Going through different vocabularies from the past I realised that as a teenager and young man (still sounds impressive, at least in my ears) I had used a multitude of slang words (so from the early-sixties to mid-seventies).
Look at Wikipedia calling a teenager an adolescent, it just doesn’t mean the same thing. Adolescence is just the period from puberty to adulthood, whereas being a teenager is a state of mind.
I had used words, phrases and expressions, without knowing they were slang, and I had stopped using them for one reason or another, probably linked with moving to Italy in late 1974, and moving in with my French wife-to-be in 1975.
What amazed me was the enormous number of expressions that I used or understood when I was younger, and I am still occasionally surprised to find that one of my ‘normal’ words turns out to be slang.
My English slang - early 60s to mid 70s
What’s not in these posts are all those expressions that whilst having weathered the ravages of time, don’t really capture that period, at least in my mind. Examples such as “don’t look a gift horse in the mouth” which dates from 400 AD, or “don’t even think about it” which dates from a later period (the 1980’s), are not included. So some slang expressions were always there in the background, and others appeared well after the mid-70’s.
I’ve tried to focus on what I would have said or understood, and what represents that great period animated by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Cream, The Who, early Dylan, Pink Floyd,…, through to Queen, Eagles, ELO, Roxy Music, Bowie, Janis Joplin, Santana, etc.
Along the way I have also dropped some of the more crude expressions. Even now I can’t bring myself to admit that I was quite fluent in their use, but putting them “pen to paper” is another thing.
And as several online resources enjoy pointing out, many of “my” expressions are now “old school”, who would have thought it!
Starting with A
The first word is “abdabs“, as in “screaming abdabs”. I never used it, but I certainly knew it meant extreme anxiety, however I can’t imagine the word inspiring terror in me. Perhaps it should have because it was sometimes used to mean an attack of delirium tremens (the famous DT’s caused by the withdrawal from alcohol). The word again had a certain success through the years 2000-2010.
Abso-bloody-lutely – certainly
I’ve no idea about the origin of this word, but it’s an example of what is called a tmesis, meaning the act of cutting, i.e. cutting up one word to stick another in the middle. This word has become increasingly popular from the year 2000 (Generation Y’ers perhaps).
Acid-head, Acid-Rock – I guess both related to LSD and the idea of hallucinations
An “acid-head” (first recorded in 1965) meant stupid because they knew it was bad for them, but they continued to take LSD anyway. “Acid Rock” is said to have evolved out of mid-1960’s “Garage Rock“. However, the interest in “acid rock” music peaked dramatically in 1972, and dropped away just a rapidly.
Ackers – money, and I remember for some totally unknown reason the expression “filthy ackers” as the same thing as “filthy lucre“, i.e. money obtained dishonestly
I did not know that it was based upon fakka, Egyptian small change or coins. The word “ackers” was a very popular word in the 1600’s, but appears to have remained in use. I certainly knew the expression, but I also certainly never used it.
Action – as in “a piece of the action“, or a share in the excitement
The origins of this expression involved taking a financial share in an American show business production, circa the 1920’s. However the original idea came from the Dutch. In 1602 the Dutch East India Company was formed and offered the opportunity for investment (and profit) in the form of “acties”, or “actions” in English. As a phrase “a piece of the action” is very much of the period 1960’s to the 1980’s, but it is still used today.
Adam and Eve – Cockney rhyming slang for ‘believe’, as in “would you Adam ‘n’ Eve it!“, but it is also rhyming slang for ‘leave’
… and Adam is also now used to mean the drug ecstasy. And actually the apple is never mentioned in the bible, it is just a fruit on a tree in the Garden of Eden (the apple is just a tradition). Experts have suggested it might have been an apricot or pomegranate, and Muslim scholars once believed it was a banana. Many different fruits were once called apples, e.g. pomegranates were once called “apples of Carthage”, dates “finger apples”, and potatoes “apples of the earth”.
Adultery – once defined as “violation of conjugal faith“
The word is not related to adult, but to the Latin “adulterare” or “to pollute, corrupt”, which also gave us adulterate.
Afters – the last course of a meal, i.e. dessert, pudding, …
In French you have “amuse-bouche” (appetiser), “hors d’oeuvre” (appetiser/starter), entrée (starter/1st course), main course (plat principal), dessert (afters). It’s interesting that in America they call their main course, the entrée. The confusion arises from the fact that initially the entrée was not the starter, and in fact everything started with “entrée de table” and ended with “issue de table”, and the entrée could be one of several dishes and would be followed by soup, roasts and then the final course. Then the soup and entrée were swapped around, and it was in fact a hot meat dish served before the roast course (often fowl or rabbit on a spit). The entrée was a more complex meat dish with a sauce. Dishes that were cold, or contained vegetables or eggs, were called entremets.
“Afters” kind of goes along with “starters”, but I can’t find anything about their origins. The expression was clearly popular in the latter part of the 1800’s, but it appears to have again gained traction in the last 10 years.
Couple of additions sent to me:-
“Afters” also meant drinking after closing time. In British pubs everybody was “chucked out” at closing time, expect for a privileged few who stayed on for “afters”.
“Afters” was a “punch up” between footballers after a tackle, and if that’s true then the “punch up” between rival supporters after the match must have been a “right banquet”.
Aggro – trouble-making
“Aggro” clearly means aggression, and probably originated in the late 1960’s in Britain, and in particular with the fights between gangs, especially football fans. Despite it use in the 1970’s, “aggro” is increasingly used today, possibly linked to our increasingly violent world.
Ain’t – am not
“Ain’t” was first recorded in 1706 in England, but it became socially unacceptable (or not “proper”) in the early 19th century, however it is still widely spoken.
Airy-fairy – fanciful, unrealistic,…
I don’t think I used “airy-fairy” as a teenager, but it certain appeared in a poem in 1830, and meant fairylike, delicate and graceful. It later became linked to something impractical but possibly visionary. I remember linking it to “arty-farty” as being pompous and overly showy. However “airy-fairy” is an increasingly popular expression post-2000.
Alec – as in “smart-alec“, a person who is irritating because they think they know everything
The term “smart-alec” came from Alec Hoag, a celebrated con man in New York in the 1840’s. He would rob his wife Melinda’s “customers” while she “distracted” them. He avoided arrest by paying two police officers, but they discovered Hoag was cheating them out of their share and the couple were arrested. The police used the term “Smart Alec” to describe someone who was too smart for their own good.
All the best – good wishes (I still use this expression)
The word “best” has its origins before 900 AD, from the Middle English “beste”. It is the superlative of the word “good”, and the expression may be a shortening of “I wish you all the best of luck”. It has increasingly become a popular expression since the year 2000.
Amateur – not professional and therefore approximative or sloppy, as in “what did you expect, frigging amateurs” when something goes wrong
“Amateur” ultimately derives from the Latin “amator” (lover), and the first reference in English dates from 1775, and as a reference to sport in 1800 (boxing). Calling someone an “amateur”, meaning unprofessional as opposed to non-professional, is an insult, and there is also a difference between amateurism (good) and amateurish (bad). A good amateur loves what they do, and they try to be as “professional” as possible, and of course there are amateurish professionals who do poor work (like overpaid footballers).
Anchors – car brakes as in “slammed on the anchors“
I guess it derives from a maritime tradition where the anchor is a method of mooring a boat. In fact anchors are not brakes in the sense that they are not used to stop a moving boat. “Anchor man” is also used to describe the strongest runner or swimmer in a relay team, and it dates from the late 19th century. In the 1930’s it also got used for the strongest member of a radio broadcasting team. With women competing in the relay the simple term “anchor” is now used.
And pigs will fly – sarcastic expression of disbelief
A British saying, whereas Americans say “pigs have wings!”. “When pigs fly” and “pigs might fly” can be dated back to 1616, which in addition has the pigs flying backwards. One American newspaper wrote “Orville and Wilbur haven’t heard the phrase “when pigs fly”…”. Not everyone uses pigs, some write about cows flying, and the French and Spanish use “when frogs grow hair” and “when hens grow teeth”.
And the rest! – expression of disbelief
“And the rest!” is often used in face of an understatement, as in “I finished it in under an hour”, and the reply “And the rest!”
Ape – to become angry, as in “to go ape“
It would appear that “to go ape” has its origins from 1952 as American airforce/marine slang, linked to going stir-crazy when they can’t leave the barracks.
Argy-bargy – an argument, or noisy quarrelling
This expression is a late 19th century modification of a Scottish phrase “argle-gargle” meaning the same thing. This is one of those expression that I knew, but never used.
Arse – bum, but also “make an arse of yourself” means to be stupid or irritating
“Arse” derives from Old English “ærs” (tail, rump), and the expression “hang the arse” appears to date from the 1630’s. One suggestion is that “arse” is often used in phrases to replace a more crude and unprintable expletive. There are a lot of “arse” related expressions, such as “arse about face” (back to front or done in the opposite way from normal or expected), “arse around” (behave stupidly, waste time), and “arse over tit” (fall over) which contrasts with “fall flat on his arse”. Interestingly “bum” has almost always been used more frequently than “arse”, no doubt because it is considered less crude, but since 2010 “arse” has outpaced the use of “bum”.
Kiss my arse – stop bothering me, go away
This sounds like a recent American expression, but there are satirical cartoons depicting the act that date back to England in 1784. It would appear that it relates to politicians kissing the arses of shopkeepers and small businessmen in order to win votes (given todays politicians, does that shock or surprise you?).
As every schoolboy knows – meaning something almost no one knows
An expression used by Jonathan Swift back in 1621. It involves referring to a totally abstruse subject as if any schoolboy would know it.
Ask a silly question and you’ll get a silly answer – sarcastic reply, if your question is nonsense, you can expect nonsense back
This expression probably dates from the late 19th century, and may have evolved from “ask no questions and you’ll be told no lies”. However there are similar expressions with the same meaning that are more than 500 years old.
Ass – self, as in “I’ve worked my ass off for nothing“
“Ass” kind of means backside, and in fact comes from “arse”, i.e. buttocks. The history or “arse” is lost in time, literally, since it could date back 1000’s of years to mean “tail” or “rump”. It’s possible that the “r” just fell off, and there are examples of this happening. An alternative is that people trying to be polite might have used “ass” (i.e. donkey), rather than “arse” (this is a so-called “minced oath“).
Anyway “ass” as slang for “backside” appeared as nautical slang in 1860, and became popular from 1930, but there is evidence that “ass” might have appeared already in the 17th century (Shakespeare mentions a “tender ass” in A Midsummer Night’s Dream). “Piece of ass” appeared in the 1940’s, and “have one’s head up one’s …” dates from 1969. To “work one’s ass off” dates from 1946, and you could “laugh your ass off” in 1965, and “stick it up …” already in 1953 (this expression might even date from much earlier). There are some related terms, e.g. “bad-ass”, “cheap-ass”, “dumb-ass”, “jack ass”, “kick ass”, “slow-ass”, etc.
Average – a standard reply to all sorts of questions, e.g. how are things, what was school like today, did you enjoy yourself, what was the film like, is she nice, …
The word derives from the French “avarie”, a word of Arabic origin that meant “less than total damage to a ship or its cargo”. Given that it was between total damage and no damage, it ultimately took its current meaning.
Ay – interjection of surprise, pain, as in “Ay, what’s your problem?“
“Aye” suddenly appeared ca. 1575, and became an exceeding common interjection by 1600, meaning “yes”. In the 12th century it meant “ever, always”, and probably derived from “oh yea” (“ay” and “aye” are spelling variants). Around 1350, “me ay” meant sorrow or regret. “Ay” as used today tends to rhyme with “Hey!”.
