Language Trainers Blog

The word slang has misty origins, but before being used to talk about the jargon of particular professions, social, or regional groups, it originally meant ‘special vocabulary of tramps or thieves’.

Slang still forms an integral part of the criminal subculture, and it only takes me listening to one or two hardcore rap songs to realise it (if I can make it through, of course). Terms for guns, drugs, women, cars – I only know the ones that have become mainstream. And this is sort of the point: slang keeps outsiders from knowing what’s going on. Whether it be police, spies, passersby; if outsiders are in the dark, insiders are safer.

Deirdre Foley-Mendelssohn wrote a post on the New Yorker blog about a book called “The First English Dictionary of Slang, 1699” (originally “A Dictionary of the Beggars and Gypsies Cant”), which, obviously, is a pretty old language resource. Although all the terms mentioned are pretty much incomprehensible these days, the beauty of them is that they were pretty much incomprehensible in their own time, too.

From the article:

You don’t have to know that “fag the bloss” is “bang the wench” to appreciate that it sounds kind of raunchy: we seem to reserve certain sounds for our feelings of disgust. [...] “Academy” was a university, but also a “Bawdy-house.” A “Blunderbuss” was a dunce and a “buffle-head” not far from it (much like “pea-goose”). Just imagine eating scrambled “cackling-farts” for breakfast! Rum, always good in a drink, was an all-around endorsement (good or fine): a “rum-beck” was a justice of the peace, and a “rum-blower” was a handsome mistress. “Blobber-lippd” implied your mouth was bordered by a thick pair, possibly so protuberant that they hung down or turned right over (yuck).

I wonder if a published version of Urban Dictionary will hold the same fascination for future generations?

Full article: The New Yorker.

In what would have made excellent TV viewing (in my mind, at least), Channel 4 has ruled out the use of a weak expletive on popular word game show Countdown. When presented with the letters DTCEIASH and F, 18 year old Cambridge University student Jack Hurst came up with the longest word he could: shitface.

Despite the support of Dictionary Corner’s Susie Dent (who “told presenter Jeff Stelling the term, slang for “rude or obnoxious person” or “drunk person”, would have been acceptable.”), Channel 4 bigwigs ruled that the word was inappropriate for a daytime audience. The set of letters was cut from the show and a new set drawn.

From the Guardian:

At least Hurst, 18, can take comfort in his previous performances: the maths student won eight shows during his stint on the programme last month. He also achieved the highest ever total for the word “octochamp”, although it is likely to be his latest performance that will be most lauded by his fellow Cambridge students.

It was also noted that many people (including myself) wondered why he didn’t use that last D to make the word shitfaced.

Full article: Guardian.