
tochis-over-teakettle adverb head-over-heels US, 1991
tockley noun the penis AUSTRALIA, 1992
to coin a phrase used as an ironic acknowledgement or apology
for an immediately preceding or ensuing triteness US, 1951
toddie noun a potato UK, 1984
toddle verb to go; to leave UK, 1812
toddy noun an alcoholic beverage made with the alcohol of choice,
hot water and sugar UK, 1991
todge omee-palone noun the passive partner in homosexual anal
sex UK, 2002
todger noun the penis. From the obsolete verb ‘todge’ (to smash to
a pulp), the penis seen as a smashing tool UK, 2001
todger dodger noun a lesbian. Literally ‘someone who avoids a

TODGER’ (the penis) UK, 2002
to-do noun a social function or party. Extending the more general
sense of ‘to-do’ (a fuss) creates this slightly critical variation of
DO
(a party) UK, 2001
Tod Sloan; tod noun alone. Rhyming slang for ‘alone’ although
usage suggests a rhyme on ‘own’: ‘on your tod’ (on your own).
Tod Sloan (1874–1933) was a US jockey who raced in the UK,
under royal colours, from 1896. In 1901 he was banned by the
English Jockey Club; by 1906 he was ruled off the turf everywhere.
Coined originally for his fame, continued ironically with his infamy
when he was truly ‘on his tod’. Still used though the man is
forgotten
UK, 1934
toe noun < on the toe nervous, anxious AUSTRALIA, 1989
toe-ender noun a kick UK: SCOTLAND, 1985
toefoot noun a numbing of the feet in cold water, creating the sen-
sation of having no toes, only a foot. Surfing usage US, 2004
toe-jam noun the amalgam of dirt and sweat that gathers between
the toes of unwashed feet US, 1999
toe nails in the radiator; toes on the radiator; toe nails on
the fr ont bump er; toes on the bumper
adjective describing a
vehicle being driven at top speed, or the driver of that vehicle.
Citizens’ band radio slang; the image of a driver’s foot pressing the
accelerator pedal through the floor
US, 1976
toe-popper noun a small antipersonnel mine powerful enough to
blow off a hand or foot US, 1990
toe-rag noun 1 a person who is disliked, usually with good reason.

Ultimately from the rags worn on a tramp’s feet, hence a beggar,
and hence this term of contempt which is the only sense that
survives
UK, 1875. 2 a slut. Rhyming slang for SLAG UK, 1992
toes noun < on your toes on the run UK, 1996
toes over adjective said when a surfer has any number of toes
extended over the front end of the surfboard US, 1964
toes-up adjective sleeping. Prison usage NEW ZEALAND, 1997
toe ticket noun the name tag affixed to the toe of a corpse in a
morgue US, 1962
toe-to-toe noun afightUK, 2000
toe toucher noun a male homosexual, especially the passive partner
in anal sex
UK, 1983
toe up adjective drunk. A corruption of ‘torn up’ US, 2001
toey adjective 1 fast, fleet-footed AUSTRALIA, 1971. 2 restless; uneasy.
From an earlier sense of ‘a racehorse keen to run’ (1930)
AUSTRALIA,
1959. 3 anxious for sex NEW ZEALAND, 1995
toff noun 1 a person who is, or appears to be, of a superior social
status or well-to-do. From ‘tuft’ which, in 1670, was a gold tassel
worn by titled undergraduates at Oxford and Cambridge, and, by
1755, was university slang for a person of rank and title and hence
down the social scale to ‘swell’ and ‘nob’. In 1865 there was a
music hall song entitled ‘The Shoreditch Toff’ by Arthur Lloyd
UK,
1851
. 2 a completely reliable and dependable person AUSTRALIA, 1989
toffee noun 1 nonsense or flattery UK, 1967. 2 (a stick of) gelignite.
From its appearance

UK, 1964. < not for toffee of a person’s
ability to do something, not at all, by no means, not in any
circumstances
UK, 1914
toffee-nose noun a snob; a supercilious individual. A play on TOFF (a
well-to-do person) as the sort of person who would look down
their nose at a lesser individual
UK, 1964
toffee-nosed adjective supercilious, snobbish UK, 1925
toffee wrapper; toffee noun the head. Rhyming slang for NAPPER
UK
, 1998
toff omee noun a wealthy older male homosexual lover; a homosex-
ual sugar daddy. After the obsolete sense as ‘a very well-to-do
gentleman’ UK, 2002
tog noun a men’s suit CANADA, 1965
tog verb to dress. Conventional English reincarnated as slang in black
vernacular US, 1946
together adjective having your life, career or emotions under control;
self-assured US, 1969. < get it together to take control of your per-
sonal condition; to get your mind and emotions under control; to
become organised
US, 1975
togged out adjective dressed UK, 1793
togged up adjective dressed up, usually for a special occasion. From
TOGS (clothes) UK, 1793
toggle jockey noun in the US Air Force, a co-pilot US, 1946
togs noun 1 clothing. Conventional English starting in the late C18,
resurrected as slang in the C20 UK, 1779. 2 especially on the eastern
mainland, a swimming costume AUSTRALIA, 1918

toilet noun 1 an inferior venue UK, 2002. 2 in the used car business, a
used car with serious hygiene issues
US, 1992. 3 a person as a sex
object US, 1980. 4 fat buttocks BAHAMAS, 1982. 5 a casino. An insider
term US, 1980. < in the toilet 1 lost, wasted US, 1987. 2 in serious
trouble US, 2001
toilet-bowl adjective having an inferior location or very low status US,
1995
toilet-bowl woman noun a prostitute who operates on Main Street
in downtown Los Angeles. Another name for a ‘comfort lady’ US,
2000
toilet mouth noun a person who employs a vocabulary that is con-
sidered foul or obscene
US, 1976
toilet queen noun a homosexual male who loiters around public
toilets in search of sex-partners US, 1967
toilet roll; toilet noun unemployment benefit. Rhyming slang for
THE DOLE UK, 1992
toilet seat noun in electric line work, an insulator retainer US, 1980
toilet-seat flying noun short run commercial flying, with lots of
stops CANADA, 1996
toilet services noun in a prostitute’s advertising, the act of
urination, or defecation, by one person on another for fetishistic
gratification UK, 2003
toilet snipe noun a thief who robs homosexuals at public toilets,
often after posing as a homosexual himself UK, 1983
toilet talk noun speech that is considered obscenely offensive US, 1971
tober | toilet talk 656
Toiling Tillie noun used as a personification of the stereotypical
female office worker

US, 1955
to’ing-and-fro’ing noun 8see: TO-AND -FRO’ING
toke noun 1 an inhalation of marijuana smoke US, 1962. 2 marijuana
UK, 2001. 3 a dose of a drug US, 1994. 4 cocaine UK, 2003. 5 in casino
gambling, a gratuity either in the form of betting chips or in the
form of a bet made in the name of the dealer. An abbreviation of
‘token of gratitude’
US, 1981
toke verb 1 to inhale smoke from a tobacco cigarette, a marijuana
cigarette, a crack cocaine pipe or other drug
US, 1952. 2 to sniff up
and inhale cocaine UK, 2001. 3 to tip someone. Almost exclusively
casino usage
US, 1983
toke pipe noun a short-stemmed pipe used for smoking marijuana
US, 1982
toker noun 1 a marijuana smoker US, 1973. 2 in a casino, a tipper.
Because tips in casinos are most often in the form of gambling
tokens or ‘tokes’
US, 1974
toke up verb to smoke marijuana US, 1959
to kill for adjective extremely desirable UK, 2001
Tokyo toughies noun inexpensive tennis shoes US, 1991
tol’able used as a response to the query of how you are. A youth-
slurred ‘tolerable’
US, 1981
toley; toly noun excrement, especially a turd. From Scottish dialect
toalie or tolie (a small cake)
UK: SCOTLAND, 1967
toller noun a carved wooden duck decoy CANADA, 1946

tolley noun toluene, a paint solvent inhaled by the truly desperate
abuser US, 1997
tolly mug noun a tooth mug or glass UK, 1947
tom noun 1 a prostitute. Thus a police unit that targets prostitution
may be dubbed ‘tom squad’ or ‘tom patrol’ UK, 1948. 2 a resident of
Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal, the power elite of Canada CANADA,
1979. 3 in a casino, a poor tipper US, 1993. 4 money SOUTH AFRICA, 1975.
5 a British private soldier. A shortening of TOMMY UK, 1995
Tom noun a black person who curries favour with white people by
obsequious and servile behaviour. A shortened form of UNCLE TOM
US
, 1959
tom verb to work as a prostitute. From TOM (a prostitute) UK, 1964
8see: TOMORROW
Tom verb to curry favour by acting obsequiously and in a servile
manner US, 1967
Tom adjective shoddy, inferior US, 1989
Tom and Dick; Tom, Harry and Dick; Harry, Tom and Dick;
Tom Harry
adjective sick. Rhyming slang UK, 1954
tomato noun an attractive woman, especially a young one US, 1929
tomato can noun a mediocre boxer US, 1955
tomato pur ee; tomato noun a jury. Rhyming slang UK, 1998
tomato sauce noun a racehorse. Rhyming slang UK, 1992
tombowler; tombola noun a large marble; a highly prized marble
AUSTRALIA, 1977
Tombs nickname the Manhattan Detention Complex or city jail.
Named when built in the mid-C19 because it was modelled on an
Egyptian-style mausoleum. The present facility bears no
resemblance to the original structure but still carries the sobriquet

US, 1840
tombstone disposition noun a surly, graceless, fearless character US,
1970
tom cat noun 1 a sewing machine needle converted to use for
injecting drugs US, 1949. 2 a mat. Rhyming slang UK, 1961
tom-cat; tomcat verb to pursue women for the purpose of fleeting
sexual encounters US, 1927
Tom Crui se noun alcohol. Rhyming slang for BOOZE,formedonthe
name of the US film actor (b.1962) UK, 1998
Tom, Dick and Harrilal noun used as the Trinidadian version of the
common man Tom, Dick and Harry TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 1990
Tom, Dick and Harry noun any man – by random example. From
C16, obsolete variations abound, not the least of which is
Shakespeare’s ‘Tom, Dick and Francis’; ‘Tom Dick and Harry’ is not
recorded until 1865 UK, 1865
Tom Dooleys noun the testicles. Rhyming slang for GOOLIES (the
testicles), formed from a folk song character who, fittingly, was
hung
UK, 1992
Tom Finney adjective skinny. Rhyming slang, formed from the name
of Preston and England footballer, Tom Finney (b.1922)
UK, 1998
tomfoolery; tom noun jewellery. Rhyming slang. The abbreviated
form is first recorded in 1955 UK, 1931
tomming noun prostitution UK, 2002
Tom Mix; tom noun an injection of a drug. Rhyming slang for FIX,
formed on the name of US film actor Tom Mix, 1880–1940
UK,
1978
tommy noun the penis BAHAMAS, 1982

Tommy noun a British private soldier. The name Tommy Atkins was
used as a specimen signature on official forms UK, 1884
Tommy Dodd noun 1 God. Rhyming slang UK, 1960. 2 a gun. Rhyming
slang for ROD US, 1944
Tommy Dodd adjective odd. Rhyming slang UK, 1992
Tommy Dodds noun betting odds. Rhyming slang, extended from
TOMMY DODD (odd) used from the mid-C19 in relation to coin
tossing
UK, 1960
Tommy Farr noun a (drinks) bar. Rhyming slang formed on the
name of the Welsh champion boxer, 1914–86 UK, 1992
Tommy Guns noun diarrhoea. Rhyming slang for THE RUNS UK, 1998
Tommy Rollocks; rollocks; rollicks noun the testicles; nonsense,
especially as an exclamation. Rhyming slang for BOLLOCKS UK, 1961
tommyrot noun nonsense UK, 1884
tommy squeaker noun afartUK, 2003
Tommy Trinder noun a window. Rhyming slang, formed from the
name of the popular Cockney comedian, 1909–89
UK, 1998
Tommy Tripe; tommy verb to look at someone or something.
Rhyming slang for PIPE UK, 1992
Tommy Trotter noun a lump of nasal mucus. Glasgow rhyming
slang for
SNOTTER UK: SCOTLAND, 1988
Tommy Tucker noun 1 the penis, especially when erect. Possibly
rhyming slang for ‘fucker’ UK, 1966. 2 a spirited person. Rhyming
slang for FUCKER, formed from a nursery rhyme character.
Normally said without malice UK, 1998. 3 a gullible individual.
Rhyming slang for
SUCKER UK, 1998

tomo noun a subterranean stream. From the Maori term for ‘cave’
NEW ZEALAND, 1972
tomorrow noun < like there was no tomorrow; as if ther e
was no tomorrow with desperate vigour, urgently UK, 1980
tomorrow; tom verb to borrow. Rhyming slang UK, 1992
tomorrow next day noun among Nova Scotians of German descent,
the indefinite future CANADA, 1999
toms noun a fit of annoyance. Short for TOM TITS AUSTRALIA, 1960
Tom Sawyer noun a lawyer. Rhyming slang, formed from Mark
Twain’s eponymous hero UK, 1961
Tom Tank noun an act of male masturbation. Rhyming slang for
WANK (an act of masturbation) UK, 2003
Tom Terrific nickname Tom Seaver (b.1944), a pitcher who almost
single-handedly carried the New York Mets from last place in 1967
to the World Series champions in 1969. From a television cartoon
show popular in the late 1950s and early 60s
US, 1969
Tom Thumb noun rum. Rhyming slang AUSTRALIA, 1905
tom tit; tom noun an act of defecation. Rhyming slang for SH IT UK,
1943
tom tits; toms noun 1 diarrhoea. Rhyming slang for THE SHITS
AUSTRALIA
, 1943. 2 a fit of annoyance. Rhyming slang for SHITS
AUSTRALIA
, 1944
657 Toiling Tillie | tom tits; toms
Tom Tug noun a bug. Rhyming slang UK, 1998
ton noun 1 a large amount. Often in the plural UK, 1770. 2 in any
miscellaneous context, one hundred
UK, 1962. 3 one hundred miles

per hour
UK, 1954. 4 one hundred pounds sterling UK, 1946. 5 one
hundred Australian dollars
AUSTRALIA, 1989
ton verb < ton it to drive at 100 miles per hour UK, 2000
tone noun rude or disparaging talk TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 1957
tone on tone noun a car with the same colour interior and exterior
US, 1997
toney adjective 8see: TONY
tongs noun heroin. Possibly in reference to the Chinese ‘tongs’
(criminal organisations) responsible in part for the import and dis-
tribution of the drug
UK, 2002
tongue noun 1 the clitoris TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 2003. 2 an attorney US,
1962. < get tongue in the categorisation of sexual activity by
teenage boys, to kiss with tongue contact US, 1986
tongue job noun oral sex on a woman UK, 1984
tongue-pash verb to kiss with open mouths AUSTRALIA, 2000
tongue-trooper noun a Quebec inspector of signs, commissioned to
enforce Bill 101, the language law making French primary in the
province. Mordecai Richler is widely credited with having invented
this popular nickname for the ‘language police’ in his controversial
New Yorker essay ‘Oh Canada! Oh Quebec!’ (1992) CANADA, 2000
tongue wash noun oral sex, especially on a woman US, 1981
tonguey; tonguie noun atongue-kissAUSTRALIA, 1995
tonk noun 1 a homosexual male. From ‘tonka bean’, rhyming slang
for
QUEEN NEW ZEALAND, 1946. 2 the penis AUSTRALIA, 1972
tonk verb 1 to have sex. Euphemistic for FUCK UK, 1974. 2 in sport, to
defeat someone resoundingly. Noted as ‘imitative of a powerful

blow having reached its target’ by Susie Dent, The Language
Report , 2003
UK, 1997
tonking noun a humiliating beating. From TONK UK, 1999
tonking adjective used as an intensifier UK, 1974
tonky noun the genitals, male or female BAHAMAS, 1982
tonky adjective fashionable. A possible blend of French ton (style) and
SWANKY (showy) NEW ZEALAND, 1998
Tonky; tonkie noun a member of the Batonka tribe; an
unsophisticated person or thing; someone who has ‘gone native’.
Derogatory ZIMBABWE, 2000
tonsil hockey noun passionate kissing US, 1986
tonsil juice noun saliva US, 1946
tonsil paint noun whisky US, 1977
tonsil test noun a film or theatre audition UK, 1952
tonsil-tickling noun intensive kissing. Slang for those who don’t let
it get too serious UK, 1990s
tonto adjective crazy, silly, foolish, eccentric. From Spanish tonto
(stupid)
US, 1973
ton-up noun a speed of 100 miles per hour, especially with reference
to motorcycles UK, 1961
ton-up boy noun a motorcyclist who has driven at 100 miles per
hour; generically, a member of a motorcycle gang. From TON (100)
UK, 1983
tony; toney adjective up-market, sophisticated, stylish; snobbish,
swanky. Conventionally meaning ‘style’. Also used in Australia and
New Zealand since 1900
US, 2001
Tony Benn noun ten. Rhyming slang, formed from the name of

popular socialist politician Tony Benn (b.1925)
UK, 1998
Tony Benner noun ten pounds. Rhyming slang for TENNER, extended
on the name of Tony Benn (b.1925), a popular socialist politician
UK, 1998
Tony Blair; tony noun hair. Rhyming slang, based on prime
minister Tony Blair (b.1953), probably inspired by the new hairstyle
he adopted (with widespread media attention) in 1996
UK, 1998
Tony Blairs noun flared trousers. Rhyming slang for ‘flares’ UK, 1998
Tony Hatch noun a match. Rhyming slang, formed from the name
of the British tunesmith (b.1939)
UK, 1998
tony’s noun dice that have been marked to have two identical faces
US, 1950
toodlembuck; toodle-em-buck; doodle-em-buck noun any of
various gambling games played by children utilising a spinning
device with the names of horses in a race written on it. From a
‘toodle/doodle’ frequentative formation expressive of spinning,
‘em’ (them) and ‘buck’ (a gambling marker)
AUSTRALIA, 1924
toodle-oo goodbye. Cute. In the US, quite affected in a British sort
of way
UK, 1907
toodle-pip; tootle-pip goodbye. Very dated; contemporary usage is
generally ironic, denoting a certain type of foolish upper-class
speaker
UK, 1907
toodles goodbye. Affected; an American corruption of TOODLE-OO,
perceived in the US as quaintly and quintessentially British. A

signature line of the Francine ‘Gidget’ Lawrence character played
by Sally Fields on Gidget (ABC, 1965–66). Repeated with referential
humour US, 1966
toody-hoo used as a greeting US, 1983
too fool adjective lacking common sense CAYMAN ISLANDS, 1985
tooie; tuie; tooey; toolie; toole noun a capsule of amobarbital
sodium and secobarbital sodium (trade name Tuinal™), a combi-
nation of central nervous system depressants US, 1966
tool noun 1 the penis. Conventional English at first – found in
Shakespeare’s Henry VIII – and then rediscovered in the C20 as
handy slang
UK, 1553. 2 an objectionable idiot, a fool UK, 2001. 3 a
diligent student US, 1965. 4 a weapon, generally a gun or a knife UK,
1942. 5 a skilled pickpocket US, 1950. 6 in pool, a player’s cue stick US,
1993. 7 a surfboard US, 1987
tool verb 1 to drive, to go, to travel, usually in a carefree manner.
Originally of horse-drawn transports, applied in the C20 to motor
vehicles, boats and aircraft
US, 1948. 2 to wander aimlessly; to do
nothing in particular. The variant ‘tool around’ is also used US, 1932.
3 to have sex US, 1993. 4 to slash a person with a razor UK, 1959. 5 to
work hard US, 1997
toolbox noun 1 the male genitals US, 1964. 2 the vagina US, 1967
tool check noun an inspection by a military doctor or medic of
male recruits for signs of sexually transmitted disease US, 1967
tooled up adjective 1 in possession of a weapon. From TOOL (a gun
or knife); popularised in such 1970s television crime dramas as
The Sweeney UK, 1959. 2 carrying cocaine. A self-important adoption
of an earlier gangster cliché UK, 2001. 3 in possession of house-
breaking implements UK, 1959

tooler noun a show-off US, 1965
tooley bird noun in oil drilling, a loud squeak caused by poorly
lubricated equipment US, 1954
toolie noun 1 in oil drilling, a driller’s helper US, 1954. 2 a man who, in
a quest for sex, joins a group of young people during the
Schoolies Week holiday AUSTRALIA, 2003
toolies noun a pair of men’s close-fitting and revealing nylon
swimming trunks. From TOOL (the penis) AUSTRALIA, 2003 8see:
TULES
toolio noun a social outcast US, 1997
tools noun 1 the syringe and other equipment used to prepare and
inject drugs US, 1966. 2 the jewellery, cars, clothing and material
flourishes that support a pimp’s image
US, 1972. 3 aracecourse
bookmaker’s equipment
UK, 2001
tools of the trade noun any objects used in sado-masochistic
activities, especially when advertised by a prostitute
UK, 2003
tool up verb (of a man) to ready yourself for sexual intercourse, by
erecting the penis
UK, 1984
too much adjective great, wonderful, excellent US, 1969
too much! used as a humorous commentary, suggesting that
someone has gone too far
US, 1963
too much perspective; too much fucking perspective used for
expressing the sentiment that too much information is being shared.
Tom Tug | too much perspective; too much fucking perspective 658
A catchphrase from Spinal Tap,used with humour and referentially US,

1984
toonie noun a two-dollar coin. An alternative to ‘doubloonie’, both
nicknames derived from the
LOONY CANADA, 1987
toonkins noun used as an endearing term of address to a child
BARBADOS, 1965
too right yes indeed!, absolutely! AUSTRALIA, 1919
tooroo goodbye. Variant of ‘too-ra-loo’ AUSTRALIA, 1927
too serious adjective very good US, 1980
toot noun 1 a dose of a drug, especially cocaine to be snorted US,
1971
. 2 an inhalation of marijuana smoke UK, 2004. 3 cocaine; heroin
UK, 1977. 4 butyl nitrite US, 1984. 5 a drinking spree US, 1891. 6 the
toilet. Rhymes with ‘foot’. Perhaps a euphemistic alteration of
‘toilet’. The suggestion in the Australian National Dictionary that it
derives from British dialect tut (a small seat or hassock), recorded
in C19, fails to impress as it doesn’t take into account the fact that
the dialect word was pronounced to rhyme with ‘putt’
AUSTRALIA,
1965. 7 a prostitute US, 2001 8see: WHISTLE AND TOOT
toot verb 1 to inhale a powdered drug, such as cocaine US, 1975. 2 to
inhale crack cocaine vapours UK, 1996. 3 to fart US, 1978
toot; tute nickname in Canadian military aviation, the Tutor one-
engine jet trainer CANADA, 1995
tooter noun a (improvised) tube for inhaling cocaine into the nose
US, 1981
toothbrush day noun after a guilty verdict, the day when sentencing
is announced US, 1985
toothing noun anonymous casual sexual activity with any partner
arranged over Bluetooth™ radio technology enabled mobile

phones UK, 2004
toothless gibbon noun the vagina. A visual pun, evocative of, if not
inspired by, The Goodies ‘Funky Gibbon’, 1970 UK, 1999
toothpick noun 1 a thinly rolled marijuana cigarette. Collected
during an extensive survey of New Zealand prison slang,
1996–2000
NEW ZEALAND, 2000. 2 a long, thin, old-fashioned
surfboard
AUSTRALIA, 1985. 3 a railway tie US, 1977. 4 a pool cue stick
that is lighter than average US, 1990. 5 a sharp knife US, 1945
tooth-to-tail ratio noun the ratio of combat troops (tooth) to rear-
echelon support personnel (tail) US, 1991
tootie adjective homosexual US, 1999
tooting adverb completely, absolutely. Usually further intensified with
a preceding adverb
US, 1932
Tooting Bec noun 1 food; a little to eat. Rhyming slang for PECK
formed from an area of south London UK, 1937. 2 a kiss. Rhyming
slang for ‘peck’ UK, 1992
tootle; tootle around; to otle along; tootle off verb to go; to
wander; to travel
UK, 1959
too true used as a stressed affirmative UK, 1969
toots noun used as an affectionate term of address, usually to a girl
or woman US, 1936
tootsie noun 1 a woman, a girlfriend; often used as a form of
address, either humourous or affectionate US, 1895. 2 a child’s foot;
a woman’s foot. A baby-talk coinage; playful or affectionate usage
US, 1999. 3 a capsule of secobarbital sodium and amobarbital
sodium (trade name Tuinal™), a combination of central nervous

system depressants. Also variant ‘tootie’
US, 1977
tootsie roll noun distilled and concentrated heroin US, 1987
tootsie trade noun a sexual coupling of two effeminate homosexual
men UK, 2002
toov noun cigarettes, tobacco. English gypsy use UK, 2000
too wet to plow adjective experiencing the bleed period of the
menstrual cycle US, 1999
top noun 1 the dominant partner in a homosexual or sado-
masochistic relationship US, 1961. 2 a maximum prison sentence US,
1968. 3 a first sergeant. Variants include ‘topper’ and ‘tap kick’ US,
1991. < be on top to be discovered in a criminal enterprise; to be
arrested. Presumably from the exposed and conspicuous position
that is normally meant by ‘on top’
UK, 1970. < over the top said
of a score in pinball when the score exceeds the capacity of the
scoring device and thus returns to zero
US, 1977. < the top 1 the
beginning of something, often in the phrase ‘from the top’
UK,
1976
. 2 the northern parts of Australia AUSTRALIA, 1951
top verb 1 to execute someone especially by hanging or beheading;
hence, to kill someone UK, 1718. 2 to take the dominant, controlling
role in a sado-masochistic relationship US, 1997. < top from the
bottom; top from below
(of a sexual submissive in a sado-
masochistic relationship), to take, or attempt to take, the domi-
nant, controlling role
UK, 1996. < top the hills and pop the pills

used as a stock description of a trucker’s work US, 1976. < top
yourself
to commit suicide. A specific variant of TOP (to kill
deliberately) UK, 1718
top adjective great; excellent US, 1935
top banana noun the headliner in a vaudeville show; by figurative
extension, the leading figure in any enterprise US, 1953
top bitch noun in a group of prostitutes working for a pimp, the
latest addition to the group US, 1967
top bollocks; top ballocks noun the female breasts UK, 1961
top brass; brass noun high-ranking police officers. Adopted from
military usage, preceded by ‘big brass’ and ‘high brass’ UK, 1949
top dog noun 1 a very important person UK, 1900. 2 in poker, the
highest pair in a hand
US, 1996
top dog adjective of a person, important UK, 1998
top dollar noun a high price or the best price; or rate of pay US, 1994
top dollar adjective first-rate, genuine UK, 2001
top-drawer adjective well-bred, high-class, the best UK, 1920
top dresser drawer noun the uppermost berth in a brakevan
(caboose) US, 1946
toped verb drunk. From the conventional, if rarely used, verb ‘tope’
UK, 2003
Top End; top end noun the northern parts of the Northern Territory
AUSTRALIA, 1933
Top Ender noun a person from the Top End AUSTRALIA, 1941
top-flight adjective first rate US, 1939
top gun noun 1 crack cocaine US, 1994. 2 one hundred pounds. Rhy
ming slang for
TON, formed from the title of a 1986 film UK, 1998

top hat noun 1 the vagina. Rhyming slang for PRAT UK, 1998. 2 afool.
Rhyming slang for PRAT UK, 1998. 3 in the television and film
industries, a device used to enable shooting very low angles
UK, 1960
top hats noun erect nipples US, 1997
top-hole adjective excellent. Arch and dated but still used without
irony UK, 1908
topless noun in the used car business, a convertible US, 1992
top mag noun a fast-talking criminal. Possibly an elaboration on
earlier sense of ‘mag’ (a chatterer) AUSTRALIA, 1975
top man noun in a homosexual couple, the partner who plays the
active role during sex US, 1941
top notch noun a gang member with high standing within the gang
JAMAICA, 1989
top-notch adjective of the best quality. Figurative use of a ‘top notch’
representing the highest point achievable UK, 1984
top-notcher noun an outstanding person AUSTRALIA, 1947
topo noun crack cocaine UK, 2003
top-off noun a police informer AUSTRALIA, 1940
top-off merchant noun a police informer AUSTRALIA, 1944
top of the head noun in betting, odds of 9–4. From the TICK-TACK
signal used by bookmakers UK, 1991
top of the pops noun the police. Rhyming slang for COPS,formed
on the title of UK television’s longest-running popular music show
(BBC television, 1964–2006) UK, 2005
top of the shop adjective excellent. An elaboration of TOP (excellent)
UK, 1999
659 toonie | top of the shop
top of the world noun a feeling of elation, good health or
prosperity

US, 1920
top one noun the best of times UK, 1999
topper noun 1 a remark or action that serves as the coup de grace of
a conversation or series of events
US, 1939. 2 a criminal who rep-
resents the interests of a cheque forger
UK, 1956. 3 in circus and
carnival usage, a featured act
US, 1981
topping adjective excellent UK, 1822
topping shed noun in prison, a place of execution UK, 1950
tops noun dice that have been marked to have two identical faces US,
1962
tops adjective topmost in quality, the best US, 1935
tops adverb at the most US, 1987
tops and bottoms noun 1 in poker, a hand consisting of a pair of
aces (the highest card) and a pair of twos (the lowest card)
US, 1951.
2 a roll of trimmed paper ‘topped’ and ‘bottomed’ with a genuine
banknote to give the impression of a weighty roll of money
UK,
1959
. 3 a combination of Taluin™, a painkiller, and the
antihistamine Pyribenzamine™, abused for non-medicinal
purposes US, 1989
top-shelf adjective excellent or the best US, 1892
top stick noun the best regular player in a pool hall US, 1990
topsy noun a chamber pot BARBADOS, 1965
topsy-turvy adjective 1 disordered, in a chaotic state, very untidy UK,
1528. 2 upside down; in reverse order UK, 1530

top totty noun an especially desirable or sexually available woman or
women UK, 2001
top ’uns noun a woman’s breasts UK, 1958
top whack; top wack noun the most expensive price. Derives from
WHACK (a share of money) UK, 1974
top willow! in cricket, used for registering enthusiastic approval of a
batman’s performance. A cricket bat is traditionally made of
willow. Displayed on a placard at the England v West Indies 2nd
Test, Edgbaston, 31st July 2004 UK, 2004
toque; tuque noun a knitted cap made from wool CANADA, 1871
torch noun 1 an arsonist US, 1938. 2 an act of arson US, 1981. 3 a ciga-
rette lighter US, 1972. 4 a handgun US, 1962. 5 marijuana; a marijuana
cigarette. A conical shape holding fire at the flared end US, 1977. 6 a
love song or ballad
US, 1948
torch verb to light a fire, especially an arson fire US, 1931
torched adjective drunk US, 1990
torch job noun an enema containing a heat-inducing agent such as
Vicks Vaporub™, Ben-Gay™, Heet™, or Tabasco™ sauce US, 1972
torch up noun to smoke marijuana; to light up a joint US, 1955
tore down adjective very disoriented, usually because of drug intoxi-
cation UK, 1983
toreeon noun a variety of marijuana UK, 1980
tore up adjective distressed US, 1960
tornado bait noun a mobile home or trailer, especially in a tornado
zone US, 1992
torn up adjective hurt; upset US, 1968
Toronto the Good nickname the city of Toronto, considered with
reference to its longtime (into the 1980s) strict rectitude in law
and custom. Also nicknamed Hogtown, Toronto continues to carry

both terms though money and a cosmopolitan and international
flavour have replaced slaughterhouses and the former moral
stiffness
CANADA, 2001
torpecker noun a torpedo US, 1948
torpedo noun 1 a hired gunman or killer US, 1929. 2 the penis US, 2003.
3 a marijuana cigarette SOUTH AFRICA, 1946. 4 a marijuana and crack
cocaine cigarette
US, 1994. 5 in trucking, a large, bullet-shaped light
on a cab
US, 1971
torpedo juice noun any improvised liquor on board a submarine US,
1948
torpedos noun beans US, 1977
torqued adjective angered, annoyed US, 1968
tortoise head noun the erect penis UK, 2001
torture chamber noun a jail or prison where illegal drugs are not
available
US, 1982
Torvill and Dean noun a homosexual. Rhyming slang for QUEEN,
formed from ice-dancing champions and Olympic gold medal
winners 1984, Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean
UK, 2003
Toryglental adjective insane, crazy. Glasgow rhyming slang for
‘mental’, contrived on the Toryglen area of Glasgow
UK: SCOTLAND,
1988
tosh noun 1 nonsense. A compound of synonyms ‘bosh’ and ‘trash’
UK, 1892. 2 used as a form of male address. Possibly Scottish in
origin. In 1990, car manufacturer Toshiba created a new slogan

‘Ullo Tosh! Gotta Toshiba?’ based on the song ‘Ullo John! Gotta
New Motor?’, Alexei Sayle, 1983
UK, 1954. 3 a bath. School slang UK,
1881
tosheroon; tusheroon; ’roon noun in pre-decimalisation currency,
a half-crown coin; two shillings and sixpence
UK, 1859
toshing verb painting and decorating UK, 1998
tosh up verb to make something look as good as new. Car dealers’
term UK, 1983
toss noun 1 nonsense, especially if self-indulgent UK, 1990. 2 something
of little or no value
UK, 1994. 3 an act of masturbation UK, 1785. 4 a
search of a person or place US, 1973. 5 an armed robbery US, 1950.
< not give a toss; not care a toss to not care one way or
another; to reject. Two suggested etymologies prevail, either ‘to
not care enough to toss a coin’ or ‘to toss (masturbate) yourself’;
on balance, probably ‘to toss a coin’ as it takes a deal less effort
and therefore the rejection is greater
UK, 2001
toss verb 1 (of a male) to masturbate. Often used with ‘off’ UK, 1879.
2 to get the better of someone; to overcome someone or
something AUSTRALIA, 1949. 3 to search a room, apartment, house,
office or person without regard to the condition in which the
premises or person are left US, 1939. 4 to rob a place US, 1950. 5 to
gulp a drink down, 1992. < toss a grind to eat US, 1992. < toss
chow
to eat quickly and voraciously US, 1993. < toss it in stop
doing something
AUSTRALIA, 1954. < toss it to someone to have

sex with a woman US, 1964. < toss salad to engage in oral stimu-
lation of the anus US, 2001. < toss the boards to play three card
molly, a street swindle in which the object is to identify a given
card among three cards that are quickly moved around US, 1972.
< toss the tiger to vomit. A visual allusion to multi-coloured
vomit NEW ZEALAND, 1960. < toss your cookies to vomit. Children’s
vocabulary
US, 1941. < toss your lollies to vomit NEW ZEALAND, 1998
tossbag noun a contemptible individual UK, 1977
tossed salad noun any of several sexual practices involving oral-anal
stimulation US, 1997
tosser noun 1 someone who is considered worthless or despicable. A
synonym of WANKER UK, 1977. 2 nothing at all; something of very
little value. From the meaning as ‘a penny’ (a coin of little value)
UK: SCOTLAND, 1988. 3 a penny. From the low value coin used in
games of pitch-and-toss. Still current in Northen Ireland UK, 1934
tossily adverb self-indulgently, hence pretentiously. From TOSS (to
masturbate) UK, 2000
tossle; tossel noun the penis. Variant of ‘tassle’ (something that
dangles) AUSTRALIA, 1945
tosspot noun a fool; a generally abusive term for a person; in
Australia, used as an affectionate form of address. Derives orig-
inally (C16) from the conventional sense as ‘drunkard’. The more
abusive sense combines ‘fool’ and
TOSSER, a synonym for WANKER
(a despicable person) UK, 1983
toss-up noun 1 an even chance; anything dependant on chance.
From the tossing of a coin UK, 1809. 2 a person who will trade sex
for crack cocaine US, 1989. 3 a promiscuous female US, 1995
toss-ups noun crack cocaine. From ‘toss-up’ (a person who trades sex

for crack) UK, 2003
tossy adjective pathetic UK, 2001
tot verb to collect rubbish UK, 1884
top of the world | tot 660
TOT used for suggesting that it is time to tell the complete truth.
From the Yiddish for ‘buttocks on the table’
US, 1989
total verb to wreck something beyond repair. Originally and chiefly
applied to a car
US, 1954
total adjective utter; out-and-out; complete; used as an all-purpose
intensifier
US, 1999
total bang up noun in prison, a regime under which inmates are
locked in their cells for 24 hours a day
UK, 1996
total blank noun in circus and carnival usage, a dull town where
business is poor US, 1981
totalled; totalled out adjective drunk US, 1966
totally adverb completely. Very close to standard English, but with
the right attitude quite slangy
US, 1982
totally! used as an enthusiastic expression of agreement US, 1982
total out adjective to an extreme; to excess. Hawaiian youth usage
US, 1982
total wreck noun a cheque. Rhyming slang UK, 1996
tote noun in horse racing, a pari-mutuel betting machine. An
abbreviation of ‘totalisator’
AUSTRALIA, 1890
tote verb to carry a pistol US, 1998

tote! used for expressing assent. An abbreviation of TOT ALLY! US, 2000
to the bad of time, late UK, 2000
to the good adverb of time, early UK, 2000
to the nth degree adjective to an extent beyond any reasonable
measurement. Uses ’n’ (a mathematical symbol for an indefinite
number) to create a quasi-scientific sounding approximation UK,
2001
to the rack! used by pool players for expressing dismay and utter
defeat. The player has no choice in this situation but to return his
cue to the rack
US, 1993
tothersider noun in Western Australia, a person from an eastern
state AUSTRALIA, 1872
toto noun the penis TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 1987
toto-ed adjective in a state of drug-induced exhilaration. Inspired by
The Wizard of Oz, 1939, in which Judy Garland (1922–69) as
Dorothy, says to her dog: ‘Toto, I don’t think we’re in Kansas
anymore’ UK, 2001
totonol noun frequent, regular sex as a cure for a woman’s ailments
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 2003
tottie; totty; tot noun a person who is not white, especially a
‘coloured’ person; originally and particularly, one of the Khoikhoi
race. Derivies from Hottentot; now considered derogatory and
offensive SOUTH AFRICA, 1832 8see: TAT ER
tottita noun the vagina US, 1998
tot-tots noun the female breasts TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 1974
totty; tottie; tott noun a sexually available or desirable young
woman or women UK, 1890
totty adjective attractive, desirable UK, 2002
tot up verb to amount to; to add up; to calculate. Ultimately from

‘total’. An older variant, ‘tot together’, is still familiar UK, 2004
touch noun 1 a sum of money obtained at one time, especially by
cadging or theft US, 1846. 2 a satisfying result. Derives from the
‘something-for-nothing’ senses UK, 2000. 3 in pool, finesse US, 1895.
4 a resemblance or evocative quality. When combined with a
pluralised proper noun, it is used to suggest characteristics associ-
ated with that noun, as ‘a touch of the Prince Edwards’, ‘a touch
of the Bob Dylans’ or ‘a touch of the Hollywoods’ UK, 1388. < put
the touch on someone
to attempt to extract money from
someone with glib or coercive talk
US, 1956
touch verb 1 to borrow from someone US, 1955. 2 to subject someone
to extortion or bribery
UK, 1654. 3 to finance someone UK, 1999. 4 to
have sex with someone
IRELAND, 1984. < I wouldn’t touch it with
yours
used by one male to another as an expression of distaste or
contempt for a female. Here ‘it’ is ‘a woman’ and ‘yours’ is ‘a
penis’
UK, 1984. < not touch it with a bargepole used as an
indication of extreme distaste or contempt. In many minor vari-
ations
UK, 1984. < touch home to communicate a feeling; to
make sense US, 1959. < touching cloth; touching cotton having
an urgent need to defecate
UK, 2002
touch and go adjective of uncertain outcome, unsure UK, 1815
touch and tap noun a cap (hat). Rhyming slang UK, 1992

touched; touched in the head adjective mentally impaired; insane
UK, 1893
touched by the moon adjective (slightly) insane. An elaboration of
TOUCHED (insane), in the form of rhyming slang on LOON (a
madman)
UK, 1992
touche eclat verb to conceal something. From French, where, if the
construction were used, it would mean (very loosely) ‘a brilliant or
acclaimed touch’. A contemporary gay usage UK, 2003
touchhead noun a convert to the musical cult of the Grateful Dead
after the 1987 release of the song ‘Touch of Grey’. A play on the
common
DEADHEAD (a Grateful Dead follower) US, 1995
touching adjective used of playing cards adjacent in rank US, 1996
touch man noun a criminal who specialises in breaking into safes by
manipulating the combinations until they open US, 1970
touch off verb to light a fire, especially if arson US, 1979
touch’ole noun acow’sanusCANADA, 1992
touch-on noun an erection UK, 2001
touchous adjective irritable, easily upset TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 1956
touch the dog’s arse noun car theft. Prison slang for the initialism
TDA (taking and driving away)
UK: ENGLAND, 1998
touch up verb 1 to caress and fondle someone in a sexual manner
UK, 1903. 2 to steal something US, 1997
touch wood used superstitiously as a precaution against bad luck,
spoken to accompany the action of touching wood (often
humorously tapping your own wooden head); or to replace the
need for the action; or by rote, without superstition, as a general
way of saying ‘with luck’. After a Christian belief in the benefit of

touching the cross, hence the proverbial ‘Touch wood, it’s sure to
come good’
UK, 1908
touchy-feely adjective overly sensitive, caring or emotional.
Originating in psycho-therapy, now generally used dismissively to
describe every state between tactile and lecherous
US, 1968
touch you! used for conveying surprise and admiration US, 1997
tough verb to inject a drug into a vein on the underside of the
tongue. It is not particularly difficult to guess why this practice is
so named US, 1986. < tough it out; tough to bear hardship; to
determinedly face up to a difficulty, 2000
tough! ‘hard luck!’; unfair UK, 1929
tough; tuff adjective good, admirable US, 1937
tough biccies! used for expressing a profound lack of sympathy for
a bad turn of events NEW ZEALAND, 1977
tough cheeko used for expressing a lack of sympathy US, 1969
tough darts too bad US, 1968
tougher noun in poker, an increased bet US, 1951
tough guys noun in craps, the proposition bets (bets that a number
will be rolled in a pair) US, 1983
toughie; toughy noun a tough person or situation US, 1929
toughies noun in craps, the proposition bets (bets that a number
will be rolled in a pair) US, 1983
tough love noun a mixture of compassion and strictness designed to
affect change in destructive behaviour
US, 1981
tough nut; tough nut to crack; hard nut; hard nut to crack
noun someone who is difficult to deal with, especially one with a
tendency to violence US, 1999

tough shit who cares?, so what? An unsympathetic variation of
‘tough luck’: ‘tough’ (unfortunate, unpleasant) and
SHIT (an abstract
form) for ‘luck’
US, 1934
tough shitski used as a humorous embellishment of tough shit, or
too bad. A mock Slav or Russian suffix US, 1961
661 TOT | tough shitski