![]() “That was such a wacky show,” for instance. Wacky is an important part of British slang, too.Īgain, it can be used to describe a wide range of things, from a person’s behavior to a movie or performance. His original name was Dippy Dawg in 1929 but it was soon changed to goofy.Īgain, another one that is pretty widely used in the English speaking world. If something is goofy is silly in a fun way, perhaps a self-conscious way, and you could use it to describe a person, a place, a television show-anything, really! “This movie is so goofy,” for example.įunnily enough, this term meaning silly actually originates with the Disney character of the same name. Though it’s by no means unique to Britain, it does have its own unique character here. Goofy is definitely a slang term used widely throughout Britain. This is another fairly recent one, not having been attested before 1968.Įarlier on, it had a stronger sense of a contemptible person. ![]() “Let’s not behave like prats, shall we?” for example. That said, for the most part, people say prat just to mean a silly person or a person being silly. It can, again, have somewhat varied meanings, so it’s worth exercising some caution with how you use this one. Next we have “prat”, another bedrock, universal slang term for silly in Britain. It originated only in around 1936, where it was used as rhyming slang. “He can be such a berk sometimes,” for example. Nonetheless, a berk is someone who is stupid, or who is being silly. I would urge caution with this one as some might take it as more of an insult than in good humor. Others suggest it is a shortening of Unemployment Dividend from the 1950s.īerk is another very popular way to describe a silly person in British slang. prison slang, where a “div” was someone who put dividers into boxes. There’s a bit of confusion about its origin. “You are an absolute divvy sometimes,” for example. It means someone who is being a bit stupid. Many of those who grew up in Britain will remember being called a divvy by their parents. This is a great one to use when someone is being a bit silly and winding you up. “Don’t be daft,” for example.įunnily enough, this term originally meant “mild mannered” and came from the Old English gedaefte.īy around the beginning of the 14 th Century, it had come to mean uncouth and boorish. To be daft is to be stupid, silly, whether that’s in a funny and playful sense or in a more serious way. While it wouldn’t be used by absolutely everyone in Britain, it would no doubt be understood by the vast majority of British people. ![]() After all, who can really pinpoint the moment when a word becomes not just a word, but something that forever represents a moment in time? I know you feel me.First up we have daft, a staple British slang term used in many parts of the country. ![]() (Ex.: Anyone who says they're "hip to the jive" is definitely not hip to any jive whatsoever.) This list is by no means conclusive or blindingly accurate, just weird and funny. ![]() And of course, slang can quickly become really uncool, especially if your old man used to it. The thing about slang is that it oozes over from generation to generation, occasionally changing spellings or meanings ("hep" used to mean "hip," until "hep" wasn't hip anymore). As you might expect, Prohibition slang is overflowing with references to speakeasies, flapper babes, and cocktails - not to mention about a million ways to say "I'm drunk." Marijuana references become more and more popular once the hippies burst onto the scene, '80s slang is as cheesy as aerobic-wear, and '90s slang borrows heavily from hip hop ( bling-bling, homie, dawg). Like fashion or music or poor Congressional choices, slang is a fantastic way to get a sense of another era. Writers need slang like bearcats need giggle water, know what I mean? Sure, you could spend the rest of your writing life using pristine, multi-syllabic words from the 16th century that have been honed into Latinate diamonds by the passage of time - or you could give in to the joy of juice joints, Shebas, and spliffication, and have yourself a grand old time frolicking through the hilarious world of American slang. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |