Rhyming slang forGO DOWNON; aptly formed on the professional name of a Los Angeles prostitute who enjoyed some minor celebrity when, in 1995, she was apprehended performing just such a s
Trang 1dirty waternoun< get the dirty water(s) off your chest(of a
male) to ejaculate, either with a partner or as a sole practitioner
UK, 1961
dirty weekendnouna romantic or sexually adventurous weekend
(away from home) spent with your lover; or with your partner or
spouse but without your childrenUK, 1963
dirty worknounin a strip or sex show, movements made to expose
the vaginaUS, 1971
dirty work at the crossroadsnounillegal activity, especially if
concealedUS, 1938
DISnoun death while in the saddle, or engaged in sexual intercourse
US, 1979
dis; dissverb1to insult in a competitive, quasi-friendly spirit,
especially in a competitive rap battleUS, 2000.2to show disrespect,
to disparageUS, 1982.3to release (from prison) An abbreviation of
‘discharge’ US, 1990
disappearverbto kill someone and dispose of the corpse in a
manner that assures it will never be discovered As a transitive
verb, a favourite term – and practice – of right wing death squads
and organised criminal enterprisesUS, 1964
dischuffedadjectivedispleased, offended; insulted Military usageUK,
1987
disconoun1an event where a DJ plays recorded music for dancing
The ubiquitous post-wedding-breakfast or after-dinner
entertainment; probably derives from the mobile discothèques
which proliferated in the 1970s to take advantage of the
then-fashionable disco sceneUK, 1964.2a venue for dancing to recorded
music Abbreviated from ‘discothèque’ US, 1964.3by extension, a
genre of dance musicUS, 1964
discoadjective1out of date, out of fashion, out-modedUS, 1993.
2acceptable, good From the film Pulp Fiction US, 1995
disco biscuitnoun1a tablet of MDMA, the recreational drug best
known as ecstasy A heavily ironic identity for a fashionable drug;
‘disco’ as a nightclub for an earlier generation that didn’t have
ECSTASYand hence, is considered extremely unfashionable, plus
‘biscuit’ in the conventional sense of ‘a basic supply (ship’s biscuit)
which can sustain life’ In short ‘MDMA brings life to clubs’UK,
1996.2the recreational drug methaqualone, best known as
Quaaludes™, a tablet of methaqualone From the popularity of the
drug in the 1970s disco sceneUS, 1993
disco bricknouna kilogram of cocaineUK, 2001
disco burgernouna tablet of MDMA, the recreational drug best
known as ecstasyUK, 1996
disco dancernoun1an opportunist Glasgow rhyming slang for
CHANCER UK , 1988.2cancer Rhyming slangAUSTRALIA, 1983
disco dosenouna mild dose of LSDUS, 1995
disco dustnouncocaineUK, 1999
disco gunnouna Walther PPK pistolUK, 1995
disco movenounany manoeuvre executed by a novice surferUS, 1991
disconnounthe criminal charge of ‘disorderly conduct’US, 1963
disco queennouna male homosexual who frequents discos The
title of a 1978 song by Paul Jabara glorifying the energy of the
song’s heroUS, 1979
disgustitudenounthe state of being disgustedUS, 1990
dishnoun1an attractive femaleUK, 1909.2the buttocks, the anus
PolariUK, 1965.3gossip, especially when disparaging, salacious or
scandalous From the verb senseUS, 1976.4on Prince Edward
Island, an undefined amount of alcoholCANADA, 1956.< put on
the dishto apply lubricant to the anus in preparation for anal sex
UK, 2002
dishverbto gossip, to disparage Originally ‘dish the dirt’ or ‘dish out
the dirt’US, 1941.< dish soupto sell cocaineUS, 1995.< dish the
dirt; dish itto gossip indiscreetly or with slanderous intentUS,
1926
DI shacknounthe quarters where drill instructors live and the
on-dish bitchnouna television journalist who, when on location, relies
on satellite communication for incoming information which isthen included in that journalist’s reportUK, 2005
dis-head; diss-headnouna person who will not conform and showrespect CombinesDIS(to show disrespect) with -HEAD(anenthusiast)US, 2000
dishlickernouna dog, especially a racing greyhoundAUSTRALIA, 1983
dishonourable dischargenounejaculation achieved throughmasturbationUS, 1964
dish outverb1to distribute Originally military and therefore used
of food or medalsUK, 1931.2to dispense (abuse)US, 1908.< dish it outwhen fighting or arguing, to attack with punishing forceUS,
1930.< dish out the gravy; dish out the porridgeof a judge,
to deliver a severe sentence of imprisonmentUK, 1950
dish queennouna male homosexual who takes special pleasure ingossipUS, 1970
dishragnouna person or thing of no importanceUS, 1906
dish ragsnounin poker, poor cardsUS, 1996
dishwashernouna railway worker who cleans engines in aroundhouseUS, 1946
dishwaternounpoor quality beerAUSTRALIA, 1972
dishwater diarrhoeanouna notional disease that plagues thosereluctant to wash their dishesUS, 1969
dishyadjectivesexually attractive FromDISH(an attractive person)UK, 1961
disinfonoun disinformation UK, 1976
disk drivenounthe vaginaUK, 2001
dismantnouna bit of previously-used electrical or mechanical
equipment From ‘dismantle’ SOUTH AFRICA, 1974
dismonouna fanatic surfing enthusiast who never actually surfsUS, 1997
Disneylandnouna prison with relaxed rules that ease the difficulty
of serving a sentenceUS, 1992
Disneylandnickname1the Pentagon; military headquarters inVietnam A critical assessment of reality and fantasy in the militaryleadershipUS, 1963.2the brothel district near An Khe, Vietnam,near the 1st Cavalry Division baseUS, 1966
Disneyland-on-the-RideaunicknameNational DefenceHeadquarters, on the Rideau Canal in OttawaCANADA, 1995
disobeyverb< disobey the pope1to masturbate While this may
be another ecumenical variation ofBASH THE BISHOP(tomasturbate), it is certainly a literal reaction to the Catholic view ofonanism It is also theoretically possible to ‘please the pope’UK,
2001.2to have sex Here the use of frowned-upon contraceptionseems to be impliedUS, 2001
dispatchersnounin a dice game cheating scheme, improperlymarked diceUK, 1811
dispersalnounin prison, the system of managing Category Aprisoners by sending them to one of six high-security prisonsrather than concentrating them all in one maximum-securityfacilityUK, 2000
distressverbto impregnate outside marriageTRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 2003
dis warnounan exchange of quasi-friendly insults as part of a rapbattle; a war of words Extended fromDIS(to show disrespect)US, 1995
ditnouna tale, a yarn Origin unknownAUSTRALIA, 1942
ditchnoun1the sea; the ocean; the Atlantic Ocean; the EnglishChannel Generally used with ‘the’UK, 1841.2the antecubial veininside the bend of the elbow, often used for injecting drugsUS,
1968.3the Tasman SeaNEW ZEALAND, 2002.4inferior marijuana,especially from Mexico FromDITCHWEED UK , 1998
ditchverb1to reject, discard, abandon; to eludeUS, 1899.2to release(from prison) An abbreviation and corruption of ‘discharge’US,
1990.3in an emergency, to bring an aircraft down in the seaUK,
Trang 2ditchweednounmarijuana of inferior quality that grows wild in
roadside ditches, especially in MexicoUS, 1982
ditsonounan absent-minded, somewhat dim personUS, 1976
ditsoadjectiveabsent-minded, somewhat dimUS, 1987
dit-spinnernouna person adept at telling stories, anecdotes or the
likeAUSTRALIA, 1967
dittoI agree; the same goes for meUS, 1981
ditto-headnouna fan of radio entertainer Rush Limbaugh
Limbaugh conditioned his callers to begin conversations on the
radio with a simple ‘Dittos from [hometown]’ instead of gushing
admiration for himUS, 1992
dityadjectiveupset, nervousUS, 1978
ditznounan absent-minded, empty-headed personUS, 1982
ditzy; ditsyadjective(usually of a woman) scatterbrained, sillyUS, 1973
divnouna fool; a disagreeable individual Abbreviated fromDIVVY(a
fool)UK, 1983
divenoun1a disreputable establishmentUS, 1867.2an intentional
loss in a sporting eventUS, 1916.< take a diveto deliberately lose
a boxing match or other sporting contestUS, 1942
diveverbto lose a contest or competition intentionally, especially in
boxing From the image of a boxer diving towards the mat,
feigning a knock-out blowUS, 1921.< dive for pearlsto work
washing dishes in a restaurantUS, 1951
dive-bombverbto jump into water in a tucked position in order to
make a large splashAUSTRALIA, 1980
divebombingnounan act of picking up dog ends from the
pavement Vagrants’ useUK, 1980
divel a bissel!used by Nova Scotians of German descent as a mild
oathCANADA, 1999
divernoun1a pickpocketUK, 1611.2a hang gliderUS, 1992
DivernicknameCharles Jaco, CNN reporter in Saudi Arabia during
the US war against Iraq in 1991 Because of Jaco’s athletic dives
off camera when a missile attack alert was announcedUS, 1991
divheadnouna fool; a disagreeable individual Elaboration ofDIV UK ,
1997
dividendsnounmoneyUS, 1997
dividernouna marijuana cigarette that is shared among several
smokersUK, 2001
divineadjectivepleasant, ‘nice’ A trivial use of the conventional
senseUK, 1928
divine blowsnounenergetic sexTRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 2003
Divine Brownnoun< go Divine Brown; go Divineto perform
oral sex Rhyming slang forGO DOWN(ON); aptly formed on the
professional name of a Los Angeles prostitute who enjoyed some
minor celebrity when, in 1995, she was apprehended performing
just such a service for film actor Hugh Grant (b.1960)UK, 1998
Divine Miss MnicknameBette Midler, American singer born in 1945
US, 1982
diving boardnounin electric line work, a work platform boardUS,
1980
diving gearnouna condomUS, 1990
diving suitnouna condomAUSTRALIA, 1984
divoonadjectivelovely, delightful A humorous elaboration of ‘divine’
US, 1944
divorcenounin the usage of organised pickpocket gangs, the loss of
a crew member to jailUS, 1949
divotnouna toupee Borrowed from golf’s ‘sliced piece of turf’UK,
1934
divvienouna person with instinctive knowledge Probably from
‘diviner’UK, 1978
divviesnoun1used for claiming a share of something that is being
dividedUS, 1958.2divinationUK, 1947
divvonouna fool A variation ofDIVVY UK , 1997
divvy a share or portion; a dividend . a fool
divvyadjectivedaft, foolish, idiotic FromDIVVY(a fool)UK, 1979
divvy upverbto divide into shares A phonetic abbreviation of
Dixienicknamethe southeastern United StatesUS, 1859
Dixie cupnoun1the traditional navy white hat, symbol of theAmerican sailor since the C19US, 1973.2a woman who speaks with
a southern accentUS, 1977.3a female Red Cross worker in Vietnam
US, 1990.4a person who is considered to be utterly dispensable,who is used and then discardedUS, 1997
dixie lidnouna child, a kid Rhyming slangUK, 1998
Dixie Trailnounanal sex facilitated by Dixie Peach hair dressing as alubricantUS, 1968
DIYadjective do-it-yourself, especially of household maintenance or
repair A colloquial abbreviationUK, 1955
DIYernoun a do-it-yourself-er, a person who tends to do his own
household repairs and maintenanceUK, 1984
DiznicknameDizzy Gillespie (1917–1993), a jazz trumpeterinstrumental in the creation of bebopUS, 1961
dizznoun1an odd, absent-minded personUS, 1963.2marijuanaUK, 2003
dizzverbsleep; to sleep A Royal Navy variation ofZIZZ, perhaps incombination with ‘doze’UK, 1945
dizzyadjectivescatterbrainedUS, 1878
dizzy limitnounthe utmostAUSTRALIA, 1916
dizzy threenouna C-47A Skytrain plane, also known as a DC-3,most commonly used to transport people and cargo, but also used
as a bomber and fighterUS, 1975
DJnoun1men’s formal evening wear, a dinner jacket UK, 1967.2anagent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation An allusion to the
Department of Justice, home to the FBI Sometimes spelt out as
‘deejay’US, 1935
dj; deejaynoun a disc jockey US, 1950
dj; deejayverbto work as a disc jockeyUS, 1985
djambanounmarijuana A West African word, now in wider usage
US, 1938
DKDCI don’t know, I don’t care Combining a lack of intelligence
with apathyUS, 1997
DLnoun< on the DLdown low, discreetly US, 1996
DM’snounDr Martens™ heavy-duty boots An abbreviation of thebrand name The boots were designed for industrial use and sub-sequently adopted as fashionwear, initially by skinheads andbootboys, then as a general fashion item for either sexUK, 1998
DMTnoundimethyltryptamine, a hallucinogenic drugUS, 1971
DMZnounany place between two opposing factions or social forces,controlled by neither yet ceded by neither Originally a militaryterm – ‘demilitarised zone’ – for an area dividing North andSouth KoreaUS, 1976
DNFin motorcyle racing, did not finish a race US, 1970s
donoun1a party or social functionUK, 1824.2an action, deed, formance or eventUK, 1960.3a person considered in terms of theirsexual performance or willingnessAUSTRALIA, 1950.4a dose of drugs
per-US, 1971.5in craps, a bet on the shooterUS, 1974.6a hairdoUS, 1966.
< do the doto have sexUS, 1993.< do your doto prepare yourhairdoUS, 1995
DOnoun in hot rodding, dual overhead camshafts US, 1948
doverb1to killUK, 1790.2to charge with, or prosecute for, or convict
of a crimeUK, 1784.3to use up your money, especially to squander
AUSTRALIA, 1889.4to assault, to beat upUK, 1796.5to injure (a part ofthe body)AUSTRALIA, 1963.6to robUK, 1774.7to swindle, to deceive,
Trang 3upon someoneUS, 1963.10to consume, especially an alcoholic
drinkUK, 1857.11to use drugsUS, 1967.12when combined with a
name (of a very recognisable person or group) that is used as a
generic noun, to behave in the manner of that person or group of
people, as in, for example, ‘do a Lord Lucan’ (to disappear
mysteriously)UK, 1934.13to visit as a tourist or pleasure-seekerUK,
1858.14to suffice, to answer its purposeUS, 1846.< be doing ofto
be doing something Often in a question, such as ‘What are you
doing of ?’UK, 1853.< do cardsto steal or forge credit cardsUK,
1996.< do it1to have sexIRELAND, 1923.2to defecate; to urinate
EuphemisticUK, 1922.< do someone like a dinnerto overcome
someone completely in a fight or competition; to vanquish
Punning on the phrase ‘dinner’s done’ (dinner is ready)AUSTRALIA,
1847.< do the Harold Holt; do the Haroldto decamp From
rhyming slang for ‘bolt’ Harold Holt (1908–67) was an Australian
prime minister whose term of office was cut short when he went
ocean swimming one afternoon and presumably drowned – his
body was never recoveredAUSTRALIA, 1987.< do the thingto have
sexUS, 1968.< do your bitto do your share and so contribute to
the greater good, especially in times of trial or conflictUK, 1902.
< you’ll do me/usyou are entirely suitable for a task; we are
more than happy to be supporting you Used as a cry of
encouragement and supportAUSTRALIA, 1952
DOAnoun1a more than usually dangerous variety of heroin From
the acronym DOA (dead on arrival);DEAD ON ARRIVAL(heroin)UK,
1998.2phencyclidine, the recreational drug known as PCP or angel
dust The abbreviation is forDEAD ON ARRIVAL– the results of a
PCP overdoseUS, 1993
doableadjectivesexually attractive enough as to warrant the
speaker’s gift of having sexUS, 1997
do as you likenouna bicycle Rhyming slang for ‘bike’UK, 1960
doatnounsomeone or something fit to be doted onIRELAND, 1975
dobnouna small lump or dollop, usually applied to butter, jam,
cream, etc Originally dialectUK, 1984
DOBnoun a lesbian An abbreviation of ‘daughters of Bilitis’ US, 1982
dobverbto inform on someoneAUSTRALIA, 1955
dobbernoun1a despicable personUK, 2002.2an informer; a telltale
AUSTRALIA, 1955.3a fool, an idiot Glasgow slangUK: SCOTLAND, 1996.
4the penis Also ‘dob’US, 1974
dobber-innounan informer; a telltaleAUSTRALIA, 1958
dobbing-innouninformingAUSTRALIA, 1994
do bears shit in the woods?yes; a nonsense retort used as an
affirmative answer to a silly question, often sarcastic Often mixed
with the synonymous ‘Is the Pope Catholic?’ to achieveDOES THE
POPE SHIT IN WOODS? US , 1971
dobienouna Doberman Pinscher dogUS, 1981
dob inverb1to inform against someone; to tell on someone
AUSTRALIA, 1954.2to contribute fundsAUSTRALIA, 1956
do-boynouna male who does whatever his girlfriend tells him to do
US, 2001
docnoun1a doctor US, 1840.2a document Originally a military use,
especially in the plural, for ‘official documents of identity or
record’US, 1868.3in computing, documentation US, 1991
docconouna documentaryUK, 2000
doc in the boxnouna walk-in medical clinicUS, 1994
docknoun< in dock1of a motor vehicle, being serviced or
repairedUK, 1984.2in hospital, or otherwise unable to carry on as
usual due to injury or medical treatmentUK, 1785
dock asthmanounin a trial, the shocked gasps given by the
accused as accusations are made or proved The gasps are
ironically considered as symptoms of a notional diseaseUK, 1977
dockernouna partially smoked cigarette that has been thrown away
or extinguished for use laterUK, 1966
docker’s ABCnoun ale, baccy (tobacco), cunt, a worker’s
shopping-list in the spirit of ‘wine, women and song’, especially well used in
LiverpoolUK, 1961
docker’s hankienounthe act of clearing the nostrils by blowing the
dockienouna dockside workerAUSTRALIA, 1935
dock monkeynouna worker who loads and unloads trucksUS, 1939
dock wallopernoun1a worker who loads and unloads trucksUS,
1971.2a thief who steals cargo before it has been unloaded orpassed through customsUS, 1986
doconouna documentaryAUSTRALIA, 1996
DocsnounDr Martens™ footwearUS, 1993
doctornoun1(used of children) the exploration of each other’sgenitalsUS, 1966.2a male with a large penis Homosexual usageUS,
1964.3an expertUS, 1990.4a bookmaker who declines to take a bet,telling the bettor he will ‘get better’AUSTRALIA, 1989.5a person whosells illegally manufactured alcoholUS, 1960.6MDMA, the rec-reational drug best known as ecstasy Possibly punning on thedegrees MD and MAUK, 1998.7(especially in Western Australia) arefreshing wind coming after a period of stifling weather Preceded
by a placename to form proper nouns for commonly occurringwinds of this type, such as the Albany Doctor, Esperance Doctor,Fremantle Doctor, etcAUSTRALIA, 1870.< go for the doctorto race
a horse at top speedAUSTRALIA, 1969
doctorverb1to falsify, to adulterate, to tamperUK, 1774.2in cricket,
to illegally tamper with the condition of the ball to the bowler’sadvantageUK, 1996
doctor and nurse; doctornouna purse Rhyming slangUK, 1998
Doctor Blue; Dr Bluenounused in hospitals as a codeannouncement that a patient is in cardiac arrestUS, 1973
Doctor Cotton; Dr Cottonadjectiverotten Rhyming slangUK, 1932
Doctor Crippen; Dr Crippennoundripping (melted fat used likebutter) Rhyming slang, formed on the name of the celebratedmurderer Dr Hawley Harvey (1862–1910)UK, 1961
Doctor Dre; Dr Dreadjectivehomosexual Rhyming slang forGAY,formed from the stage name of hip-hop performer and producerAndre Young (b.1965)UK, 2003
Doctor Feelgood; Dr Feelgoodnoun1heroinUK, 2002.2any doctorwho specialises in energy-giving injectionsUS, 1973
Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde; Dr Jekyll and Mr Hydenoun
the recreational drug methaqualone, best known as Quaaludes™
US, 1985
Doctor K; Dr KnicknameDwight Gooden (b.1964), a right-handedpitcher (1984–2000) with an immortal early career and anacceptable mid-career In the shorthand of baseball scorekeeping, a
‘K’ is a ‘strikeout’, and ‘Doc’ Gooden had manyUS, 1986
Doctor Legg; Dr Leggnounan egg Rhyming slang, formed on thename of a minor character in the BBC television soap opera
EastEnders UK, 1998
Doctor Livingstone, I presumea catchphrase greeting used forany fortuitous or unexpected meeting Adopted from HenryMorton Stanley’s greeting, in 1871, to African explorer DavidLivingstoneUK, 1891
Doctor Pepper; Dr Peppernounone of the several surface-to-airmissile patterns used by the North Vietnamese against Americanaircraft during the Vietnam war Missile approaches from the teno’clock, two o’clock and four o’clock positions; ‘ten-two-and-four’was a Dr Pepper sloganUS, 1990
doctor shoppingnounthe practice of visiting multiple physicians toobtain multiple prescriptions for otherwise illegal drugs Acommon practice of drug addicts and suppliers of drug addictsUS, 2003
Doctor Thomas; Dr Thomasnouna black person who rejectsblack culture and takes on the culture of the dominant whitesociety An elaboration of the commonUNCLE TOM, coined longbefore Clarence Thomas became the prototype of the conceptUS, 1980
Doctor White; Dr Whitenoun1a drug addictionUS, 1959.2cocaine
US, 1986
Doctor Who; Dr Whonouna prison warder Rhyming slang for
SCREW(a prison warder), based on a time-travelling television herofirst seen in 1963
Trang 4docunoun a documentary film or television programme As a prefix,
such as in ‘docudrama’ (a documentary drama), ‘docu’ has been
conventional since 1961UK, 2003
docynounthe female breastBAHAMAS, 1982
Doc Yaknouna doctor whose reputation is less than sterling From
a syndicated comic strip that last appeared in 1935US, 1956
do-dadnounin American football, a blocking strategy in which
offensive players cross over and block each other’s defensive
oppositeUS, 1966
doddlenounan objective acheived with ease; in sport, an easy win
or a simple victory Probably from ‘dawdle’ or ‘toddle’, implying a
‘walk-over’, which is consistent with its earliest use in racing
circles, but possibly from Scottish ‘doddle’, a lump of homemade
toffee (hence something desirable and easily acquired) It is
recorded with the meaning ‘money very easily obtained’ in
Scotland in 1934UK, 1937
doddleverbto achieve; to win something very easilyUK, 1963
dodgenouna scam, a swindleUK, 1638.< on the dodgein hiding
from the policeUS, 1976
Dodgenoun< get out of Dodge; get the hell out of Dodgeto
leave, usually with some haste A loose allusion to the Wild West
as epitomised by Dodge City, Kansas, and the seriousness of an
order by the authorities to leave townUS, 1965
dodgeverb< dodge the columnto shirk, to avoid your duty, work
or responsibility Originally militaryUK, 1919
dodgeadjectivedubiousUK, 2006
Dodge Citynicknamean enemy-controlled area south of Da Nang,
the scene of heavy fighting in November 1968; anywhere in
Vietnam with a strong Viet Cong presenceUS, 1969
dodgernoun1a small advertising leafletUS, 1879.2a shunting truck
UK, 1970.3breadAUSTRALIA, 1897
dodgeradjectiveexcellent, fineAUSTRALIA, 1941
dodgynounan informer From the adjectival sense as ‘unreliable’,
perhaps shortened from ‘dodgy geezer’ or similarUK, 1996
dodgyadjective1of doubtful character or legality; dubious
Popularised in the 1960s by the comedian Norman Vaughan as a
catchphrase, with an accompanying thumbs-down gesture The
thumbs-up opposite was ‘swingin!’UK, 1961.2riskyUK, 1898.3stolen
UK, 1861
dodonoun1a foolUS, 1898.2an aviation cadet who has not
completed basic trainingUS, 1933
do downverbto get the better of someone, financially or otherwise;
to harm someone’s reputation by spreading gossip or rumourUK,
1937
doenouna womanUK, 1909
doernoun1an energetic person who gets on with the job; a person
who tackles problems or setbacks with good humourAUSTRALIA, 1902.
2the person responsible for a specific crime, especially a murder
US, 1992.3in horse racing, a horse as a performer – either good or
poorUK, 1948
doer and gone; doer ’n’ goneadjectivevery far away From
Afrikaans for ‘far away’; a synonym forHELL AND GONE SOUTH AFRICA ,
1972
does Rose Kennedy have a black dress?yes; a sarcastic
nonsense retort used as an affirmative answer to a silly question
AUSTRALIA, 1987
does she?used as a euphemism for ‘does she (or, is she likely to)
have sex?’UK, 1969
does the Pope shit in the woods?yes; a nonsense retort used as
an affirmative answer to a silly question, often sarcastic The result
of combining synonymousDO BEARS SHIT IN THE WOODS?and ‘Is the
Pope Catholic?’UK, 1997
dofadjectivestupid, idiotic, muddledSOUTH AFRICA, 1979
doffienouna stupid, idiotic or muddled personSOUTH AFRICA, 1991
do-flickynounany small tool the name of which escapes the
speaker
do forverbto beat severely, to killUK, 1740
dognoun1an unattractive woman or man Originally used by men
of women which, in the UK, has remained the predominant sense
US, 1937.2a sexually transmitted infectionUS, 1962.3a informer tothe police or, in prison, to the prison authoritiesAUSTRALIA, 1848.4aprison warderAUSTRALIA, 1919.5a traitorAUSTRALIA, 1896.6used as ageneral form of friendly address (without any negativeconnotations) A rare positive use of ‘dog’, synonymous with
‘man’, possibly influenced by rap artist Snoop Doggy Dogg (CalvinBroadus, b.1972) Also Spelt ‘dogg’ and ‘dawg’US, 1995.7afreshman, or first-year college studentUS, 1947.8the grade ‘D’US,
1964.9a cigarette-end A shortenedDOG END UK , 1935.10amarijuana cigaretteUS, 1997.11in sports betting, the underdogUS,
1975.12in poker, a worthless handUS, 1988.13in horse racing, aracehorse with little valueUS, 1840.14in pool, a difficult shotUS,
1993.15in horse racing, a sawhorse used to keep horses away fromthe rail during a workout on a muddy trackUS, 1976.16in poker,the fourth player to the left of the dealerUS, 1988.17a sausage; ahot dog Derives from the belief that dog meat was used as asausage filler; this led to a hot sausage in a roll being called a ‘hotdog’ In a fine example of circular etymology ‘hot dog’ nowabbreviates to ‘dog’, and ‘dog’ is once again a sausage; mostconsumers are no longer concerned about dog meatUK, 1845.
18the footUS, 1962.19a piece of paper moneyTRINIDAD AND TOBAGO,
1986.20an F86-DC aircraftUS, 1956.21a failure of a song or filmUS,
1929.< dog tied upan unpaid debtAUSTRALIA, 1905.< it shouldn’t happen to a doga catchphrase used to complainabout the manner in which a human has been treated Thought
to be of Yiddish originUS, 1968.< it’s a dog’s lifeused of ameagre existence A catchphrase, generally used by someoneenduring such a lifeUK, 1969.< like a dog watching television
in the position of doing something you do not understandUS, 2003.
< on the dogon creditUS, 1978.< put on the dogto assume asuperior, upper-class attitudeUS, 1865.< run like a dogto run orperform slowlyAUSTRALIA, 1996.< the dog deadthere is nothingmore to say on the subjectBARBADOS, 1965.< the dog has caught the cara person (or group of people) who has achieved a goaland is now at a loss for what to do nextUS, 2003.< turn dogtobecome a police informerAUSTRALIA, 1863
Dognounthe Greyhound bus line A fixture in American travel until
a crippling strike in the 1990s; variants include ‘Grey Dog’ and ‘ol
‘Grey Dog’US, 1974
dogverb1to avoid work; to work slowlyUS, 1955.2to studiouslyignoreUS, 1987.3to abuse or harassUS, 1992.4in motor racing, tofollow another car very closely, hoping to distract or weaken theresolve of the driver aheadUS, 1965.5of a male, to have sex with apartner who is kneeling on all-fours and entered from behindUK,
1937.6to perform sexually for moneyUS, 1989.7to betrayAUSTRALIA,
1896.8in pool, to miss a shot that should be madeUS, 1984.9toplay truant Extended from a variation of ‘dodge’ With variant ‘dogit’UK: SCOTLAND, 1985.10to hunt dingoes Variant: to wild dog
AUSTRALIA, 1910 8see:DOG IT
dogadjectivereferring to the prison authorities, generally seen asofficious and corrupt by prisonersAUSTRALIA, 1978
dogannounan Irish Roman CatholicCANADA, 1965
dog and bone; dognouna telephone Rhyming slangUK, 1961
dog and boned; doggoadjectivedrug-intoxicated Rhyming slangforSTONED UK , 1998
dog and catnouna mat Rhyming slangUK, 1992
dog and ducknouna fight Rhyming slang forRUCK(a fight).Possibly formed on the name of a pub where fist-fighting wasprevalentUK, 1992
dog and pony shownounan elaborate presentationUS, 1957
dog and pup; dognouna cup (a drinking vessel or a trophy).Rhyming slangUK, 1992
dog-assnouna despised personUS, 1959
dog-assadjective1shoddy, inferiorUS, 1953.2despicableUS, 1953
dog baitnounduring a mass prison escape, a prisoner left by others
to attract the attention of the tracking dogsUS, 1972
dogball
Trang 5dog-behindverbto beg for a favourTRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 2003
dogbonenoun1the weapon panel in the cockpit of an F-4
Phantom aircraftUS, 1984.2in electric line work, an EHV yoke plate
US, 1980
dogboxnoun1a type of small and basic compartment in a railway
carriageAUSTRALIA, 1905.2a truck’s gear boxUS, 1971.< in the
dogboxin trouble, especially with one personNEW ZEALAND, 1953
dog breathnoun1a contemptible person; used as a term of abuse
US, 2000.2bad-smelling breathUS, 1944.3cigarette smokeUS, 1996
dog catchernounany fast truck The suggestion is that the truck is
fast enough to pass a Greyhound busUS, 1971
dog clutchnounan involuntary locking of the vaginal muscles,
imprisoning the penis (penis captivus) Common in dogs, not so
common in humans, but common enough for a term to describe
itUS, 1967
dog cocknounchub sausageNEW ZEALAND, 1998
dog collarnoun1a white clerical collarUK, 1861.2a choker necklace
UK, 1903
dog-danceverbto give the impresson that you are following
someone very closelyBARBADOS, 1965
dog-dancingnounuseless or exaggerated activityCANADA, 1967
dog daysnouna woman’s menstrual periodUS, 1960
dog donoundog faecesUS, 1979
dog doodynoundog excrement Variation onDOGGY DO;
euphemisticUS, 2001
dog drivernouna police officer Insulting or contemptuousUK, 1977
dog-eaternouna member of the Sioux Indian tribeUS, 1963
dog eat your shame!used for expressing complete disgustTRINIDAD
AND TOBAGO, 1958
dog endnoun1a contemptible personUK, 2002.2a cigarette-end A
corruption of ‘docked end’ (a partially smoked cigarette that is
pinched off – ‘docked’ – and saved for later use) and still found
as ‘dock end’UK, 1935
dog-endernouna prisoner who rolls new cigarettes from the
unsmoked remains of othersUK, 1996
dog-eyenoun< keep dog-eyeto keep a look-out From the verb
DOG-EYE(to scrutinise)UK, 2001
dog-eyeverbto scrutinise carefullyUS, 1912
dogfacenoun1an ugly person; used as a general term of abuseUS,
1849.2a low ranking soldierUS, 1930
dog-facedadjectivedespicableUS, 1962
dog fashion; doggie fashionadverbsexual intercourse from
behind, vaginal or anal, heterosexual or homosexualUK, 1900
dog fingernounthe index fingerUS, 1926
dog foodnoun1Italian sausageUS, 1996.2heroinUS, 1992
dogfucknouna despicable personUS, 1993
dogfuckverbto have sex from the rear, homosexual or heterosexual,
vaginal or analUS, 1980
doggernoun1a person who engages in al fresco sexual activities
such as exhibitionism or voyeurism; especially of sexual activities
(with multiple partners) in parked vehicles, generally in the
countryside When police approached ‘doggers’ (before they were
so-named), the usual excuse offered was ‘walking the dog’UK, 2003.
2a truant FromDOG(to play truant)UK: SCOTLAND, 1985.3a hunter
of dingoesAUSTRALIA, 1890
doggersnounmulti-coloured swimming trunksAUSTRALIA, 1963
Doggett’snoun< on the Doggett’son the scrounge, cadging
Derives fromCOAT AND BADGE(to cadge) which has, in the past,
been used as ‘Doggett’s coat and badge’ Doggett’s Coat and
Badge Race, founded by Thomas Doggett, an Irish actor, in 1715, is
the oldest annual sporting event in Britain, a boat race from
London Bridge to Chelsea contested by Thames’ watermen The
doggienoun1an infantry soldier A shortenedDOGFACE US , 1937.2anenlisted man in the US ArmyUS, 1945.3a greyhound racingenthusiastAUSTRALIA, 1989
doggie copnouna police officer working with a trained dogUS, 1983
doggie packnouna US Army combat field pack Used derisively by
US Marines during the conflict in VietnamUS, 1982
doggie pouchnouna small ammunition pouch used by the infantry
US, 1971
doggie strapsnounrucksack straps Vietnam war usageUS, 1991
doggingnoun1al fresco sexual activities such as exhibitionism or
voyeurism; especially of sexual activities (with multiple partners) inparked vehicles, generally in the countryside Originally used of theact of spying on people having sex in parked vehiclesUK, 1998.2thehunting of dingoesAUSTRALIA, 1947
dogginsnounin the illegal production of alcohol, liquor sweated out
of used barrel stavesUS, 1974
doggonouna sled dog handlerANTARCTICA, 1995
doggoadjective1lying prone, playing deadUK, 1893.2of a car’sinterior, of poor qualityUK, 1981 8see:DOG AND BONED
doggoneadjectiveused as a mild, folksy euphemism for ‘damn’.Multiple variants Usually used with a conscious folksy effect inmindUK, 1826
doggynoun1the penisBAHAMAS, 1982.2a railways’ platelayerUK, 1970
doggy bag; doggie bagnoun1a bag in which uneaten food from
a restaurant is packed and taken homeUS, 1947.2a condomUK, 1998
doggy donoundog excrementAUSTRALIA, 1995
doghole; doghole minenouna small mine employing less than 15minersUS, 1943
doghousenoun1in trucking, the engine covering in the drivingcompartmentUS, 1971.2a brakevan (caboose), or the observationtower of a brakevanUS, 1897.3the front fender, bonnet and grille of
a carUS, 1934.4a small tool shedUS, 1918.< in the doghouse
ostracised; in disfavour Alluding to an outside kennel Commonlyused of a man being ostracised by his wife for some
misdemeanourUS, 1926
doghouse cutnouna manner of cutting a deck of cards in which asection of cards is moved from the centre of the deck to the top,leaving the bottom cards undisturbedUS, 1967
dogienounheroinUS, 1969
dog in the mangernouna person who selfishly refuses to give upsomething that he does not wantUK, 1573
dog it; dogverb1to refuse to pay a lost bet or a debtUS, 1950.2toback down from a confrontation or situation for lack of courageUS, 1979
dog juicenouninexpensive alcohol, especially wineUS, 1980
doglegnounin oil drilling, a radical change in direction of drillingUS, 1954
doglegverbto make an angled detour, to take an angled route.Originally, perhaps, used in aviationUK, 1984
dog licensenouna Certificate of Exemption to allow an Aboriginal
to buy a drink in a hotel This term derives from the BlackfellowsAct, also known as the Dog ActAUSTRALIA, 1959
dog meatnoun1a person who is certain of defeat or deathUS, 1977.
2an inept, worthless personUS, 1908
dog mouthnounbad breath experienced upon waking up Hawaiianyouth usageUS, 1982
do-goodernouna well-intentioned person who believes in andsupports charity The term suggests both a naivite and a slightlycloying sense of self-righteousnessUS, 1927
dog outverb1to keep a look outUK, 1966.2to criticise harshlyUS, 1986
Dogpatchnicknamea neighbourhood of bars and shops near the DaNang US Air Base during the Vietnam war Dogpatch was the
stereotypical Appalachian town in Al Capp’s Li’il Abner comic strip,
Trang 6dog pilenounthe pile of skiers or snowboarders produced when one
falls while dismounting from a liftUS, 1990
dogpileverb1to jump onto someone or onto a group of peopleUS,
1945.2to post many critical comments in response to a posting on
an Internet discussion groupUS, 1995
dog-pissadjectiveinferior, shabbyUS, 1971
dog punchernouna driver of sled dogsCANADA, 1964
dog racenounin horse racing, a race featuring cheap racehorsesUS,
1951
dog-robverbto acquire through scrounging or pilferingUS, 1919
dog-robbernoun1an officer’s assistantUS, 1863.2a person assigned
the most menial of tasks, especially the acquisition of
difficult-to-acquire goods and servicesUS, 1974.3in the film and television
industries, a person whose job it is to find difficult-to-find goods
for propsUS, 2002.4during the Vietnam war, someone assigned to
the rear area as seen by someone in combatUS, 1991
dog-roughadjectivedisorderly; prone to rowdiness; unsophisticated
UK, 2002
dogsnoun1the feet; shoesUS, 1914.2in circus and carnival usage,
the legsUS, 1981.3a safe’s tumblersUS, 1949.< go to the dogsto
be slowly ruinedUK, 1619.< the dogsgreyhound racingUK, 1927
dog’s abusenounvery harsh abuse (that you would only give to a
dog)IRELAND, 1998
dog’s agenouna very long timeUS, 1836
dog’s baitnouna huge amountUS, 1933
dog’s ballocksnounin typography, a colon dash (:-)UK, 1961
dog’s ballsnounno money at allFIJI, 1993.< stick/stand out like
dog’s ballsto be obviousAUSTRALIA, 1986
dogsbodynouna worker who is given the tedious menial tasks to
perform, a drudge Originally military or navalUK, 1922
dog’s bollocknounan article of little or no valueUK, 1997
dog’s bollocks; dog’s ballocks; the bollocksnounanything
con-sidered to be the finest, the most excellent, the best Derived from
the phrase ‘It sticks out like a dog’s ballocks’ said of something
that the speaker considers obvious, hence the sense of ‘someone
or something that sticks out from the rest’ Often abbreviated in
speech to ‘the dog’s’UK, 1989
dog’s breakfastnounan unmitigated messAUSTRALIA, 1934
dog’s cock; dog’s pricknounin typography, an exclamation mark
(!)UK, 1961
dog’s dicknouna mess, a disgusting mess A variation ofDOG’S
DINNER(a mess)UK, 2003
dog’s dinnernoun1used as a comparison for someone who is
smartly dressed, stylishly or formally-attired Variants of the
com-parison include ‘dolled up like a dog’s dinner’; ‘done up like a
dog’s dinner’; ‘dressed up like a dogs dinner’; and ‘got up like a
dog’s dinner’UK, 1936.2a mess, a disgusting messUK, 1997
dog’s diseasenouninfluenza or gastro-enteritis or malaria or a
hangover, etcAUSTRALIA, 1890
dog’s eyenouna meat pie Rhyming slangAUSTRALIA, 1988
dog shiftnouna work shift in the middle of the nightUS, 1977
dogshitnoun1anything or anyone considered to be worthless or
disgustingUS, 1968.2Italian sausageUS, 1996.3the epitome of
feeling wretched or illUK, 1999
dogshitadjectiveworthless or disgustingUS, 1967
dog shownounin the military, an inspection of the feetUS, 1949
dog’s lipsticknounthe uncircumcised penis when erect From an
image of the head of the penis extending beyond the protection
of the foreskin in a manner reminiscent of a lipstick protruding
beyond its decorative protective casing; the reference to a dog is
open to interpretationUK, 2003
dog’s lunchnouna physically repulsive personUS, 1964
dog soldiernouna common soldierUS, 1950
dog squad
dogsternouna member of the Mongrel Mob, a New Zealand prisongangNEW ZEALAND, 2000
dog’s toothnountruth Rhyming slangUK, 1992
dog-style; doggy stylenouna sexual position in which the woman
or passive male kneels and the man enters her from behindUS, 1957
dog’s vomitnoundisgusting foodAUSTRALIA, 1966
dogtagnoun1an identity discUS, 1918.2a prescription for a narcotic,possibly legal or possibly forged or illegally obtainedUS, 1959
dog-tuckernouna person or animal that consistently fails and isdeemed worthless From an earlier, literal sense of the word as ‘asheep to be slaughtered for dog meat’NEW ZEALAND, 1999
dog turdnouna cigarUS, 1969
dog wagonnoun1a bus or van used to transport prisoners from jail
to prisonUS, 1952.2a lunch counter; a dinerUS, 1900
dog-wankadjectiveworthlessUK, 2000
dogwashnouna task that is not particularly important but ispursued instead of a more demanding, more important taskUS, 1991
dog watchnouna work or guard shift in the middle of the nightUS, 1901
dog waternouncolourless seminal fluidUS, 1965
dog with two dicks; dog with two choppers; dog with two cocks; dog with two tailsused as a simile for being delighted
or very pleased Generally in phrases: ‘ as a dog with ’ or ‘like adog with ’ ‘A dog with two choppers’ is first recorded in 1950; ‘a
dog with two tails’ is noted by the Oxford English Dictionary in
1953UK, 1950s
doh!used for registering frustration when things fail to turn out asplanned, or at the relisation that you have said something foolish.Popularly associated with, and a catchphrase of, Homer Simpson
in the television cartoon The Simpsons (since 1987) UK, 1945
doight!used for expressing distress A wildly popular catchphrase
verbalization from The Simpsons television cartoon US, 1994
doilynouna toupeeUS, 1952
do inverb1to killUK, 1905.2to injureUK, 1905.3to exhaust Thus
DONE IN(exhausted)UK, 1917.4to defeat, to beatAUSTRALIA, 1916.
< do yourself into commit suicide A personalised variation ofthe first meaningUK, 1999
doing a partynouna tactic employed when performing a card-trick: a confederate of the card sharp pretends to be winning
three-so as to encourage the unsuspecting to stake heavilyUK, 1977
doingsnoun1used as a collective noun for unspecified necessities.Generally as ‘the doings’UK, 1919.2excrementUK, 1967
doinknouna socially inept, out-of-touch personUS, 1968
do it!used as an exhortation to experience life rather than analyse
itUS, 1968
do-it fluidnounalcoholic drink Based on the observed effect ofalcohol on sexual inhibitionUS, 1980
do it now!a catchphrase in jocular or semi-irrelevant use Originally
a business slogan; first recorded in this use in 1927 but datingfrom no later than 1910, and still common in 1965AUSTRALIA, 1927
do it the hard way!used in derision to an awkward worker who isstruggling with a task Often preceded by ‘that’s right!’ andoccasionally completed with ‘standing up in a hammock’CANADA, 1961
do-it-yourselfnounmasturbationUK, 1960
do-it-yourself kitnouna steam locomotive or locomotives As anironic contrast to diesel technology Coinage is credited to Mr BillHandy, a train driverUK, 1970
dojahnounmarijuanaUS, 2004
dolenoun< on the dolein receipt of unemployment benefitsUK,
1925.< the doleunemployment benefit; the local offices from
Trang 7dole bludgernouna person habitually living off social security
payments A term of high opprobrium, often applied
contemptuously to any recipient of the dole with the implication
that employment could be found by anyone if they so desired
AUSTRALIA, 1976
dole-on-seanouna seaside resort with few visitors and high
2003
doleynouna person in receipt of unemployment benefitAUSTRALIA,
1953
dollnoun1a young womanUS, 1840.2a very attractive person of any
sex that you find attractiveUS, 1963.3used as a term of addressUS,
1949.4a barbiturate capsule; an amphetamine capsule or tablet
Coined by Jacqueline Susann, author of Valley of the Dolls US, 1966.
5a tablet of MDMA, the recreational drug best known as ecstasy
UK, 2003
dollarnoun1five shillings Dating from those happy days when the
rate of exchange was US$4 to £1UK, 1848.2a variety of MDMA, the
recreational drug best known as ecstasyUK, 1996.3moneyUK, 2000
dollarnicknameRoute 100 in eastern PennsylvaniaUS, 1977
dollar ridenounan orientation flight on a military aircraftUS, 1975
dollarsnouna type of bet in an illegal numbers game lotteryUS, 1957
dollars to doughnutadverbat very high odds, indicating a high
degree of certaintyUS, 1984
dollopnouna lump; hence, in a figurative sense, a clumsy
individ-ual; a formless mess – ‘a dollop of custard’ From an earlier sense
(a tuft of grass)UK, 1812
dollop; dollop outverbto share out a formless mess From the
noun senseUK, 2000
doll’s eyesnouneyes rolling upward, suggesting neurological
depressionUS, 1989
doll shopnouna brothelUS, 1990
doll’s housenouna prison Most likely inspired by the toy and not
the Ibsen playUK, 1996
doll upverbto dress up, to refineUS, 1906
dollynoun1the vagina In the C19, a ‘dolly’ was a ‘penis’, possibly
from a ‘child’s dolly’ (a toy a girl might play with); equally, it could
derive from ‘washing dolly’ (a device plunged in and out of wet
laundry) The etymology here is likely to be the former: ‘Can I play
with your dolly?’UK, 2001.2an attractive young woman Very much
a word of its timeUK, 1906.3a homosexual who lives in the
suburbsUK, 2003.4a lesbian prisoner’s loverNEW ZEALAND, 1999.5a
very feminine fashion style of the 1960sUK, 1968.6a capsule of
Dolophine™, known generically as methadoneUS, 1954.7in cricket,
a simple catch Possibly of Anglo-Indian origin Reduced from
‘dolly catch’UK, 1904
dollyverbto interrogateAUSTRALIA, 1975
dollyadjectiveattractive, pretty; nice PolariUK, 1964
dolly bagnounthe cloth bag carried by female prisonersUK, 1996
dolly birdnounan attractive young womanUK, 1964
dolly boynouna youthful, attractive homosexual male prostitute An
evolution fromDILLY BOY UK , 1979
Dolly Cottonadjectiverotten Rhyming slangUK, 1931
dolly dimple; dollyadjectivesimple Glasgow rhyming slang
Current in English prisons February 2002UK, 1988
dolly flappernouna railroad pointsmanUS, 1946
dolly mixturesnounthe cinema, the movies Rhyming slang for
‘the pictures’UK, 1992
dolly-over-teakettlesadverbhead-over-heelsUS, 1982
Dolly Partonnounin craps, a roll of two ones Dolly Parton is a
talented and popular American country singer and songwriter with
big hair and big breasts; the single dots on the two dice suggested
to someone her breastsUS, 1983
dolly sweetness a pretty girl
dolonounmethadone A shortened form of Dolophine™, aprotected trade name for methadoneUS, 1986
do loadverbsecret An abbreviation ofDOWNLOW US , 1999
dolphinnoun1a variety of MDMA, the recreational drug best known
as ecstasyUK, 1996.2a flaccid penisUS, 1995.< wax the dolphinof
a male, to masturbateUS, 2002
dolphin ballnounin pinball, a ball that stays in play for a relativelylong period without scoring many pointsUS, 1977
DOMnounan older homosexual who is attracted to younger men
and boys; a dirty old man US, 1966
domadjective1sexually dominant US, 1989.2stupid, dumb AnAfrikaans word in the South African English colloquial vocabulary
SOUTH AFRICA, 1942
dom; dommenoun1a dominatrixUS, 2002.2the dominantperformer in a pornographic sex sceneUS, 2000.3a sexual domi-nant in sadomasochistic sexual relationshipsUS, 1989.4a person’sroom, apartment or house A shortened variant of the morecommonDOMMY US , 1959
do me a favour; do menouna neighbour Rhyming slang Likemany next door neighbours the rhyme is not quite perfectUK, 1998
do me a favour!used for expressing disbelief and refutation of apoint or suggestion just raisedUK, 1958
dome doilynouna hatUS, 1947
do me goodnoun a Woodbine cigarette Rhyming slang that evolved
during World War 1, and survived in mid-C20 as an expression ofdefiance when cigarettes were scientifically linked with cancerUK, 1960
domesnounLSDUS, 1980
dome slugnounin Antarctica, a support personnel assigned to thegeodesic dome at the top of the American Scott-Amundsen base
ANTARCTICA, 2003
domienoundory-mate (short form)CANADA, 1999
Dominican DandynicknameJuan Marichal (b.1937), a high-kicking,overpowering pitcher (1960–75) From the Dominican Republic,and ‘a fastidious dresser’US, 1968
dominonoun1a black and white capsule containing a mixture ofcentral nervous system stimulants and depressantsUS, 1971.2a 12.5
mg tablet of Durophet™, an amphetamineUS, 1971
dominoverbto stop or finishUS, 1953
domkopnoun a fool From Afrikaans dom (stupid) and kop (head)
SOUTH AFRICA, 1910
dommonounone who performs well Applied to skateboarding,surfing and snowboardingUS, 1997
dommoverbto perform well; to dominateUS, 1990
dommy; dommienoun a home From ‘domicile’ US, 1943
Dom Pnoun Dom Perignon champagne UK, 2002
domsnoun dominoes UK, 1982
donverb< don the beardto perform oral sex on a woman
AUSTRALIA, 1971
don; don mannouna respected leader Ultimately from Spanish
Don (an honorific), via gangster use West Indian, hence UK black
UK, 2000
dona; donah; donna; donernouna woman, especially a girlfriend
Polari, from Spanish doña or Portuguese dona (a woman) UK, 1859
dona juananounmarijuana A Spanish ‘Lady Jane’US, 1986
dona juanitanounmarijuana A Spanish ‘Lady Jane’US, 1938
Donald Duckverbto have sexual intercourse Rhyming slang for
FUCK AUSTRALIA , 1983
Donald Duck; donaldnoun1an act of sexual intercourse Rhymingslang forFUCK AUSTRALIA , 1983.2by extension, a ‘fuck’ in all othersenses Rhyming slang, from the Disney cartoon characterUK, 1992.
3luck Rhyming slang, from the Disney cartoon characterUK, 1979
Donald Duckedadjectiveexhausted Rhyming slang forFUCKED UK ,
Trang 8Donald Duck Navynounthe anti-submarine fleet of the US Navy
US, 1947
Donald Duck suitnounthe blue uniform of sailors in the US Navy
US, 1972
Donald Peers; donaldsnounthe ears Rhyming slang, formed on
the name of popular singer and recording artist Donald Peers,
1909–73UK, 1984
Donald Trumpnounan act of defecation Rhyming slang forDUMP;
based on celebrated US businessman Donald Trump (b.1946),
possibly an extravagant play on New York landmark Trump Tower
UK, 2002
donarnouna steady girlfriendUS, 1993
don dadanouna very important person Rasta patois for ‘TOP DOG,
highest of all dons’JAMAICA, 2003
donder; donnernounused as an abusive term of address or
reference, a bastard From Afrikaans donder (a scoundrel) SOUTH
AFRICA, 1969
done and dustedadjective1completely finishedUK, 2001.2beaten
upUK, 1950
done dealnounan agreement that has been reached Folksy, a hint
of the American SouthUS, 1990
done-doneadjectiveover-cookedBAHAMAS, 1982
done inadjectivetired out, exhaustedUK, 2001
done thingnounwhatever is considered to be the correct etiquette
Always with ‘the’UK, 1961
done upadjectivedressed upUK, C20
dongnoun1the penisUS, 1900.2a thing of no worthUK, 1991
dongverbto punch or hitAUSTRALIA, 1916
donganoun1(especially in South Australia) natural bush wilderness
AUSTRALIA, 1967.2a temporary dwellingAUSTRALIA, 1900.3a
water-courseAUSTRALIA, 1902.4a sleeping area An Australian contribution
to the language of the South PoleANTARCTICA, 2003
dongcenounthe penisUK, 2001
dongernounthe penisAUSTRALIA, 1971
donglenoun1a security scheme for a commerical microcomputer
progamUS, 1991.2any small device designed to add functionality to
a computer, often plugged into a USB portUS, 1997.3an electronic
key that hangs on a cord around the neckUK, 2001
don jemnounmarijuanaUK, 1998
donknoun1a donkey US, 1868.2a racehorse An abbreviation of
‘donkey’NEW ZEALAND, 1952.3large, protruding buttocks A term
often associated with celebrity Jennifer LopezUS, 2003.4an engine
US, 1942
donkeynoun1a black personUS, 1857.2a manual labourerUS, 1932.
3a foolUK, 1840.4(especially in South Australia) a lift on a bicycle
AUSTRALIA, 1981.5a resident of Guernsey (in the Channel Islands)
according to those on JerseyUK, 1991.< pull your donkey(used
of a male) to masturbateUS, 1990
donkeyverb(especially in South Australia) to give someone a lift on
a bicycleAUSTRALIA, 1981
donkey daysnouna very long timeBAHAMAS, 1982
donkey deepadjectiveenthusiastically engagedNEW ZEALAND, 1998
donkey dicknoun1a man with a large penis; a large penisUS, 1980.
2sausage; unidentified pressed meatUS, 1968.3the flexible spout
attached to the opening of a containerUS, 1990.4a large electrical
cable connectorUS, 1990.5a prolonged, insatiable erection due to
extended heroin useUS, 1997
donkey doctornouna mechanic who works on donkey enginesUS,
2003
donkey jammernounthe operator of a donkey (auxiliary) engine
CANADA, 1953
donkey-lickverbto defeat convincinglyAUSTRALIA, 1890
donkey punchnounduring homosexual anal intercourse, a sharp
blow given by the active partner to the passive partner’s kidneys
buttocks and tightening of the rectal passage, thereby enhancingthe pleasure of the penetrating participantUK, 2005
donkey-punchernounthe operator of a donkey engineUS, 1920
donkey’s agesnouna very long time A variation ofDONKEY’S YEARS
UK, 1984
donkey shinsthank you Intentionally butchered GermanUS, 1990
donkey sightnounan imprecise but easily manoeuvred manualsight on a tank’s main gunUS, 1990
donkey styleadjective(used of sex) analUS, 2002
donkey’s years; donkeys’ years; donkeysnouna very long time
A pun on the length and sound of a ‘donkey’s ears’UK, 1916
donkey votenouna vote made by simply filling out a ballot paper
in the order the candidates are listed inAUSTRALIA, 1964
donkey worknoundifficult, menial labourUK, 1920
donkonouna lunchroom or tea room at a workplaceNEW ZEALAND, 1976
donksnouna very long time An abbreviation ofDONKEY’S YEARS, but
it is worth noting the similarity to synonymousYONKS UK , 1995
donner; donderverbto thrash, to beat upSOUTH AFRICA, 1916
donnie; donnynouna fracas An abbreviation ofDONNYBROOK NEW
donnynouna fightAUSTRALIA, 1969
donnybrooknouna riot, a tumultUK, 1852
Don Revienounan alcoholic drink, especially beer Rhyming slangforBEVVY(an alcoholic drink, especially beer), formed from thename of football manager Don Revie, 1927–89, and probablycoined during his tenure in charge of the England team (1974–78)
UK, 1998
don’tnounin craps, a bet against the shooterUS, 1950
don’t ask, don’t tellused as a humorous, if jaded, reminder thatsome things are best left unknown An adage coined to describethe official approach to homosexuals in the US military under theClinton administration; a soldier would not be asked about his orher sexual preference, but would be expected not to reveal theirhomosexualityUS, 1993
don’t be rudenounfood Rhyming slangUK, 1992
don’t call us, we’ll call youused as a catchphrase that is generallyunderstood to be a polite, or not-so-polite, rejection of an appli-cation for employment Adopted from the world of entertainmentwhere it is traditionally supposed to signal the end of anunsuccessful auditionUS, 1968
don’t-care-damnadjectiveentirely indifferentGRENADA, 1976
don’t-care-ishadjectiveapathetic, indifferentUS, 1927
don’t come the raw prawndo not attempt to dupe me Militaryslang from World War 2 The literal meaning of this phrase has notbeen satisfactorily explained ‘Prawn’ has been used in Australiasince C19 to mean ‘fool’, so a ‘raw prawn’ could mean a ‘naivefool’, and if ‘come’ is to be understood as ‘to act the part of’, thephrase would imply trying to dupe someone by feigned ignorance.Some have defined ‘raw prawn’ as ‘something far-fetched, difficult
to swallow’, if this is so, then ‘come’ would mean ‘perpetrate’,which is also possibleAUSTRALIA, 1948
don’t come the uncooked crustaceando not attempt to dupe
me Rare variant ofDON’T COME THE RAW PRAWN AUSTRALIA , 1971
don’t do anything I wouldn’t; don’t do anything I wouldn’t
doused jocularly, as good advice, often as parting advice, andoften in a sexual context Occasionally the sentiment is changed
to ‘don’t do anyone I wouldn’t do’
Trang 9don’t do that, thenin computing, used as a stock response to a
complaint that a certain action causes a problemUS, 1991
don’t give me that!I don’t believe you!UK, 1984
don’t go there!; don’t even go there!used for expressing a lack
of interest in pursuing a topicUS, 1993
don’t hold your breath!don’t expect anything to happen;
anything that is expected is unlikely to happen for a long time, if
at allUS, 1971
don’t let today be the day!used as an all-purpose, very serious
threatUS, 2002
don’t mean nothin’used as an all-purpose reaction to any bad
news among American soldiers in VietnamUS, 1990
don’t sleep!don’t kid yourself!US, 2002
don’t spend it all at once!used as a jocular injunction given
when handing over a very small sum of moneyUK, 1977
don’t-talk-aboutconjunctionnot to mentionTRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 2003
don’t tense!relax!US, 1951
don’t work too hard!used as a jocular admonition by, for
instance, a worker going on holiday to workmates left behindUK,
1984
doonoun a skidoo, used for transport over ice and snow ANTARCTICA,
2003
doob; doubnounan amphetamine pill or other central nervous
system stimulantUK, 1969
doobagenounmarijuanaUS, 1985
doobernouna marijuana cigaretteUS, 2000
doobie; dooby; doob; dubenoun1a marijuana cigarette The
earliest identification is as ‘Negro slang for a marijuana roach’ A
belief persists that the term was spawned from the 1950s
American children’s television show, Romper Room, in which
children were urged to be ‘good do-be’s’ Alternative spelling with
a ‘u’ for ‘dubee’ and ‘dubbe’US, 1967.2a pillUK, 2002
doobie-headnouna smoker of marijuana in cigarette-fashion, 1999
doobiousadjectiveunder the influence of marijuana A play with the
conventional ‘dubious’ andDOOBIE(a marijuana cigarette)US, 1986
doobrynounused as a replacement for any noun that the user
cannot or does not wish to specifyUK, 1950s
doobynounmarijuanaUK, 2000
dooceverbto be dismissed from employment for the contents of a
‘blog’ (an on-line diary), website or other shared journal Named
after www.dooce.com; established in 2001 by Los Angeles website
designer Heather Armstrong, who is credited with coining the
word, and who, in 2002, was fired from her job for publishing
stories about her workmates on her websiteUS, 2005
doocingnoundismissal from employment for the contents of a
‘blog’ (an on-line diary), website or other shared journal From the
verb senseUS, 2005
doodackienounan object the name of which escapes or is not
important to the speakerNEW ZEALAND, 1999
doodackied upadjectivedressed upNEW ZEALAND, 1947
doodad; dodadnouna trivial or useless objectUS, 1877
doodadsnounthe bleed period of the menstrual cycleAUSTRALIA, 2001
doodahnoun1used as a replacement for any noun that the user
cannot or does not wish to specify Employed to comic effect by
the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, formed in 1965 The ‘doodah’ was
dropped as success beckonedUK, 1928.2the vaginaUS, 2001.3semen
UK, 2003
doodernounthe female breastBAHAMAS, 1982
doodlenounthe penis Children’s vocabularyUS, 1980
doodleverb1to have sexUS, 1957.2to play music in a whimsical,
relaxed mannerUS, 1955
doodle-a-squat
doodlebugnoun1in oil drilling, any mechanical or electrical deviceclaimed as a tool to find oilUS, 1924.2any small vehicle, such as asmall tractor that pulls dollies in a warehouseUS, 1935
doodlebuggernounin oil drilling, a person who claims divinepowers in locating oilUS, 1936
doodle-gazeverbto stare at a woman in a lingering, lustful fashion
US, 1990
doodlesnounthe testicles Combines the genital sense ofDOODLE
(the penis) with the vague sense (a small nameless article)US, 2001
doodlynounanything at allUS, 1939
doodly-squatnoun1nothing at allUS, 1934.2low grade marijuanaUS, 1979
doo-doonoun1excrement, literal or figurative Also as ‘do-do’ Achild’s euphemism; by reduplication of ‘do’ or ‘doo’ (excrement)
US, 1948.2troubleUS, 1989
doody; dootynounexcrement ChildishUS, 1969
doofnoun1dance musicAUSTRALIA, 1998.2a dance music aficionado
AUSTRALIA, 1998.3a party open to the public, often announced andcited clanedestinely, featuring drugs, music and sensory overload
AUSTRALIA, 2002.4a slow-witted person, a fool Originally a Scottishdialect wordUS, 1971
doofverbto hit someoneUK: SCOTLAND, 1988
doofah; doofernouna thing, a gadget, an unnamed article
Probably from the sense that such an article will ‘do for now’ UK, 1945
doofballnounan inept social outcastUS, 1977
doofernouna dance music aficionadoAUSTRALIA, 1998
doofingnoundance musicAUSTRALIA, 1997
doofus; dufusnoun1a dolt, a foolUS, 1955.2in caving and holing, an inept cave A specialist variationUS, 2004
pot-doohickeynounan object the exact name of which escapes thespeakerUS, 1914
doojiggernounan object the name of which escapes the speakerUS, 1927
dooknoun1in the gambling game two-up, a throw of heads threetimes in a rowAUSTRALIA, 1966.2a handAUSTRALIA, 1924.3a fist
AUSTRALIA, 1977.4(especially in Western Australia) a playing marble.Has the short vowel of ‘book’ and may be spelt ‘doog’AUSTRALIA, 1965
dookverb1to pass or hand over something secretlyAUSTRALIA, 1915.
2to pay a bribe or gratuityAUSTRALIA, 1945.< dook themin thegambling game two-up, to throw heads three times in a row
Dookienicknamea student, alumni or supporter of Duke University
US, 1990
doolackynouna thing; a thingumabobAUSTRALIA, 1950
doolally; doolali; doolally tap; doodle-ally; doodally; tapped
adjective1mad From the obsolete noun ‘doolally tap’ (a form ofmadness) Deolali (a military sanitorium in Bombay) corrupted and
abbreviated as ‘doo-lally’ plus Hundustani tap (fever) UK, 1925.
2extremely drunk Extends from the previous senseUK, 1943.3in astate of sensory confusion A compound of all senses: ‘mad’,
‘drunk’ and ‘broken’UK, 2001
doolandernouna powerful blowUK: SCOTLAND, 1985
dooleynoun1a privvy; an outdoor toiletUS, 1968.2heroinUS, 1994
doolienouna foolUK: SCOTLAND, 1985
doolinnouna Roman Catholic From Mickey Doolin, thequintessential IrishmanNEW ZEALAND, 1959
doo-mommiego fuck your mother A phonetic approximation of
Trang 10DOOM pussy missionnouna night bombing run flown by US
bombers over North Vietnam The DOOM came from the the Da
Nang Officer’s Open Mess, the ‘pussy’ refered to the relative lack
of danger in a night missionUS, 1991
doom tubenounthe hollow of a wave that does not offer a surfer
the ability to leave the hollowUS, 1991
doomyadjectivevery depressed and discouraged; dismalUK, 1968
doornoun1a supplier of drugsCANADA, 2002.2a capsule of Doriden™,
a trade name for glutethimide, a sedativeUS, 1992.< from the
doorfrom the outsetUS, 1967
doorbellnounthe nipple of a woman’s breastUS, 1973
doorcardnounin seven-card stud poker, a player’s first face-up card
UK, 2003
door-huggernouna girl who sits as far away from her date when he
is driving as possibleUS, 1966
door jockeynouna doormanUS, 1956
doorknobnoun1a socially inept personUS, 1994.2a shilling
Pre-decimal rhyming slang forBOB(a shilling)UK, 1961
doormatnoun1a person who is easily manipulated by othersUK,
1883.2a toupeeUS, 1952.3in surfing, a bodyboarder, that is a surfer
who lies down on the surfboard DerogatorySOUTH AFRICA, 2003
door popsnoundice that have been altered so that they will score a
7 or 11 more frequently than normalUS, 1950
door-pushernouna girl who stays as close as possible to the
passenger door while riding in a car on a dateUS, 1959
doorshakernouna night watchmanUS, 1942
doorstepnoun< not on your own doorstepa piece of
folk-philosophy (often as an injunction): do not get sexually involved
with anyone close to home, or at workUK, 2003
doorstepverbof a journalist, to wait near a subject’s door in order
to obtain an interview, a photograph, etcUK, 1981
doorstep sandwichnouna sandwich that uses two very thick slices
of breadIRELAND, 1989
doorstopnounin computing, broken or obsolete equipmentUS, 1991
door whorenoun1someone employed to welcome clubbers to a
club but who actually enforces a strict exclusion policy based on
the club’s style requirementsUK, 1999.2a restaurant hostessUS, 1995
doosnouna despicable personSOUTH AFRICA, 2004
dooseynounheroinUK, 2003
dooshnounthe face Glasgow slangUK: SCOTLAND, 1988
do out ofverbto swindle someone out of somethingUK, 1825
doovernoun1a thing; a thingumabob Originally in World War 2
services slang Suggested origins include (1) a variant onDOOFAH,
(2) from Yiddish, a variant of Hebrew davar (a thing), and (3)
extracted fromHORSES DOOVERS The first two are much more likely
that the lastAUSTRALIA, 1940.2the penis From the sense as an
‘unnamed thing’AUSTRALIA, 1971
do oververb1to beat someone upUK, 1866.2to swindle or take
advantage ofAUSTRALIA, 1952.3to frisk, to search through someone’s
clothing or propertyUK, 1984.4to have sex with someoneAUSTRALIA,
1948
dooverlackie; doovilackienouna thing; a thingumabobAUSTRALIA,
1987
doowallynounan idiot, a person with a less than first-class grip on
reality Glasgow slang, perhaps related toDOOLALLY(mad)UK:
SCOTLAND, 1988
doo-wopnouna musical style popular in the 1950s, featuring
nonsense syllables sung in close harmonyUS, 1969
doozernoun1anything that is large or outstandingCANADA, 1975.2an
exceptional example or specimenUS, 1930
doozyadjectivean extraordinary example of somethingUS, 1916
dopnoun1the head From Afrikaans dop (an empty vessel) SOUTH
AFRICA, 1978.2any brandy From Afrikaans doppe (husks of grapes)
SOUTH AFRICA, 1896.3a short drink of any spirits, a tot; the act of
dopverb to drink (alcohol) From Afrikaans dop (a drink) SOUTH AFRICA, 1977
dopenoun1a drug, drugs, especially if illegalUS, 1900.2marijuana
SOUTH AFRICA, 1946.3heroinUS, 1891.4information, especially dential informationUS, 1902.5a stupid foolUK, 1851.6money TeenslangSOUTH AFRICA, 2003.7in oil drilling, a lubricantUS, 1954
confi-dopeverb1to use recreational drugsUS, 1889.2in the used carbusiness, to hide a car’s mechanical flawsUS, 1968
dopeadjective1stylish, excellent, best A word that defines andsneers at society’s failures; this common hip-hop usage, credited
to rap-pioneer Chief Rocker Busy Bee, rejects the negative andpromotes the positive in the ‘bad-as-good’ wayUS, 1981.2dull TeenslangSOUTH AFRICA, 2003
dope!used for expressing approvalUK, 2003
dope cakenouna baked confection which has marijuana or hashish
as a major ingredientUK, 2002
dope cornernouna street corner where drugs are usually soldUS, 1992
dope daddynouna drug dealerUS, 1936
dopefiedadjectiveamazingUS, 2000
dope fiendnouna drug addictUS, 1895
dopeheadnouna regular drug userUS, 1903
dope housenouna house or building where drugs are bought andusedUS, 1968
dope kitnounthe equipment needed to prepare and inject drugsUS, 1973
dopemannouna drug dealerUS, 1974
dope offverbto fail to pay attention; to fall asleepUS, 1918
dope on a ropenounin the language of hang gliding, a paragliderpilotUS, 1992
dope outverb1to become, or spend time, intoxicated on reational drugsUS, 1970.2to discover, to ascertain, to comprehend;
rec-to work outUS, 1906
dope pullnounan addict’s need for drugsUS, 1997
dopernouna drug userUS, 1922
dope ropenouna cord attached to a surfer and his surfboardUS, 1991
dope sheetnoun1a leaflet or pamphlet offering ‘inside’ tips onhorse bettingUS, 1900.2in the television and film industries, arunning report on shooting kept by an assistant directorUK, 1960
dope slopenouna beginner’s ski slopeUS, 1963
dope smokeverbto smoke marijuanaUS, 1980
dopesternouna person who analyzes the past performance ofracehorses and athletic teams in order to predict future perform-anceUS, 1907
dope sticknouna cigaretteUS, 1904
dope upverbto use drugsUS, 1942
dopeyadjective1dull-witted, foolishUS, 1903.2sleepy, lethargic, dull;half-asleep under the influence of drink, medicinal or recreationaldrugsUS, 1896
dopey; dopienouna drug user or addictUS, 1929
dopiumnounopium; heroinUS, 1942
dor; door; dorienouna capsule of glutethimide (trade nameDoriden™), a hypnotic sedative and central nervous systemdepressantUS, 1986
doradillanounmarijuana The Spanish zoological name for a
of Dorcas recorded in Acts ix, 36 The original slang use, nowobsolete, was as ‘a seamstress who worked for charity’; that spirit
is invested in this polari usage as ‘one who cares’
Trang 11dordy!used for registering surprise English gypsy use, from
Romany dawdi UK, 2000
do-re-mi; dough-rey-menounmoney Extends fromDOUGH
(money), punning on ‘do-re-mi/doh-ray-mi’ in the ‘tonic sol-fa’
system of music Most strongly associated with Woody Guthrie’s
1937 song ‘(If You Ain’t Got the) Do Re Mi’US, 1926
dorfnouna social outcastUS, 1967
Dorian lovenounhomosexual love and/or sex From Oscar Wilde’s
portraitUS, 1987
do-rightnouna favourUS, 1986
do-rightadjectiverighteous, diligentUS, 1936
do-right boynouna police officerUS, 1970
do-righternouna person who does not use drugsUS, 1970
Dorisnoun1a woman From the slightly old-fashioned female name
UK, 2001.2a police vanBARBADOS, 1965
Doris Daynoun1homosexuality Rhyming slang forGAY, formed
from the name of American singer and actress Doris Day (b.1924),
perhaps as a knowingly ironic reference to Rock Hudson, a
famously closeted homosexual, with whom she co-starred on
several occasionsUK, 1992.2a way Rhyming slang which reduces to
‘doris’UK, 1992
dorknoun1the penisUS, 1961.2a socially inept, unfashionable,
harmless personUS, 1964
dorkverbto act in a socially inept fashionUS, 1990
dorkbrainnounan inept outcastUS, 1974
dorkbreathnounused as a term of abuseUS, 1974
dorkusnouna fool An embellishedDORK US , 1979
dorkyadjectiveodd; out of step with the rest; without social skills
FromDORK US , 1970
dormnoun a dormitory UK, 1900
dormienouna student living in a dormitory; a person with whom
you share a dormitory roomUS, 1966
dorm ratnouna person living in a dormitoryUS, 1963
dorm rotnouna bruise on the skin caused by a partner’s mouth
during foreplay; a suction kissUS, 1970
do-roomnouna room where drugs are used, especially injectedUS,
1974
Dorothynouna tyre Rhyming slang, formed from the name of
Welsh torch-singer Dorothy Squires, 1915–98, always used in a
reduced formUK, 1992
Dorothy Dixernouna pre-arranged question put to a Minister in
parliament for which he or she has a prepared answer Named
after Dorothy Dix, a popular US question-and-answer columnist
AUSTRALIA, 1963
dory plugnicknamea member of the Royal Canadian NavyCANADA,
1995
dosenoun1a case of a sexually transmitted infectionUS, 1914.2a
curse, a spellBAHAMAS, 1982.3an amount or quantity of something
UK, 1607.4a four-month prison sentence In earlier use (1860) as
‘three months’ hard labour’UK, 1996.5a single experience with LSD
US, 1967.6a doltUS, 1969.< like a dose of saltsvery quickly, and
effectively From the laxative properties of Epsom Salts; especially
as ‘go through something like a dose of salts’UK, 1837
doseverb1to introduce a drug, espsecially LSD, into a host
substance; to give a drug to someone without their knowledgeUS,
1957.2to share drugsUS, 1997.3to ingest; to take a dose ofUS, 1971.
4to infect another with a sexually transmitted diseaseUS, 1918
dosed upadjectiveinfected with a sexually transmitted diseaseUS,
1969
dose of the shitsnoun1a case of diarrhoeaAUSTRALIA, 1979.2a bad
moodAUSTRALIA, 1973
dosesnounLSDCANADA, 2002
dose upverbto pass a sexually transmitted infection to someone
dosey-doeverbto dance, literally or figuratively From a basic call inAmerican square dancingUS, 1961
doshnounmoney Possibly a combination of ‘dollars’ and ‘cash’;there are also suggestions that the etymology leads back toDOSS
(temporary accommodation), hence, it has been claimed, the
money required ‘to doss’, or Scottish dialect doss (tobacco pouch,
a purse containing something of value) – note, too, that tobacco
is related to money viaQUID US ‘dosh’ didn’t survive but in C20 UK and Australia the word was resurrected, or coincidentallyrecoinedUS, 1854
mid-doshverbto giveUK, 1999
dossnoun1sleepUS, 1894.2a waste of timeUK, 1998.3an easy thing
to doUK, 1999.4an attractive femaleUS, 1968.5a brakevan (caboose)
US, 1977
dossverbto sleep in temporary accommodation, usually on animprovised bed – floor, sofa, etc Sometimes embellished to ‘dossdown’UK, 1744
doss about; dossverbto waste timeUK, 1935
dossbagnoun1a sleeping bag Gulf war usageUK, 1991.2a lazy oridle personUK, 2003
dossernouna homeless person, a vagrant Originally, ‘one whofrequented aDOSS HOUSE’, now applied equally to one who sleepsroughUK, 1866
doss housenouna very cheap lodging-house; a shelter for thehomelessUK, 1889
dossiernounin Quebec, a project This word is an example ofFrenglishCANADA, 2002
doss jointnounan establishment providing cheap, basic sleepingquartersAUSTRALIA, 1969
dossyadjectivedaftUK, 1958
dotnoun1LSD; a dose of LSDUS, 1967.2the anusUS, 1964.3theclitorisUS, 1964.4the bleed period of the menstrual cycle.Remembered as late 1970s usageUS, 2000.5in hot rodding, atailightUS, 1958.< off your dotout of your sensesUK, 1926.< on the dotexactly punctualUK, 1909
DotnicknameDorchester, MassachusettsUS, 1997
dotverb1to drop a small amount of LSD on a piece of paperUS,
1970.2to have anal intercourse FromDOT(the anus)UK, 2002.3tohit someone, to strikeUK, 1895
dot-and-dashnoun1money Rhyming slang for ‘cash’UK, 1962.2amoustache Rhyming slang, for, in all probability,TASH(amoustache) and based on the morse code for ‘A’UK, 1992
dot ballnounin cricket, a bowled ball from which no runs arescored From the dot that is recorded in the scorebookUK, 1984
dot-bombnouna failed dot-com businessUS, 2001
dot con artistnouna criminal who operates an Internet-basedfraud A play on the Internet business domain and generic ‘dotcom’US, 1999
Dot Cottonadjectiverotten Rhyming slang, formed from the name
of a character played by actress June Brown in BBC television’s
EastEnders UK, 2003
Dot Cottonedadjectivedrunk Possibly (imperfect) rhyming slang,
‘Dot Cotton’ for ‘pissed rotten’, from the character Dot Cotton,
played by actress June Brown, in BBC television’s EastEnders – the
character is known for tipsinessUK, 2002
dot, dot, dotused to imply what happened next, and then, etc Averbalisation of the written narrative device that is often used inromantic fiction to draw a veil over moments of intimacyUK, 2003
do tell!used for expressing doubt Ironic, sarcastic or incredulousUS, 1891
mock-dot headnounan Indian or Pakistani Offensive From the castemark which Hindu women wear on their foreheadsUS, 1982
dot mannouna Department of Transportation functionary whoinspects trucks at motorway stops Based on the agencys initials:DOTUS, 1976
dot on the card
Trang 12dotsnounsheet music From the look of written musicUS, 1927
dottyadjectiveeccentric, senileUK, 1885
doublenoun1a streetUK, 1937.2a pimp with more than one
prostitute working for himUS, 1987.3in gambling, a bet on two
different events in which the total return on the first selection is
automatically staked on the secondUK, 2001.4a twenty-dollar note
An abbreviation ofDOUBLE SAWBUCK US , 1966.5a lift on a bicycle or,
formerly, a horseAUSTRALIA, 1947.< on the doubleswiftly From
military use for ‘marching at twice the regular speed’UK, 1865
doubleverbto give someone a lift on a bicycle or, formerly, a horse
AUSTRALIA, 1950.< double in brassto perform two or more tasks
at once A term from the theatre, where an actor might play a
brass instrument in the orchestra while not on stage actingUS, 1963
doubleadverbvery much Often used as an intensifierUK, 1958
double 8nounin the television and film industries, 16mm filmUK,
1960
double acenounin dominoes, the 1–1 pieceUS, 1959
double adaptornoun1a male who both gives and receives anal sex
AUSTRALIA, 1987.2a bisexual Scamto youth street slang (South
African townships)SOUTH AFRICA, 2005
double-aught bucknoundouble-O (.32 calibre) buckshot used in
police shotgunsUS, 1982
double bagverbto use two condoms at onceUS, 1989
double-baggernounan ugly womanUS, 1982
double banknounto ride as a second person on a horse, or later, a
bicycleAUSTRALIA, 1876
double bankverbto double the number of animals pulling a load
AUSTRALIA, 1867
double-barreledadjectiveextremeUS, 1867
double-bassnouna sexual position in which a man, having entered
a woman from behind, simultaneously applies manual stimulation
to her nipples and clitorisAUSTRALIA, 2002
double belly busternounin poker, a hand that requires two cards
to make a five-card sequenceUS, 1978
double-bluenouna pill containing both amphetamine and
barbitutrateUK, 1978
double bubblenoun1an amount that is twice as much, especially
money A rhyming play on ‘double’UK, 1999.2overtime at double
rateUK, 2005.3a water pipe with two channels, used for smoking
marijuanaUS, 1998.4cocaine in a smokable form Marketed as
being twice as potent when inhaledUS, 1993.5in prison, interest
demanded on an advance of drugs, tobacco or any other form of
prison currency With variant ‘double back’UK, 1996.6a very
attractive girl Teen slangUS, 1951
double buffalonounfifty-five miles an hour The US five-cent piece
features an engraved buffaloUS, 1976
double carpetnoun1in betting, odds of 33–1 Dubious accounting
‘doubles’ the odds from aCARPET(3–1)UK, 1967.2in prison, a
sentence of six months Literally, ‘twice aCARPET’ (three months)
UK, 1996
double centurynounin motor racing, 200 miles per hourUS, 1965
double cheesenounin pool, the situation when either player can
win with one shotUS, 1993
double cherry dropnouna variety of MDMA, the recreational drug
best known as ecstasyUK, 1996
double-chokedadjectiveextremely disappointed or disgruntled,
utterly disgustedUK, 1965
double click your mouse; double clickverbof a female, to
masturbate An allusion to manipulation of the clitorisAUSTRALIA,
2003
double-clutchverb1to partake of more than your share of a
marijuana cigarette being passed around a groupUS, 1980.2to
move quickly; to do anything quicklyUS, 1968.3to grab someone in
the crotch and the buttocksBAHAMAS, 1982
double-clutchernounused as a humorous euphemism for
double-clutchingadjectiveused as a jocular euphemism for
double deucenouna 22 calibre gunUS, 1994
double-diamond lanenounthe right or slow lane on a motorway.Named for the logo of the McLean Truck Line, believed to havethe slowest trucks in the industryUS, 1976
double dibs!used as a strong assertion of a claim of rights tosomethingUS, 1947
double-digit fidgetnounthe anxiety felt by US troops in Vietnamwith less than 100 days left before leaving VietnamUS, 1991
double-digit midgetnouna soldier with less than 100 days left intheir tour of dutyUS, 1969
double dimenountwentyUS, 1969
double dime notenouna twenty-dollar noteUS, 1961
double dinkverbto give someone a lift on a bicycle or, formerly, ahorseAUSTRALIA, 1941
double-dipverb1to date both sexesUS, 2002.2to dip a piece of foodinto a shared sauce or relish after taking a biteUS, 1993
double dippernouna bisexualUS, 1997
double-dippingnounpayment by two different sources for thesame work or reason Slang from the ice-cream parlour, where the
‘double dip’ cone had two scoops of ice-creamUS, 1986
double dome; green double dome; green single domenoun
LSDUS, 1994
doubledomenounan intellectualUS, 1943
double-doorverbin pool, to beat someone quickly The image isthat the defeated player has no sooner walked in the front doorthan he is walking out the back doorUS, 1990
double dooringnounan act of criminal fraud perpetrated on ahotel, in which the fraudster arrives in the manner of a legitimatecustomer but departs by the back door leaving the accountunpaidUK, 1996
double dukeverbto arrange a deck of cards so that two players will
be dealt good handsUS, 1977
double Dutch; Dutchnoununintelligible speech Double Dutch isalso a secret language in which words are disguised to preventunderstanding by outsidersUK, 1876
double eighty-eights; double 88sbest wishes; warm wishesUS, 1976
double fevernounfifty-five miles an hour FromFEVER(five)US, 1976
double finnounten dollars or ten yearsUS, 1949
double-fistedadjectivelarge, imposingUS, 1853
double fivesnouna hand slap of both hands used for a greeting orfor expressing appreciation of that which has just been saidUS, 1977
double-gaitedadjectivebisexualUS, 1927
double harnessnounmarriageAUSTRALIA, 1885
double-hattedadjectiveserving in two positions simultaneouslyUS, 1990
double-header; doubleheadernoun1an event where two actsshare the headlineUK, 2002.2an activity engaged in twice in a row
on the same day, especially sexUS, 1977
double infinitynounin poker, a pair of eights Turned on its side, afigure eight is an infinity symbolUS, 1996
double-jointed exceptional
Trang 13double Lnouna telephone An extrapolation from ‘landline’US, 1976
double loadedadjectivecarrying a large amount, especially of stolen
propertyUK, 1956
double netnounin betting, odds of 20–1 Literally, ‘twice aNET’
(10–1)UK, 1991
double nickelnoun1fifty-five; five-fiftyUS, 1990.2a ten-year prison
sentenceUS, 1998.3fifty-five miles an hour, the speed limit
imposed throughout the US by the federal government in 1974US,
1976
double nickelsnounin craps, a roll of ten made with a pair of fives
US, 1999
double nutsnoundouble zeroUS, 1981
double-onouna close examinationUS, 1913
Double-Onicknamerock musician Ozzy Osbourne (b.1948)UK, 2002
double O’snounKool cigarettesUS, 1981
double packernouna member of the Hell’s Angels who is prone to
take a girlfriend with him on excursionsUS, 1966
double rocknouncrack cocaine diluted with procaineUK, 1998
double roughnouna prison sentence of 50 yearsUS, 1990
double rushverbto deliver in an expedited fashion Bicycle
messenger slang, used as the title for a short-lived television
comedy (CBS, 1995)US, 1995
double sawnouna twenty-year jail sentenceUS, 1976
double sawbuck; double sawnouna twenty-dollar noteUS, 1931
double sawskinouna twenty-dollar noteUS, 1953
double stackednounparamethoxyamphetamine, PMA A drug that
is difficult to distinguish from MDMA (ECSTASY)UK, 2001
double stacksnounMDMA, the recreational drug best known as
ecstasyUS, 2002
double stack white Mitsubishinounan extra thick tablet of
paramethoxyamphetamine, PMA, etched with the Japanese car
manufacturer’s logo, easily confused with MDMAUS, 2000
double-stakes-aboutnounin gambling, a type of conditional bet
UK, 2001
double tapsnounin betting, odds of 15–8 From theTICK-TACK
signal for the oddsUK, 1991
double timeadverbvery much, greatly, absolutely Variation ofBIG
TIME(entirely) withDOUBLEas the intensifierUK, 1994
double tonnoun1in cricket, a batsman’s score of 200 runs or more
in one inningsUK, 1995.2in motor racing, 200 miles per hourUS,
1993
double trenounsixUS, 1998
double troublenoun1a capsule of sodium amobarbital and
sodium secobarbital (trade name Tuinal™), a combination of
central nervous system depressantsUS, 1967.2any combination of
drugsUS, 1990.3a member of Alcoholics Anonymous who is
seeking treatment for a second psychological disorder Those who
succeed are known as ‘double winners’US, 1990
double upsnounvials of crack cocaineUS, 1992
Double Willienouna stagehand who is paid at the doubletime rate
for working through meal and rest breaksUS, 1973
double yokenouncrack cocaine Perhaps this is a reference to the
‘yoke’ of addiction, punning on the contents of an eggUK, 1998
double-yolkernoun1a fool Prison usageNEW ZEALAND, 1999.2a ewe
carrying twinsNEW ZEALAND, 2002
double zero; zero zero; zero-zeronouna high grade variety of
hashish from Morocco; generally, marijuanaUK, 1996
double zero rockynouncannabis resinUK, 1999
doubting Thomasnouna perpetually sceptical personUK, 1877
douchenouna shower Vietnam war military usageUS, 1991
doucheverb1to take an enema before or after anal sexUS, 1972.2to
reject someone’s application for membership in a fraternity,
douche bagnoun1a despicable person; a socially inept personUS,
1945.2a promiscuous woman prisonerUS, 1992.3in trucking, thewindscreen was containerUS, 1971.4a shower kit Vietnam warmilitary usageUS, 1991
douchedadjectiveexhaustedUS, 1968
douche jobnouna wash or steam cleaning of a truckUS, 1971
douche kitnouna shaving kitUS, 1970
douche outverbas a prank, to flood the floor of a room by pouringbuckets of water under the crack of the doorUS, 1967
douchernounan annoying, unlikeable personUS, 2004
doudounounused as a term of endearment From French Creole,
ultimately from French doux (sweet) UK, 1998
doughnoun1moneyUS, 1851.2an American infantryman Koreanwar usage; shortened from the earlierDOUGHBOY US , 1951
doughballnouna fool Glasgow slangUK: SCOTLAND, 1988
doughboynoun1a soldier in the infantry Many inventive, butunproved, explanations for the term’s coining can be foundUS,
1847.2a catering employee on a televison or film setUS, 1997
dough dollynounon Prince Edward Island, a slice of bread cut offfor breakfast after rising overnightCANADA, 1988
doughfootnounan infantry soldier World War 2’s answer to the
DOUGHBOYof World War 1US, 1943
dough-godsnoundumplings on top of a stewCANADA, 1987
dough-headnouna fool From the thick consistency of conventional
‘dough’US, 1838
doughnutnoun1a tightly driven full circle, typically executed byyoung drivers who leave tyre marks from the sharp turns andaccelerationUS, 1960.2a tyre; in motor racing, a fat, treadless tyre
US, 1922.3a traffic roundaboutUK, 1981.4an undersized, oftenillegal, steering wheelUS, 1980.5any material produced to be played
on the radio which leaves a silent space in the middle for mation provided by the announcerUS, 1980.6the anusAUSTRALIA,
infor-1985.7the inside of a round, hollow waveUS, 1988.8a fool, a crazyperson Probably abbreviated fromDOUGHNUT HEAD; possibly newlycoined, combining conventional ‘dough’ to suggest a thick consist-ency andNUT(the head); or, possibly, an elaboration of ‘nut’ (acrazy person) Also spelt ‘donut’UK, 2001
doughnutverb1to cluster around a speaker, voicing support Whentelevision cameras were introduced in the House of Commons in
1989, their focus was exclusively on the speaker To give theimpression of support of, or even interest in, what was being said,other MPs would cluster around – ‘doughnut’ – the speaker,muttering words of supportUK, 1992.2to win a game without youropponent scoringUS, 1971
doughnut bumpernoun1a lesbianUS, 1997.2an aggressive, nant lesbianUS, 1992
domi-doughnut dolly; donut dollynouna female Red Cross volunteer inVietnam Vietnam war usage From the practice of Red Cross vol-unteers serving doughnuts and coffee to the troopsUS, 1968
doughnut headnounused as a term of abuse suggesting an emptyheadUS, 1977
doughnut six; donut sixnounthe leader of a group of female RedCross workers in Vietnam ‘Six’ was radio code for a unit’scommanderUS, 1990
dough-popverbto hit hardUS, 1972
dough-rollnouna wifeUS, 1972
dough-rollernoun1a bakerUS, 1920.2a wife or female loverUS, 1929
Douglas Hurd; douglasnoun1a third-class university degree Thisrhyming slang, based on Britain’s former Foreign and
Commonwealth Secretary, succeeded aTHORA UK , 2000.2a turd.Rhyming slang, formed from the name of the English Conservativepolitician (he was Foreign Secretary 1989–95) and novelist, LordDouglas Hurd (b.1930)UK, 1992
dougla tonicnounany liquid poison In Trinidad, suicide by Indians
Trang 14Douknouna Doukhobor, a member of a Russian fringe religious sect
with settlements in Western Canada The Doukhobors were known
for taking off all their clothes when brought to courtCANADA, 1962
do upverb1to inject an illegal drugUS, 1952.2to apply a tourniquet
before injecting a drug intravenouslyUS, 1970.3to beat up A
vari-ation ofDO UK , 1959
douseverb< douse the glimto turn off the lightsUS, 1945
dovenoun1a five-dollar noteUS, 2002.2a tablet of MDMA, the
rec-reational drug best known as ecstasy, identified by an embossed
dove-based motif Variously known, often depending on their
appearance, as ‘love dove’, ‘double dove’ or ‘white dove’UK, 1992
Dover boatnouna coat Rhyming slangUK, 1998
Dover harbournouna barber Rhyming slangUK, 1992
dovesnouncrack cocaineUS, 1993
dowagernounan elderly, usually affluent, homosexual manUS, 1941
do what?what are you saying?UK, 1998
downnoun1any barbiturate or central nervous system depressant
US, 1971.2a dislike or antipathyAUSTRALIA, 1835.< have a down on
to hold something or someone in low esteemAUSTRALIA, 1828
downverb1to finish a drinkUK, 1922.2to sell stolen goodsUS, 1967
downadjective1excellent; loyal; fashionableUS, 1946.2willing,
prepared, eagerUS, 1944.3aware of the current social fashions and
opinions; being or feeling a part of a general or specific social
scene A narrowing of the earlier UK C18 sense (wide-awake,
suspicious, aware); modern use is mainly black or trendyUS, 1944.
4(of surf conditions) flatUS, 1977.5depressedUK, 1610.6in custody;
imprisonedUS, 1927.< down onopposed to; holding a low
opinion of somethingUS, 1848.< down to1responsible forUK,
1970.2because of; attributable toUK, 1958
downadverb1down to or down atAUSTRALIA, 1911.2to hospital
BARBADOS, 1965.< get downto inject (a drug) into a veinUS, 1969
downalongadjectivein Barbados, of or pertaining to the other
British West Indies islandsBARBADOS, 1965
down and dirtyadjective1highly competitive, no holds barredUS,
1988.2descriptive of the final card in a game of seven-card stud
poker It is dealt face-down and it greatly affects the chances of a
hand winningUS, 1988
down and outadjectivehomeless; without moneyUS, 1901
down beatnoun< on the down beatdeclining in popularityUS,
1947
downblousenouna type of voyeurism devoted specifically to seeing
a woman’s breasts looking down her blouseUS, 1994
downernoun1a circumstance that depresses; a depressing
experi-ence FromDOWN(depressed)US, 1967.2a barbiturate or other
central nervous system depressantUS, 1965.3an animal being led
to slaughter that is too sick or crippled to walk into the
slaughterhouse This sense of the word began to enjoy great
popularity in the US in late 2003 with the publicity surrounding
Mad Cow Disease in US cattleUS, 1991.< have a downer onto
hold something or someone in low esteemAUSTRALIA, 1915
down for mineadjectivewilling to stand up for your groupUS, 1989
down hilladjectiveduring the second half of a prison sentenceUS,
1950
down homenoun1jail, especially the Manhattan Detention PensUS,
1982.2the US federal penitentiary in Atlanta, GeorgiaUS, 1992.3a
relatively specific place in the Maritime ProvincesCANADA, 1988
down homeadjectiveexemplifying the essence of black cultureUS,
1982
downhomernouna person who identifies closely with his maritime
rootsCANADA, 1988
downienouna central nervous system depresssantUS, 1966
Downing Streetnoun in various games, the number ten From 10
Downing Street, the official address of the British prime minister
UK, 1943
downloadverbto defecate Application of computer terminology to
downlowadjectivesecret Black usageUK, 1990s
down on your Mamas and Papasadjectivein dire financial straits.Rhyming slang forDOWN ON YOUR UPPER; formed on a 1960s’ USpop-groupUK, 2004
down on your uppersadjectivein dire financial straits When theupper of a shoe is worn down, a person might as well be walkingbarefootUS, 1963
downpressornounan oppressor Rasta patoisJAMAICA, 1982
down southnoun, adverb1below the waist; the genitalsUS, 1982.
2AntarcticaANTARCTICA, 1913.3the US federal penitentiary inAtlanta, GeorgiaUS, 1992.< it’s raining down southexperiencingthe bleed period of the menstruation cycleUS, 1999.< it’s snowing down southyour slip is showingUS, 1955
downstairsnounthe genital area, especially of a femaleUK, 2002
down the banksnouna reprimand; a piece of your mindIRELAND, 1968
down the blockadjectivein prison, in the punishment cellsUK, 1978
down the drain; down the drainsnounthe brain; brains.Rhyming slangUK, 1998
down the drainadjectivelost, wasted, failedUK, 1930
down the food chainadjectiveto be less important in thehierarchy of a business or social organisation, further down thechain of command An allusion to the natural organisation ofspecies, each being the food source for the next one up the bio-logical chainUK, 1999
down the gurgleradjectivehopelessly lostAUSTRALIA, 1982
down the hatch!used as a drinking toast, as a descriptiveprecursor to taking a drink and as an encouragement to takemedicineUS, 1931
down the mineadjectivesaid of the nose of a surfboard that hasknifed below the ocean surfaceAUSTRALIA, 1964
down the panadjectivelost, wasted, failed A variation ofDOWN THE
DRAIN UK , 1961
down therenoun, adverbthe genitals A precious if unmistakableeuphemismUS, 1995
down the roadadjectivein prisonUK, 1982
down the stepsadverbused to denote a sentence to imprisonment
UK, 1956
down timenounin prison, free time Adopted from industry, wherethe term means that machines aren’t working, hence free time forworkersUK, 1996
down to the groundadverbthoroughly, extremely wellUK, 1867
down to the rivetsadjective(used of brake pads or a clutch)extremely wornUS, 1992
downtownnoun1heroinUS, 1983.2in pool, the foot end of the table
US, 1993.3during the Vietnam war, the airspace above Hanoi, NorthVietnamUS, 1967
downtownernouna member of the US embassy staff in Vientiane,Laos Used with more than a trace of derision by US troops in thefieldUS, 1991
down tripnounany unpleasant, uninspiring experienceUS, 1967
down trounounthe voluntary lowering of your trousersNEW ZEALAND, 1984
Down Under; down undernounAustraliaAUSTRALIA, 1915
Down Under; down underadverbin AustraliaAUSTRALIA, 1886
downynouna bed A reference to the ‘down’ found in beddingUS, 1843
dowrynouna great deal, a lot Probably from the value of a ditional bride’s dowryUK, 1859
tra-doxy; doxienouna woman; a girlfriend Originally, in C16, ‘abeggar’s trull’ (the unmarried mistress of a beggar) Beginning inC19 it took on a softer and broader senseUK, 1530
Doyle Brunsonnounin hold ’em poker, a ten and a two as the firsttwo cards dealt to a player Poker player Doyle ‘Texas Dolly’
Trang 15Brunson won the World Series of Poker two years in a row with
this handUS, 1982
D’Oyly Carte; d’oylynoun1a fart Rhyming slang, formed from the
name of the opera company, founded in 1875, that specialises in
presenting the works of Gilbert and Sullivan One of various
backstage names for the opera company is ‘The Oily Fart’UK, 1992.
2the heart Rhyming slangUK, 1992
do you kiss your mother with that mouth?used as a rejoinder
to profanityUS, 1992
do you know something?used as a gentle if meaningless
introduction to what might otherwise come over as unlikely,
unkind or abrupt As an example: ‘Do you know something? I
rather like you.’UK, 1974
do you like the taste of hospital food?used as a jocular threat
of violenceUK, 1995
do you want some?used as a challenging invitation to violent
conflictUK, 2001
dozensnouna game of ritualistic insultUS, 1915
dozernoun1marijuanaUK, 2003.2a bulldozerUS, 1942
dozeyadjectiveslow; stupidAUSTRALIA, 1972
dozonouna doltNEW ZEALAND, 1998
dozyadjectivestupid; lazy Military coinageUK, 1999
DPnoun1double penetration In the pornography industry, this
usually refers to a woman who is being penetrated simultaneously
in the vagina and anally; viewers of American pornography have
been obsessed with this type of double penetration since the
1990s Technically, it refers to two objects or body parts inserted
into the same rectum or vagina simultaneouslyUS, 1997.2a
displaced person UK, 1945.3Dr Pepper™ soda A drink favoured,
and hence a term heard, mostly in the southern USUS, 1966
DPPnouna vagina simultaneously penetrated by two penises An
abbreviation of ‘double pussy penetration’ US, 2000
D.P.Q.noun a dumb passenger question CANADA, 1989
DPsnouna pair of men’s close-fitting and revealing nylon swimming
trunks An initialism ofDICK POINTERSorDICK POKERS AUSTRALIA , 2003
drabnouna pretty girl, especially one who is new in townUS, 1947
dracknounan unattractive womanAUSTRALIA, 1960
drackadjective1dreary; dull; awful; unpleasant Possibly derived from
Dracula, but others have suggested it is an alteration ofDRECK
AUSTRALIA, 1944.2(of a woman) unattractiveAUSTRALIA, 1949
dracsnoun the canine teeth Dracula, according to Hollywood at
least, has overlarge pointed canines for puncturing the skin of his
victimsUK, 2001
draft beastnouna student who studies hard in preparation for
examsTRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 2003
draftynoundraught beerUS, 1969
dragnoun1anything or anyone boring or tediousUS, 1863.2a
con-ventional, narrow-minded personUS, 1947.3an unattractive girlUS,
1955.4a transvestiteUK, 1974.5female clothing worn by men; male
clothing worn by women A term born in the theatre, but the
non-theatrical sense has long dominated He or she who wears
‘drag’ may or may not be a homosexualUK, 1870.6any kind of
clothingUK, 1959.7clout, influenceUS, 1896.8a street or road,
especially a major urban streetUK, 1851.9a car From earlier senses
‘as a coach’, ‘a cart’, ‘a wagon and a van’ English Gypsy useUK,
1935.10a freight train, especially a slow oneUS, 1925.11an
inhalation (of a cigarette, pipe or cigar)US, 1904.12a marijuana
cigaretteUK, 1978.13the soldier at the very rear of a group of
soldiers on patrol From the older term ‘drag rider’ (1888) for the
cowhand riding at the rear of a herdUS, 1991.14a sentence of three
months’ imprisonmentAUSTRALIA, 1877.15a confidence game in
which a wallet is dropped as bait for the victimUS, 1958.< the
draga several-block area near Independence Square, Port of Spain,
TrinidadTRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 1984
dragverb1to bore or annoyUS, 1944.2to wear clothing of the
opposite sexUS, 1970.3to compete in a drag race, a quarter-mile
race from a standing startUS, 1950.4in poker, to take (chips) from
percentage out of a potUS, 1988.6to rob vehiclesUK, 1970.7to lead
on, to enticeUS, 1981.< drag the chainto be slow to performsome task; to lag behind Metaphorically referring to Australia’sconvict era when prisoners were chained together, but originally inuse amongst shearers and only recorded long after chain gangswere a thing of the pastAUSTRALIA, 1912.< drag your anchortolose control of yourself and drift towards trouble Clearlyunderstood nautical originsUS, 1963
drag-assadjectivetired, lazyUS, 1952
drag backverbto re-imprison a convict released on licenceUK, 1996
drag ballnouna dance dominated by men dressed as womenUS, 1957
drage; droge; droje; drajenounany kind of clothing Affected ations ofDRAG UK , 1992
vari-draggedadjectiveannoyed, depressedUS, 1952
draggernouna thief who steals vehicles or their contentsUK, 1956
draggin’ wagonnoun1a tow truck, especially a military tow truck.Also known as a ‘dragon wagon’US, 1945.2in drag racing, a fast car
US, 1968
draggyadjectiveboring, tediousUS, 1868
drag it!let’s hurry up! Teen slangUS, 1951
drag kingnouna woman who impersonates a man, especially onewho performs in a male personaUS, 1995
drag magnouna magazine targeted at transvestitesUS, 1972
dragonnoun1the penis Originally in the phrase ‘water the dragon’(of a man, to urinate)UK, 1891.2heroinUS, 1961.3an ugly orunpleasant woman A variation of the conventional sense of ‘anaggressive woman’, often as ‘old dragon’UK, 1992
dragon drawersnounbrightly coloured men’s underpantsTRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 1987
dragonflynounan A-37 aircraft, used in the Vietnam war largely as aclose air-support fighter for ground forcesUS, 1985
dragon ladynoun1an aggressive, ruthless, ambitious woman Hertraits make a man a leader; from a comic strip character whoalong with being ruthless etc is from the Far EastUS, 1952.2anarmoured cavalry assault vehicleUS, 1991
Dragon LadynicknameMadame Ngo Dinh Nhu, sister-in-law ofSouth Vietnamese President Diem Madame Nhu, married toDiem’s brother, established herself as Vietnam’s unofficial FirstLady She supported the abolition of divorce, birth control andabortion, and closed a number of nightclubsUS, 1991
dragon rocknouna mixture of crack cocaine and heroin A nation ofDRAGON (heroin) and ROCK (crack)UK, 2002
combi-dragon shipnounany of several US helicopter gunships equippedwith Gatling guns during the Vietnam warUS, 1967
Dragon’s Jawnicknamethe Thanh Hoa railway and road bridge,spanning the Song Ma River three miles north of Thanh Hoa, thecapital of Annam Province, North VietnamUS, 1974
drag queennouna man, usually but not always homosexual, whofrequently or invariably wears women’s clothing FromDRAG
(women’s clothes when worn by men) andQUEEN(an effeminatehomosexual man) The social conditions that prevailed when thisterm was coined allowed for less obvious and glamorous cross-dressingUS, 1941
dragsnoundrag races, a series of quarter-mile events where the carsstart at rest and achieve extremely high speedsUS, 1963
drag shownouna performance by men dressed as womenUS, 1959
drag squadnounthe unit providing rear-guard security behind alarger body of soldiersUS, 1991
dragsternouna person who regularly asks for a puff on others’ rettesUS, 1963
ciga-dragulanouna transvestite who only appears at night Acompounding ofDRAG(female clothing worn by men) and Dracula(a legendary creature of the night)UK, 2003
drag upverb1to dress in women’s clothesUK, 2002.2to quit a job
Trang 16drag weednounmarijuanaUS, 1949
Drainnoun< the Drainthe Waterloo and City underground
railwayUK, 1970
drainverb(used of a ball in pinball) to leave play at the bottom of
the playing fieldUS, 1977.< drain the dragon(used of a male) to
urinateAUSTRALIA, 1971.< drain the main vein(used of a male)
to urinateUS, 1989.< drain the radiatorto urinateUS, 1977.
< drain the train(used of a male) to have sexUS, 1984.< drain
the veinto urinateUS, 1968.< drain the weasel(used of a
male) to urinateUS, 1990.< drain your crankcase(used of a
male) to urinateCANADA, 2002
draino!used by a golfer to celebrate a long putt falling into the hole
US, 1997
drain pipenounin poker, a conservative player who slowly but surely
accumulates winnings, draining money from other playersUS, 1996
drama mamanounan elaborately effeminate maleSINGAPORE, 2002
drama queennounsomeone who creates an unnecessary or
excessive fuss Originally gay usageUK, 1990
drammer damnernouna harsh theatre criticUS, 1952
drapenoun1clothing; a man’s suitUS, 1938.2the sag of a suit
favoured by zoot suiters and their fellow travellersUS, 1954
drapeverbto dress, to attireUS, 1942.< drape the shapeto get
dressedUS, 1962
drapeadjectivesaid of a stylized, baggy men’s suit favoured by zoot
suitersUS, 1967
drapedadjectiveadorned with a lot of gold jewelleryUS, 1995
drapesnounbell-bottom pantsUS, 1970
drape shapenouna baggy, loose-fitting style of clothing popular in
the 1940sUS, 1955
drat!used as a mild expletive From ‘God rot!’UK, 1815
drattedadjectivedamnedUK, 1845
drawnoun1a winning bet with a bookmakerUK, 2000.2marijuana; a
marijuana cigaretteUK, 1987.3a cigaretteAUSTRALIA, 1955.4in pool,
backspin applied to the cue ballUS, 1866
drawverbwhile injecting a drug, to pull blood into the syringe to
verify that the needle has hit a blood veinUS, 1971.< draw dead
in poker, to draw cards into a hand that cannot winUS, 1990.
< draw the crabs1to attract the enemy’s attention; to draw fire
AUSTRALIA, 1918.2to attract unwanted attentionAUSTRALIA, 1988.
< draw the crowto get the worst job or the worst share of
somethingAUSTRALIA, 1942.< draw water(of the sun) to exhibit
long vertical lines in the sky Said in Nova Scotia to be a sign of
approaching rain, it occurs also in New England, where it is said to
be a sign of clear weatherCANADA, 1942
draw down onverbto draw out and point guns atUS, 1974
draw drapesnounthe foreskin of an uncircumcised penisUS, 1979
drawersnounsexUS, 1969
drawing roomnouna brakevan (caboose)US, 1977
drawingsnoun1information; gossip; newsUS, 1968.2plans for a
course of actionUS, 1990
draw upverbto inject a drug intravenously Derives from the initial
act of drawing up blood into the syringe to mix with the narcotic
before re-injectionUK, 1998
dreadnoun1a Rastafarian From the distinctive dreadlocks hairstyle
worn by RastasfariansJAMAICA, 1976.2a black person From the
pre-vious sense; prison usageUK, 1996
dreadadjective1difficult, hard, impossible; used to ascribe negative
qualities to any situation West Indian and UK blackUK, 1977.
2frighteningUK, 1996
dreadedadjective1of hair, in dreadlocksUK, 2003.2fashionable,
popular, in styleUS, 1998
dreaded lurgi; the lurgi; the lergy; lergnounany malaise or
minor ailment The ‘dreaded’ variation is a direct quotation from
The Goon Show, which was originally broadcast on BBC radio in
1951 So much in the world of the Goons was ‘dreaded’ The
further applied to notional illnesses and any vaguely unpleasant orunclean disease that another could be accused of carryingUK, 1954
dreadfullyadverbexceedingly Often used to imply or intensify apejorative senseUK, 1697
dreadlocksnounthe long, bundled strands of hair worn byRastafariansJAMAICA, 1960
dreadsnoundreadlocks, a Rastafarian hairstyle in which the hair isnot combed or brushed, forming matted clumps or ’locks’US, 1977
dreamnoun1an appealing, attractive member of whatever sexattracts youUS, 1895.2opiumUS, 1929.3cocaineUK, 1998
dreamboatnoun1a sexually attractive personUS, 1944.2a maintained, large luxury carUS, 1945
well-dream booknouna book that purports to interpret dreams,suggesting numbers to be played in an illegal lottery based onsymbols in the dreamsUS, 1963
dream cubenouna sugar cube impregnated with LSDUK, 1983
dream dustnounany powdered drugUS, 1957
dreamernoun1a motorist who thinks that he can outrun a policecar Police humourUS, 1962.2morphine or a morphine addictUS,
1992.3a blanketUS, 1973
dreamersnounsheets for a bedUS, 1945
dream gumnounopium; heroinUS, 1934
dreamlandnounsleep or an unconscious stateUS, 1908
dream numbernounin an illegal number gambling lottery, a betbased on the bettor’s dream, either directly or as interpreted by adream bookUS, 1949
dreamsnounheroin From earlier, obsolete sense as ‘opium’UK, 2003
dream sheetnouna list created by a soldier of the places where hewould like to be shipped Rarely realisedUS, 1971
dream stuffnounmarijuanaUS, 1949
dream teamnounany group made up from the best in the fieldUS, 1942
dream ticketnounan ‘ideal’ pairing, especially of politicians for thepurposes of election Originally applied to Richard Nixon andNelson Rockerfeller as running mates for the 1960 US Presidentialelection Adopted in the UK during the 1980s, reflecting a new,more American style of political presentationUS, 1960
dream tobacconounmarijuanaUK, 2003
dreamyadjectivevery attractive, beautiful, desirableUS, 1941
drecknoun1excrement; worthless trash From the Yiddish andGerman for ‘dung’IRELAND, 1922.2heroinUK, 2002
dreckyadjectiverubbishy, trashy, shitty FromDRECK(excrement,trash)UK, 1979
dreecenounthree units of anythingUS, 1950
drenchedadjectivedrunkUS, 1926
drepsley soupnoun(among Canadian Mennonites) a broth soupwith dumplingsCANADA, 1998
dress downverbto dress up Often intensified with ‘for amotherfucker’US, 1984
dressedadjectivearmedUS, 1973
dressed up like a preacheradjectiveoverdressed, flashily dressed
US, 1991
dressernouna car or motorcyle with every possible accessoryUS, 1992
dress for salenouna prostituteUS, 1979
dress inverbto exchange the clothes worn upon arrival for issued clothesUS, 1976
prison-dressing room lawyernounan actor who is quick to recognise andaddress wrongs by theatre managementUK, 1952
dress outverbto exchange prison clothing for street clothes uponrelease from prisonUS, 1976
dress-tailnouna woman as a sexual objectTRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 2003
dress-upnounan unconvincing drag queen (a man dressed as a
Trang 17dressy casualadjectiveof style or fashion, informal yet smart and/or
expensiveUS, 1999
dribnounan unskilled poker playerUS, 1967
dribblenounsmall, weak wavesUS, 1991
dribbleverb1to cause a car to bounce up and down by use of
hydraulic lifts To ‘dribble’ a basketball is to bounce it, hence the
transference hereUS, 1980.2to meander, to walkUS, 1960
dribs and drabsnounpubic lice Rhyming slang forCRABS UK , 1992
driftverbto leaveUS, 1853
drillverb1to have sex from a male perspective From the imagery
of a long hard tool opening a holeUK, 2000.2to inject (a drug)US,
1970.3to shoot (with a bullet); to kill by shootingUK, 1720.4to
interrogateUS, 1995.5to kick, throw or bowl a ball, directly and
forcefully; to score a goal with a forceful kickAUSTRALIA, 1998.6in
pool, to make a shot in an emphatic and convincing mannerUS,
1993.7to walk, to moveUS, 1953.< drill for vegemiteto have
anal sex From Vegemite™, a popular type of black and salty
spread made from yeast extractAUSTRALIA, 1985
drill downverbto examine or investigate something in depth; to
narrow the focus of an investigation and its results A figurative
sense of the conventional useUK, 2001
drillernouna poker player who bets very aggressivelyUS, 1988
drinknoun1a bribeUK, 1977.2a profitUK, 1997.3a large body of
water, especially an oceanUS, 1832.< in the drinkin pool, said of
a cue ball that falls into a pocketUS, 1990
drinkverb< drink eight centsto drink to excessTRINIDAD AND
TOBAGO, 2003.< drink from the furry cupto perform oral sex on
a woman Probably coined by comedian Sacha Baron-Cohen
(b.1970); his influence on late C20 UK slang is profoundUK, 2001.
< drink porridgeto serve a prison sentence A figurative use of
‘drink’ combined withPORRIDGE(imprisonment)UK, 2000.< drink
the Kool-Aidto be persuaded, to follow blindly From the
‘Jonestown massacre’, 1978, a mass murder and suicide
administered through the agency of cyanide in branded soft drink
Kool-Aid™US, 1987.< drink with the fliesto drink alone when
at a public hotel or barAUSTRALIA, 1911.< you would drink it
through a shitey clootapplied to anyone who appears to be so
thirsty, or desperate, that no obstacle will hinder the taking of a
drink Glasgow slang formed on ‘shitey’ (faeces-covered) and
Scottish dialect cloot (a hoof ) or, more likely, clout (a rag) UK:
SCOTLAND, 1996
drinkeenounany alcoholic drink A jocular mock pidginUS, 1969
drinkernouna public house; an after-hours drinking club (generally
unlicensed)UK, 2001
drinkeramanouna party organised around the consumption of
alcoholUS, 1968
drinker’s hournoun3amUS, 1984
drinking voucher; green drinking vouchernouna currency note,
especially a £1 note JocularUK, 1982
drinky; drinkiesnouna drinking session, a drinks party From the
nursery usageUK, 1983
drinkypoo; drinki-poonounany alcoholic drink Baby talk, thought
to give alcohol an innocent demeanourUS, 1983
dripnouna person lacking in social skills, fashion sense or both; a
simpleton, a foolUS, 1932.< the dripthe payment of money
owed in instalment paymentsAUSTRALIA, 1989
dripverbto complainUK, 1987
drip and suckverbto intubate a hospital patient with intravenous
and nasogastric tubesUS, 1994
drip dropnounthe bleed period of the menstrual cycleUS, 2000
drip dry; dripverbto cry Rhyming slangUK, 1992
drippernoun1an old prostitute One who is ‘no longer controller of
her emissions’UK, 1970.2an eye dropper, used in an improvised
method of drug injectionUS, 1953
drippingadjectivecowardly, ineffectual An upper-class exaggeration
ofWET(ineffectual) from conventional ‘dripping wet’ (soaked)UK,
dripping toastnouna host Rhyming slangUK, 1998
drippyadjectivemawkish, overly sentimental, insipidUS, 1947
drippy dicknounan unspecified sexually transmitted diseaseUS, 1990
drippy faucetnounthe penis of a man with a sexually transmittedinfection that produces a puss dischargeUS, 1981
dripsynoungonorrheaUS, 1981
driveverb1to walkUS, 1956.2to lift weightsUS, 2000.3to borrow (aradio) FromCAR(a radio)US, 2002.< drive a deskto do office-work; to operate a sound-desk Usually with a derogatory or adisappointed tone AfterFLY A DESK UK , 1999.< drive the bustovomitUS, 2001.< drive the porcelain busto kneel down andvomit into a toilet bowl The image of the bowl’s rim being heldlike a steering wheelUK, 1998.< drive them hometo snore.From C18 ‘drive pigs to market’, and its later variant ‘drive thepigs home’UK, 1997.< drive wooden staketo irrevocably andpermanently end (a project, a business, an idea)US, 1974
drive-bynoun1a drive-by shooting, where shots are fired from amoving carUS, 1992.2a silent, smelly fartUS, 2001
drive-byverbto shoot someone, or into a crowd, from a moving car
US, 1992
drive callnounin a telephone swindle, a high-pressure, follow-up call
to the victimUS, 1985
drive darkverbto drive without headlights at nightUS, 1992
drivernoun1an amphetamine or other central nervous systemstimulantUS, 1990.2a tablet of MDMA, the recreational drug bestknown as ecstasyUK, 2003.3a pilotUK, 1942.4in poker, a playerwhose aggressive betting is dominating the gameUS, 1996.5theleader of a prison clique Back formation fromCAR(a clique)US, 1989
drive-timenounthe hours of the morning and afternoon weekdaycommute, prime time on radioUS, 1982
drive-upnouna fresh arrival at prisonUS, 1990
drivewaynouna scenic road, often in a city, landscaped and planted
CANADA, 1958
drizzlesnoundiarrhoeaUS, 1943
drizzling shitsnoundysenteryUS, 1980
dronounmarijuana grown hydroponicallyUS, 2002
droge; drojenoun 8see:DRAGE
droglenouna dress Gay slangUK, 2002
droidnouna low-level employee who is blindly loyal to his employer
US, 1980
dromenounin circus and carnival usage, a motordromeUS, 1981
dronenoun1a sluggard, a tedious personUK, 1529.2in hospitalusage, a medical studentUS, 1994
drone cagenouna private railway carriageUS, 1946
dronedadjectivesimultaneously intoxicated on alcohol andmarijuana A blend of ‘drunk’ and ‘stoned’US, 1997
dronernouna boring, spiritless person; an objectionable personUS, 1943
drongonoun1a fool; a hopeless individual Originally RoyalAustralian Air Force slang for ‘a recruit’ Said in an early RAAFsource to be named after the ‘(spangled) drongo’ (a large clumsyflying bird), but drongos are not particularly large (smaller than apigeon), and while they are somewhat aerobatic and erractic flyersthey are certainly not clumsy Otherwise it has been suggestedthat it is an allusion to a racehorse named Drongo which gainednotoriety for never winning a race and was used as a character in
satirical political cartoons in the Melbourne Herald in the 1920s,
which may be true despite the gap of 20 yearsAUSTRALIA, 1941.2anew recruit to the Royal Australian Air ForceAUSTRALIA, 1941
drongoadjectivefoolishAUSTRALIA, 1945
dronkadjectivedrunk From AfrikaansSOUTH AFRICA, 1983
dronkienoun a drunkard From Afrikaans dronk (drunk) SOUTH AFRICA,
Trang 18droobnouna hopeless individual A connection with US ‘droop’ (an
obnoxious person) is highly suspect as there is nothing to suggest
that this uncommon Americanism was ever known in Australia
AUSTRALIA, 1933
droognoun1a ruffian; a henchman Derives from the sense as
‘friend’ in the novel and play A Clockwork Orange by Anthony
Burgess (1917–93) and the subsequent film by Stanley Kubrick
(1928–99); combined to some degree withDRONE(a tedious
person)AUSTRALIA, 1967.2a good friendUS, 1971
droogsnoundrugs An affected mispronunciationUK, 2001
droolnounnonsense; drivel Punning on conventional ‘drivel’ and
‘dribble’US, 1900
drooling the drool of regret into the pillow of remorseused
as a humorous comment on a person who has not performed up
to their expectation Coined and popularised by ESPN’s Keith
OlbermanUS, 1997
droolin’ with schoolin’adjectivesaid of an overly diligent student
Teen slang, now thought to be obsoleteUS, 1944
drool valuenounsexual attractivenessAUSTRALIA, 1996
droopnouna socially inept personUS, 1932
droop-snootnicknamethe supersonic airliner Concorde After the
fact that the plane’s nose could be lowered Borrowed from an
earlier (1945) description of any aircraft with a downward-pointing
noseUK, 1984
droopyadjectivedispirited, dejected, sulkyUS, 1955
droopy-drawersnoun1a person, especially a child, with trousers
that are too large on a comic scaleUS, 1931.2a slovenly or
incompetent person JocularUK, 1939
drooth; drouthnouna great thirst; a thirsty person; a drunk From a
dialect variation of ‘drought’UK: SCOTLAND, 1911
dropnoun1in espionage or a criminal enterprise, a place where
goods, documents or money is left to be picked up later by a
confederateUS, 1922.2a place where stolen goods or other criminal
material may be temporarily storedUS, 1922.3a bribeUK, 1931.4in
horse racing, a cash-handling error that favours the racetrackUS,
1982.5the place where players who are invited to an illegal dice
game are told where the game will be heldUS, 1964.6the ingestion
of a drugUS, 1975.7LSD From the verb sense (to consume drugs),
especially as ‘drop acid’UK, 1998.8an attractive woman Mimicking
the language of wine connoisseursAUSTRALIA, 1957.9the act of
execution by hanging Derives from: ‘the new drop; a contrivance
for executing felons at Newgate, by means of a platform, which
drops from under them’ The condemned prisoner would then
‘drop’ to the end of a rope Also recorded as ‘the last drop’UK, 1958.
10an orphanUS, 1970.11in a casino, the amount of money taken
in from betting customersUS, 1935.< get the drop on
someone; have the drop on someoneto get, or have, an
advantage over someone Originally, and still, ‘to be quicker
drawing a gun than your opponent’US, 1867
dropverb1to swallow, to ingest (a drug) A favourite word of the
LSD culture, but popular for other drugs of abuse before and
since; if used without a direct object, almost certainly referring to
LSDUS, 1961.2to kill, especially by shooting In various uses and
combinations ‘drop’ means ‘to die’ or ‘to finish’ This variant is
pro-activeUK, 1726.3to bribeUK, 1956.4to release a music recording
UK, 1991.5to lose (especially money) An example of C19 flash
slang that has survivedUK, 1676.6to cash a forged chequeUK, 1956.
7to give moneyUK, 1974.8to break off a romantic relationship with
someoneAUSTRALIA, 1962.9to perform oral sex on a womanUS, 1997.
10to fartAUSTRALIA, 1987.11to knock down with a punchAUSTRALIA,
1954.12in pool, to hit (a ball) into a pocketUS, 1993.13to cause a
car to suddenly drop almost to the ground by use of hydraulic lifts
US, 1980.14to include a tune in a sequence of recorded dance
musicUK, 2002.< drop a bangerto blunder; to make a mistake,
especially one of some consequence FromBANGERS(the testicles);
a variation ofDROP A BOLLOCK UK , 1961.< drop a bollock; drop a
ballockto make a mistake, especially one of some consequence
Derives fromDROP A BRICK(to make a mistake) combined with
BOLLOCKS(the testicles)UK, 1942.< drop a bomb; drop one1to
fartUK, 1998.2to defecateUS, 2001.< drop a bombshellto reveal
faux pas UK, 1923.< drop a bundleto give birthNEW ZEALAND, 1948.
< drop a clangerto make a mistake, especially in a socialcontext A variation ofDROP A BOLLOCK, based onCLANGERS(thetesticles)UK, 1942.< drop a deuceto defecate From thechildren’s toilet vocabulary:NUMBER TWO(defecation)US, 2003.
< drop a dimeto make a telephone call, especially to the police
to inform on someone From the days when the price of a callfrom a pay phone was a dimeUS, 1966.< drop a goolieto make
a mistake A figurative use ofGOOLIES(the testicles); a direct alent toDROP A BOLLOCK UK , 1961.< drop a jewel; drop jewelstocreate rap music or lyricsUS, 1991.< drop a lugto confrontsomeone about their conduct; to insultUS, 1973.< drop a name
equiv-to inform on a criminal or suspectUS, 1990.< drop a nickeltobecome involved in somethingUS, 1953.< drop a sprogto givebirth Combines ‘drop’ (to give birth, usually of an animal) with
SPROG(a baby)UK, 1987.< drop an oar in the waterto make amistake From rhyming slang,OARS AND ROWLOCKSforBOLLOCKS;this is an elaboration and variation ofDROP A BOLLOCK UK , 1998.
< drop beadsto unintentionally disclose your homosexualityUS,
1970.< drop bottomto set the bass levels on a car stereo system
at a high levelUS, 2003.< drop footto dance without restraint
JAMAICA, 1996.< drop off the twigto dieAUSTRALIA, 1974.< drop scienceto explain, to educate, to make senseUS, 1992.< drop some ironto spend moneyUS, 1987.< drop someone in ittoget someone blamed and into trouble EuphemisticDROP IN THE
SHIT UK , 1991.< drop the bucket on someoneto exposesomeone’s misdeeds; to get someone into trouble The ‘bucket’ is
a full sanitary bin, in other words, to ‘put someone in the shit’
AUSTRALIA, 1950.< drop the hammer1at the start of a drag race,
to release (engage) the clutch in a sudden and forceful moveUS,
1965.2to accelerateUS, 1976.< drop the hookto arrestUS, 1953.
< drop the kids offto defecateUS, 2003.< drop the kids off
at the poolto defecateUK, 2002.< drop themof a woman, toreadily remove her knickers as a practical necessity for sexualactivity, and thus said to be symbolic of a woman’s sexual avail-abilityUK, 1984.< drop trouas a prank, to lower your trousers,bend over and expose your buttocks to the worldUS, 1966.< drop your bundleto lose one’s composure; to go to piecesAUSTRALIA,
1847.< drop your candyto make a serious mistakeUS, 1908.
< drop your gutsto fartAUSTRALIA, 1978.< drop your handbag
to fart A variation onDROP YOUR GUTS Royal Navy slangUK, 1989.
< drop your lunchto fartAUSTRALIA, 1985
drop-deadadverbextremelyAUSTRALIA, 1997
drop dead!used as a contemptuous expression of dismissal; goaway!UK, 1934
drop-downnounin horse racing, a horse that has been moveddown a class or down in claiming priceUS, 1990
drop edge of yondernouna near-death conditionUS, 1939
drop gunnouna gun that is not registered and not capable of beingtraced, and thus placed by the police in the vicinity of someonewhom they have shot to justify the shootingUS, 1987
drop-innoun1in computing, characters added as a result of avoltage irregularity or system malfunctionUS, 1991.2a temporaryvisitorAUSTRALIA, 1982
drop inverbin surfing, to start a ride on a wave already occupied byanother surfer or other surfersAUSTRALIA, 1985
drop it!stop!, especially as an injunction to stop talking or fooling
UK, 1847
drop-kicknoun1the vagina Formed as an extension of rhymingslang, ‘punt’ forCUNT AUSTRALIA , 1983.2by extension from the pre-vious sense, a fool, especially an annoying or contemptible fool
AUSTRALIA, 1986.3by extension, something that is frustrating orannoyingAUSTRALIA, 1992
dropliftingnounan act of secretly placing your own CDs in thedisplay racks of a music retailerUK, 2003
drop offverbto go to sleepUK, 1820
drop-outnouna person who has withdrawn from formal education
or mainstream society Usage is conventional but the companythat the word keeps gives it the aura of unconventionalityUK, 1930
drop outverbto withdraw from school, college, university ormainstream society