"Bb" in Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English pot

back door; backdoornoun1the anus and rectumUK , 1694.2insports, the advancement of a team in a playoff situation as a result of the actions of another teamUS , 1952.3in a group motorcyle

Bnoun1Benzedrine™ (amphetamine sulphate), a central nervous

system stimulantUS , 1986.2a matchbox full of marijuanaUS , 1971.

3a buddy, a brother; used as an address for a fellow black man;

used as an address for a fellow of either sex InitialismUS , 1995.4a

bastardAUSTRALIA , 1921.5a Cadillac Brougham carUS , 1980.< put

the B onto ask for money for sex after giving the appearance of

being seducedUS , 1954

Badjective1used as an intensifier A euphemistic abbreviation of

BLOODYorBASTARD,sometimes shown in print with leader dots or

asterisks representing the missing lettersUK , 1926.2(used of a film)

second-tier in terms of actors and budgetUS , 1946.3in the written

shorthand of the Internet and text message, fulfilling the

masculine role in a homosexual (male or female) relationship

Short forBUTCH UK , 2004

B1noun< do a B1; do a bee wanto go somewhere else, to

change direction This derives from the bureaucracy that governs

unemployment benefit; if you are in need of immediate support

when you first register unemployed you will be issued with a form

B1 (an application for Income Support) which is administered at a

different locationUK: SCOTLAND , 1988

B2Badjective(used of a business transaction) between two

businessesUS , 1999

B-40nouna cigar laced with marijuana and dipped in malt liquor

Possibly named for the appearance and/or effects of the B-40

grenade launcher used by the Viet Cong during the Vietnam war

US , 1998

B-52nouna powerful amphetamine tabletUS , 1993

BAnoun1nothing whatsoever A euphemistic abbreviation of

BUGGER ALL, often elaborated asSWEET BA UK , 1961.2a bare ass.

Usually in the context of exposing the buttocks to shock or amuse

US , 1970.< hang a BAto expose your bare ass US , 1970

baadass; baaadasssadjectivevery bad, very dangerousUS , 1971

baba-bing; ba-da-bring 8see:BADDA BING

babblernouna sheep camp-cook An abbreviation of the rhyming

slangBABBLING BROOK NEW ZEALAND , 1919

babblingnouncooking AfterBABBLING BROOK(a cook) There is no

record of ‘babble’ (to cook) but its existence is surely impliedUS ,

1962

babbling brooknoun1a gossip, a chatty personUS , 1913.2a cook

Rhyming slang In early use very common among shearers,

stockmen and soldiersAUSTRALIA , 1904.3a criminal Rhyming slang

for ‘crook’ Can be shortened to ‘babbler’.AUSTRALIA , 1919

babbonouna naive, law-abiding citizenUS , 1992

babenoun1an attractive young womanUS , 1905.2an attractive

young maleUS , 1973.3used as a term of addressUS , 1906

babe alertnouna notification that there are attractive people

nearbyAUSTRALIA , 1996

babeliciousadjectiveextremely sexually attractive Coined by Mike

Myers on the US television programme Saturday Night Live and

popularised by the film Wayne’s World, 1992 US , 1992

Babe Ruthnounthe truth Prison rhyming slangNEW ZEALAND , 1999

babesnounused as a term of singular address, both general and

affectionateUK , 1997.< the babes; the wee babesused as an

expression of appreciation: excellent, good, exactly as required

Glasgow slang This may well be a product of rhyming slang

formed on ‘Babes in the Wood’(good)UK: SCOTLAND , 1988

babes, parties, tunesused as a humorous assessment of what is

important in life The ‘Wayne’s World’ skits on Saturday Night Live

in the 1990s used the mock-Latin motto ‘babum, partium,

tuneum’ The English ‘translation’ is repeated with referential

US , 1999.8in the film industry, a screenplayUS , 1994.9an impressive,large objectUS , 1907.10marijuanaUS , 1960.11a puma or cougar.Circus and hunting usageUS , 1946.12in the television and filmindustries, a focused 500 watt light sourceUS , 1960.13in poker, a 2,

3, 4 or 5US , 1979.< in babypregnantTRINIDAD AND TOBAGO , 1942

baby 007nounin the Vietnam war, an investigative agent from theArmy Criminal Investigation Division, most likely workingundercover to identify drug usersUS , 1991

baby assnounsomeone who is babyish Teen slangUS , 2003

baby batternounsemenUS , 1997

baby Benznouna Mercedes 190US , 1989

baby bhangnounmarijuanaUS , 1979

baby bluenouna tablet of Viagra, an erection-inducing drug takenrecreationally for performance enhancementUS , 2002

baby bluesnoun1capsules of the synthetic opiate oxycodone usedrecreationallyUS , 2003.2blue eyesUS , 1957.3post-natal depression

baby buggynoun1a Mini Metro car Citizens’ band radio slangUK ,

1981.2a convertible Volkswagen BeetleUS , 1992

baby bumpernouna child molesterUS , 1992

baby burglarnouna young thiefUK , 1996

babycakesnounused as a term of endearmentUS , 1967

baby catchernounan obstetrician From an earlier (1937) sense of

‘midwife’US , 1970

baby discovers!used as a melodramatic reaction to another’ssurpriseUS , 1972

baby dollnounany central nervous system stimulantUS , 1955

baby dollsnounpyjamas for girls consisting of a baggy top and ashort trouser bottomUK , 1957

babydykenouna young or inexperienced lesbianUS , 1999

babyfacenoun1in professional wrestling, the wrestler designed bythe promoters to be the audience favourite in a matchUS , 1958.

2by extension, any figure in the professional wrestling industrydesigned to be cheered or liked by the fansUS , 1999.3an attractiveyoung woman Reported by a Jamaican inmate in a UK prison,August 2002JAMAICA , 2002

baby father; baby daddynouna woman’s boyfriend, live-in lover

or unmarried partner, especially when the father of her child

baby femmeadjective(used of a fashion style) suggesting both

youthful innocence and sexual abandonUS , 1995

babyflotnouna Russian airline created by the breakup of Aeroflot in

1991CANADA , 2002

baby foodnounsemenUS , 1972

baby fuckernouna child molesterUS , 1985

baby gangsternouna young member of a youth gangUS , 1989

baby grandnounfive hundred dollars Punning on the piano size

and a ‘grand’ as $1000US , 1963

baby gunnouna short, bullet-shaped surf board designed for

big-wave conditionsUS , 1970

baby habitnounthe irregular, unaddicted use of a drugUS , 1992

baby heronounin the Vietnam war, a brave soldierUS , 1991

Baby Hueynouna military helicopter An embellishment of the

more common and simplerHUEY, alluding here to a comic strip

characterUS , 1969

baby legsnounin television and film making, a low-legged tripod

for supporting lightsUS , 1987

baby lifenouna prison sentence of at least ten yearsUS , 2002

baby lifternouna brakeman on a passenger trainUS , 1946

Babylonnoun1the white establishment; a symbol of all that is

corrupt and evil From the mystical ‘Babylon of the Apocalypse’

JAMAICA , 1943.2by extension, the United StatesUS , 1972.3the police

JAMAICA , 1996

Babyloniannouna white personUS , 2004

babylonsnounthe female breastsUK , 2001

baby mixnounshort kava drinking sessions, especially on a night

before work Kava is a tranquillising herbal beverage Recorded by

Jan TentFIJI , 1997

baby moonnounin hot rodding, a small, chrome convex wheel

coverUS , 1993

baby mothernounan unmarried motherJAMAICA , 1989

baby needs a pair of shoes!used for summoning good luck

while rolling the dice in crapsUS , 2003

baby pronouna very, very young prostituteUS , 1961

baby racenounin horse racing, a relatively short race for

two-year-old horsesUS , 1976

baby rapernouna child molesterUS , 1961

baby ripnouna small current travelling seaward from shore An

abbreviation of ‘rip tide’ or ‘rip current’US , 1990

baby-sannoun1an East Asian child; a young woman Coined

during the US occupation of Japan, used frequently in VietnamUS ,

1954.2by extension, used by Vietnamese prostitutes to refer to a

virgin and by US troops to refer to an inexperienced, untested

soldierUS , 1990

baby scratchnounthe most basic technique of manipulating a

vinyl record to create new musicUS , 2002

baby shitnounmustard A Vietnam contribution to the

time-honoured and considerable lexicon of derogatory references to

food in the armed forcesUS , 1972

babysitverb1to guide a person through an LSD or other

hallucinatory drug experienceUS , 1968.2to act as a mentor or

protector for newly arrived prisonersUS , 1984.3to date someone

who is substantially younger than youUS , 1990

babysitternounin a fleet, a destroyer accompanying an aircraft

car-rierUS , 1965

baby’s legnounany food, sweet or savoury, that is presented as a

pastry roll School and services use; from the appearance and,

surely, a reflection on institutional cateringUK , 1935

baby slitnouna tablet of MDMA, the recreational drug best known

as ecstasy Possibly, a euphemistic rendering of ‘little cunt’ (a small

baby strainernouna condomUK , 1998

baby Tnouncrack cocaineUS , 1994

bacanountobaccoNORFOLK ISLAND , 1992

bacalaonounthe unwashed vagina From the Spanish for ‘codfish’

JAMAICA , 1996

baccy; bacco; baccanountobaccoUK , 1792

bachnouna vacation cottageNEW ZEALAND , 1984

bachelornounin police work, an officer who works best aloneUS , 1992

bachelor padnounthe apartment of a young, single, urbane, isticated manUS , 1976

soph-bachelors’ hallnouna residence of unmarried men, originally from

a Hudson’s Bay trading post building for clerksUK , 1746

bachy; batchynoun1a room where a man lives alone or bringswomen for sexGUYANA , 1996.2a small house occupied by a singlemanTRINIDAD AND TOBAGO , 2003

backnoun1an illegal gambling operation An abbreviation of ‘back

office’US , 1973.2a drink taken immediately after another, a ‘chaser’

US , 1982.3the musical accompaniment which a jazz band gives asoloistUS , 1970.4support, helpUS , 1989.5the buttocksUS , 1993.

6potency; virilityGUYANA , 1996.< get off someone’s backtocease annoying, aggravating, nagging or criticising someone Often

in the exasperated imperative ‘Get off my back!’UK , 1961.< get

on someone’s backto annoy, aggravate, nag or criticisesomeoneAUSTRALIA , 1959.< get someone’s back; have someone’s backto defend or protect someoneUS , 1990.< it’s got a back to itused of an article that is being lent, stressingthat the loaned article must be returned A catchphrase mainly inLondon useUK , 1961.< like the back of a bus; like the back end of a busugly, unattractiveUK , 1959.< on your back1(of awoman) working as a prostituteAUSTRALIA , 1968.2(of a woman)engaged in sexual intercourseAUSTRALIA , 1979.3penniless An

Australian variant, ‘on the back of your arse’, is first recorded in

1961UK , 1937

backverbto carry something on your backBAHAMAS , 1982.< back a tailto engage in anal sexAUSTRALIA , 1973.< back and fillto vacil-late Nautical imagery, from the term for handling sails to catchand then spill the windUS , 1975.< back off the courseto bet alarge amount on somethingAUSTRALIA , 1965.< back off the map

to bet a large amount on somethingAUSTRALIA , 1975

back-ah-yardnounin the Caribbean, the West Indies, used forexpressing the general concept of home West Indian and UKblack; literally ‘back [at] ourYARD’,UK , 1977

backanahanadjectiveuntrustworthy, underhandedBELIZE , 1996

back and bellynouna very thin person, especially a womanGUYANA , 1996

back and bellyadverbentirely, completelyTRINIDAD AND TOBAGO , 2003

back-and-forthnounconversationUS , 1976

backasswardsadverbin the wrong orderUS , 1951

backblockernouna resident of a remote area, especially the areabeyond the river gorges in Canterbury and Otago, New Zealand

NEW ZEALAND , 1910

backblocksnounremote and sparsely populated land beyond theoutskirts of a town or cityAUSTRALIA , 1879

back bottomnounthe rump or posterior Used as a counterpart to

FRONT BOTTOM AUSTRALIA , 2001

backbreakernounLSD combined with strychnineUK , 1998

backcapnounan answerUS , 1945

backchatnoun1impudent replies; answering back in an insolentmanner Originally militaryUK , 1901.2sexual badinage; verbalflirtingAUSTRALIA , 1963

backchatverbto answer back in an insolent mannerAUSTRALIA , 1919

back dex

back door; backdoornoun1the anus and rectumUK , 1694.2in

sports, the advancement of a team in a playoff situation as a

result of the actions of another teamUS , 1952.3in a group

motorcyle ride, the last rider in the group, usually the most

experi-enced; the final citizens’ band radio user in a convoyUS , 1976.4a

surreptitious way of entering a protected system or website, made

possible by a weakness in the systemUS , 1990.< go out the back

doorto back down from a confrontationUS , 1981

back-door; backdoorverb1to commit adulteryUS , 1982.2in

surfing, to start a ride behind the peak of a waveUS , 1980.3to

bypass something; to exclude somethingCANADA , 1993

back-door; backdooradjective1adulterousUS , 1947.2in poker,

describing an unexpected hand produced by drawingUS , 1979

back-door alcoholicnounan alcoholic who admits his alcoholism

and joins a twelve-step recovery programme for addicts after

initially characterising himself as an enabler of another alcoholic

US , 1998

backdoor artistnouna swindler, especially a drug user who

deceives other drug usersUS , 1992

backdoor Bettynouna woman who enjoys anal sexUS , 2000

back-door bustnounan arrest for one crime, usually major, after a

detention or arrest for another, usually minorUS , 1992

back door closedadjectivedescribes a convoy when the final

vehicle is looking out for any police interest Citizen band radio

slangUS , 1976

backdooringnounanal intercourseUK , 1997

backdoor parole; backgate parolenoundeath while serving a

prison sentence A black jokeUS , 1929

backdoor pensionernouna sheep dog who is past his working

days The term implies an honourable retirement A dog of similar

years but just a ‘bit of an old pooch’ would be more likely referred

to as aPOT-LICKER NEW ZEALAND , 1981

back door trotsnoundiarrhoeaUK , 1801

back-doublenouna back street, a side roadUK , 1932

back downverbin betting on horse racing, to force the odds on a

horse lower through heavy bettingUS , 1951

back ’em downverbin trucking, to reduce speedUS , 1976

backernouna person who is a frequent participant in anal sex

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO , 2003

backfieldnounthe supporting members of a criminal groupUS , 1970

backfireverbto fartUK , 1998

backflashnounin pinball, the painted glass panel at the front of the

machine Conventionally known as the ‘backglass’US , 1977

back flipverbin pinball, to flip the ball to the same side of the

playing field as the flipperUS , 1977

back fortynouna large, remote piece of land; a backyard Originally

a reference to a farmer’s most distant 40-acre parcel; the usage

generalised and then became humorousUS , 1950

back-forty accentnouncountry speechCANADA , 1958

back gate exitnoundeath while in prisonUS , 1992

backhandadjectivein surfing, with your back to the waveAUSTRALIA ,

1985

backhandernouna bribe; a gratuity given surreptitiouslyUK , 1971

back haulnounon the railways, a return tripUS , 1977

backhousenounan outside toilet, especially without plumbingUS ,

1984

backhouse flushnounin poker, a very poor hand From

‘backhouse’ (an outside toilet)US , 1984

backienoun1an act of using someone’s bent back as a platform to

climb a wall or get over an obstacleUK: SCOTLAND , 1985.2a ride, as

passenger, on the back of a bicycleUK: SCOTLAND , 1985

backingsnounin the illegal production of alcohol, low-proof

distillate not potent enough to be considered whiskyUS , 1974

back in the dayadverbat a time in the past that evokes a feel of

back in the saddle; back in the saddle againadjective

experiencing the bleed period of the menstrual cycleUS , 1954

back in the teapot, doormouse!used as an admonition to achild to be quietCANADA , 2002

backjunknouna big piece of wood at the back of a fire Betterknown in the US as a ‘backlog’, the name of the ‘backjunk’ comesfrom the pronunciation of ‘chunk’ as ‘junk’CANADA , 1958

back lightnounthe rear window of a carUS , 1959

back linenounthe wall of amplifiers and speakers behind a rockband in concertUS , 1985

backlineverbin casino blackjack, to place a bet in another player’ssquareUS , 1996

backlipnounimpertinence, talking backUS , 1959

back-me-upnouna friend who can be counted on for support in aconfrontationUS , 1984

back numbernouna person who is hopelessly out of dateUS , 1960

back of beyondnouna remote areaAUSTRALIA , 1879

back of Bourkenouna remote area Bourke is a county centre incentral New South WalesAUSTRALIA , 1896

back of the yardsnouna neighbourhood in Chicago around andbehind the now defunct Union StockyardsUS , 1982

back-o-wallnounany slum Originally applied to the slums of westKingston, JamaicaJAMAICA , 1978

back packnouna gang insignia tattooed on a gang member’s back

US , 1992

back passagenounthe rectum EuphemisticUK , 1960

back-pasture haulernounin trucking, a driver who prefers backroads and smaller motorwaysUS , 1971

back porchnouna late position in a hand of pokerUS , 1996

back-porch niggernounan obsequious, fawning black personUS , 1971

back racknounin pinball, the part of the machine that rises as apanel at the front of the machine Conventionally known as a

‘lightbox’US , 1977

backra firenounelectricityGUYANA , 1996

backra-Johnnynouna poor white personBARBADOS , 1996

backroom boynouna scientific technician, especially if engaged inresearch that may be secret Usually used in the pluralUK , 1943

backroom jobnouna tattoo on a part of the body that is usuallyclothedUS , 1997

back rownouna prison cell used for solitary confinementUS , 1984

backsnounmoney, especially counterfeit money Probably anabbreviation ofGREENBACK US , 1945

back-sack-and-crack-waxnouna male depilatory treatment ‘Sack’

is sometimes spelt, more correctly, ‘sac’, from scrotal sac, and ‘n’

is occasionally used for ‘and’UK , 2003

back-sassnounimpudent talking back to an elderUS , 1968

back-sassverbto talk back impudentlyUS , 1950

back-scratchverbto remove from a tank enemy soldiers who haveclimbed onto it, usually by directing light-weapon fire onto thetankUS , 1991

back-scuttleverbto play the active role in sex, anal or vaginal, frombehindUS , 1885

back seatnounin poker, any of the positions farther from thedealer than the third player to his leftUS , 1973.< in the back seatignored, forgotten Building on theCAR(clique) metaphorUS ,

1998.< take a back seatto be or become less important thansomeone or something elseUS , 1902

backshownounin gambling on broadcast racing, any betting beforethe current show priceUK , 2001

backsidenoun< while your backside points to the ground

while you are aliveAUSTRALIA , 1992

backside!

backside furrit; backside forwardadverbthoroughly, inside out

UK: SCOTLAND , 1988

back-slackverbto talk backNEW ZEALAND , 1929

backslapnouna celebratory event of mutual congratulation From

conventional ‘backslapping’AUSTRALIA , 2002

backslidenounin trucking, a return tripUS , 1976

backspace and overstrike!in computing, used for expressing

alarm about a mistake that has just been madeUS , 1991

back stairsnounthe anus and rectum considered as a sexual

passage Euphemistic or humorous simile for ‘the back way up’UK ,

2001

backstopnoun1in baseball, the catcherUS , 1887.2by extension, a

person who provides a second line of defence in a venture

AUSTRALIA , 1944

backstopverbto act as a backstopAUSTRALIA , 1955

backstorynounhistory, previous experience Adopted into wider

usage from screen-acting jargon where it is used to describe what

has happened before the story startsUK , 2000

backs to the wall!used as a humorous catchphrase to

acknowledge the presence of a male homosexual Homophobic;

suggesting a fear of anal sex/rapeUK , 2003

backstreet boynouna young man dressed in the trendiest of

clothes with the trendiest of haircuts Not a compliment; an

allusion to a band of the late 1990s that was thought to value style

to the exclusion of substanceUS , 2001

backstrokenounin trucking, a return tripUS , 1976

back-talknouninsolent answering backAUSTRALIA , 1950

back-talkverbto answer back with impudenceUK , 1887

back teethnoun< to the back teethto capacity; totally;

completelyAUSTRALIA , 1933

back teeth are floatingused for describing an extreme need to

urinateUS , 1923

back the cardto bet on every race at a meetingAUSTRALIA , 1971

back timenoun1in the Vietnam war, rear-area or non-combat duty

US , 1991.2the portion of a prison sentence not served at the time

of parole, which must be served if parole is violatedUS , 1992.3all

time spent incarcerated before sentencingUS , 1992

back toprepositionused in the names of reunion partiesAUSTRALIA ,

1925

back-to-backnounheroin then crack used in sequenceUS , 1994

back-to-backadjectiveconsecutive Usually used in a sports context

If there is a third consecutive event, the term is simply expanded

back to the salt mines!; back to the mines!back to work! An

ironic reference to hard labour in the Siberian salt minesUS , 1933

back trackverbwhen injecting a drug, to draw blood up into the

syringe to mix with the drug that is being injectedUS , 1992

back-upnoun1a person supporting another in a fightAUSTRALIA , 1975.

2a second helping of foodAUSTRALIA , 1929.3serial sex between one

person and many others, usually consensualAUSTRALIA , 1965.4the

path from the death cell to the death chamber in prisonUS , 1992

backupsnounextremely bright lights on the rear of a car used to

blind would-be kidnappers or terroristsUS , 1992

backward in coming forwardadjectivereluctant to do something,

modest, shy More often phrased as ‘not backward in coming

forward’UK , 1830

backwardsnounany central nervous system depressantUS , 1966

back-warmernouna female motorcyle passenger Biker (motorcyle)

usageUS , 2002

backwash

backwashingnounafter injecting a drug, the drawing of blood backinto the syringe, with the intention of collecting any drug residue,and reinjecting the resultant mixUK , 2003

backwaternounin trucking, back roads or small motorwaysUS , 1976

backwhacknounthe back-slash key (\) on a computer keyboardUS , 1991

back wheelnounin horse racing, the second bet in a two-part bet

US , 1994

back wheelsnounthe testiclesUK , 1998

backyardnoun1the buttocksUS , 1972.2the anusUS , 1967.3in acircus, the performers as a group distinguished from theadministrative and support staffUS , 1960.4the road visible behindyouUS , 1976

backyard butcherynounan amateur’s modification of a surfboard,obviating the design features of the manufacturerAUSTRALIA , 2003

backyardernouna surfboard built by or modified by an amateur

AUSTRALIA , 2004

baconnoun1the police; a police officer FromPIG(a policeman).During the late 1960s and early 70s, a favoured chant of the rad-ical left youth movement in the US was ‘Today’s pig, tomorrow’sbacon!’US , 1974.2moneyUS , 1946.3the buttocksBAHAMAS , 1982.

< bring home the baconto succeed as a wage earner,supporting one’s family; to achieve success; to succeed in a givenundertaking Generally thought to echo the ancient tradition inDunmow, England, of presenting a flitch of bacon to a happilymarried couple but originates in the US country-fair ‘sport’ ofcatching a greased pig The phrase was popularised, if notinvented, by the mother of Joe Gans, a black lightweight boxerUS ,

1909.< save someone’s baconto rescue someone financially

UK , 1654

bacon and eggsnoun1the legs Rhyming slangAUSTRALIA , 1942.2ablack person who is partly or completely albinoTRINIDAD AND TOBAGO , 2003

bacon assegainounthe penis and testiclesUK , 1983

bacon bitsnounthe breasts Rhyming slang forTIT(s)UK , 2003

bacon boncenoun1a slow-witted personUK , 1958.2a sex offender.Rhyming slang forNONCE UK , 1996.3a bald or balding manUK , 1984

bacon getternouna handgun, especially a single-action revolverUS , 1957

bacon rashersnounthe vaginaUK , 2001

badnoun1faultUS , 1999.2crack cocaineUS , 1994.< get in bad with

to get in trouble or disfavour with someone or some agency ofauthorityUK , 1928

badadjective1good; toughUS , 1897.2in computing, broken as designed US , 1991

bad assnouna tough, fearless personUS , 1956

bad-assadjectiveexcellent; worthy of respect, tough Originally blackusage but now more widely knownUS , 1955

Bad-Ass BillynicknameBrigadeer General William R Bond of the199th Light Infantry Brigade, killed by a sniper’s bullet about 70miles northeast of Saigon on 1st April 1980US , 1999

bad-badadjectivevery badBAHAMAS , 1982

bad beatnounin poker, a disappointing loss, either with a goodhand or a big betUS , 1982

bad bellynounan upset stomachBAHAMAS , 1982

bad boynoun1something that is impressiveUS , 1974.2a rascal, amisfitUS , 1948.3a violent, tough young criminalBARBADOS , 1976

bad bundlenouninferior-quality heroinUS , 1971

bad butchnounan aggressive, ‘mannish’ lesbianUS , 1967

bad buzznounan unpleasant eventCANADA , 1993

bad copnounin a pair of police, the partner who plays theaggressive and hard-nosed role during an interrogationUS , 1991

badda bing; bada-bing; ba-da-bingused as an embellishing

bad dadnouna person whose opinion of his own toughness

exceeds the rest of the world’s estimationUS , 1973

baddap!verbto be shot Echoic of gun fireUK , 1994

baddenverbto become intoxicated on drugs or alcoholTRINIDAD AND

TOBAGO , 2003

baddestadjectivetoughest; most admired The unconventional

superlative of ‘bad’ in the ‘bad-as-good’ sense of the wordUS , 1938

baddienoun1a villain, especially in works of fiction A childish

epithet for a staple character of popular mass-entertainment, also

used ‘ironically’ in law-enforcement Also variant ‘baddy’US , 1937.

2an unwell feelingUK: SCOTLAND , 1988.3a slight wound, such as a

graze or cut Nursery and childish usageUK , 1993

bad dognounan unpaid debtAUSTRALIA , 1953

bad eyenouna spell or curse caused by looking with envy or

insincere goodwillTRINIDAD AND TOBAGO , 1972

badeyeverbto glare, to stare with menaceUS , 1990

bad foodnounfood or drink made with ingredients believed to

instill sexual fidelity or attractionBARBADOS , 1996

badgenoun1a police officerUS , 1925.2a prison guardUS , 1992.3a

small amount of a drug relative to the amount paidUS , 1971

badgeverbto show a police badge, especially as part of a

psycho-logical ploy to elicit informationUS , 1970

badge banditnouna police officer, especially a motorcyle police

officerUS , 1960

badgernounin horse racing, an inexpensive horse that qualifies its

owner for race track privilegesUS , 1976

badger gamenouna swindle in which a prostitute lures a customer

or victim to a room where he is robbed by a confederate of the

prostitute, often posing to be her husbandUS , 1909

badger-gassingnounan act or instance of farting, or its malodorous

after-effect After a controversial means of exterminating badgers

UK , 2003

badger scratchingnounthe act of fondling a woman’s vaginaUK ,

2002

badger’s nadgersnounanything considered to be the finest, the

most excellent, the best Formed onNADGERS(the testicles), this is

further variation on theDOG’S BOLLOCKSandMUTT’S NUTStheme;

usage noted, most significantly, on a greeting card being sold by a

high street chain, January 2004UK , 2004

bad gonouna small amount of a drug relative to the price paidUS ,

1971

bad guynouna criminal Originally children’s vocabulary from

watching Western films Perhaps orginating in the mid-1960sUS ,

1977

bad hair daynouna day on which your hair is especially unruly;

hence, a day on which nothing goes to planUS , 1991

bad hatnoun1someone who can be counted on to misbehaveUS ,

1914.2a pimpUS , 1997

bad headnouna violent, tough young criminalBELIZE , 1996

bad idea jeansnounthe notional clothing worn by someone who

has displayed an utter lack of common sense From a skit on

Saturday Night Live US , 1994

bad Johnnounany man who is violence-prone An allusion to John

‘Bad John’ Archer, a criminal who figured prominently in early C20

lifeTRINIDAD AND TOBAGO , 1935

bad lookernounan ugly person Used with a negativeAUSTRALIA , 1959

badlyadverbwonderfully, excellently; veryUK , 2004

badly packed kebabnounthe vagina A visual similarity to the dish

eaten late at night, when half-drunkUK , 2002

badmarshadjectiveof bad character, disreputable From Hindustani

badmásh (a bad character or disreputable person) UK , 2006

bad medicinenouna person or thing that promises trouble An

imitation of the speech of native American IndiansUS , 1920

bad mindnounmaliceTRINIDAD AND TOBAGO , 1979

bad motherfucker a fearless, tough person

bad mouthnouna curse, a put-downUS , 1960

badmouthverbto insult someone, to disparage someoneUS , 1941

badnessnounsomething that is very goodUS , 1986

bad newsnoun1a person who is better avoidedUK , 1946.

2something, abstract or actual, that is unpleasant or contemptible

US , 1917.3the M-48 ‘Patton’ tank, designed for combat in Europeagainst Soviet tanks, then the mainstay of the US Army andMarines in VietnamUS , 1991.4in drag racing, a car that performsvery wellUS , 1965

bad niggernouna tough, fearless, respect-commanding blackperson A term of praiseUS , 1965

bad-oadjectiveexcellentUS , 1991

badonkadonknounlarge, shapely buttocks From the Comedy

Central television programme Crankyankers US , 2004

bad on you!shame on you! Recorded by Jan Trent in 1997FIJI , 1997

bad papernoun1a discharge from the military other than anhonourable discharge, such as the UD (undesirable discharge) orresignations for the good of the serviceUS , 1971.2counterfeitmoney or securitiesUS , 1981

bad-payadjectiveslow in paying a debt or obligationGRENADA , 1976

bad pennynounan unreliable or untrustworthy person; someone oflittle or no worth A figurative sense from debased coinage;orginally ‘bad ha’penny’ before inflationUK , 1937

bad racknounat a casino, a list of customers who are poor creditrisksUS , 1974

bad rocknouncocaine; crack cocaineUK , 2003

badsnounthe depression following the use of hallucinogens oramphetaminesUS , 1970

bad scenenounan unpleasant situation; a depressing experienceUS , 1966

bad scrannounbad luckIRELAND , 1989

bad seednoun1peyote; heroinUS , 1969.2mescaline, thehallucinogenic alkaloid of peyoteUS , 2001.3marijuanaUK , 1998

bad shitnounhigh quality drugs, especially marijuana, 1996

bad sicknounany sexually transmitted infectionANTIGUA AND BARBUDA , 1996

bad-talkverbto disparage someone or somethingBAHAMAS , 1982

bad thingnoun an inherently bad idea From 1066 and All That, the

history parody in which Sellar and Yeatman created the ‘bad thing’device: ‘Indeed, he had begun badly as a Bad Prince, havingattempted to answer the Irish Question by pulling the beards ofthe aged Irish chiefs, which was a Bad Thing and the wronganswer’US , 1931

bad timenoun1time served in prison that does not count towardsthe overall sentence; time served in a military stockade that doesnot count towards the overall period of serviceUS , 1968.2a jail orprison sentence for a petty, avoidable offenceUS , 1977.3the bleedperiod of the menstrual cycleUS , 1954

bad tripnounan unpleasant, frightening or unnerving experiencewith LSDUS , 1966

bad trotnouna losing streak; a period of heavy or sustained losses

AUSTRALIA , 1936

bafannouna clumsy person From ‘baff-hand’ (a cripple)JAMAICA , 1956

baffverbto vomitUS , 1968

bafflegabnounverbose language that is difficult to penetrate andimpossible to understand The term, by all accounts, was coined

by Milton A Smith of the United States Chamber of Commerce.Smith defined the term as ‘Multiloquence characterized byconsummate interfusion of circumlocution or periphrasis,inscrutability, incognizability, and other familiar manifestations ofabstruse expatiation commonly utilized for promulgationsimplementing procrustean determinations by governmentalbodies’US , 1952

bagnoun1an interestUS , 1964.2a way of doing thingsUS , 1962.3anunattractive young womanAUSTRALIA , 1965.4a police uniformUS ,

. duty as a uniformed police officer . a breathalyser

From ‘breathalyser bag’UK , 1967.7the scrotumUS , 1938.8a sexually

promiscuous woman or a prostituteUS , 1893.9a condomUS , 1922.

10a diaphragmUS , 1964.11a collection raised in a single effort

Figurative application of the game-bag in which hunters gather

their killUK , 1900.12a large score made by a playerAUSTRALIA , 1986.

13a package of drugsUS , 1952.14a small paper packet or plastic

bag containing heroin; thus a standardised measure of heroin,

either by cost or volume Also variant ‘bagel’US , 1952.15heroin

Adopted by drug-users from the sense of ‘bag’ meaning ‘an

interest or way of doing things’UK , 2001.16a parachute Originally

Royal Air Force usage, then the army alsoUK , 1943.17a fuel tank on

an aeroplaneUS , 1991.18a member of a college fraternity An

abbreviation ofBAGGER , itself an abbreviation ofFRATTY BAGGER US ,

1998.19bedUS , 1969.< bag of snakesa business acquisition full

of bad surprisesUS , 1991.< get a bag!learn how to catch! In

cricket used as a derisive retort to a fielder who drops an easy

catchAUSTRALIA , 1986.< in the bag1drunkUS , 1940.2as good as

doneUS , 1921.3corrupted, bribed, beholden to someone elseUS ,

1926.4(of a horse) not being run on its merits; being run to lose;

(of a jockey) not riding to win Literally, the money that has been

bet on the horse will stay in the bookmaker’s bagAUSTRALIA , 1903.

< on someone’s bagin golf, working as a caddieUS , 2000.< out

of the bagunexpectedly goodAUSTRALIA , 1954

bagverb1to arrest someoneUK , 1824.2to catch, capture or obtain

something for yourselfUS , 1861.3to shoot down a plane A hunting

allusion in Royal Air Force useUK , 1943.4in sport, to score a

speci-fied number of goals or pointsAUSTRALIA , 2000.5to disregard,

dismiss or stop something Figurative use of throwing rubbish in a

rubbish bagUS , 1988.6to cancel a social engagement The

Dictionary of American Regional English lists a related meaning: ‘to

feign illness in order to avoid one’s responsibilities’ from 1967

CANADA , 2002.7to abandon or leave a place or thingUS , 1962.8to

criticise or denigrate someone or somethingAUSTRALIA , 1969.9to

dismiss from employment A variation ofSACK UK: SCOTLAND , 1988.

10to bribe someone; to arrange an outcomeUS , 1948.11to

impreg-nateUS , 1949.12to hang in loose folds Especially applied to

trousers out of shape at the kneesUK , 1824.13to use a resuscitation

bag Medical useUK , 1980.14to sleep, to dozeUS , 1994.15to leave

Hawaiian youth usageUS , 1981.< bag and tag1to place a dead

soldier in a body bag and identify the soldier with a tag on the

outside of the body bagUS , 1991.2(used of a prison guard) to count

and account for prisoners during scheduled count timesUS , 2002.

3to apprehend someone and take them into police custody

AUSTRALIA , 2001.< bag assto leave, especially in a hurryUS , 1972.

< bag beaverto have sex with a woman Combining hunting

and sexual metaphorsUS , 1994.< bag your headto stop talking

US , 1962

-bagsuffixwhen in combination with an undesirable thing, used to

label a person who epitomises the unpleasant quality Michael

Munro in The Patter, Another Blast (1988) offers the examples

‘crap-bag’ (a coward),GROTBAG(a dirty person) and ‘stum-bag’ (an

idiot)UK , 1988

bagaga; bagadganoun the penis Probably from Italian ‘bagagli’

(luggage)US , 1963

bag and baggageused for conveying to a prisoner that he is to be

released from jailUS , 1977

bag biternounin computing, something or someone that does not

work wellUS , 1981

bag boynouna bookmakerAUSTRALIA , 1945

bag casenouna fatally injured motorist, especially one with

gruesome injuriesUS , 1962

bag-chasernouna drug user who is obsessed with getting drugsUS ,

1989

bag dragnounin Antarctica, the act of dragging your luggage for a

pre-flight weigh-inANTARCTICA , 1996

bagelnoun1a Jewish person Usually playful rather than derogatory

US , 1955.2a tyreUS , 1977.3a foolUK , 1996

bagelverbin a sporting event, to defeat your opponent without

letting your opponent score It is claimed that the usage was

coined by tennis player Eddie Dibbs and popularised by tennis

bagel bumpernouna lesbian Based on a visual similarity betweenthe vagina and a bagelUK , 2003

bagel facenouna Jewish person DerogatoryUS , 1979

bag-followernounan attractive woman who carries packets ofheroin for a heroin dealer while bestowing status upon him withher good looksUS , 1978

bag full of shitnounan utterly contemptible personUK , 1998

bagful of busted arseholesnounthe epitome of ugliness orfeeling poorlyNEW ZEALAND , 1998

baggagenoun1a boyfriend, agent or other male who accompanies

a female pornography performer to the set Not flatteringUS , 1995.

2a non-playing observer of a card or dice gameUS , 1950

baggage smashernouna baggage handlerUS , 1968

baggedadjective1fixed, corrupted, bribedUS , 1942.2drunkUS , 1953

baggernoun1a poker player who does not bet aggressively whenholding a good hand until late in the handUS , 1966.2a boy whowears his trousers so low that his boxer shorts hang out above hisbelt lineUS , 1986.3someone who talks, dresses and projects an EastCoast, prep-school persona; a member of a college fraternityUS ,

1980.4someone who plays footbagUS , 1997

baggersnounbaggy shorts or swimming trunksAUSTRALIA , 1963

baggienoun1a plastic bag filled with a variable amount of loosemarijuana From the trademarked name of a brand of plasticsandwich bagsUS , 1980.2a condomUS , 1971

baggiesnounloose trousers or shorts, especially loose-fitting shorts

or swimming trunks popularised by surfers Trousers have beencalledBAGSon and off since the mid-C19; ‘baggies’ derives fromthe baggy fitUS , 1963

baggingnoundenigrationAUSTRALIA , 1986

bag guynouna toy balloon vendorUS , 1949

baggyadjectivea loose fashion briefly popular with ravers; the baggytrouser style continued to be popular with UK skateboardersUK , 1993

baggy arsenounan inexperienced, naive prison guardAUSTRALIA , 1987

baggy-arse; baggy-arsedadjective(of a soldier) substandard,second-rate, shoddyAUSTRALIA , 1953

baggy green capnounthe cap worn by Australian test cricketers.Also simply the ‘baggy green’, and hence, ‘to wear the baggygreen’ – meaning ‘to represent Australia in test cricket’AUSTRALIA , 1995

Baghdad Bettynicknameduring the US war against Iraq in 1991, afemale Iraqi disc jockey who broadcast propaganda to US troops

bag ladynoun1a destitute woman who wanders the streets withher possessions in shopping bagsUS , 1972.2a condomUK , 1998

bagmannoun1a person who collects, makes or holds illegalpaymentsUS , 1935.2a bookmakerAUSTRALIA , 1956.3a bookmaker’sclerkAUSTRALIA , 1973.4in the circus or carnival, a person who makeschange for customers, often cheating themUS , 1980.5a member of

a shoplifting team who carries away the stolen goodsAUSTRALIA ,

1975.6a drug dealer; a person in possession of drugsUS , 1970.7anitinerant man carrying his possessions in a bag; a swagman

bag of bonesnoun1a skinny person or animalAUSTRALIA , 1903.2a

‘bush pilot’ aeroplaneCANADA , 1984

bag of cokenouna man Rhyming slang for aBLOKE; variation of

BUSHEL OF COKE AUSTRALIA , 1976

bag offverbto form an intitial liaison with someone sexually

attractive, especially with a view to greater intimacyUK , 2002

bag of flournouna bathroom shower Rhyming slangUK , 1980

bag of fruitnouna suit Rhyming slangAUSTRALIA , 1924

bag of nailsnouna state of confusionAUSTRALIA , 1942

bag of shitnoun1a despicable personAUSTRALIA , 1970.2anything of

poor qualityUK , 1995

bag of shit tied up with stringnouna clumsy, shapeless or

scruffy person Probably military in origin; usually in phrases such

as ‘looks like a bag of shit tied up with string’UK , 1984

bag of snakesnouna lively young womanAUSTRALIA , 1984

bag of tricksnoun 8see:BOX OF TRICKS

bag of yeastnouna priest Rhyming slangAUSTRALIA , 1971

bag on; bagverbto insult someone in a competitive, quasi-friendly

spiritUS , 1993

bag-o-wirenounan informer or betrayerJAMAICA , 1982

bagpipeverbto stimulate the penis to orgasm under the armpit of

a lover Homosexual useUK , 1904

bagsnoun1a great amount ofUK , 1931.2loose fitting trousers There

have been ‘bum-bags’, 1860, ‘howling bags’ (with a loud pattern),

1850–90, and ‘go-to-meeting bags’ (best clothes), 1870–1910

‘Oxford bags’, a very wide-legged cut, were introduced in the early

1920s and are still knownUK , 1853.3a mess; a botched enterprise

IRELAND , 2004.< make a bags ofmake a mess of something

IRELAND , 1998

bagsverbto claim rights to something; to reserve something

AUSTRALIA , 1944

bags!; bagsy!; bagsey!used to claim possession or authority

Mainly juvenile; may be structured as a verbUK , 1897

bag-shantynouna brothel Royal Navy use; a combination ofBAG(a

promiscuous woman) and conventional ‘shanty’ (a hut)UK , 1890

bagsingnounthe act of claiming priority rights to something;

reserving somethingAUSTRALIA , 2003

bagswingernouna bookmaker’s clerkAUSTRALIA , 1977

bag upverb1to put a condom on a penis Also variant ‘bag it up’

UK , 2002.2to divide a powdered drug into bags preparatory to

selling itUS , 1989.3of a fizzy drink, to fill the stomach with gasUK:

SCOTLAND , 1988.4to laughUS , 1989

Bahama hamnounthe conchBAHAMAS , 1982

Bahama hooternouna marijuana cigaretteUS , 1992

bahookienounthe buttocks; the anusUK , 1985

bailverb1to leave a relationship or situationUS , 1977.2to fall while

skateboardingUS , 1984.3in mountain biking, to jump off a bicycle

in order to avoid an accidentUS , 1996.4in foot-propelled

scootering, to abandon a scooter in mid-jumpUK , 2000.5to land

inelegantly or badly when completing a snowboarding jumpUS ,

bail outverb1to jump off a surfboard when you are about to be

knocked off the board by a waveUS , 1964.2in skateboarding, to fall

badlyUK , 2003

bail upverb1to hold someone up; to rob someone by holding up

In common use by bushrangers during the colonial period

Transferred sense from ‘bail up’ (to place a dairy cow into a bail for

milking), from ‘bail’ (a frame for securing a cow’s head) It could

also be used intransitively to mean ‘to submit to being held up

.

hold someone at bay; to corner someoneAUSTRALIA , 1841.3to stopsomeone for a conversationAUSTRALIA , 1998

bail up!stand and deliver!AUSTRALIA , 1842

baitnoun1in poker, a small bet that is hoped will lure anotherplayer into a larger betUS , 1967.2in shuffleboard, a shot made toentice the opponent to try to go after the discUS , 1967.3a personwho attracts a specified type or category of attentionUS , 1942.4asmall mealUS , 1958.5in prison, credit, especially on the purchase

of drink, drugs or tobaccoUK , 1996

baitverbin gin, to discard a card in a manner that is designed tolure a desired card from an opponentUS , 1971.< bait the holeinAmerican football, to feign a running play in order to drawdefenders towards the line and block them thereUS , 1984

bait cannouna worker’s lunch boxUS , 1985

bait moneynouncash with pre-recorded serial numbers set aside by

a bank to be included in money given to a robberUS , 1992

Baja bugnouna Volkswagen Beetle modified for surfer use ‘Baja’ is

a reference to Baja California, the Mexican state immediatelysouth of CaliforniaUS , 1991

bakenoun1a verbal assault, a roastingAUSTRALIA , 1975.2a completeand hopeless outcast An abbreviation of Bakersfield, a city at thesouth end of California’s San Joaquin Valley, ‘the other side ofnowhere’ to the surfers who use this termUS , 1991.3illegal drugsmanufactured in an illegal laboratoryNEW ZEALAND , 1986

bakeverbto manufacture illegal drugs in a laboratoryNEW ZEALAND ,

1986.< bake biscuitsto record and produce a phonographrecordUS , 1959

bakedadjectivedrug-intoxicated, especially by marijuanaUS , 1978

baked-beannouna sexual interlude Rhyming slang forSCENE UK , 2000

baked beansnounjeans Prisoners’ rhyming slangUK , 2001

baked potatonouna drug-user who watches television whileintoxicated A play onCOUCH POTATO(a habitual idler/televisionwatcher) formed onBAKED(intoxicated)US , 1996

baked wind pillsnounbeansCANADA , 1998

bakernoun1the electric chairUS , 1950.2a marijuana smokerUS , 1997.

3a grade of ‘B’ in academic workUS , 1968

Baker flyingadjectiveexperiencing the bleed period of themenstrual cycle In the navy, a red Quartermaster B (Baker in thephonetic alphabet) flag is flown to signify ‘Danger’ and ‘Keep out’,providing several theories for application to menstruationUS , 1960

Bakerloonounin cricket, a batsman who is playing down the wrongline A jocular reference to the Bakerloo line on London’sunderground systemUK , 2003

baker’s fognounin the Maritime Provinces, regular sliced whitebreadCANADA , 1998

bakey; bakienouna baked potatoUK , 1943

bakkienouna utility vehicle used in South AfricaSOUTH AFRICA , 2000

baksisnouna small extra added to a purchase by a vendor in thehope of encouraging return businessGUYANA , 1996

balanceverb< balance the booksin an illegal betting operation,

to place bets with other operations when betting is too heavy onone propositionUS , 1979

Balconvillenicknamethe Point St Charles area of Montreal One oftwo nicknames for this neighborhood (the other is ‘The Pointe’)because most dwellings have a balcony on which people sit a lot.Bilingual and harmonious, its mixture of French and English isnoted in the word itself, which is partly from each language It isthe title of a 1980 play by David FennarioCANADA , 1980

balconynounthe female breastsUS , 1964

bald headnounto a Rastafarian, any non-RastafarianJAMAICA , 1976

bald-headedadjective(used of a rotary bit in oil drilling) worn out

US , 1954

bald-headed mousenounthe penisUK , 2003

bald-headed prairie treeless and shrubless plains

baldheaded rownounthe front row of a burlesque or strip showUS ,

1887

bald-tyre banditnouna police officer detailed to traffic dutyUK , 1977

Baldwinnouna handsome man From the family of handsome

actor brothersUS , 1995

baldynoun1a worn tyre; in the US, especially in hot rodding and

drag racingUS , 1965.2a Hereford cow This breed of cattle has a

white face or headAUSTRALIA , 1887.3the white-headed pigeon,

endemic to AustraliaAUSTRALIA , 1969.4an artist’s model denuded of

pubic hairUK , 1984

baldyadjective(of a tyre) with a worn treadAUSTRALIA , 1979

baldy!refuse! A children’s catchwordNEW ZEALAND , 1942

baldy ladnounthe penisUK , 2001

balenoun1marijuana compressed into a large bale similar to a bale

of hayUS , 1971.2any quantity of marijuanaUS , 2001

baleverb< bale the kaleto win a lot of money gambling From

KALE(money)US , 1962

bale of haynouna male homosexual Rhyming slang forGAY UK , 2003

bale of strawnouna blonde white womanUS , 1928

Bali bellynounany gastro-intestinal infection obtained when

holidaying in Bali, Indonesia or other areas of Southeast Asia

AUSTRALIA , 1984

balkverb1to cover upAUSTRALIA , 1975.2in poker, to hesitate when it

is your turn to bet in the hope of seeing whether players who

follow you are prepared to call the betUS , 1996

ballnoun1a thoroughly good timeUS , 1932.2an act of sexual

intercourseUS , 1970.3a single scoop of ice-creamUS , 1960.4crack

cocaineUS , 1994.5black-tar heroinUK , 2002.6one dollar Mainly

prison slangUS , 1895.< on the ballalert to any opportunityUK ,

1967.< out on a ball; be riding a ball(used of a customer

trading in a car) believing that your old car is worth more than it

isUS , 1980.< that’s the way the ball bouncesthat’s how things

turn outUS , 1952.< the ball is in your courtit is your turn; it is

is your decision A variation of the conventional phrase ‘the ball is

with you’UK , 1963

ballverb1to have sexUS , 1952.2to fondle a man’s penisUS , 1968.3to

thoroughly enjoy yourselfUS , 1942.4to go or take something

somewhere very quicklyUS , 1939.5to insert amphetamine or

meth-amphetamine in the vagina before sexual intercourseUS , 1971.6to

secrete and smuggle cocaine in the vaginaUK , 2002.< ball the

jackto travel very quicklyUS , 1913

-ballsuffixcombines with an unpleasant substance to create a

contemptible personUK , 1970

ballanouna man with a lot of moneyUS , 1999

balladnouna love letterUS , 1960

ballahoo and all the crewnouneverybodyTRINIDAD AND TOBAGO , 1996

ball and chainnouna man’s wifeUS , 1921

ballast scorchernouna fast-riding railway engineerUS , 1946

ballbagnoun1the scrotumAUSTRALIA , 1985.2an athletic supporterUS ,

1968

ball blindernouna condom An image of something that debilitates

BALLS(the testicles)UK , 1998

ballbreakernoun1a difficult task, a boring situation; any

circumstance that saps your spirit The prosaic etymology leads to

any task that strains the testicles; more likely that ‘balls’ represent

power or spirit in this contextUS , 1942.2a powerful, assertive

woman; someone who demands or actively exacts a difficult

requirement Taking ‘balls’ to mean ‘power and spirit’, this extends

from the previous senseUS , 1944

ball-bustingadjectiveharassing, dominating, controllingUS , 1954

ball-cutternouna person who belittles and demeans othersUS , 1962

ballernoun1a drug dealer, usually of crack cocaineUS , 2001.2an

attractive maleUS , 2002.3a member of a youth gang who is

prospering financiallyUS , 1995

ballet masternounon the railways, the supervisor of track crews

An extension of the track worker as aGANDY DANCER US

balleynouna free show outside a carnival attraction, intended tocreate interest in paying to see the act insideUS , 1985

ballgamenoun1a state of affairs, especially if challenging SportingimageryUS , 1930.2during the Vietnam war, an exhange of fire orfirefight with the enemyUS , 1991.< a whole new ballgameacompletely different set of circumstancesUS , 1968

ballheadnouna white New ZealanderNEW ZEALAND , 1989

ball hopnouna deliberate fabrication, an unsupported rumour.GaelicIRELAND , 2001

ballhuggersnoun1very tight trousers Hawaiian youth usageUS , 1982.

2a pair of men’s close-fitting and revealing nylon swimmingtrunksAUSTRALIA , 2003

ballienounan old man; any old person, especially your parent From

the Afrikaans ou bal SOUTH AFRICA , 2004

ball in handnounin pool, the right to shoot from anywhere behindthe headstring after another player has hit the cue ball into apocketUK , 1807

ballisticadjectiveextremely angry; out of control Originally applied

to an out-of-control missileUS , 1985

ballisticsnoungraphic, aggressive rap lyricsUS , 1991

ballocky; bollocky; bollickyadjectivenaked Often combined with

‘naked’, compare withBOLLOCK NAKEDandSTARK BOLLOCK NAKED UK , 1961

ball of chalknouna walk Rhyming slang, sometimes condensed to

a simple ‘ball’UK , 1936

ball-offnounan act of male masturbationUK , 1961

ball offverb(of a male) to masturbateUK , 1961

ball of firenouna dynamic and energetic personUS , 1900

ball of maltnouna large glass of whiskeyIRELAND , 2001

ball of musclenoun1a powerfully built, fit and healthy person oranimalAUSTRALIA , 1914.2a person with a great deal of energyNEW ZEALAND , 1984

ball of waxnouna complete set of facts or situationUS , 1953

balloonnoun1a lieutenant Coined in KoreaUS , 1951.2used as ahumorous synonym of ‘platoon’US , 1967.3a woman’s breast.Usually in the pluralUS , 1962.4a condomUS , 1966.5a small amount

of heroin, whether or not it is actually in a balloonUS , 1967.6aheroin dealerUK , 2002.7a foolish, talkative person Because they are

‘full of hot air’UK: NORTHERN IRELAND , 1996.8a dollarUS , 1973.< the balloon goes upsomething happens Used especially in the pasttense in phrases like ‘when did the balloon go up?’ and ‘theballoon went up at 6 o’clock’, often when the event referred towas some kind of trouble Military in origin, probably World War 1,from the raising of an observation balloon just before an attackUK , 1924

balloonverbto dramatically and constantly change your shape inorder not to present a predictable target MilitaryUK , 1995

balloon car; balloonnoun a saloon bar Rhyming slang UK , 1960

balloon footnouna slow driverUS , 1993

balloon headnounan empty-headed, dim-witted dolt Sometimescontracted to ‘balloon’US , 1931

balloon juicenoun1empty talk A play on the ‘hot air’ typicallyfound inside balloonsUS , 1900.2a sweet, bright coloured fruit-baseddrinkBARBADOS , 1965

balloon knotnounthe anus Visual imageryUK , 1998

balloon tyresnoundark bags beneath an actor’s eyesUK , 1952

ballparknounan approximate rangeUS , 1957

ballroomnouna singles bar with a reputation for easy sexualconquestsUS , 1985

ballroom blitznounthe breasts Rhyming slang forTIT(S), formedfrom the title of a 1973 song that was successful for The SweetUK , 2003

ballsnoun1the testicles From the shapeUK , 1325.2courage, daring

UK , 1893.3strength, substanceUK , 1981.4nonsenseUK , 1857.< all ballsnonsense An elaboration ofBALLS UK .< as ballsused

as an intensifierUS , 1988.< balls in a viceat an extreme

disadvantage, overpoweredUS , 1987.< balls like a Scoutmaster

great courage or sexual prowess Based on the image of a Boy

Scout leader as a paedophileNEW ZEALAND , 1999.< bust your balls;

break your ballsto work to your fullest capability; to try your

hardestUS , 1944.< by the twenty-four swinging balls of the

twelve apostles!used as a register of anger and despairUS , 2001.

< don’t get your balls in a knotdo not become agitated

AUSTRALIA , 1979.< get your balls in an uproarto become unduly

excited Of military originCANADA , 1961.< have someone’s balls

for a necktieto punish someone severely Generally in a future

tenseUK , 1973.< have your balls torn offto be severely

reprimandedUK , 1977.< lay your balls on the chopping-block

to take responsibility (for an action or opinion) and thereby risk

humiliation or rejectionUK , 2001.< make a balls ofto spoil

something, to make a mess of something FromBALLS(nonsense)

UK , 1889.< to have someone by the ballsto exert complete

control over someone; to have complete power over someoneUS ,

1918

ballsverbto secrete objects in a man’s underpants, nestling

whatever you wish to keep hidden around the testicles (balls)UK ,

1997

balls!used as an all-purpose expletive A figurative use of

‘balls’=‘testicles’UK , 1957

balls-achinglyadverbtediouslyUK , 1972

ballsacknouna skimpy bathing suit for a manUS , 1997

balls-and-alladjectivewith complete commitmentAUSTRALIA , 2001

balls-ass nakedadjectivecompletely nakedUS , 1958

ballsed-upadjectiveruined, wrecked, messed upAUSTRALIA , 1986

balls-outadverbat full speedUS , 1945

balls-to-the-wallsadjectiveunrestrained, full-outUS , 1967

balls to you!registers an impatient dismissal of anything specified

Variants include ‘balls to that’, and ‘balls to X’UK , 1923

balls-upnouna mess, a muddle, a mistakeUK , 1934

balls upverbto make a mistake; to err; to mess something up

AUSTRALIA , 1969

ballsyadjectivegutsy, courageousUS , 1935

ball team; baseball teamnouna group of gambling cheats who

work in casinosUS , 1987

ball tearernoun1something extraordinaryAUSTRALIA , 1974.2a violent

personAUSTRALIA , 1973.3a difficult, physically demanding task A

military variation ofBALLBREAKER AUSTRALIA , 1984

ball upverbto ruin somethingAUSTRALIA , 1982

bally; bally act; ballyhoonounany method used to draw a crowd;

a small, free performance given outside a place of entertainment

in the hope of drawing customers inside Circus and carnival

usageUS , 1901

ballyadjective1used as a euphemism for ‘bloody’UK , 1885.2very

angry Probably by ellipsis from ‘bally mad’UK , 1997

ballyhooverbto draw a crowdUS , 1965

balmverbto embalm a bodyBAHAMAS , 1980

Balmain basket weavernouna trendy, leftist member of the

middle class Derogatory; after the affluent Sydney suburb of

BalmainAUSTRALIA , 1986

Balmain basket-weavingadjectivecharacteristic of a Balmain

basket weaverAUSTRALIA , 1992

Balmaniacnouna person from the affluent Sydney suburb of

Balmain Recorded as ‘Balmain footballers’ by Baker, 1943

AUSTRALIA , 1969

balmyadjectivedrunkUS , 1850

balmy breeze; breezenouncheese Rhyming slangUK , 1961

baloneynoun1utter nonsenseUS , 1922.2the penisUS , 1928.3a die

that has been flattened on several edges to favour one surfaceUS ,

1974.4electric cable Electric line industry usageUS , 1980

baloney ponynounthe penisUS , 2002.< ride the baloney pony

to have sex

baloobasnounthe breastsAUSTRALIA , 1988

balot; ballotnounopium; heroinUS , 1986

balsa boynouna male pornography performer who has troublemaintaining an erection One of manyWOODimagesUS , 1995

Baltnounan immigrant of Eastern European extraction; anyEuropean immigrant to Australia during the immediate post-WorldWar 2 period Derogatory; common in the 1940 50s when it wasoften applied indiscriminately to any European migrantAUSTRALIA , 1963

Balti beltnounany area with a conglomeration of Indianrestaurants; especially Birmingham’s Sparkhill and Sparkbrookdistricts Named for the area’s preponderance of restaurants andtakeaways offering Indian and Pakistani cuisine (Balti is a kind ofcurry cooked and served in the pot after which it is named)UK , 2003

BaltonicknameBaltimore, MarylandUS , 1981

bamnoun1a pill or capsule of amphetamines An abbreviation of

‘bambita’US , 1970.2a pill containing both a barbiturate and anamphetamineUK , 1983.3a central nervous system depressantUK ,

2003.4a cigarette made with poor quality marijuanaUS , 1952.5aviolent individualUK , 2000.6a female member of the US Marine

Corps A ‘broad-assed marine’ Gulf war usage US , 1991 8see:

BAMPOT; BAMSTICK

bamanouna conventional person, profoundly out of touch withcurrent trendsUS , 1970

bama chukkernouna poor southern whiteUS , 1966

bamalacha ramblernouna marijuana smokerUS , 1959

bamalamnounmarijuana Variation ofBAMALACHA US , 1973

bambalacha; bamba; bammynounmarijuanaUS , 1938

bambalacha ranchernouna marijuana user, possibly a growerUS , 1959

bam-bamnounthe buttocksTRINIDAD AND TOBAGO , 2003

bambinonoun1a child Italian used by English-speakers with noknowledge of ItalianITALY , 1995.2an amphetamine or other centralnervous system stimulantUS , 1992

bambi-sexualnouna homosexual whose sexual activity is ised by kisses, caresses and emotion Punning on the gentle deerBambi, hero of the novel by Felix Salten and the film by Disney

bamboo weddingnouna marriage with Hindu ritesGUYANA , 1996

bamboozleverbto deceive someone, to swindle someone Arguablyconventional English but with a slangy ring neverthelessUK , 1703

bambsnouncentral nervous system depressantsUK , 1998

Bambunounany cigarette rolling papers The brand name of therolling papers favoured by marijuana-smoking Beats of the 1950s,often used in a generic, eponymous senseUS , 1977

bamf!1in computing, a notional sound during a magical formation in a multi-user dungeon Also an acronym produced

trans-from ‘bad-ass motherfucker’ US , 1991.2used as Internet shorthand

to mean ‘I am leaving this discussion’ A sound effect from the Men comic books US , 1997

X-bammernoun1weak, low grade marijuanaUS , 1997.2not genuine or

of poor quality Derives, perhaps, fromBUMMER(a disappointing ordepressing event)US , 1993

bammienouna commerically manufactured cigarette adulteratedwith marijuanaUK , 1983

bampot; bamstick; bamnouna fool; an eccentric; a madmanUK , 1911

bamsienounthe buttocksBARBADOS , 1996

bamsie fly

bamsie mannouna male homosexualTRINIDAD AND TOBAGO , 1996

bannouna banana Greengrocer’s familiar abbreviation, usually in

the pluralUK , 1984

banananoun1an Asian-American who rejects his Asian heritage

and seeks to blend into the dominant white culture Like a

banana, the person described is yellow on the outside, white on

the insideUS , 1970.2a Hong Kong Chinese of European or

American parentage or aspirationsHONG KONG , 1997.3a New

Zealand-born Chinese personNEW ZEALAND , 1998.4a person of

mixed race, with both black and white ancestorsUS , 1945.5a

hospital patient suffering from jaundiceUS , 1983.6in American

casinos, a £20 chip From the yellow colourUS , 1985.7the penisUS ,

1916.8a parenthesis sign ( or ) on a computer keyboardUS , 1991.

9the convex curvature of the bottom of a surfboardUS , 1965.10a

comic in a burlesque showUS , 1953.11a crazy or foolish personUS ,

1919.12a dollarUS , 1970.13an Australian £1 noteAUSTRALIA , 1953.

< off your bananamentally unstable, crazyUK , 1999

bananaverbin television and film making, to walk in a slight curve

in front of the camera to preserve focusUS , 1990

banana-balancernounan officer’s steward or cabin-handAUSTRALIA ,

1960

banana beltnickname1southeastern AlaskaUS , 1937.2the South

Orkney Islands and South Georgia, warm only in comparison with

the harsh cold of Antarctica The term has been applied to a

rela-tively less cold area in a cold region since 1898ANTARCTICA , 1958

bananabendernouna person from Queensland The Australian

state of Queensland has a large banana industryAUSTRALIA , 1964

banana boynouna young white man brought up in the

Anglo-Saxon tradition of Natal, later KwaZulu-Natal; hence a sportsman

who is resident in KwaZulu-NatalSOUTH AFRICA , 1956

banana clipnounthe curved magazine or clip for a US Army

carbineUS , 1968

banana farmnounan asylum for the insane Used among Britons

in tropical or semi-tropical countriesUK , 1976

banana hammocknouna brief male bikiniUS , 1997

banana jockeynounany person who hangs on to the side of a

truck driving a load of bananas to townGRENADA , 1996

Bananalandnicknamethe state of Queensland Named after the

banana industry thereAUSTRALIA , 1880

Bananalandernouna person from QueenslandAUSTRALIA , 1887

banana oilnounnonsense; persuasive talkUS , 1924

banana peelsnounsurplus military tyres that are worn smooth and

hence uselessUS , 1992

banana racenouna fixed horse raceUS , 1967

bananasadjectivemadly excited; mad; behaving oddly Derives from

BANANA OIL(nonsense), which abbreviates as ‘bananas’; ‘to become

mad’ is ‘to go bananas’US , 1957

banana shotnounin pool, a shot at an object ball near a cushion,

with spin imparted such that the cue ball follows through after

striking the object ball and comes to rest after bouncing off the

cushionUS , 1993

banana skinnouna potential if trivial danger that is easily avoided

when not overlookedUK , 1907

bananas on bananasnountoo much of something, even a good

somethingUS , 1977

banana splitnoun1amyl nitrite; an ampoule of amyl nitrite A

reference to the banana-like smell of the drug vapoursUS , 1968.2a

variety of MDMA, the recreational drug best known as ecstasy

From the logo pressed into the pill; after the cult children’s

television programme The Banana Splits (originally broadcast

1968–70)UK , 2002

banana splitsnoundiarrhoea Rhyming slang forTHE SHITS UK , 2003

banana treenounthe penisUK , 1973

banana vannouna flatbed railway carriage that sags in the middle

banana wagonnouna low handcart used for transporting aeroplanepartsUS , 1955

banana wingnounin motor racing, an aerodynamic wing shapeUS , 1908

banana with cheesenounmarijuana and freebase cocainecombined for smokingUS , 1979

bananonounmarijuanaUK , 2003

bandnounin prison, a riot squadUS , 1976

bandaged upadjectivein trucking, said of a truck with anyimprovised winter frontUS , 1971

bandage factorynouna hospitalUS , 1941

band-aidnoun1in trucking, an improvised winter fronting for atruckUS , 1971.2a medic During the Vietnam war, a radio call for a

‘band-aid’ was a call for a medicUS , 1991

B and B gangnoun on the railways, a building and bridge crew US , 1977

band boxnouna county jailUS , 1992

band chicknouna woman who is attracted to, and makes herselfavailable to, musicians An early term for what would come to beknown as a ‘groupie’US , 1961

B and Dadjective bad and dangerous US , 1993

B and D; B/Dnoun bondage and domination (or discipline) as

sex-ual activitesUS , 1974

B and Enoun burglary From the initials for ‘breaking and entering’

US , 1965

Band Housenicknamethe Chicago House of CorrectionsUS , 1946

bandicootnoun< as a bandicootcompletely as specified;extremely soAUSTRALIA , 1845.< like a bandicoot on a burnt ridgelonely and forlornAUSTRALIA , 1901

bandicootverbto dig out a subsoil crop, especially potatoes, without

disturbing the plant in situ, usually surreptitiously AUSTRALIA , 1896

band in the boxnounpox Rhyming slangUK , 1971

banditnoun1a petty thief, usually preceded by the object of thecrime IronicUK , 1977.2an obvious homosexual An abbreviation of

ARSE/ASS BANDIT UK , 2001.3a hostile aircraftUS , 1942.4an unsolvedconstruction problemUS , 1961

bandit oddsnounbetting odds that strongly, if secretly, favour onebetting positionUS , 1977

bandit territorynounin Metropolitan Police slang, the HomeCounties areas fringing London that are policed by other forcesUK , 1999

band mollnouna woman who makes herself sexually available tothe members of a rock group; a groupieAUSTRALIA , 1969

band of hope; bandernounsoap Rhyming slang, based on thename of a temperance organisation founded in Leeds in 1847.The truncated variation is recorded in Australia by Sidney J Baker

bandynouna bandicootAUSTRALIA , 1953

Bandywallopnounan imaginary remote townAUSTRALIA , 1958

bangnoun1an instance of sexual intercourseUK , 1691.2pleasure,enjoymentUS , 1929.3a person judged on their sexual performance

UK , 1937.4a popular schoolgirlUK , 1971.5an injection of a narcotic

US , 1922.6the sudden effect of a drugUS , 1948.7marijuanaUS , 1993.

8a swallow of alcoholUK , 2001.9an attempt Usually in the form

‘to have a bang (at)’UK , 1948.10an exclamation point (!) From theslang of printers to the slang of computer enthusiastsUS , 1931

bangverb1to have sexUK , 1720.2to stimulate a woman’s vagina byintroducing and withdrawing a finger in rapid orderUS , 1971.3toinhale or to inject a drug intraveneouslyUS , 1926.4to swallow a

6(of dance music) to have a danceable beatAUSTRALIA , 2001.7to

make a turnUS , 1969.< bang ballsto have a plan backfire

SINGAPORE , 2002.< bang goes thatused for suggesting that

something has come to an endNEW ZEALAND , 1998.< bang heads

to fightUS , 1968.< bang like a dunny door; bang like a

hammer on a nailto be an exceptional sexual partner Many

variations, including ‘bang like a rattlesnake’, ‘bang like a shithouse

door in a gale’ and ‘bang like a shithouse rat’AUSTRALIA , 1968.

< bang the crap out ofof a male, to exhaust a sex-partner by

vigorous sexual activity An intensification ofBANG(to have sex) on

the model of ‘beat the crap out of’ (to thrash)UK , 2003

bangadverbvery much, extremelyUK , 2000

bangarang; banggarangnounan uproar, a riotJAMAICA , 1943

bang-bangnounthe penisBAHAMAS , 1982

bang bellynoun1a Newfoundland boiled pudding made of flour,

molasses, soda and seal-fat or suetCANADA , 1960.2the protruding

stomach of a childJAMAICA , 1996

bang bottlenouna condomUK , 1990s

Bang-clapnicknameBangkok, Thailand During the Vietnam war,

Bangkok was a rest and recreation destination, with plenty of sex

and almost as much venereal diseaseUS , 1991

bangedadjectiveintoxicated on a drug, especially marijuanaUS , 1980

banged upadjective1specifically, being locked in a police or prison

cell; generally, imprisoned The image of a cell door having been

banged shut Closely following the verb sense which is first

recorded in 1950UK , 1990.2pregnantNEW ZEALAND , 2002

bangernoun1a sausage Perhaps from the resemblance to a

bludgeonUK , 1919.2a firework producing a loud bangUK , 1959.3a

detonatorUK , 1966.4a near-derelict motor vehicle, usually a car or

van From the back-firing of a worn-out or poorly-maintained

engineUK , 1962.5a cylinder in a car engine Usually prefaced with a

numeralUS , 1970.6a fender, especially a front fenderUS , 1976.7a

boxer who relies on brute strength and aggressive tacticsUS , 1968.

8in hot rodding and motor racing, a collisionUS , 1933.9a gang

member Shortened form ofGANGBANGER US , 1985.10a heavy metal

music enthusiast who dances with zealUS , 2001.11a hypodermic

needle and syringeUS , 1986.12a kiss, especially one that is

forcefully deliveredUK , 1898.13in pool, an unskilled if forceful

playerUS , 1990.14a billiard ball Usually in the plural, extended

from the sense as ‘testicle’UK , 1984.15in the casino game Keno,

the punch tool used to make holes in tickets showing the

numbers bet onUS , 1978

bangersnounthe testiclesUK , 1961

BangersnicknameBangkokAUSTRALIA , 1985

bangers and mashnounan act of urination Rhyming slang for

SLASH,formed from one of the great dishes of British cuisineUK ,

2003

bang gotchernounany film of the Western genre From children’s

recreation of the cowboy action in such films: firing toy (or

pretend) guns, crying ‘Bang! Got you!’ so their play-enemies don’t

miss the pointAUSTRALIA , 1953

bangingadjective1drug-intoxicatedUK , 2003.2wonderful, great,

excellent Originally recorded by Francis Grose in 1788 and possibly

anticipated two centuries earlier; in the 1990s ‘banging’ enjoyed

the wide popularity of a new coinage Also variant ‘bangin’UK , 1997

banging-offnounsexual intercourse Royal Navy useUK , 1984

Banglanouna BangladeshiSINGAPORE , 2002

bang onverb1to talk lengthily and repetitiously about a particular

topicUK , 1959.2in computing, to subject a piece of equipment or a

new program to a stress testUS , 1991

bang onadverbexactly, correct Coined by World War 2 Royal Air

Force bomber crews for ‘bang on the target’; adopted into civilian

usage as soon as the war was overUK , 1943

bang on itadjectivedrunk or drug-intoxicatedUK , 2003

bang on the latchnouna last drink after closing timeIRELAND , 2003

bang on the moneyadjectiveabsolutely correct, exactUK , 1994

bang outverb1to manufacture or produce something, especially

without care; to distribute something . to eject from a

fighter planeUK , 1991.3when freefalling from a plane, to spreadyour body into a wide shapeUK , 1995

bang out of orderadjective 8see:OUT OF ORDER

bang shiftnouna quick, forceful gear shift while racingUS , 1965

bang-shootnounany thing, matter or business at issue at themoment A playful variation ofSHEBANGandSHOOTING MATCH;usually heard as ‘the whole bang-shoot’UK , 1984

bangsternouna needle-using drug addictUS , 1950

bang sticknouna firearmUK , 1961

bangtailnoun1one of several inferior kinds of horse; a racehorse.From the practice of bobbing the horse’s tailUS , 1921.2a return-address envelope sent with a bill, containing a product offer on adetachable portion of the envelope flapUS , 1986

bang to rightsadjective1denoting an absolute certainty that fullyjustifies arrest on a criminal charge, as when caught red-handed.Intensifies ‘to rights’ (fairly, legally)UK , 1904.2by extension,describing a satisfactory state of affairsUK , 1962

bang-upnouna period during which a prisoner is locked in a cell.From the verbUK , 2002

bang upverb1to inject a drugUK , 1982.2to prepare marijuana as acigaretteUK , 2000.3in prison, to lock someone or be locked into acellUK , 1950.4to end a poker gameUS , 1979

bang-upadjectiveexcellent; first-rateIRELAND , 1821

banjaxverbto batter, to beat, to destroy someone or something

IRELAND , 1939

banjaxedadjective1not in working order Given fresh impetus inthe UK in the 1970s by popular broadcaster Terry Wogan, possiblyfrom the phonetic similarity to the then unacceptableBOLLOCKSED

IRELAND , 1939.2drunk Playing on the sense ‘not in working order’,

SMASHED UK , 2002

banjonoun1a generously proportioned sandwich or filled roll Inmilitary use in forms such as an ‘egg banjo’ or a ‘chip banjo’UK ,

1961.2in prison, any food that has been acquired by illicit means

UK , 1950.3a shovelUK , 1918.4the rear end of a car or truckUS , 1971.

5in rugby, a head-high tackleNEW ZEALAND , 1998

banjoverb1to beat someone FromBANJAX(to batter)UK , 1982.2tomurder someoneUK , 1999.3to force open a door or windowUK , 1981

banjoedadjectivebroken down, battered FromBANJO(to beat), mately fromBANJAX(to destroy)UK , 1987

ulti-banjo playernouna born-and-(in-)bred country-dweller Probablyinspired by ‘Duelling Banjos’, a musical sequence in the film

Deliverance, 1972, in which the guitar symbolises urban America

and the banjo represents an impoverished rural existenceUK , 2001

banknoun1money; wealthUS , 1991.2a sum of money ready forimmediate use, especially for gamblingAUSTRALIA , 1919.3a personwho finances a gambling enterpriseUS , 1964.4a prison cell forsolitary confinementUS , 1962.5a toiletUS , 1945.< on the bank

subsisting on bank loansAUSTRALIA , 1955.< take it to the bank; put it in the bankto be very sure of a factUS , 1977

bankverb1to enjoy yourself on an outing on a bank holiday

BARBADOS , 1965.2to prove someone guilty of a crimeUS , 1992.3tosurround someone to beat themUS , 1997

bank banditnouna barbiturate capsule or other central nervoussystem depressant Possibly from the calming effect that enablescriminals to overcome nervesUS , 1992

banked outadjectiverichUS , 2002

bankernoun1a usurer, an illegal lender of moneyUS , 1988.2acriminal who controls a stock of forged currency notesUK , 1966.3aperson with a large sum of gambling moneyAUSTRALIA , 1979.4theoperator of an illegal numbers racket or lotteryUS , 1959.5in afunctionally compartmentalised illegal drug operation, the personwho receives payment for drugs boughtUS , 1987.6a creek, river,etc, full to overflowingAUSTRALIA , 1848 8see:MERCHANT BANKER

banker’s bitnouna prison sentence of five to ten years A commonsentence for bankers caught commiting fraudUS , 1950

banker’s rownouna line of side-by-side high-yield gold seams

banker’s setnounin dominoes, the 3–2 piece So named because

opponents cannot score on itUS , 1959

bankingnounmasturbation FromBARCLAY’S BANKforWANK UK , 1983

bank offverbto place a prisoner in a punishment cellUS , 1981

bank repairsnouna lack of financingUS , 1954

bankrollverbto finance a project The image of a roll of banknotes

US , 1928

bank shotnouna delayed fuse shell fired by a tank in such a

manner as to bounce off an object and around a corner to

explode at or near the target Borrowed from any number of

sports and games Vietnam war usageUS , 1990

bank teller jobnounin horse racing, a bet on the surest of sure

things So certain is the bettor of winning that he could safely

borrow money from a bank one day, bet it that afternoon, and

pay it back the next dayAUSTRALIA , 1989

bank upverbto save moneyBAHAMAS , 1982

banternounslang By extension from its conventional sensesUK , 2000

banyannouna picnic on a beach, when organised from a naval

vesselUK , 1987

banzainounin drag racing, a complete effortUS , 1965

banzai!used as an expression of joy and excitementUS , 1985

bapnouna sophisticated and privileged Black American woman An

acronym, on the model ofJAP(a Jewish-American Princess) US , 2001

bapverbto shoot someone or somethingUS , 1966

baparazzinounpress photographers who specialise in catching their

subjects topless A play onBAPS(the breasts) and ‘paparazzi’UK , 2003

bapheadnouna fool Black and urban youth slangUK , 2001

bapponouna baptistAUSTRALIA , 1953

bapsnounthe female breasts After the small soft bread rolls

barnoun1a pound Directly from Romany bar, ultimately Romany

bauro (heavy or big); usually in the phrase ‘half a bar’ (until

decimalisation in 1971: ten shillings; post-decimalisation: 50p)

although inflation seems to have had an effectUK , 1911.2one

million dollarsUS , 1997.3a package of heroinUS , 1978.4a block of

cannabis resin weighing approximately a kilogramUS , 1967.5used

as a name for any variable objectUS , 1983.6an erection Especially

used in the form ‘have a bar’UK , 1961.< not stand a bar of;

not have a bar ofto detest, deny or reject someone or

something, to be unable to tolerate someone or something

AUSTRALIA , 1933

barverb1(especially in Queensland) to claim something as your

right; to reserve somethingAUSTRALIA , 1971.2to give somebody a

ride on the bars or your bicycleNEW ZEALAND , 1959

baradjectivea ‘minus’ attached to a gradeUS , 1968

barprepositionin betting, used for indicating the number of horses

excluded from the offered oddsUK , 1860

bar!used as a call in children’s games, chiefly in Queensland and

New South Wales, to indicate that one is safe from being caught

or taggedAUSTRALIA , 2003

barbnoun1a barbiturate US , 1966.2a college student who is not a

fraternity member The fraternity system is known as the ‘Greek

society’, and in Greek a ‘barbarian’ was any non-GreekUS , 1900

Barbara Huttonnounin hold ’em poker, a five and ten as the first

two cards dealt to a player Hutton (1913–1979) was heiress to the

Woolworth fortune; Woolworth was the foremost five and ten cent

store in AmericaUS , 1981

barbecuenoun1a self-immolation The term enjoyed a brief and

gruesome popularity in the early 1960sUS , 1963.2the burning of a

prisoner locked in a cellUS , 1992.3a napalm bombingUS , 1968.

4radiation treatment Medical slangUS , 1994.5a fatal overdose of

narcotics . an attractive girl or woman

barbecueverbto put someone to death by electrocutionUS , 1990

barbed wirenicknameCastlemaine XXXX beer From theresemblance of the four X’sAUSTRALIA , 1983

barbed wire citynouna military stockadeUS , 1964

barbernoun1a thief who operates by stealth Derives from thethief’s ability to ‘cut and trim’AUSTRALIA , 1938.2in pool, a closemiss, usually made intentionally to avoid a scratchUS , 1993

Barbernoun< the Barberthe Greymouth wind coming acrossand off the Mawhera RiverNEW ZEALAND , 1998

barberverb1to rob hotel roomsAUSTRALIA , 1950.2to talk; to gossip.Derives from a stereotypical barber’s inconsequential but incessantchatter with a chair-bound customerUS , 1938

barber chairnounin logging, the stump left from a poorly cut tree,which in falling leaves an upright large splinterUS , 1941

barber polenounin casino gambling, a bet comprised of variouscoloured chipsUS , 1980

barber shopnounin trucking, a bridge with a low clearance.Citizens’ band radio slangUS , 1977

barbidexnouna combination of central nervous system stimulantsand depressantsUS , 1992

barbienoun1a barbecueAUSTRALIA , 1976.2an outdoor party centredaround food cooked on a barbecueAUSTRALIA , 1981

Barbie; Barbie Dollnoun1an idealised woman, one who conforms

to the role-model of the blonde-haired, blue-eyed plastic doll Agenerally derisory usage; from Barbie™, a manufactured doll orig-inally intended for young girls, which has become a culturalsymbol Also variant ‘Barbie Girl’US , 1976.2a barbiturate capsuleUS , 1979

barbiedadjectiveused of a woman who has become subservient to aman FromBARBIE DOLL, an idealised concept of womanhoodmanufactured and marketed by MattelUK , 1996

Barclaycardnouna sawn-off shotgun used to shoot doors off theirhinges From the credit card’s advertising slogan ‘A Barclaycardgets you anywhere’UK , 1995

Barclay’s Bank; barclaynounof a male, an act of masturbation.Rhyming slang forWANK(masturbation); probably, according tomost authorities, in use since the 1930sUK , 1980

Barcoo busternouna westerly gale in mid- or south Queensland.The Barcoo Shire is one of the most isolated areas in Australia

bareadverbvery; manyUK , 2005

bare-ass; bare-assedadjectivenakedUK , 1562

barebackverb1to engage in sex without a condomUS , 1970.2tosurf without a wetsuitUS , 1991

barebackadjectivein trucking, said of a tractor without a trailerUS , 1942

barebackadverb(used of sex) without a condomUS , 1960

bareback ridernouna man who has sex without using a condom

US , 1960

barefootadjective1(of sex) without a condomUS , 1963.2(of a car ortruck) lacking one or more tyresUS , 1941.3(of a citizens’ bandradio) operating without a power boosterUS , 1976.4in craps, said of

a bet on the pass line without odds takenUS , 1983

barefootedadjective(of a drink) undilutedUS , 1847

barefoot pilgrimnounin the used car business, a naive, trusting,unsophisticated customerUS , 1968

barefoot ricenounplain riceBAHAMAS , 1982

bare metalnouna new computer which is not equipped with even

an operating systemUS , 1991

bare-poleadjectivenakedCANADA , 1988

bares the bare fists

barfnounbeefUS , 1996

barfverb1to vomitUS , 1958.2in computing, to fail to operateUS ,

1983.3in hot rodding and drag racing, to damage something

completely or partially, leaving parts scatteredUS , 1993

barfbagnoun1a bag provided for airsick air passengers, to use for

vomitingUS , 1966.2by extension, a despicable personUS , 1973

barf, beer and a cigarnouna fighter pilot’s breakfastUS , 1986

barf buddynouna drinking companionUS , 1977

barficnounan unartistic computer graphic created with keyboard

charactersUS , 1995

bar-flynouna too-frequent frequenter of bars and saloonsUS , 1906

barf me out!used for expressing disgustUS , 1982

barfolaused as a general-purpose, all-round expression of disgust

US , 1985

barf whiffnounthe odour of vomitUS , 1991

barfyadjectiveunpleasant, disgustingUS , 1957

bargainnouna stroke of good luckUS , 1990

bargain daynounin a criminal proceeding, the final day before trial

when the prosecuting attorney will accept a lesser guilty pleaUS ,

1992

bargenoun1any large car A nautical comparison similar to the

more genericBOAT US , 1968.2a large, unwieldy surfboardUS , 1963.3a

large vaginaUS , 1972

bargeverbto come; to go; to leave; to arrive; to moveUS , 1929

barge inverbto intrude, to interfere, especially if rudely or clumsily

UK , 1923

barge polenouna large penisUS , 1967

bar girlnouna female prostitute who works in a barAUSTRALIA , 1988

bargoonouna mixture of meat and vegetables cooked together in a

boiling kettleCANADA , 1986

bargoonadjectivecheap; at an unusually low priceCANADA , 2002

bar-hopverbto move in a group from one bar to another, stopping

at each for a drink or twoUS , 1948

barinouna baritone saxophoneUS , 1955

bariesnounbare feetUK: SCOTLAND , 1985

barknoun1the skinUK , 1758.2moneyUS , 1973.3a coughUK , 1937

barkverb1to coughUK , 1937.2to bragUS , 1968.3to tell a lieUS , 1997.

< bark the tiresto produce a chirping sound from the tyres on

the road while shifting gearsUS , 1992

barkernoun1a person who stands at the door of a business calling

out to people passing by, trying to lure them into the businessUK ,

1699.2an unsophisticated master of ceremoniesUS , 1986.3an

antique dealer’s assistantUK , 2003.4in craps played in a casino, the

stickman The stickman controls the pace of the game and

engages in steady banter with the playersUS , 1983.5a dogUK , 1980.

6a person with a nasty cough From the verbBARK UK , 1937.7a

singerUS , 1973.8a handgunUS , 1814

barkersnounshoes An extension of the much more commonly

usedDOGS(shoes)US , 1929

barker’s eggnouna piece of dog excrementAUSTRALIA , 1985

barkey; barkie; barkynouna sailor The term appears to derive

from Italian barca (a boat), perhaps from ‘barque’ UK , 2002

barkingadjectiveraving mad Derives, in some way, from the

behaviour of a mad, rabid or over-excited dogUK , 1968

barking cockroachnounthe notional creature blamed when

someone in a crowd fartsBERMUDA , 1985

barking dogsnountired feetUS , 1960

barking spidernounthe notional creature blamed when someone

in a crowd fartsUS , 1989

Bar-Lnoun< the Bar-LHM Prison Barlinnie in the East End of

GlasgowUK: SCOTLAND , 1985

barley

barley!used as a call in children’s games Perhaps from French

parlez (to parley) Used to indicate that one is safe from being

caught or tagged Some jocular use by adultsUK , 1814

barley mo’nouna moment An elaboration ofMO, formed on BarleyMow, a popular pub nameUK , 2005

barley popnounbeerUS , 1976

barley waternounbeerUS , 1966

Barlinnie drumsticknouna weapon improvised from a length oflead pipe and a few nails Barlinnie is a Glasgow prisonUK: SCOTLAND , 1976

barmpotnouna person who is deranged, crazy or eccentric Afusion ofBARMYandPOTTY, ultimately from barm (a dialect term

for ‘yeast’)UK , 1951

barmynoun a mad or eccentric person Derives from barm, a dialect

term for ‘yeast‘ An early source remarks ‘frothing like barm hence,full of ferment, flighty, empty-headed’ It is probably relevant tonote also the lunatic asylum built in 1828 at Barming Heath, Kent(now the site of Maidstone Hospital)UK , 2001

barmyadjectivemad; eccentricUK , 1851

Barmy Armynicknamefans of the England cricket teamUK , 1996

barmy wagonnounan ambulance used for the secure transport ofthe insane FromBARMY(a mad or eccentric person)UK , 1959

barnnoun1in trucking, a truck garageUS , 1976.2in poker, a handconsisting of three cards of the same suit and a pair

Conventionally known as a ‘full house’US , 1988

Barnaby Rudge; barnabynouna judge Rhyming slang, formed onthe title of the Dicken’s novelUK , 1960

barnburnernoun1an exciting idea, event or thingUS , 1934.2amember of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police From anunfortunate miscalculation of force in the 1970s that led to theburning of a barn where separatists met with American BlackPanthersCANADA , 1979

barnburner wizardnouna high-achieving salesmanUS , 1974

Barn dancenounthe chaotic movement of pedestrians as soon astraffic signals permit From the name of Henry Barnes, New York’straffic commissioner in the 1960sAUSTRALIA , 1984

barndance cardnouna debriefing after combatUS , 1992

barn diseasenounthe many woes found in a motorcyle that hasbeen left idle for several years Biker (motorcycle) usageUS , 2001

barn doornoun1the fly on a pair of trousers Used in theeuphemistic warning: ‘Your barn door is open’US , 1950.2any targetthat is too large to missUK , 1679.3an extremely large halibut.Alaskan and Canadian usageCANADA , 1989.4in stage lighting, andthe television and film industries, blinders used to focus a studiolamp Conventionally known as a ‘variable mask’US , 1960.5a type

of fuel injection systemUS , 1965

barnetnounthe head FromBARNET FAIR(the hair)UK , 1994

barnet fair; barnetnounthe hair Rhyming slang, usuallycompressed to ‘barnet’ Barnet Fair, itself, had ceased be a majorevent at least 50 years before this slang was coinedUK , 1857

barneynoun1a fight or argument From British dialectAUSTRALIA ,

1858.2a police officerUS , 1976.3an unattractive, unpopular youngmanUS , 1987.4a new Internet user whose interest will soon lapse

US , 1997.5in the television and film industries, a noise-reducingpad placed over a cameraUS , 1977

barneyverb1to argue about somethingAUSTRALIA , 1942.2to travel inhigh styleUS , 1949

Barneyanonounspeech or writing in a mode of satirical truth,without avoiding anythingCANADA , 2002

Barney mokenounan act of sexual intercourse Rhyming slang for

POKE; a suggestive contrast withBARNEY(an argument) Sometimesshortened to ‘Barney’ From an earlier pickpockets’ use of therhyme for ‘poke’ (a bag or pocket)UK , 1984

Barney’s brignounthe essence of disorder The full expressionincludes ‘both main tacks over the foreyard’, showing the nautical

Barney’s bullnouna condition, especially a worthless or negative

state Originally ‘to be like Barney’s bull’ meant ‘extremely fatigued

or distressed’; Partridge noted the range extended as: ‘bitched,

buggered, and bewildered like Barney’s bull’; ‘well fucked and far

from home like Barney’s bull’ and ‘all behind like Barney’s bull’ In

2003 a quick search of the Internet revealed: ‘buggered like

Barney’s bull’ from the northeast UK; ‘more mixed up than

Barney’s Bull’ from western Canada, of Scots-Irish descent; ‘get

into more trouble than Barney’s bull’ from Australia; and ‘mad as

Barney’s bull’UK , 1908

barnienouna big fight or punch-upSOUTH AFRICA

barn moneynounin horse racing, money bet by purportedly

informed track insidersUS , 1994

barnstormverbto travel from town to town, performing, competing

or campaigningUS , 1888

barnyard expression; barnyard languagenounprofanityUS , 1968

barnyard golfnounthe game of horseshoe pitchingUS , 1925

barnyard hennouna prostitute not favoured by her pimpUS , 1957

barnyard polkanounthe elaborate, careful walk of a person trying

not to step in cow manureCANADA , 1987

bar of chocolatenounpraise, especially when given by senior

officers Royal Navy, usually phrased as ‘get a bar of chocolate’UK ,

1962

bar of soapnoun1marijuana Rhyming slang forDOPE; a bar of

cannabis may coincidentally resemble a bar of soap (see:SOAP

BAR), but the usage is simply a convenient rhyme Rhyming slang

often clips, here givingBARan alternate etymologyUS , 1940.2in

dominoes, the double blankUS , 1959

baronnounin prison, a powerful criminal whose influence is built

on illegal trading in drugs, tobacco, phone cards or money From

the conventional sense of ‘baron’ (a man of power and influence)

UK , 1950.< on the baronfree Royal Navy usageUK , 1962

barossanouna girl Rhyming slang for Barossa Pearl (a popular

white wine).AUSTRALIA , 1980

barouche; cabouchenouna car; a taxiUK , 1992

barranouna barrumundiAUSTRALIA , 1900

barrackverb1to ridicule someone; to jeer at someone Probably

from Northern Ireland dialect sense ‘to brag or boast’AUSTRALIA ,

1878.2in sport, to cheer for a team; to support a person or team;

hence, to cheer on a person The usual meaning since 1945

AUSTRALIA , 1890

barrackernounin sport, a person who ‘barracks’ for a team; a

supporterAUSTRALIA , 1889

barrack-room lawyer; barrack-lawyernounanyone unqualified

who argues knowledge of rules, regulations or law, especially in a

petty confrontation with authority; hence a generally

argumentative person of the ‘I know better than you’-type

Originally militaryUK , 1943

barracouternouna TasmanianAUSTRALIA , 1966

barracudanounan aggressive, unprincipled personUS , 1957

barrelnoun1a tablet of LSD Usually in the pluralUS , 1971.2a

perfect wave breakingUS , 1991.3a cylinder in an car engineUS , 1948.

4in pool, a betting unitUS , 1990.< have someone over a

barrelto have someone at a disadvantageUS , 1939.< in the

barrelin prison, especially in solitary confinementUS , 1992.

< right into your barrel; right up your barreldecidedly your

concern, interest, businessAUSTRALIA , 1942

barrelverb1to knock someone over; to flatten someone; also, to

beat up someone, to punch someone, to deliver a blowAUSTRALIA ,

1969.2to scold someone Prison usageNEW ZEALAND , 1999.3to hold

someone at bay; to corner someoneAUSTRALIA , 1982.4to drive at

great speedAUSTRALIA , 1977

barrel-ass; barrelverbto move rapidly, generally oblivious to any

obstaclesUS , 1930

barrel-back with barn doorsnouna 1946 Ford Monarch The

‘barn doors’ refer to the car’s wood trimUS , 1992

barreled out

barrel fevernoun delirium tremens suffered by an alcoholic US , 1949

barrelhousenounsome combination of brothel, bar and roominghouseUS , 1883

barrel rollnounthe US air campaign conducted over northern Laos

in support of the Royal Lao Government, against the Pathet Laoand North Vietnamese forcesUS , 1991

barrier roguenouna racehorse that is agitated by the starting rierAUSTRALIA , 1982

bar-barrier-to-boxnounin horse racing, the entire length of the race

AUSTRALIA , 1989

barrionouna disadvantaged neighbourhood Liverpool usage;adopted from conventional ‘barrio’ (a Spanish speakingneighbourhood in a US city) to give a romantic identity to anurban localityUK , 2002

barrownoun< on my barrowgiving me troubleUK , 1956 8see:

BORROW PIT

barrow wheelnouna cast-metal spoked wheelUK , 1984

barrynoun1a youth who drives up and down a Fenland villagestreet with very loud music blaring from the car’s sound-systemand, apparently, a hoe sticking out of the boot Local teen slang,probably originally mocking an actual boy called BarryUK: ENGLAND ,

2004.2something shockingly badAUSTRALIA , 1997

barryadjectivegood, excellent, wonderful Edinburgh slang, widely

used in Irvine Welsh, Trainspotting, 1993, but not in the film UK: SCOTLAND , 1993

Barry Crockernounsomething shockingly bad Rhyming slang for

SHOCKER After Barry Crocker, born 1935, Australian singer andactor who, amongst other things, starred in the title role of theBarry McKenzie films of the 1970s, based on the slang-rich

cartoon script by Barry Humphries originally published in Private Eye in the 1960s AUSTRALIA , 1997

Barry McGuigan; Barrynouna notable defecation Rhyming slangfor ‘big ‘un’, formed from the name of the bantam/featherweightboxer from Northern Ireland (b.1961)UK , 2003

barry upverbto enhance an (old) car in a manner designed to benoticed The identity of the Barry honoured with this coinage isunknownUK , 2005

Barry White; Barrynoun1excrement; hence rubbish

Contemporary rhyming slang forSHITE, based on the name of soulsinger Barry White, 1944–2003UK , 2002.2a fright Popney rhymingslang, based on the name of soul singer Barry White, 1944–2003

Popney was contrived for www.music365.co.uk, an Internet music

siteUK , 2001

Barry White; Barryadjectiveinferior; shoddyUK , 2003

Barry-Whiternounan event that lasts all night, especially a drinkingspree or a rave Rhyming slang for ‘all-nighter’; based on the name

of US singer Barry White, 1944–2003 Remembered by Jonathan

Telfer, Writers News, 2003 UK , 2003

barse-ackwardsadjectiveend-firstUS , 1975

bar stewardnouna bastard A jocular euphemism; although wellknown previously, widely popularised in the late 1990s as anadvertising strapline for Heineken Export lager: ‘From yoursmooth-talking bar steward’UK , 1961

bar stoolnoun1a vehicle which is never or rarely drivenUS , 1992.

2used as a euphemism for ‘bastard’ JocularUK , 1999

bartnouna criminally-inclined youth, especially a youth gangmemberUS , 1963

barterverb(among young women in Montreal) to trade sexualfavours for desired giftsCANADA , 2002

Bart’snicknameSt Bartholomew’s Hospital, LondonUK , 1937

Bart Simpsonnoun1a type of LSD identified by an icon of thecartoon hero Bart Simpson, an animated character, was created byMatt Groening in 1987UK , 1996.2a variety of MDMA, the rec-reational drug best known as ecstasy, identified by the embossedmotifUK , 2002.3heroinUK , 2002

bar upverb1to get an erectionAUSTRALIA , 1983.2to become excited

basnoun a bastard, generally in its slang sense Pronounced, and

occasionally written ‘bahss’ or ‘bass’ in accordance with the full

pronuncation of ‘bastard’UK , 1977

Basconouna person of Basque extractionCANADA , 1963

basenoun1freebase cocaine; basic cocaine from which the

hydro-chloride has been removedUS , 1982.2an amphetamine, 2001

baseverb1to smoke freebase cocaineUS , 1987.2to argueUS , 1990.

3to verbally attack someone using sarcasm to convey an accurate

if cruel appraisal of them An abbreviation of ‘debase’ US , 1997

baseballnoun1homosexual activity Back formation from the use

ofPITCHandCATCHas terms meaning ‘to have the active and

passive roles in homosexual sex’US , 1989.2a defensive

fragmentation hand grenade that explodes on impact, used in

Vietnam Shaped and sized like a baseballUS , 1991.3in horse

racing, a bet on one horse in one race and all horses in another

US , 1976.4crack cocaineUK , 1998

Baseball Annienouna woman who makes herself available sexually

to professional baseball playersUS , 1949

baseball batnounthe penisAUSTRALIA , 1999

baseball bumnounin craps, the number nineUS , 1949

baseballernouna drug user who smokes freebase cocaineUS , 1992

baseball whiskersnouna sparsely bearded faceUS , 1952

base bludgernouna member of the services who is stationed at

the base DerogatoryAUSTRALIA , 1948

base camp commando; base camp desk jockeynounsomebody

with bellicose opinions about the way the war should be

conducted but no intention of leaving their post away from

combat to do it Vietnam war usageUS , 1986

base craziesnounobsessive searching behaviour experienced by

crack cocaine usersUS , 1989

base crazynouna drug user who searches on hands and knees for

cocaine or crack cocaineUK , 2002

base dealernouna card cheat who deals from the bottom of a

deckUS , 1993

based outadjectiveused of a crack or freebase addict who is unable

to control usageUK , 2002

base gallerynouna room or building where freebase cocaine users

pay to enter and then buy and smoke freebase cocaine

An extension of ‘shooting gallery’US , 1992

base headnouna regular smoker of freebase cocaineUS , 1986

base housenouna house or apartment where freebase cocaine is

sold A term and concept that all but vanished with the advent of

crack cocaine in the mid-1980sUS , 1992

basemannouna drug user who smokes freebase cocaineUS , 1992

basementnounchannel one on a citizens’ band radioUS , 1976.< in

the basementin stud poker, dealt facing downUS , 1988

base outverbto idleBELIZE , 1996

basernouna user of freebase cocaineUS , 1989

bases loadednounin craps, bets placed on every possible

combi-nationUS , 1974

base wallahnouna member of the services who is stationed at the

base DerogatoryAUSTRALIA , 1919

base wallopernouna military officer serving at a rear echelon base

NEW ZEALAND , 2002

bashnoun1an attempt, try, goUK , 1939.2a partyUK , 1901.3a drag

racing eventUS , 1960s to 70s.4a long cycle ride, especially if fast and

arduous ‘The Brighton Bash’ is from London to Brighton and

backUK , 1961.5a route march, as in ‘5-mile-bash’, etc Military

usageUK , 1984.6an act of sexual intercourseUK , 1979.7a person

judged on their sexual performanceAUSTRALIA , 1967.8marijuana

A possible pun onBANG(marijuana) or misspelling ofBUSH

(marijuana)US , 1971.9a dent put into a felt hat to make it look

better, especially an Australian Army slouch hatAUSTRALIA , 1954.

< on the bashto be working as a prostituteUK , 1936

bashverb1to criticise someone or something Often combined as a

suffix with the object of criticism . to hit someone .

3while surfing, to slam into a waveUS , 1991.4to work as aprostituteUK , 1961.5to eat with great fervourUS , 1945.6to indulge

in heavy drinkingAUSTRALIA , 1947.< bash earsto talk on thetelephone Teen slangUS , 1951.< bash one out(of a male) tomasturbateUK , 2002.< bash someone’s earto talk to someone

at lengthAUSTRALIA , 1965.< bash the bishop(of a male) tomasturbate Based on a perceived resemblance between the erectpenis and a conventional chess piece or, possibly, the helmet and

an episcopal mitre; bishops may also be ‘banged’, ‘battered’,

‘beaten’, ‘buffed’, ‘captured’, ‘flipped’, ‘flogged’ and ‘murdered’;notwithstanding, the bishop has also inspired punning variants:

‘cardinals’, ‘obsolete jesuits’, ‘pope’, ‘priests’ and ‘one-eyed monk’

UK , 1961.< bash the bottleto drink alcohol to excessAUSTRALIA ,

1971.< bash the spineto sleepAUSTRALIA , 1945.< bash wheels

in the usage of youthful model road racers (slot car racers), to race

US , 1997

basha; bashernouna makeshift temporary shelter OriginallyAssamese for a ‘bamboo hut’; acquired by the military and now inuse among the UK homelessUK , 1961

bash artistnouna person prone to fightingNEW ZEALAND , 1998

bash downverbto record a song in one takeUK , 1983

bashedadjectivedrunkUS , 1982

bashernoun1in trainspotting, an enthusiast who will travel for asfar as is possible in the train behind a specific locomotiveUK , 2003.

2a prize-fighter; a thugUK , 1937.3a physical training instructor.MilitaryUK , 1943.4a fast, reckless skierUS , 1963.5in the televisionand film industries, a simple 500 watt flood lightUS , 1960

bashienounan impromptu partyGRENADA , 1996

bashingnoun1heavy losses Usually as ‘get a bashing’ or ‘take abashing’UK , 1948.2a beating-up; a beatingUK , 1958

-bashingsuffixvigorous compulsory activity Military, in combinationwith an appropriate noun:SPUD-BASHING(potato peeling) and

SQUARE-BASHING(military parade-drill)UK , 1943

bash it up you!go away! stop bothering me!AUSTRALIA , 1953

bashmentnouna dance party; a form of reggae musicBARBADOS , 1996

bash upverb1to thrash someone, to beat someone upUK , 1954.2toconstruct something with haste and a lack of careNEW ZEALAND , 1999

bashyadjectiveexcellent, best Urban youth slangUK , 2005

basie; baseynoun1a person living on a military baseUS , 1993.2anAntarctica expeditioner A South African contribution to South PoleslangANTARCTICA , 1964

Basil Boli; Basilnounexcrement; an act of excretion Modernrhyming slang forTOLEY(a turd), based on French footballer BasilBoli who played for Glasgow Rangers and was not highly regarded

by the fansUK: SCOTLAND , 2002

Basil Brushnoun1marijuana From the herb ‘basil’, thus punning

onWEED(marijuana), elaborated as the name of a elevisionpuppet; at times shortened to a simple ‘basil’UK , 1996.2the vaginal

infection Candida albicans, commonly called thrush.

Contemporary rhyming slang, based on a puppet fox with adistinctive laugh (Boom! Boom!), popular on children’s television

in the 1960s and 70sUK , 2002

Basil Fawltynouna balti (a type of curried dish) Rhyming slangUK , 2003

basinfulnounas much as you can tolerateUK , 1935

basing gallerynouna room, apartment or house where cocaine issmoked in freebase formUS , 1995

basin of gravy; basinnouna baby Imperfectly formed rhymingslangUK , 1961

baskervillesnouna police-informer or someone who has assistedthe police in some other way in the making of an arrest A play on

DOG, referring to The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan

Doyle, 1902AUSTRALIA , 1973

basketnoun1a despicable person; used as a euphemism for ‘bastard’

UK , 1936.2the male genitals as seen through tight trousersUS , 1941.3awoman’s labiaUS , 1949.4an elderly woman Disrespectful; possiblyderiving from a play onOLD BAG UK , 1984.5in roulette, a bet on zero,double zero and two Sometimes expanded to ‘basket bet’

basket!used for expressing great frustrationSINGAPORE , 2002

basketballnoun1in Vietnam, an aircraft mission to illuminate the

terrain belowUS , 1991.2a 250 mg capsule of Placidyl™ (ethchlor

-vynol), a hypnotic drugUS , 1992

basket casenoun1a person who is emotionally debilitatedUS , 1952.

2any dysfunctional organisation or entityUK , 1973

basket daysnoundays of good weatherUS , 1965

basketful of meatnouna large penis FromBASKET US , 1941

basket headnouna Vietnamese peasant Alluding to the straw hats

worn by manyUS , 1991

basket of snakesnounin a car, an exhaust system with individual

headers that intertwineUS , 1965

basketsnounthe female breastsUS , 1968

basket shoppingnounthe practice of observing the crotch of a

clothed male to gauge the size of his penis Also known as ‘basket

watching’US , 1964

basketweavenicknameHighway 401 (the Trans-Canada) across

TorontoCANADA , 2002

basket weavernoun1a homosexual male who wears tight trousers,

thus displaying the countour of his genitalsUS , 1960s.2an advocate

of simple values and an unsophisticated lifestyle Derogatory

AUSTRALIA , 2003

basking sharknouna Citroen DS or Citroen ID car Car dealers’

slang; from the shape and appearanceUK , 1981

Basra bellynoundiarrhoea experienced by travellers in the Middle

EastUS , 1976

bassnoun1one fifth of a gallon of alcoholUS , 1975.2a defiant, tough

person An abbreviation ofBAD ASS US , 2002

bassackwardsadjectivein the wrong order An intentionally jumbled

ASS BACKWARDS US quotation expert Fred Shapiro recently found

the term used by Abraham Lincoln in 1865, a substantial

antedatingUS , 1865

bastardnoun1a despised or disrespected person; a derogatory

insult or challenging form of address to someone considered

objectionable Originally, ‘a person born out of wedlock’, the value

of the insult has survived since C16 and ignored the current social

acceptance of illegitimate statusUK , 1598.2a fellow, a man With

reduction, from partial to almost full, of the negative senseUS , 1861.

3used as a term of endearment Affectionate usage with no

pejorative connotation; whilst by no means exclusive to Australia

in this sense, it is almost the defining Australian cliché; on a par

with ‘G’day’ Recorded in New Zealand: ‘You are a right bastard,

aren’t you?’AUSTRALIA , 1882.4a thing, especially one causing

problems or distressAUSTRALIA , 1915.< as a bastardused to

intensify a personal quality or conditionUK , 2002.< happy as a

bastard on Father’s Dayextremely unhappy The idea is that a

bastard does not knows their father and so cannot celebrate on

Father’s DayAUSTRALIA , 1962.< like a bastardused to intensify a

personal quality or conditionAUSTRALIA , 1962.< lonely as a

bastard on father’s dayextremely lonelyAUSTRALIA , 1981

bastardadjectivebad, unpleasant; used as an intensifierUK , 1982

-bastard-infixused as an intensifierUK , 2000

bastard ambernouna colour of lighting gel for the theatreCANADA ,

2001

bastard from the bushnouna person from the country who

comes to the city and behaves in an unmannerly way From a

bawdy ballad so titled, based on the poem ‘The Captain of the

Push’ (1892) by Henry LawsonAUSTRALIA , 1962

bastardisationnoundebasing and cruel initiation rights; hazing

AUSTRALIA , 1964

bastardiseverbto create a single motor vehicle from two others,

especially with criminal intentUK , 1996

bastardrynoundespicable behaviour; cruel punishmentAUSTRALIA ,

1945

bastardyadjectiveused as an intensifier Elaboration ofBASTARD UK ,

bastartinadjectiveused as an intensifier Glasgow slang, probablyformed onBASTARD UK: SCOTLAND , 1988

bastedadjectivedrunkUS , 1928

Bastillenoun1the local police stationAUSTRALIA , 1965.2HMPStrangeways during the prison riot of April 1990 Earlier, general-ised sense as ‘a prison’ has given way to this specific, oftennostalgic useUK , 1996

basuco; bazukonouncoca paste, the basic ingredient in themanufacturing process of cocaine; hence, cocaineUS , 1984

batnoun1a foolish or eccentric personUS , 1894.2an ugly womanUS ,

1972.3an extended period of drunkennessCANADA , 1977.4a drinkingbingeUS , 1846.5a fat marijuana cigarette Pun on ‘baseball bat’ as

STICK US , 1975.6a shoe; a slipper Variant spellings are ‘batt’ and

‘bate’UK , 1992.7male mastubationAUSTRALIA , 1985.8in horse racing,the whip used by the jockeyUS , 1951.< at batsaid of anappearance before a judge, magistrate or parole boardUS , 1967.

< like a bat out of hellat great speedUS , 1909.< off the bat

immediately, swiftly From the speed that a ball moves whenstruck by a batUS , 1907.< off your own batwithout assistance,independently Usage inspired by cricketUK , 1845.< on the batto

be working as a prostitute Extended from an obsolete use of ‘bat’(a prostitute)UK , 1984

batverbto dance on a stage Also spelled ‘batt’ or ‘bate’UK , 2002.

< bat on a sticky wicket1to contend with great difficulties.From the game of cricket; the ball bounces unpredictably on apitch that is drying outUK , 1952.2to have sex with a woman whohas recently had sex with another man or other menAUSTRALIA ,

1985.< bat the breezeto talk, chat or gossipUS , 1941

bat and ballsnounthe male genitals with the penis erectUK , 2003

bat and wicketnouna ticket Rhyming slang, sometimes shortened

to ‘bat’UK , 1931

bat awayverbin a carnival, to operate swindles aggressively andwithout fear of arrest A term borrowed from the game of baseball

US , 1985

bat-batnounthe buttocksANTIGUA AND BARBUDA , 1996

batchnounan ejaculation’s worth of semenUS , 1973

batch; bachverbto live as a bachelorUS , 1862

batchernounsomeone who lives alone From earlier ‘bach’, ‘batch’(to live alone); ultimately from ‘bachelor’AUSTRALIA , 1943

batch kicknounin the usage of pickpockets, the hip pocketUS , 1949

Bates; John Bates; Mr Batesnouna gullible victim of a swindle

US , 1908

bathnoun1a heavy loss in a business or betting propositionUS , 1936.

2in television and film making, any of the chemical mixturesused to develop filmUS , 1987.< be in anything except a bath

to not wash oneself very often; to have poor personal hygiene

AUSTRALIA , 1932

bath dodgernounan English person In Australian folklore theEnglish are noted as stinting on personal hygieneAUSTRALIA , 1987

bathersnouna swimming suitAUSTRALIA , 1930

bat housenoun1a brothel A combination ofCATHOUSE(a brothel)andON THE BAT(to be working as a prostitute)AUSTRALIA , 1941.2amental hospitalUS , 1962

bathroom locksnounlong, combed, styled, braided dreadlocks

JAMAICA , 1979

bathsnounTurkish baths where the main attraction is sex betweenhomosexual menUS , 1968

bathtubnoun1a sedan convertible with two cross seats

Conventionally known as a ‘touring car’US , 1954.2a motorcylesidecarUS , 1960

bathtub curvenounin computing, used as a description of anotional graph of the predicted failure rate of a piece of electronicequipment Evoking a cross-section of a bathtub as the graph –briefly high, long low, high again at the endUS , 1991

bathtub ginnounhomemade alcohol, perhaps approximating gin

US , 1974

bathtub speed

bati-mannouna homosexualJAMAICA , 1955

Batmannoun1a variety of MDMA, the recreational drug best known

as ecstasy, identified by the embossed Batman motifUK , 2002.2a

variety of LSD identified by the printed bat-logoUK , 1996.3cocaine

batphonenouna police radio; the police personal radio system

Inspired by comic book crimefighter Batman’s utility beltUK , 1977

batsnouna deck-landing officer on an aircraft-carrier From the

signalling ‘bats’ the officer carriesUK , 1962.< have bats in the

belfryto be mad or eccentricUK , 1911

batsadjectivecrazy; very eccentric; mad, to any degree From the

phraseHAVE BATS IN THE BELFRY UK , 1911

batshnounin caving and pot-holing, bat excreta A shortening of

‘bat shit’UK , 2004

batshitadjectivecrazy, out of control, angryUS , 1970

battenverb(of a man) to live off the earnings of a prostitute In the

structure ‘batten on someone’AUSTRALIA , 1964

batternouna board used to cover a window before a hurricane or

stormBAHAMAS , 1982.< on the batter1engaging in a

self-indulgent variety of drinks, drugs and other recreational excesses

UK , 1839.2on the run from the policeUK , 1984.3to be working as a

prostitute Variation ofON THE BAT UK , 1890

batterverbto beg on the streetUS , 1950

batteredadjectivedrunk From an earlier sense as ‘debauched’UK ,

2002

batterynouna concealed device for giving an electric shock to a

horse in a raceAUSTRALIA , 1936.< get your battery chargedto

have sexUS , 1935

batteryverb to knock; to hit; to knock down From Italian battere UK ,

2002

battery acidnoun1coffee Originally military usageUS , 1941.

2grapefruit juice or sour lemonadeUS , 1945.3LSD An elaboration

ofACID(LSD)UK , 1998

battery girlnouna prostitute who is subject to a controlling supply

of drugs, etc, and consequently is managed and kept in a similar

way to a battery henUK , 1968

batting and bowlingnounbisexual sexual activityUK , 1984

battlenoun1in a betting operation, the eternal plus-and-minus

relationship between bettors and the betting operationAUSTRALIA ,

1989.2an unattractive womanUS , 1948.< on the battleworking

as a prostituteAUSTRALIA , 1944

battleverb1to breakdance competitively with the object of

demonstrating the most individual style Conventional ‘battle’ (a

violent struggle) adopted for this non-violent clashUS , 1999.2to

compete in a public demonstration of DJ skills or to establish a

sound-system’s superiority; to compete in rap performance; to

compete in graffiti skillsUS , 2000.3to attack someone verballyUS ,

1998.4to struggle for a living; to work hard despite troubles and

exhibit courage in doing soAUSTRALIA , 1895.5to have sex; to

impreg-nate someoneNEW ZEALAND , 1998.6to work as a prostituteAUSTRALIA ,

1898.7to attempt to make a living at the racecourse, either by

running or gambling on horsesAUSTRALIA , 1895.< battle the iron

menin horse racing, to bet using pari-mutuel machinesUS , 1951

battleaxe; battleaxnounan old or elderly woman who is variously

characterised as resentful, vociferous, thoroughly unpleasant,

usually arrogant and no beautyUS , 1896

battle cruiser; battlenoun1a public house Rhyming slang for

BOOZER, sometimes expanded to ‘battle and cruiser’UK , 1960.2an

aggressive, ‘mannish’ lesbianUS , 1982.3a formidable older woman

As withBATTLESHIPthis seems to play onOLD BAT, but possibly with

a rhyming slang influence: ‘battle-cruiser’ fromBRUISER(a rugged

physical specimen)UK , 1984

Battle of Hastingsadjectivehistory, in the past The one historical

battle of the bulgenounan effort to lose weightUS , 1956

battlernoun1a person who struggles to make a living; a personwho ‘battles’AUSTRALIA , 1896.2a gambler who tries to make a living

by gambling; a habitual punter who is always struggling; also, astruggling horse owner-trainerAUSTRALIA , 1895.3a prostitute,especially a self-managed prostituteAUSTRALIA , 1898.4in horseracing, someone who is just barely making a living from the sport

or from betting on the sportAUSTRALIA , 1989

battle scarnouna bruise on the skin caused by sucking Hawaiianyouth usageUS , 1982

battleshipnoun1a powerful and domineering woman Anextension ofOLD BAT, playing on the physical similarities between

an ironclad and a formidable womanUS , 1931.2a railway coaltenderUS , 1946

battle wagonnoun1a battleship Royal Navy origins, then Royal AirForceUK , 1943.2an expensive car Army usageUK , 1943

battle weaponnouna specially produced vinyl recording of hip-hopsamples, used to ‘scratch’ (manipulate the sounds into an overallsoundscape) and to ‘battle’ (compete with other another DJ) DJand hip-hop useUS , 2002

battlingadjectivestruggling to eke out a living; going through hardtimesAUSTRALIA , 1895

battynoun1homosexuality Reduced fromBATTY BOY(a ual); ultimately ‘batty’ (a bottom) is West Indian, hence UK black

homosex-UK , 2000.2the buttocks Also variant ‘bati’JAMAICA , 1935

battyadjectiveeccentric, odd, insaneUS , 1903

batty boy; batty bwai; batty bwoynouna homosexual.CombinesBATTY(the buttocks) with ‘a youth’; from West Indiesinto wider UK usage popularised in the 1990s by comedian Ali G(Sacha Baron-Cohen)UK , 1992

battyfangverbto hit, beat, bite or maul someone From earlier ventional ‘batterfang’ (to batter)UK , 1909

con-batty holenoun1the anusBAHAMAS , 1982.2a despised person Byextension fromBATTY HOLE(the anus)UK , 2006

batty mannouna male homosexualANTIGUA AND BARBUDA , 1977

batty rider(s)nouna very short and skimpy skirt or fashion shortsworn to expose as much as they conceal FromBATTY(thebuttocks)JAMAICA , 1994

batty washnounthe act of licking an anus with the tongue WestIndies originsUK , 2000

batwanknounnonsenseUK , 1997

batwingsnounin the language of parachuting, surfaces applied tothe arms and body to slow the rate of descentUS , 1978

bawnouna ball A Glasgow word, spelt as the local pronunciationUK: SCOTLAND , 1996

bawbagnouna despicable man A Glasgow variation ofBALLBAG(thescrotum), by analogy withSCROAT(a despicable man)UK: SCOTLAND , 2002

bawdy basketnouna woman with a sexually transmitted infection

bawl out; ball outverbto reprimand someoneUS , 1899

bawsnounthe testicles Glasgow slang, extended fromBAW(a ball)

neoarsphenamine therapy for syphilisUS , 1981

bayonet drill sexual intercourse

Bay Statenounany standard medical syringe Drug addict usageUS ,

1973

Bay Street barbernouna greedy investment broker who skims

large amounts off every transaction as a management feeCANADA ,

2002

Bay Street boysnounthe class of politically powerful white Nassau

merchantsBAHAMAS , 1982

bay windownouna protruding stomachUS , 1889

baywopnounan outport Newfoundlander ‘Wop’ in this use is a

Newfoundland pronunciation of ‘wasp’CANADA , 1979

bazillionnouna mythical very large numberUS , 2001

bazongas; bazoongas; bazonkasnounthe female breasts

Probably a variation ofBAZOOKAS US , 1972

bazoonoun1the mouthUS , 1877.2an old car, usually treasured

regardless of its condition French-Canadian, adapted by

English-speakersCANADA , 1992

bazookanoun1the penis The penis as a weapon imagery, here

based on the ‘bazooker’ anti-tank rocket launcher; sometimes

embellished to ‘bazooka shooter’US , 1984.2a high-powered carUS ,

1959.3an extra-large, potent marijuana cigarette laced with

cocaine Either from the similarity in physical shape and figurative

power to the type of artillery shell used by a bazooka anti-tank

weapon, or form (Colombian Spanish) bazuco, a cocaine derivative

made from coca pasteUS , 1984.4cocaine; crack cocaine The

metaphor of a portable rocket-launcher, possibly a variation of

BASUCO UK , 2003.5in television and film making, a light support

used on a catwalkUS , 1990

bazooka’dadjectivedrunkUK: SCOTLAND , 1988

bazookasnounthe female breasts Perhaps from the shape of the

shell fired by a bazooka anti-tank weapon, probably influenced by

conventional ‘bosom’UK , 1963

bazoomas; bazoombasnounthe female breasts An elaboration of

BAZOOMSthat echoes the shape ofBAZOOKAS UK , 1984

bazoomsnounthe female breasts Originally a corruption of ‘bosom’

with the same sense, then evolved to mean ‘breasts’US , 1936

bazootiesnounthe female breastsUS , 1997

bazoo wagonnouna brakevan (caboose)US , 1977

bazucanounthe residue of smoked freebase cocaine, itself mixed

with tobacco and smokedUS , 1984

bazulconouncocaineUK , 2002

bazznounpubic hairIRELAND , 1999

bazzanouna stereotypically uncultured and uneducated urban

youth An informal variant of the name BarryUK , 2005

Bazza; Bazzernounused as a common nickname for people

named BarryAUSTRALIA , 1971

BazzalandnicknameAustralia A tribute to the cultural influence of

Barry (Bazza) McKenzie, a cartoon character created by Barry

Humphries (b.1934)AUSTRALIA , 1973

bazzernoun1an exciting event or situationUK , 1983.2a haircut

IRELAND , 1983

bazz-offnouna respite from doing somethingIRELAND , 1960

BBnoun1in baseball, a fastball A pitch thrown so fast that it seems

as small as a BB pellet to the batterUS , 1970.2any smart person,

especially a professor An abbreviation of ‘big brains’ US , 1947.3a

male homosexual An abbreviation ofBUM BOY UK , 1961

BBadjectivein sports betting, said of consecutive wagers An

initialising of ‘back-to-back’ US , 1973

BBAnoun a woman with large buttocks An abbreviation of ‘broads

with big asses’ US , 1968

BBCnoun British born Chinese UK , 1998

BBFNused as shorthand in Internet discussion groups and text

messages to mean ‘bye-bye for now’ US , 2002

BBLused in computer message shorthand to mean ‘be back later’

B boardnounan electronic newsgroup A contraction of ‘bulletinboard’US , 1991

B bombnounan amphetamine inhaler Withdrawn from the market

by Smith Kline & French in 1949 after widespread abuse A wad ofBenzedrine-soaked cotton found in an asthma inhaler would beremoved, immersed in a drink until drug and drink form a singleintoxicating solution, reputedly 100 times stronger than a singleBenzedrine tabletUS , 1969

B-boynoun1a breakdancer; later, anyone involved in hip-hopcultureUS , 1981.2a streetwise young black man By extension fromthe previous senseUS , 1981.3a buddy, a brother; used as a form of

address The initialism ‘b’ muddled with ‘B-boy’ (a youngstreetwise black male)US , 1992

BBWnoun a fat woman An abbreviation of ‘big, beautiful woman’; a

fetish with a large male followingUS , 1988

BCnoun contraception; birth control US , 1985

B catnounan ostentatiously homosexual male prisoner From theofficial categorisation by California prison authoritiesUS , 1989

BC budnounhigh grade marijuana from British ColumbiaCANADA , 2003

BCDnounmilitary eyeglasses Because they are so unattractive, they

are deemed ‘birth control devices’ Also variant BCG (birth control goggles) US , 1991

BC Kushnouna local variety of marijuana in British Columbia

CANADA , 2002

BC Loungenouna Burger Chef fast-food franchise restaurantUS , 1979

BCNUused in computer message shorthand to mean ‘be seeingyou’US , 1991

BDnouna syringe An allusion to Becton-Dickison, a medicalsupplies manufacturerUS , 1982

BDFnouna big, strong, dumb brute New York police slang; an

abbreviation of ‘big dumb fuck’ US , 1997

B dognounused as a term of address between members of theBloods gangUS , 1998

BDSM; SMnoun bondage, domination, sadism and masochism or sado-masochism, unified as a sexual subculture US , 1969

beverbare Generally dialect but recorded here as an urban blackuseUK , 2003.< be in itto take part in somethingAUSTRALIA , 1928.

< be onto watch something; to observe somethingAUSTRALIA , 1960

beachnounin prison, a shower roomUS , 1992.< on the beach1in

a fishing community, where people who do not fish are Thoughcynical, this division of maritime humans describes the division inmost fishing villages in Nova Scotia: people are divided betweenthose who go fishing and those who work at fish plants, arehousewives or farmersCANADA , 1975.2out of workUS , 1899.< the beachSaudi Arabia Gulf war usageUS , 1991

Beachnoun< the BeachMiami Beach, FloridaUS , 1993

beachverb1to kick a ball very highBARBADOS , 1965.2in trucking, tobring a truck to a stop in a parking placeUS , 1971

beach-bashverbto lie on the sand, especially when exercised inromantic manoeuvres Jocular variation onSQUARE-BASHING

(military drill)AUSTRALIA , 1953

beach bombernouna bicycle modified for riding on the sandUS , 1991

beach boynoun1a young male who spends a great deal of time atthe beachUS , 1965.2a handsome, young black man who takeswhite female tourists as loversBARBADOS , 1996

beach bumnounsomeone whose devotion to spending a lifetime atthe beach has left them destitute and an outcastUS , 1965

beach bunnynouna young female who spends a great deal of time

at the beach, surfing or associating with surfersUS , 1963

beach chicknouna young woman living a Bohemian lifestyle nearthe beach in the 1950s Peter Tamony described the term asfollows: ‘Originally applied to girls who lived at Stinson Beach[north of San Francisco] who were bisexual By those unfamiliar

extended to any girl who associated with the so-called Beat

Generation inhabitants of North Beach in San Francisco’US , 1958

beached whalenounan obese hospital patientUS , 1994

beach headnouna person who spends a great deal of time at the

beachUS , 1991

beach pignouna police officer assigned to a beach patrolUS , 1991

beach ratnouna person who spends a great deal of time at the

beachUS , 1990

bead counternouna Roman Catholic; a worshipper in any religion

that uses strung beads (the rosary, ‘worry beads’, the Nenju, the

mala etc) within its practiceUK , 1809

bead jigglernouna Roman Catholic After rosary beadsUS , 1966

bead rattlernouna Roman Catholic After rosary beadsUK , 2000

beadynounthe eye From the conventional cliché, ‘beady eye’US ,

1978

beaglenoun1a sausageUS , 1927.2a racehorseUS , 1923

be a good bunnyused as a farewell A catchphrase television

sign-off on The Wendy Barrie Show (1949–1950), a celebrity-based

programme Repeated with referential humourUS , 1949

beaknoun1the noseUK , 1715.2cocaine From the previous sense; a

reference to the manner in which the drug is takenUK , 2001.3in

horse racing, a bet that a horse will win Extended from the sense

as a ‘nose’, suggesting that the horse will win by ‘a nose’US , 1951.

4a magistrate Widely used by those who have occasion to be ‘up

before the beak’UK , 1749.5a schoolteacher A dated usage that has

survived thanks to Billy Bunter and other schoolboy literatureUK ,

1888

beak babynouna cocaine-user, especially female An alliterative

extension ofBEAK(cocaine)UK , 2001

beakedadjectivecocaine-intoxicated FromBEAK(cocaine)UK , 2002

beakernouna scientist Presumably after the character Beaker on

the television programme The Muppets Dr Beaker was also the

name of a character in the cult-favourite show Supercar (1961–

1962), but the slang term was more likely derived from the later

popular children’s show.ANTARCTICA , 1990

beakerdomnounthe world of science and scientists Extends from

BEAKER(a scientist)ANTARCTICA , 1996

beak lunchnouncocaine used around the middle of the dayUK , 2002

beak upverbto use cocaine FromBEAK(the nose)US , 1991

be-all and end-allnounthe most important thingUK , 1854

beamnoun1the backside, rumpAUSTRALIA , 1945.2a good personUS ,

1945.3cocaineUK , 2003.< off the beamincorrectUS , 1945.< on

the beam1good; to the point; balancedUS , 1941.2intoxicated on

marijuana Later to take on a far greater place in the lexicon of

crack cocaineUS , 1970

’Beamnouna Sunbeam motorcycle (in production from 1912–57)

UK , 1979

beamverb1in computing, to transfer a file electronically From the

terminology of the original Star Trek television series US , 1991.

2(used of a female) to experience erect nipples Related to

describing such a female as having herHIGH BEAMSonUS , 2003

beamernoun1a smile From conventional ‘beam’ (to smile broadly)

UK , 2001.2a deep blushUK: SCOTLAND , 1985.3in cricket, a fast ball

that is bowled at the batsman’s headUK , 1961.4a crack cocaine

user FromBEAM UP(TO SCOTTY) (to smoke crack cocaine)US , 1992

beamers; beemersnouncrack cocaine AfterBEAMER(a crake

cocaine user)US , 1988

beam me up, Scottyused for a humorous suggestion that one

would be better off somewhere else due to the lack of intelligent

life here From the short-lived Star Trek television series

(1966–1969) which has enjoyed an eternal after-lifeUS , 1985

beamsnounthe eyesUK , 2002

beam up to Scotty; beam up; beamverbto smoke crack cocaine

and become cocaine-intoxicated From the pop phrase ‘Beam me

up, Scotty’ used repeatedly on the first generation of Star Trek

beamyadjectivewide Originally ‘broad in the beam’, then shortenedand applied to a ship’s width, and then by extension to otherobjects and to people, especially those wide in the seatUS , 1961

beannoun1anything at all; very littleUS , 1833.2a dollarUS , 1902.3acoinUK , 1799.4in American casinos, a $1 betting chipUS , 1967.5aman, a fellow, especially as a form of address Often embellished

to ‘old bean’UK , 1917.6a Mexican, Mexican-American or LatinAmericanUS , 1949.7a capsule or tablet of Benzedrine™ (amphe-tamine sulphate), a central nervous system stimulantUS , 1967.8acapsule of a central nervous system depressantUK , 2003.9a capsule

of MDMA, the recreational drug best known as ecstasyUS , 2000.

10the headUS , 1905.11the hymenUS , 1950.12the penisUS , 1967.

13the clitorisUK , 2001

BeannicknameColeman Hawkins, jazz tenor saxophonist (1901–69)

A signature tune of the Coleman Hawkins Orchestra was his 1940composition ‘Bouncing With Bean’US , 1940

beanverbto hit someone on the headUS , 1910

bean booknouna worker’s book of meal couponsUS , 1954

bean-chokernouna Mexican or Mexican-AmericanUS , 1980

bean chute; bean slotnounthe opening in a solid prison cell doorthrough which food is passed to the prisoner withinUS , 1998

bean-counternounan accountantUS , 1975

bean-eaternoun1a Mexican, Mexican-American or Latin-American

US , 1996

beanerynouna low-cost, low-quality restaurantUS , 1887

bean feastnounany form of festive occasion or jollification.Originally an annual feast given by employersUK , 1805

bean-flickernouna lesbian A reference to clitoral stimulationUK , 2002

bean headnounan amphetamine addictUS , 1992

bean house bullnoungossip or tall tales told at a truck stopUS , 1976

beanienoun1in Vietnam, a member of the US Special Forces Ashortened form of ‘Green Beanies’, itself word play based on

‘Green Berets’US , 1991.2a police nightstickUS , 1952.3breaking andentering A pronunciation of the commonB AND E CANADA , 2000.

4an attractive girl Perhaps as an allusion to Beanie Babies™ dolls

beanonoun1a Mexican, Mexican-American or Latin AmericanUS ,

beanpole a tall, thin person

bean queennouna homosexual who prefers Latin Americans as

sex-ual partners but is not Latin American themselvesUS , 1988

bean ragnouna red flag raised on a ship during mealtimeUS , 1960

beansnoun1sexual satisfaction The metaphor is of a meal that

‘fills you up’UK , 1997.2a meal Coined in World War 2, still popular

in VietnamUS , 1942.3the lunch break during a working dayUS , 1946.

4crack cocaineUK , 2003.5horsepowerUS , 1965.6a small amount of

money; moneyUK , 1893

beans and baby dicksnounin the Vietnam war, beans and hot

dogsUS , 1991

beans and motherfuckersnounin the Vietnam war, lima beans

and ham, one of the least popular c-rationsUS , 1990

bean sheetnounon the railways, a time card or time sheetUS , 1977

bean-stealernounin the Royal Air Force, a married man who lives

in the messUK , 1984

bean storenouna roadside restaurant or motorway truck stop

restaurantUS , 1976

bean timenountime for a mealUS , 1984

Beantown; Bean TownnicknameBoston, Massachusetts Because

Boston is known for its baked beansUS , 1901

bean upverbto take amphetaminesUS , 1976

bean wagonnouna no-frills lunch counterUS , 1960

beanynouna green polyster baseball cap issued to US soldiers since

1962, known officially as the Army Utility CapUS , 1990

bearnoun1in the US, a motorway patrol officer or state trooper; a

police officer in the UK Shortened fromSMOKEY THE BEAR US , 1975.

2a hairy and stocky man, of a type beloved by some homosexuals

US , 1994.3a boisterous, rowdy or aggressive young man, especially

in the context of heavy drinkingUK: SCOTLAND , 1985.4a building-site

or oil-rig workerUK: SCOTLAND , 1996.5an unattractive womanUS , 1982.

6a cautious and conservative poker playerUS , 1988.7a difficult task

or situationUS , 1966

BearnicknameUS General H Norman Schwarzkopf (b.1934),

commander of the US forces during the Gulf warUS , 1991

bear cagenouna police station A logical extension ofBEAR(the

police)US , 1976

bear catnounon the railways, a demanding and disliked foreman

US , 1977

beardnoun1a person used to mask the identity of the actual

controlling agent; a person who escorts another to a social

function in order to mask the identity of one or the other’s lover

or sexual orientation Originally from gambling, referring to a front

for bettingUS , 1956.2in gambling, a person who bets for someone

else, especially for a cheatUS , 1962.3a broker who buys up stock

quietly and secretly for bidders in a corporate takeover who hope

to disguise their intentionsUS , 1988.4an intellectual or academic

Unkind if not derisiveUS , 1927.5a male member of an Orthodox

Jewish groupUS , 1967.6an ‘older’ surfer In the youth culture of

surfing, ‘old’ is a relative termUS , 1991

beardverbto serve as a beard for someoneUS , 1971

bearded clamnounthe vulva CombinesFISHwith visual imagery

US , 1965

bearded ladynounthe vulvaUS , 1967

beardie; beardynoun1an act of rubbing a stubbly face against a

smooth oneUK , 1985.2a bearded personUK , 1941

beardie-weirdienouna bearded person DisparagingUK: SCOTLAND ,

2001

beard jammernounthe manager of a brothelUS , 1962

beard mannouna RastafarianJAMAICA , 1952

beardsmannouna Rastafarian with shaved or trimmed hairJAMAICA ,

1985

beard-strokingnounserious consideration of something, deep

thoughtUK , 2003

beard-stroking intellectual or boring or both

bear greasenounin electric line work, any gel used as an electriccontact aidUS , 1980

bearingsnounthe stomach Suggested derivations all seem based

on the body as a machine However, it is possible that this is from

a sense of disorientation after vomiting, thus confusing the losing

of the contents of your stomach with a loss of bearingsAUSTRALIA ,

1943.< too many bearings on ita situation too complicated toexplain This phrase uses a nautical term for location-finding,

‘bearings’ (i.e from a compass), metaphoricallyCANADA , 1999

bearing upused in response to a personal enquiry such as ‘howare you?’ or ‘how’s things?’UK , 1984

bear insurancenouna gun, the bigger the better the insuranceUS , 1965

bear in the airnouna police helicopter This travelled from citizens’band radio slang into a still-surviving, wider usageUS , 1976

bearishadjective(of a man) large and hairyAUSTRALIA , 1994

bear jointnounin a carnival, a game in which stuffed teddy bearsare the prizeUS , 1960

bear meatnouna speeding vehicle without the benefit of citizens’band radio communications Easy prey forBEAR(the police)US , 1976

bear pawnoun1round-footed snowshoes worn while doing chores

US , 1993.2the badge necessary to get into the inner area of the

2002 G8 summit meeting in AlbertaCANADA , 2002

bear pitnounan auditorium, or other arena, peopled with a rowdy,challenging, even confrontational audience From the late nightaudiences at the Edinburgh Festival’s Fringe ClubUK , 1996

bear’s pawnouna saw Rhyming slang Noted by Ray Puxley in

1992 as ‘a seldom heard term for a carpenter’s tool’UK , 1934

bear trapnoun1in the Canadian Navy, a helicopter haul-down andsecuring deviceCANADA , 1995.2the clutch on a Laverda motorcyle.Named after the amount of effort required to pull the clutch lever

inUS , 1992.3in television and film making, a strong clamp used forattaching lights to riggingUS , 1987.4a police radar-trap for speedingmotoristsUS , 1976

Bear Whiz Beernounan inferior beer A popular beverage inFiresign Theater skits; its motto is the stunning ‘It’s in the water!That’s why it’s yellow!’US , 1993

beastnoun1a very unattractive woman, especially if sexuallyproactiveUS , 1942.2a sexually available femaleUS , 1955.3in prison, asex offender, a convicted paedophileUK , 1996.4anything excellent

UK , 1996.5the penisUK , 2001.6a white person; a white US soldier inVietnam Used by US soldiers of colour in VietnamUS , 1991.

7heroin; heroin addictionUS , 1958.8LSDUS , 1967.9Milwaukee’sBest™, an inexpensive beer favoured by cash-strapped youth.Appropriately, Milwaukee’s Best Light is simply ‘Beast Light’US , 1987.

10a large, fast carUS , 1951.11a car with a raised front endUS , 1980.

12an expensive and powerful citizens’ band radioUS , 1976.< as a beastused as an intensifierUS , 2003.< the beastthe police; anyfigure of authority or oppression West Indian, hence UK blackUK , 1993

beastverbto have anal sexUK , 1999.< get beasted into eat withgreat enthusiasmUK: SCOTLAND , 1985

beast aboutverbto treat someone with a harsh physicalityUK , 1995

beastbwai; beast boynounthe police; any figure of authority oroppression CombinesTHE BEAST(the police, etc.) withBWAI(boy, ayouth in UK black/West Indian gang culture)UK , 1994

beastienoun1used as an endearing form of ‘beast’; also, in ajocular sense, of an insect Mainly ScottishUK , 1864.2an attractivewoman Objectifying a woman as an animal, much the same as

beast with two backsnounvaginal, face-to-face sexual intercourse

between a heterosexual couple; sex between two people From

ShakespeareUK , 1604

beastynouna repulsive, disgusting personUS , 1985

beastyadjectiverepulsive, disgustingUS , 1982

beatnoun1a regular route or locale (of a prostitute or police officer)

UK , 1721.2a member of the 1950s youth countercultureUS , 1961.

3in horse racing, an unfortunate defeatUS , 1976.4a crime which

has not been solvedUS , 1992.5in television and film making, the

main storylineUS , 1990.6a carUS , 1947

beatverb1to cheat, to swindle, to stealUS , 1849.2to defy someone’s

understandingUK , 1882.< beat about the bush; beat around

the bush1(of a female) to masturbate Wordplay on ‘beat’ (used

in many terms of male masturbation) andBUSH(the pubic hair),

in some way reversing the familiar meaning of ‘beat around the

bush’ (to avoid coming to a point)UK , 1991.2to avoid coming to

the point of a discussion A term that has its origin in the hunting

of birdsUK , 1659.< beat feetto leaveUS , 1944.< beat hollowto

outdo someone utterly and completelyBARBADOS , 1996.< beat it

1to leave quicklyUS , 1878.2(of a male) to masturbateUS , 1995.

< beat off with a stickto get more than enough sexual offers

AUSTRALIA , 1999.< beat the bandto surpass everythingUS , 1897.

< beat the boardin poker, to hold the best hand showingUS ,

1963.< beat the bushes1in horse racing, to race a horse in

minor circuits, where the horse can be a big fish in a little pond

US , 1951.2to drive in the lead position of a group of trucks

travelling together on a motorwayUS , 1976.< beat the clock1to

finish a task before the prescribed time In the UK orginally

military, perhaps from an American parlour game From the late

1950s-60s, it was used as the title of a gameshow segment in the

television variety programme Sunday Night at the London

Palladium UK , 1961.2to return alive from an SAS missionUK , 1980.

< beat the cottonto soak and then pound used cottons, used

to strain drug doses, in an attempt to leach out enough heroin for

another doseUS , 1989.< beat the Dutchto astonish or frustrate

someoneUS , 1775.< beat the eightballto use heroinUS , 1971.

< beat the favoritein horse racing, to place a small bet on a

horse with long odds to win rather than betting on the horse

favoured to winUS , 1951.< beat the gun(of an engaged couple)

to have sex, especially if the fiancée falls pregnant The sporting

imagery of being under starter’s ordersAUSTRALIA , 1984.< beat the

manto sleep Prison usage suggesting that in sleep one escapes

domination by prison authorities.US , 1990.< beat the priest

and take his gown; beat the priestto do that which you

should not do in an open, notorious and brazen fashionGRENADA ,

1978.< beat the pup(of a male) to masturbateUS , 1950.< beat

the rapto withstand harsh interrogationUK , 1996.< beat the

snot out ofto thrash someone soundly, to beat someone upUS ,

1989.< beat the starter(of an engaged couple) to have sex,

especially if the fiancée falls pregnant Sporting imagery, racing

ahead while still under starter’s ordersUK , 1984.< beat your

baloney(of a male) to masturbateUS , 1969.< beat your bishop

(of a male) to masturbateUS , 1916.< beat your chops; beat up

your chopsto talkUS , 1945.< beat your faceto perform

push-upsUS , 1998.< beat your gums; beat up your gumsto talk

without purpose or without effectUS , 1945.< beat your meat;

beat the meat(of a male) to masturbateUS , 1936.< beat

yourself upto be harshly self-critical, to struggle with your

conscienceUK , 2003.< can’t beat it in the Navyused for

expressing admiration of a boat-handling job Among Canadian

east coast fishermen, with the tradition of navy techniques very

strong, this term expresses high praiseCANADA , 1908

beatadjective1world-weary, spiritual, jaded, intellectualUS , 1947.

2utterly tiredUK , 1821

beat artistnouna swindlerUS , 1989

beat bagnouna bag of drugs that is heavily adulterated or is

completely counterfeitUS , 1993

beatdownnouna physical beating; hence figuratively, a defeatUS ,

1995

beaternoun1an older car, usually not in good condition, used for

day-to-day drivingUS , 1990.2a drumstickBAHAMAS , 1975

beat for

beat generationnounthe alienated class of young Americans whocame of age in the mid-1940s and then embraced an alternativelifestyle and values in the 1950sUS , 1950

beatingnouna violent acheBARBADOS , 1965

beat lootnouna pittance; a small amount of moneyUS , 1973

beatniknouna follower of the beat generation (avant-garde

‘visionaries, rebels and hipsters’) derided and defined bystereotypical appearance (black beret for men, black tights forwomen) and lifestyle choices (Charlie Parker’s jazz, marijuana, per-formance poetry, etc) Coined in 1958 (the first popular, non-Russian use of the suffix-NIK) by San Francisco newspapercolumnist Herb Caen, extended fromBEAT(a member of the 1950syouth counterculture), and a pun on theFAR OUTexample of

‘sputnik’ (a Russian satellite launched in 1959)US , 1958

beat offverb(of a male) to masturbateUS , 1962

beat outverbto strip someone of their membership in a youthgang, accomplished by a ritualistic beatingUS , 1995

beat padnounan establishment where poor quality marijuana issoldUS , 1960

Beatrix Potter; Beatrixnounan ugly woman Possibly rhymingslang forROTTERbased on the name of author and illustratorBeatrix Potter (1866–1943)UK , 2002

beat sheetnoun1in television and film making, a short summary

of a storyUS , 1990.2a pornographic magazineUS , 1997

Beattie and Babsnounpubic lice, crab-lice Rhyming slang for

CRABSbased on an early C20 music hall act who are, unfortunately,best remembered by this termUK , 1960

beat-upadjectiveshoddy, shabby, worn outUS , 1946

beaunounused as a term of address between young malesUS , 1954

beautnoun1a beauty, an impressive person or thingUS , 1895.2apotent amphetamine capsule An abbreviation ofBLACK BEAUTY US , 1992

beautadjectiveexcellent, terrific, wonderful, splendidAUSTRALIA , 1918

beautadverbexcellently, splendidlyAUSTRALIA , 1969

beaut!used for expressing strong admirationAUSTRALIA , 1953

beauteous maximusnounsomething that is excellent Mock Latin

US , 1993

beautifuladjectivein the counterculture of the 1960s and 70s, used

as an all-purpose adjective of approval A vague but central word ofthe hippie era, suggesting passivity, appreciation for nature,kindness, etcUS , 1961

beautiful!1used for expressing enthusiastic agreementUS , 1975.

2used, with heavy irony, as a register of disappointmentUK , 2005

beautiful and; lovely andadjectivesatisfactory; nice Alwaysfollowed by another adjective for which this serves as anintensifier Examples: ‘I hit it beautiful and hard’; ‘The water waslovely and hot’UK , 1939

beautiful bouldersnouncrack cocaine, 2003

beautiful peoplenounthe cream of society’s crop; the wealthy,fashionable people of high society and the arts, especially thosecelebrated as trendsettersUS , 1964

beautifuls; boofulsnounbeautiful, as a form of address; the latter

is addressed to babies or those behaving so and thus characterised

beautyadjectiveexcellentNEW ZEALAND , 1963

beauty!1used for registering great approval Also spelt ‘bewdy’ torepresent Australian pronunciation.AUSTRALIA , 1952.2thank you!

beauty farmnouna resort with a focus on improving appearances

US , 1972

beauty parlornouna brothelUS , 1949

beavernoun1a woman’s pubic region; a woman as a sex object;

sex with a woman Although recorded at least as early as 1927,

‘beaver’ did not come into its own until the mid-1960s, with an

explosion of films featuring full frontal female nudity but no sexual

activity and titles punning on ‘beaver’ – Bald Beaver, Beaver Works

in the Bush Country, Hair Raising Beaver, Fine Feathered Beavers,

Leave it to Beavers, and so on As published sexual material got

more graphic, so did the association of the term Despite the

highly sexual origin of the term, it was used by truck drivers with a

slightly naughty innocence to refer to womenUS , 1927.2a

pornographic filmUS , 1969.3a beardUS , 1871.4a top hatBARBADOS ,

1965.5a white police helmetBARBADOS , 1982.6a police officerUS , 1961

beaver awayverbto work industriously From the characteristic

behaviour of the beaverUK , 1946

beaver baitnounmoneyUS , 1976

beaver bearnouna policewoman CombinesBEAVER(a woman) with

BEAR(the police)US , 1976

beaver biscuits!used for expressing disapproval A signature line of

Colonel Sherman Potter on M*A*S*H (CBS, 1972–83) Repeated

with referential humourUS , 1972

beaver cleavernouna womaniser; the penis It opens or splits the

BEAVER(a woman or the vagina)UK , 1981

beaver creeknoun< have a bite at beaver creekto perform

oral sex on a womanUS , 2001

beaver-eaternouna person who performs oral sex on a woman In

a brilliant sexually charged pun, Vladamir Nabokov in Lolita wrote

of ‘the Palace Sentries, or Scarlet Guards, or Beaver Eaters, or

whatever they are called’, creating misdirected confusion with

‘Beef Eaters’ but leaving no doubt as to the sexual nature of his

malapropismUS , 1955

beaver fevernounan obsession with women and sexUS , 1997

beaver filmnouna mildly pornographic film, featuring full frontal

nudityUS , 1969

beaver flicknouna pornographic filmUS , 1970

beaver leavernouna male homosexual Rhymed onBEAVER(the

vagina) to suggest no interest in the female sexUS , 2003

beaver loopnouna repeating video featuring female frontal nudity

US , 1971

beaver magazinenouna magazine featuring photographs of nude

women, focused on their genitals, usually not engaged in sexUS ,

1967

beaver movienouna film featuring female frontal nudityUS , 1971

beaver patrolnoungirl-watchingUS , 1967

beaver picturenouna film, the main attraction of which is a

number of shots of women’s genitals; a photograph of a woman’s

genitalsUS , 1969

beaver pienounthe female genitals, especially as the object of

sucking and lickingUK , 1983

beaver-shootingnouna concerted voyeuristic effort to find women

whose genitals or pubic hair can be seenUS , 1970

beaver shotnouna photograph or filming of a woman’s genitals In

the early 1960s LA-based band The Periscopes recorded a

rock’n’roll tune called ‘Beaver Shot’ which was banned from the

radio after two playsUS , 1970

beaver tailnoun1a quick-baked or quick-fried sweet breadCANADA ,

1998.2a design configuration on a shotgunUS , 1981

beaver-with-sticknounfull frontal male nudityUS , 1977

be-backnounin the used car business, a potential customer who

has visited the car lot, inspected the cars for sale, left, and then

Dillon on the television Western Gunsmoke (CBS, 1955–75).

Repeated with referential humourUS , 1955

Becks and Poshnounfood Rhyming slang forNOSH, formed fromthe nicknames of footballer David Beckham and his wife, singerVictoria BeckhamUK , 2003

beckynounin electric line work, a cable slingUS , 1980

be coolused as a farewellUS , 1984

bednounthe playing surface of a pool tableUS , 1990.< get into bed within business or politics, to merge with, to become apartner of, to start a venture withUK , 1977.< put to bedtocomplete a piece of work Office jargon that now infects everyworkplace; an extension of the figurative sense used by printersUK , 2005

bedverbto have sex with someoneUK , 1548

bed and breakfastnouna very short prison sentenceUK , 1996

bedbaitnouna sexually alluring young woman or young manUK , 1963

bed blockernouna patient who has an extended stay in hospital

CANADA , 1986

bedbugnoun1a Pullman porterUS , 1940.2a person who issomewhere between amusingly eccentric and alarmingly disturbed

US , 1832.3a Volkswagen camper vanUK , 1981

bedbug haulernouna removal van driverUS , 1971

bedbug row; bedbug alleynouna poor, crime-ridden area in a city

bed flutenounthe penisAUSTRALIA , 1992

Bedfordshirenouna bed; bed A humorous extension from thename of an English countyUK , 1665

bed-hopverbto habitually have casual sexUS , 1974

bed-hoppernouna person who lives a sexually promiscuous life

AUSTRALIA , 1972

bed housenoun1a brothelUS , 1973.2a brakevan (caboose)US , 1977

bedlamernounin Newfoundland, a young seal; also a young boy.The term comes either from the noise they make, or, according to

some sources, the French bête de la mer (beast of the sea) CANADA , 1959

Bedouin Bobnounany Saudi; any desert nomad Gulf war usageUS , 1991

Bedourie showernouna dust storm Bedourie is an inland town inQueensland The name Bedourie is taken from an Aborigine wordfor ‘dust storm’ Other locations similarly used by nature, weatherand irony: Bourke, Bogan, Cobar, Darling, Wilcannia and Wimmera

cartoon television series The Flinstones (ABC, 1960–66), home to

quarry worker Fred Flintstone and his wife WilmaUS , 1990

bed rockverbin low riding, to rock the bed of a truck from side toside using hydraulic pumpsUS , 1992

bedroomnounany place where homosexual men can have sexUK ,

bedroom eyesnouna sensual face and eyes that convey desireUS ,

1947

BedsnounBedfordshire A spoken form of the conventional written

abbreviation, considered colloquial when used in speech as a

genuine equivalent of the original nameUK , 1937

bed-sit junglenounan urban area where a bed-sitter is usually

avail-able as rented accommodation; the generality of life in rented

bed-sit accommodationUK , 2001

bed-sitter; bedsitnouna single-room combining bedroom and

living accommodation; a bed-sitting roomUK , 1927

bed-sitter-landnounan urban area where a bed-sitter is commonly

available as rented accommodation; the generality of life in rented

bedsit accommodationUK , 1968

Bed-Stuynicknamethe Bedford-Stuyvesant neighbourhood of New

York City The area is the epitome of urban American povertyUS ,

1997

bedworthyadjectivesexually desirableUK , 1936

beenoun1a drug addiction Also known as ‘a bee that stings’US ,

1960.2a barbiturate or other central nervous system depressant,

especially Nembutal A Nembutal capsule is commonly known as

aYELLOW JACKET, hence the ‘bee’US , 1963.3in a deck of playing

cards, a joker, especially when the deck is made by the playing

card manufacturer BeeUS , 1988.< get a bee up your arse; have

a bee up your arseto be in a restless or anxious condition; to

be obsessed by a notion A variation on ‘a bee in the bonnet’UK ,

1990s.< put the bee onto swindle someoneUS , 1949

beeverbto begUS , 1962

beeadjectivebloody (an intensifier) A rendering of the initial letter

for euphemism’s sakeUK , 1926

be easy!relax!US , 2003

Beebnicknamethe BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation)UK , 1967

bee-beenouncrack cocaineUS , 1993

bee-boppernouna person who is trying too hard to be something

that they are not – fashionable, trendy, up-to-dateUS , 1987

beechverbduring the period 1963–65, to permanently close down

a section of railway or a railway station After Richard Beeching,

1913–85, chairman of the British Rail Board 1963–65, at the end

of which time he was made a Life Peer, author of the ‘Beeching

Report’ that prescribed a substantial contraction of the UK’s rail

networksUK , 1964

beechamsnoun< the beechamsthe police Rhyming slang, from

Beecham’s Pill™, a branded medication toTHE BILL(the police)UK ,

1992

Beecham’s pillnoun1a fool, an idiot Rhyming slang forDILL(a

fool) From the proprietary name of a laxative formerly popular as

a cure-allAUSTRALIA , 1950.2a photographic still Rhyming slangUK ,

1971.3a theatrical bill; an advertising poster Rhyming slangUK , 1992

Beecham’s pillsnounthe testicles An extension ofPILLSwith a

commercial formulaUK , 1980

bee cockynouna bee farmer; an apiaristAUSTRALIA , 1956

beedi; beadi; bidi; birinouna small, high nicotine-content,

ciga-rette made of tobacco dust poured into a small tube of rolled leaf

tied with a cotton thread, often flavoured with strawberry, vanilla,

mint, chocolate, mango, pineapple, grape, licorice, cherry, etc The

word is of Hindi origins Popular brands are Mangalore, Kailas, Shiv

Sagar and IrieUK , 2003

beedlernouna hard-driving work foreman or supervisorUS , 1946

beefnoun1a complaint, an argument, a fightUS , 1899.2conflict,

feuding A wider use of the previous senseUS , 2002.3an arrest or

criminal chargeUS , 1928.4in prison, a written reprimandUS , 1967.

5the vagina; an attractive and sexual womanBARBADOS , 1982.6the

penisUS , 2001.7in homosexual society, a masculine man or a

member of the armed forces whatever his gender-preferenceUS ,

1972.8in the navy, a male homosexualUK , 1962.9a dramatic and

unintended ending of a surf rideUS , 1991.10a backwards fall off a

skateboardUS , 1997.< put some beef into itto try hard, to work

beefverb1to complain From an earlier sense: to shoutUS , 1866.2tohave sexUS , 1975.3in prison, to issue a disciplinary reprimandUS , 1967

beefadjective1aggressive, violent, hostileUS , 2002.2homosexual.Navy usageUK , 1962

beef!in the youth trend for ‘souped-up’ motor-scootering, used forregistering approval of the achievements of a daring, risk-takingriderUK , 2004

Beefanicknamethe Balearic island of IbizaUK , 2002

beef and shrapnelnounin the Vietnam war, a meal of beef andpotatoesUS , 1991

beef-a-roninouna muscular, handsome male Punning with thename of a food product and the many meat images involved insexual slangUS , 1985

beef bayonetnounthe penisAUSTRALIA , 1971

beef buglenounthe penis, especially as an object of oral sex

AUSTRALIA , 1971

beefcakenoun1artistic or photographic depictions of nude orpartially nude muscular men The gender equivalent ofCHEESECAKE

US , 1949.2a muscular manUS , 1949

beef curtainsnounthe labiaUS , 1998

beefernoun1a constant and tiresome complainerUS , 1950.2a malehomosexual Royal Navy useUK , 1982

beef-heart; beefverbto fart Also used as a noun Rhyming slang;perhaps related to obsolete non-rhyming sense: a ‘bean’UK , 1960

beef injection; hot beef injectionnounsexual intercourseUS , 1968

beef itverbin motorcyle racing, to fall to the ground and suffer asevere scrapeUS , 1992

beef of the seanounthe loggerhead turtleBARBADOS , 1982

beef squadnouna group of thugs hired by management to helpbreak a strikeUS , 1956

beefsteak eyenouna black eye From the folk remedy of coveringthe blackened eye with a raw steakUS , 1950

beef torpedonounthe penisUK , 1983

beef trustnoun1in sports, a group of large athletesUS , 1928.2achorus of large women who entertain menUS , 1931

beef upverbto enhance someone or something, to strengthensomeone or somethingUS , 1944

beefyadjective(used of a shot in croquet) long and hardUS , 1977

beehivenoun1a five pound note Rhyming slang, playing onBEES AND HONEY(money)UK , 1962.2in trucking, any large truck stopoffering a full range of servicesUS , 1976.3an office in a railway yard

US , 1946

Beehivenoun< the BeehiveNew Zealand’s Parliament buildings.Designed by Sir Basil Spence, the building’s domes are evocative

of a beehiveNEW ZEALAND , 1981

beehive burnernouna combustion chamber to burn waste woodfrom sawmillsCANADA , 1989

beehive itverbto leave hurriedly Vietnam war useUS , 1991

beehive roundnounan artillery shell that scatters small nails withfins instead of shrapnel, first used in Vietnam in 1964US , 1991

beeitchnounused as a synonym of ‘bitch’, especially as a term for awomanUS , 1993

beekienounduring a labour dispute or organising drive, a companyspyUS , 1949

beelnouna carVIRGIN ISLANDS US , 1996

Beemer; Beamer; Beamienouna BMW carUS , 1982

Bee MorenicknameBaltimore, MarylandUS , 1989

beenverb< been aroundsexually experiencedUS , 1979.< been theresaid of a person with whom the speaker has had sexFIJI ,

1996.< been there, doing thatexperiencing the bleed period ofthe menstrual cycle The ‘been there’ part offers consolation tothose who recently were on it or had cramps previously, while the

currentlyUS , 2001.< been there, done thatused as a laconic,

world-weary dismissal of another’s suggestionAUSTRALIA , 1975.

< been there, done that, bought the tee-shirtused as a

laconic, world-weary dismissal of another’s suggestion An

elabor-ation ofBEEN THERE, DONE THAT UK , 2000

been-there medalnounthe Vietnam Campaign Service MedalUS ,

1991

been-tonouna west African, especially a Ghanaian or Nigerian, who

has ‘been to’ England, usually for study, and whose social status

has thereby been enhanced; a British academic who has ‘been to’

any one of the more prestigious US universitiesUK , 1982

beepnounan effeminate man, especially a homosexualJAMAICA , 1995

beep beep!pay attention!US , 1961

beepernoun1the telephoneUS , 1968.2an electronic paging device

US , 1970

beernoun1in the illegal production of alcohol, fermented grain or

sugar mashUS , 1887.2the chest Rhyming slang, from the slogan

‘beer is best’UK , 1980.< on the beerengaged in a drinking

sessionUK , 1909

beer barnnouna tavernNEW ZEALAND , 1976

beer bellynounthe protruding stomach of an excessive beer drinker

US , 1960

beer blastnouna party organised around the consumption of beer

US , 1967

beer bottle glassesnounthick eye glassesUS , 1984

beer bummernouna person who cadges drinks from othersNEW

beer can grenadenouna crude hand grenade fashioned by the

Viet Cong, packed inside a beer canUS , 1990

beer chitnounmoney In Royal Air Force useUK , 2002

beer coatnouna warm feeling, or one of imperviousness to weather

conditions, that prevails after drinking From private correspond

-ence, 2002NEW ZEALAND , 2002

beer compassnounthe homing instinct that remains active when

drunkUK , 2002

beer cozynouna styrofoam or plastic cylinder that slips over a beer

can, serving as insulationUS , 2000

beered; beered outadjectivedrunk on beerUS , 1930

beer flatnounan apartment where beer is sold privately and

illegallyUS , 1980

beer gogglesnouna drink-induced clouding of visual perception

that enhances the sexual allure of previously unappealing

beer-guttedadjective(of men) having a protruding stomach from

drinking beer excessivelyAUSTRALIA , 1987

beer high gradenouncash from rich gold-prospecting seams

CANADA , 1963

beer me!please give me another beer!US , 1986

beernocularsnounyour vision and judgment after drinking too

many beersUS , 1986

beer o’clocknounquitting time on a jobNEW ZEALAND , 2000

beer parlournouna room in a hotel licensed to sell beer Originally

named to distinguish them from taverns, they have been more

recently licensed to serve men and womenCANADA , 1965

beer spannernouna bottle opener Royal Air Force useUK , 1984

beer-thirtynouna fictional time of day, suggesting that a beer isoverdueUS , 1980

beer-upnouna session of beer drinkingAUSTRALIA , 1919

beer upverbto drink a great deal of beerUS , 1960

beer vouchersnounmoneyUK , 2002

bees and honeynounmoney Rhyming slangUK , 1892

bee shitnounhoney From the mistaken belief that bees defecatehoneyUS , 1984

bee’s kneesnounthe acme of perfection, the best Always preceded

by ‘the’; a favourite construction of the flapper of the 1920s

AUSTRALIA , 1905

bee stingsnounsmall female breastsUS , 1964

beeswaxnoun1business, in the senses ‘mind your own business’and ‘none of your business’US , 1934.2income tax; betting tax.Rhyming slang, cleverly punning ‘bees’ (BEES AND HONEY, ‘money’)and, possibly, ‘whack(s)’ for ‘the taxman’s portion’UK , 1989

bees wingersnounthe fingers Rhyming slangUK , 1980

beetlenoun1in horse racing, a poorly performing horseUS , 1915.2afemale Circus and carnival usageUS , 1931

Beetlenicknamethe original Volkswagen car and later models of asimilar shape Derives from the shape of the car, first imported tothe US in 1949; by 1960 the nickname was in worldwide usageand by Volkswagen’s advertisers by the 1970s In 1998 themanufacturers unveiled the ‘New Beetle’US , 1960

beetle-crusher; beetle-stompernouna soldier in the infantryUK , 1889

beetle-crushersnoun heavy boots, especially ‘Doc Martens’ In The Lore and Language of Schoolchildren, 1959, Iona and Peter Opie

record ‘beetle-crushers’ as ‘big-feet or the nickname for someoneso-blessed’UK , 1996

beevonounan alcoholic beverageUS , 1977

Bee WeenicknameBritish West Indian AirwaysTRINIDAD AND TOBAGO , 1980

beeyatchnounused as an emphatic variation of ‘bitch’, especiallywhen used to a woman or as exclamationUS , 2001

beezenounthe penisUK , 1976

beezernoun1the noseUS , 1908.2in horse racing, a horse’s noseUS ,

1951.3a pedigree Ibizan houndUS , 2000

beezeradjectiveexcellent; most attractive.UK , 1961

Beezer; Beezanouna BSA motorcyle, in production since 1909;also a BSA car The company name is actually an initialism of

Birmingham Small Arms BSA owners claim that the initials in fact stand for ‘Bastard Stalled Again’ or ‘Bolts Scattered All Over’ UK , 1961

befokadjectivecrazy, angry, lacking emotional control From theAfrikaans for ‘fucked up’SOUTH AFRICA , 1979

before-daysadverbin the pastBARBADOS , 1982

before timeadverblong ago Hawaiian youth usageUS , 1982

befuggeredadjectivedrunk A conflation ofBUGGEREDandFUCKED UK , 2002

begnounin a telephone solicitation, the actual plea to purchase thatwhich is being soldUS , 1959.< on the begbegging, scrounging

UK , 1988

begverb< go beggingto be spare and availableUK , 2004

begerknounmale masturbation Oil rig workers use the term torefer to a ‘big jerk’AUSTRALIA , 1985

beggarnoun1a person, usually a man or boy Euphemistic for

BUGGER; sometimes spelt ‘begger’UK , 1833.2an unpleasant, verydangerous or difficult thing, project, episode or circumstance; a

beggarused as a euphemistic replacement for ‘bugger’ in all

expletive phrases and exclamationsUK , 1937

beggar boy’s arse; beggar boy’s assnounmoney Rhyming slang

forBRASS(money)UK , 1960

beggar my neighbournounthe dole Rhyming slang for theLABOUR

(Exchange); usually follows ‘on the’ as in ‘on the labour’ (to be

drawing unemployment benefit) Sometimes shortened to ‘beggar’

be good to yourselfused with humour as a farewell A

catchphrase television sign-off on The Don McNeil television Club

(ABC, 1950–51) Repeated with referential humourUS , 1950

begorrah!; begorah!; begor!by God! Originally a genuine

euphemism, latterly a cliché ascribed to stereotypical IrishIRELAND ,

1839

beg your pardonnouna garden Rhyming slang Probably a

post-World War 2 coinage on the grounds that pre-war Cockneys had

‘yards’ not ‘gardens’UK , 1961

behavior reportnouna letter home from a military recruit to his

girlfriendUS , 1945

behindnounthe buttocksUK , 1786

behindadjective1imprisonedUS , 1961.2committed, dedicatedUS , 1968

behindpreposition1(of a drug) under the influence ofUS , 1967.2as a

result ofUS , 1957

behind-the-behindnounanal sexUS , 1967

behind the bridgeadverbin any ghetto or slum Originally a

reference to the slums of Port of Spain at the back of the East Dry

RiverTRINIDAD AND TOBAGO , 1992

behind the dooradverblocked in a prison cellUK , 1996

behind the door when brains were given outstupidAUSTRALIA ,

1969

behind with the rentadjectivehomosexual Extended from a pun

on ‘buttocks’ and ‘behind’UK , 2000

beigenouna light-skinned black personUS , 1945

beigeverbto chemically darken cocaine to give it the appearance of

a purity that it does not possessUS , 1989

beigeadjectivebland, boringUS , 1982

beige framenouna light-skinned black womanUS , 1953

beigingnouna chemical process to change the colour of cocaine

and enhance its commercial possibilities, 2002

be-innounan organised gathering for the celebration of

counterculture lifestyles and values Originally applied to an event

in San Francisco in January 1967, and then to similar events

elsewhere Organisers (‘inspirers’) of that event wrote: ‘When the

Berkeley political activists and the love generation of the Haight

Ashbury and thousands of young men and women from every

state in the nation embrace at the gathering of the tribes for a

Human Be-In at polo field in Golden Gate Park the spiritual

revolution will be manifest and proven’US , 1967

bejabbers; bejabersnounused as a jocular euphemism for

‘bejesus’US , 1959

bejesus; bejasusnounused as a mild expletive An ameliorated

‘Jesus’, originally recorded in 1908 but not widely used until the

1930sUS , 1908

bejiminynounused as a mild expletiveUS , 1946

bejonkersnounthe female breastsAUSTRALIA , 1988

Bela and Borisnounin hold ’em poker, the two of clubs and the

two of spades An allusion to Bela Lugosi and Boris Korloff of

horror film fame, with a nod to the horror that they visit upon a

hand in hold ’em pokerUS , 1996

belasiannoun a drunk, belligerent Asian US , 2003

belch

belchverbto act as a police informerUS , 1901

belchernoun1the mouthUS , 1950.2a police informerUS , 1956

Belgian lacenouna pattern of white foam from the frothing head

of beer that remains in an empty glassUK , 2002

believe1used for registering agreementUK , 2005.2used as anassertion of sincerity A shortening of phrases like ‘you can believeme’, ‘you must believe what I say’, etc Recorded in use amongyoung, urban blacksUK , 1999

believernoun1in trucking, a driver who follows all laws andcompany rulesUS , 1971.2a dead enemy soldier Vietnam war use

US , 1991

be likeused as a meaningless response to a greetingUS , 1980

Belinda Carlislesnounhaemorrhoids Rhyming slang for ‘piles’,formed from the name of US singer Belinda Carlisle (b.1958)UK , 2003

bellnoun1the head of the penis From the shapeUK , 2001.2theclitorisAUSTRALIA , 1988.3a telephone call Teen slangUS , 1951.< give someone a bellto telephone someone From the ringing bell oforiginal telephonesUK , 1982.< on a bellin television and filmmaking, shooting a scene From the bell used on location to signalthat shooting is about to beginUS , 1990

bellverbto telephone someone An allusion to Alexander GrahamBell, telephone pioneer, and/or to the bell that rang on earlytelephonesUS , 1973

belladonnanoun an extremely potent hybrid marijuana Bella donna is Italian for ‘beautiful woman’ This plant, a hybrid of

SUPERSKUNK, shares its name with Atropa belladonna, the

poisonous deadly nightshadeUK , 2001

bell cownounin marketing, a popular, high-profit itemUS , 1986

bellenouna young and effeminate male homosexualUS , 1940

bell endnounthe head of the penis From the shapeUK , 1973

bellhopnouna member of the US Marine Corps An abbreviatedform of the longerSEAGOING BELL HOP, which teases the marines fortheir uniformsUS , 1929

belliedadjectivedrunkUK , 2003

bellowsnounthe lungsUS , 1843

bell-ringernounany door-to-door salesman or canvasserUS , 1960

bell ropenounthe penisUS , 1969

bellsnounbell-bottomed trousers Naval originsUK , 1948

bells!used for expressing approvalUS , 1948

bells and whistlesnoun1entertaining features that are not ary to a computer programUS , 1983.2extra features designed byunderwriters to attract investors in a bond issueUS , 1988

necess-Bell Telephone hournouna session of torture in which US soldiersused the electricity from field telephones to shock suspected VietCong The term suggests a television programme, not genital-oriented electric tortureUS , 1991

bellynoun1a fat personUS , 1997.2the swell in a thicker-than-normalsurfboardUS , 1963.3a stomach acheBARBADOS , 1965.4pregnancy

BARBADOS , 1982

bellyverb< belly the wallto stand facing a wall for inspection byprison guardsUS , 1950

bellyachenounany small-town newspaperUS , 1975

bellyacheverbto complainUS , 1881

bellyachernouna complainerUS , 1930

belly and backadverbcompletely; without mercyGUYANA , 1996

belly boardnounin television and film making, a low cameraplatformUS , 1990

bellybumpverb1to jostle; to shove; to rough upUS , 1961.2to ride asled face-downUS , 1912

bellybusternoun1a stomach-first dive into the waterAUSTRALIA , 1941.

2a greasy hamburger or other food likely to provoke indigestion

belly buttonnoun1the navel More nạve than childish; derives

from the appearance of an umbilical knotUS , 1877.2a bullet hole

UK , 2001

belly fiddlenouna guitarUS , 1970

belly flopnouna dive into the water stomach first, intentionally or

notUS , 1895

belly floppernoun1a poorly executed dive resulting in a painful

impact on the water surface with the bellyAUSTRALIA , 1941.2a

rifleman shooting from a prone positionUS , 1957

bellyfulnounas much as you can tolerate; more than enoughUK ,

1687

belly full and behind drunkadjectivetoo full with food and drink

to actBARBADOS , 1996

belly fummuxnounstomach painsIRELAND , 1996

belly gasnounair injected into the abdominal cavity to raise the

diaphragmUS , 1961

belly gunnouna handgunUS , 1926

belly habitnoun1severe stomach cramping suffered during

withdrawal from a drug addictionUS , 1970.2a drug addiction,

especially to an opiateUS , 1992

belly hitnounin poker, a card drawn that completes an inside

straightUS , 1951

bellyologistnouna person who eats too muchBARBADOS , 1965

belly padnouna pancakeUS , 1958

belly queennouna male homosexual who prefers face-to-face

intercourseUS , 1965

belly ridenounsexual intercourseUS , 1993

bellyrubbernouna slow song in which partners dance close to each

otherUS , 1992

belly rubbingnoundancingUK , 1977

belly-stick; sticknounin a confidence swindle involving fixed

gambling, a confederate who appears to win consistentlyUS , 1940

belly tankernounin drag racing, a car made out of salvaged

aeroplane fuel tanks for lake bed racingUS , 1992

belly upverbto approach and stand against something, usually a

barUS , 1907

belly-upadjectivebankrupt, out of business; deadUS , 1920

bellywashnouna soft drink, soda Originally applied to a weak drink,

and then to sodaUS , 1926

belly whackernouna poorly executed dive resulting in a painful

impact on the water surface with the bellyAUSTRALIA , 2003

belly-whopverbin sledding, to dive stomach-first onto the sledUS ,

1955

belly womannouna pregnant womanJAMAICA , 1834

belly worksnoundiarrhoeaGUYANA , 1996

below paradjectivein poor health or spirits From describing stocks

and shares as below face valueUK , 1937

below the radaradverbkeeping a low profile; unperceivedUS , 1990

below the zoneadverb(used of a military promotion) unexpectedly

early Vietnam war usageUS , 1989

beltnoun1a hit, a punchUK , 1937.2a gulp, especially of strong

alcoholUS , 1922.3the first, strong effect of a drugUS , 1948.4a

prostitute; any woman regarded as a sex-object The earlier sense

of ‘prostitute’ seems to have been spread from the Australian to

the British forces during World War 2 and, in so doing, broadened

its intentionAUSTRALIA , 1945.< below the beltunfair,

unsportsmanlike From the language of boxing, where a blow

below the belt is prohibitedUK , 1890.< under your beltpersonal

experience of something From an earlier use, of food in your

stomachUK , 1958

beltverbto hit someone or something From earlier sense: to hit

with a beltUK , 1838

belta good, excellent

belt along; beltverbto move at great speed OriginallyGloucestershire dialectUK , 1890

belt buckle polishernouna song suited for slow dancingUS , 1984

belt down; beltverbto rain heavilyUK , 1984

beltedadjectivedrunk or drug-intoxicatedUS , 1970

belternoun1a thrilling event; a wonderful thingUK , 1983.2a songthat can be sung with great vigour; a type of singer that has avigorous approach to a songUK , 1984

beltingnouna beating whether punitive or pugilisticUK , 1825

beltingadjectiveexcellentUK , 2002

belt outverbto sing or play a musical instrument with great vigour

UK , 1953

belts and boardsnounaccoutrements for a Royal Canadian AirForce officer’s uniform on formal ceremonial occasionsCANADA , 1995

belt up!be quiet!UK , 1949

Beltway commandonounany military bureaucrat working inWashington D.C Gulf war usageUS , 1991

be luckygoodbye Cockney, maybeMOCKNEY UK , 1974

Belushinouna combination of cocaine and heroin In memory oftheSPEEDBALLmix that killed film actor John Belushi, 1949–82US , 1998

Belyando spruce; Belyando spruenounmarijuana from theBelyando area of QueenslandAUSTRALIA , 1977

be my guest!do as you wish; you are welcome to have whateverhas been asked forUS , 1955

bennoun1a lavatory Rhyming slang for ‘Benghazi’,KARZY(alavatory); from the Libyan seaport and probably originating in thedesert campaign of World War 2UK , 1992.2benzodiazepine, an anti-depressant, especially Valium™ Also referred to as ‘benzo’, 1996

Ben; Bennie; BenjaminnounBenzedrine™ (amphetaminesulphate), or another central nervous system stimulant Truckersoften personify stimulants, referring to ‘my good friend Benjamin’

or saying ‘better let Bennie drive’US , 1971

benaradjectivebetter Originally C16, conjugated asBENE(good),

‘benar, benat ’ (best); the ‘best’ sense is now obsolete but ‘good’

and ‘better’ survived in the affected surroundings of polariUK , 2002

benchnoun1an athletic’s team coaching staff and reserve players,collectivelyUS , 1962.2a youth gangUS , 1951.< ride the bench; warm the benchto sit on the sidelines of an athletic contest as

a substitute playerUS , 1911

benchverb1to remove someone from competition Originally asports term – the player literally returned to the bench during agame Later applied to a variety of situationsUS , 1917.2toreprimand someoneUS , 1997

bench boynounan athlete who never makes the starting lineup andthus spends most of the time during games sitting on the teambenchUS , 1999

bench jockeynounin a team sport, a substitute player, especiallyone who makes his opinion known from the benchUS , 1939

bench raceverbto talk about drag racing without actually doing it

US , 1960s to 70s

benchwarmernouna substitute player on a sports teamUS , 1905

bendnoun1a spree, especially involving hard drinking; hence, adrug-induced hallucinogenic experienceUK , 1979.2moneyUS , 1973

bendverb1to deliberately slur or distort a musical noteUS , 1960.2tofraudulently affect the outcome of a sporting event; to bribe or byother means corrupt authorityUK , 1864.3to take part in a gangfightUS , 1993.< bend the elbowto enjoy a few drinksNEW ZEALAND , 1994.< bend the iron; bend the rust; bend the rail

to change the position of a railway pointUS , 1946

bended kneesnouncheese Rhyming slang, sometimes shortened

to ‘bended’; noted in use amongst trampsUK , 1960

bendernoun1a prolonged session of hard drinkingUS , 1845.2a malehomosexual who plays the passive role in anal sex; a homosexual

US , 1965.3a stolen carUS , 1992.4any bending joint in the body,such as the elbow or knee . a Roman Catholic

ZEALAND , 1998.6a suspended prison sentenceUK , 1996.7a hammer

US , 1980

bender mendernouna hangover cure, especially a stiff drink

Elaborated onBENDER(a prolonged session of hard drinking)UK:

SCOTLAND , 1988

bending drillnounan act of defecation in the open-air Military use,

originating with the British army in North Africa during World War

2UK , 1945

bend oververbto submit; to give in to someone An image that

suggests bending over is ‘to be buggered’US , 1960s

bend over, brown eyesused as a humorous instruction to a

patient about to undergo a rectal examinationUS , 1989

bends and motherfuckersnounthe squat-thrust exercise drill

Vietnam war usage In gentler times, known as a ‘burpee’US , 1991

bend upverbto encourage or enable another’s intoxicationUK , 1999

bene; ben; bienadjectivegood Originally C16, adapted from Italian

bene, possibly Latin bonus (good) UK , 2002

benefitnounany hardship or unpleasant feature of army life Used

with obvious ironyUS , 1968

Ben Franklinnouna $100 note From the engraving on the noteUS ,

1990

Bengal lancernounan opportunist, especially one who takes risks

in pursuit of criminal gain Glasgow rhyming slang forCHANCER UK ,

2005

be nice!used by US troops in Vietnam when caught by surprise or

provoked by anotherUS , 1982

beniesnounbenefitsUS , 1970

Benjie; Benjinouna $100 note From the portrait of Benjamin

Franklin on the noteUS , 1985

benjonouna toilet From JapaneseAUSTRALIA , 1988

Bennett buggynouna car converted to a four-wheel, horse-drawn

carriage by removal of the engine, drive train and windshield (in

depression times); later, any broken-down carCANADA , 1987

Ben Nevisnouna long prison sentence Prison slang, reported in

private correspondence by a serving prisoner in January 2002 Ben

Nevis is Britain’s highest mountain to climbUK , 2002

bennienouna female prostitute’s customer who prefers to perform

oral sex on the prostituteUS , 1964

bennie Godnounthe sunUS , 1965

bennie machinenouna reflector used while sunbathingUS , 1965

benniesnoun1sun rays A shortened form of ‘beneficial’US , 1965.

2during the Vietnam war, basic comforts A shortened form of

‘benefits’US , 1976

bennynoun1a Falkland IslanderUK , 1982.2an amphetamine,

especially Benzedrine™ (amphetamine sulphate), a central nervous

system stimulantUS , 1945.3a Benzedrine™ inhalerUS , 1970.4a

Benson & Hedges cigaretteUK , 1996.5in Vancouver Island, an order

of Eggs BenedictCANADA , 2002.6an overcoatUK , 1812.7a Ben

Sherman shirt, a fashion item given iconic status by skinheadsUK ,

2001.8a sports fan who looks back at a basketball game and

ana-lyses what might have been Synonymous with ‘Monday Morning

Quarterback’ except basketball people like to call them ‘Bennys’’

Probably from the image of men in overcoatsUS , 1946.9a person

who looks and talks the part of a surfer but does not actually surf

US , 1991.< get a benny onto lose your temperUK , 1997

benny bluenounin craps, a roll of seven when shooting for your

point From the call, ‘Benny blue, you’re all through!’US , 1985

benny boostnouna shoplifting technique involving the use of an

oversized, specially equipped overcoatUS , 1992

Benny boynouna young transvestite prostitute found in Manila and

other Southeast Asian citiesPHILIPPINES , 1967

benny chasernouncoffee consumed with Benzedrine™

(amphe-tamine sulphate), a central nervous system stimulant Used with

humour by truckers who rely on different forms of stimulation to

benny housenouna primarily heterosexual brothel that will uponrequest procure a male sexual partner for a male clientUS , 1965

Benny Mason; Mr Masonnounmarijuana that is so potent that itmust be stored in a pot or mason jar (a glass jar for preservingfood) to contain the smellUS , 1992

benny suggsnoun good ideas Military; from ‘beneficial suggestions’

con-From the pronouncement – ‘There will be no fun tonight’ US , 1954

bensonnouna toady, a sycophant Apparently derived from thename of the butler character in US television situation comedy

Soap, 1978–82, and its concurrent spin-off Benson, 1979–86 UK: SCOTLAND , 1996

bentnouna homosexualUK , 1957

bentadjective1stolenUS , 1930.2corrupt, crooked, criminal Theopposite ofSTRAIGHT(honest/conventional)UK , 1914.3unfaithfulUK ,

1958.4sexually deviantUK , 1957.5homosexualUK , 1959.6drunk ordrug-intoxicatedUS , 1833.7ill-humoured; grouchyUS , 1965.8spoiled,broken, out-of-orderUK , 1930.9suffering from decompressionsicknessUK , 1984.< bent as a butcher’s hookvery corrupt,incontrovertibly criminalUK , 1977.< bent as a nine-bob note

1corrupt, crooked In pre-decimalisation currency, ten-bob (tenshillings) was the only currency note for less than a pound value; anine-bob note would have been an obvious forgeryUK , 2000.

2ostentatiously homosexual A sterling elaboration ofBENT UK , 2000.

< bent as arseholescorrupt, crookedUK , 1998

bent and greasedadjectiveprepared to be taken advantage of Thesexual allusion is difficult to missUS , 1994

bent eightnounan eight-cylinder V engineUS , 1948

bent stoveboltnounin drag racing and hot rodding, a Chevrolet V-8engineUS , 1968

Bent WhorenicknameBien Hoa, South Vietnam, site of an Americanair base during the Vietnam warUS , 1991

benznouna tablet of Benzedrine™ (amphetamine sulphate), acentral nervous system stimulantUS , 1969

Benznicknamea Mercedes-Benz carUS , 1990

Benzedrinanounin homosexual usage, a personification ofBenzedrine™ (amphetamine sulphate), a central nervous systemstimulantUS , 1980

Benzonouna Mercedes-Benz carUS , 1986

bequeenumadjectivehomosexualUK , 2003

Berbnouna social outcastUS , 1993

Berdoo; San Berdoo; San BerdunicknameSan Bernadino,California, east of Los AngelesUS , 1914

bergwindnouna warm offshore breezeSOUTH AFRICA , 1876

bergy bitnouna small icebergUK , 1906

bergy seltzernouna fizzing produced in an iceberg when trappedair is releasedANTARCTICA , 2000

berk; birk; burk; burkenouna fool Almost certainly a reduction ofthe rhyming slangBERKSHIRE HUNTorBERKELEY HUNT(aCUNT) yet sowidely used that the original sense has almost been lost; there is asuggestion that ‘berk’ may be a diminution ofBERKELEYS(thefemale breasts), thus TIT (a fool)UK , 1936

Berkeley Quality Softwarenounany computer program that isincomplete or incorrectUS , 1991

berkeleysnoun the female breasts From Romany berk (a breast) UK , 1984

berkersadjectiveangry, emotionally unstable From ‘berserk’NEW ZEALAND , 1998

berkoadjectiveberserk; crazyAUSTRALIA , 1961

BerksnounBerkshire A spoken form of the conventional writtenabbreviation, considered colloquial when used in speech as a

Berkshire hunt; Berkeley huntnoun1a fool Rhyming slang for

CUNT, generally in the reduced formBERK Also variant ‘Birchington

hunt’UK , 1937.2the vagina Rhyming slang forCUNT Also variant

‘Birchington hunt’UK , 1937

berkynouna complete loss of temper and emotional stabilityNEW

ZEALAND , 1985

berleynounin fishing, any material added to water in order to

attract fish Origin unknownAUSTRALIA , 1874

berleyverbto place berley in the water to attract fishAUSTRALIA , 1852

Berlin Wallnouna testicle Rhyming slang for ‘ball’, generally in the

plural (BALLS) UK , 2003

Bermuda crescentnouna semi-circle of dance floor in front of a

stage that remains empty when a band is playing A joke on the

Bermuda Triangle, a vast three-sided area of the Atlantic with

angles at Bermuda, Puerto Rico and Fort Lauderdale, Florida,

where ships and planes apparently disappearUK , 1999

Bermuda timeadverblateBERMUDA , 1985

Bermuda trianglenounthe vaginaUK , 2001

Bernard Langeredadjectivedrunk An elaboration ofLANGERED

(drunk), playing on the name of German golfer Bernhard Langer

(b.1957), possibly as an ironic swipe at his ‘born-again’ Christianity

UK , 2002

Berni; Bernice; BernienouncocaineUS , 1933

Bernienounone million pounds A jibe at Formula One motor

racing tycoon Bernie Ecclestone who had his £1,000,000 donation

to the Labour Party returned for reasons of political expediency

2002UK , 2002

Bernie’s flakes; Bernie’s gold dustnouncocaineUK , 2002

berriesnoun1crystalised cocaineUS , 1949.2anything considered to

be the finest, the most excellent, the best Probably a figurative use

ofTHE BERRIES(testicles) in the same way thatBOLLOCKScarries

both senses Also variant ‘the berrs’UK: SCOTLAND , 1974

berrynoun1a dollarUS , 1916.2crack cocaineUS , 1993

berryverbto communicate via instant wireless messagingCANADA ,

2002

berry sugarnounextra fine granulated sugarCANADA , 2002

Bertnickname 8see:FAT ALBERT

berthnouna job working on a fishing boat Originally, when fishing

was done from dories, a ‘berth’ was a specific spot on one side of

the dory where a fisherman was to row and work lines It has

come to mean any job on a fishing boatCANADA , 1999

Bertienoun< do a Bertieto become an important informer

Police slang; after Bertie Smalls, a notorious or legendary

(depending on your point of view) small-time robber turned police

informer who, in 1973, became the originalSUPERGRASS UK , 1999

be seeing yougoodbye ‘Be seeing you’ gained a sinister,

threatening edge in 1967 when used in cult television series The

bestnouna stroke of a cane, or ‘the slipper’ applied as corporal

punishment For some reason six was always the most popular

number of deliveries (‘six of the best’) but the term varies to

account for the punisher’s preference Corporal punishment has

not been permitted in UK schools since the later C20UK , 1912.