For those not of a certain generation or cultural background, this glossary of words and phrases used in the FEATHERSTONE series of rogue tales may be of interest.
English is a rich language made all the more valuable by slang and regional variations; none more so than that which is spoken in certain parts of London.
Listed here are some of the expressions Featherstone is familiar with that may not be fully understood by the seven billion other inhabitants of this planet.
English is a rich language made all the more valuable by slang and regional variations; none more so than that which is spoken in certain parts of London.
Listed here are some of the expressions Featherstone is familiar with that may not be fully understood by the seven billion other inhabitants of this planet.
I shall be adding to this list periodically. Your comments and advice on errors and omissions will be welcomed.
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Bugger has to be one of Featherstone’s favourite words. It is uniquely English in its versatility. A bugger is no longer a sodomite, though buggery is still the act of sodomy. A bugger in Featherstone parlance is many things. Vocal inflection changes its meaning. Depending how the word is spoken, it can be used to refer to a wide range of things; from a naughty child to an outright cunt. A bugger can be lucky or unlucky. He (and it is nearly always a he) can be stupid, a pest, or downright despicable. The word can be equally effective when describing one’s hurt, surprise, admiration or loathing. It can also be used as a term of endearment.
Everyone’s a bugger to Featherstone. Which one are you? If you’re buggered if you know, or buggered if you care, then you can just bugger off. You bugger. Bugger. (1). Sodomite. (2). Sodomise. Bugger. A mild expletive to use when something goes wrong. Bugger Off. Go away. Little Bugger. A naughty child. Lucky Bugger. (1).A person who has an unexpected win. (2). A person who has gotten away with something. I’ll Be Buggered. (1) An expression used when hearing that someone has had an unexpected result. “He came top of the class? Well, I’ll be buggered.”(2). A refusal to do something, as in, “I’ll be buggered if I work overtime.” Bugger That. Alternative to: I’ll be buggered (2). “Work overtime? Bugger that.” Bugger Up. Spoil. Buggered Up. Ruined. Bugger Off. Go away. Either as in “I’ll bugger off, now.” Or “You can bugger off.” Silly Bugger. A very mild alternative to ‘Prat’, which is in turn a mild alternative to ‘Cunt’. Bugger All. Nothing, or not very much. Bugger About. Mess around. Buggered if I Know. Confession of ignorance. Swipe, Pinch, Nick. Casual theft, like shoplifting. Rob. Serious theft. Roll. The term used for today’s Mug.
The Smoke. (Or just, Smoke.) London. As The Big Apple is New York. Ta. Short for: Thank You. Bung. Throw: “Bung me my coat, will you.” Or Give: "Bung us a couple of quid, mate". A bung (noun) is a bribe. As is: Bunce, which can also mean a tip, or a small payment on top of what is expected, as in: A bit of bunce. Dead Chuffed. Very pleased. Usually of oneself. “I feel dead chuffed.” Brass. Prostitute. Usually of the common type (Common, as in: cheap.) Brassed off. Fed up. In Like Flynn. A reference to vintage movie star, Errol Flynn. He had a reputation for being a ladies’ man. A great seducer, if any girl gave Errol or Featherstone the slightest encouragement, they’d be in like Flynn. Harrison Marks. A well know glamour photographer of the 1950s and 1960s, and soft porn movie maker in the 1970s. The film, Naked as Nature Intended, gave Featherstone an early if not entirely satisfying insight into the naked female form. Go Ape Shit. Get angry. Think of England. What one is recommended to do during unwanted sexual activity. Doddle. Easy. All right? Spoken in greeting as "Alright?' An enquiry into ones health, like its predecessor, How Do You Do? The correct form in both cases is not to answer the question, but to reply with the same. So, if someone asks if you’re all right, you reply: “Alright?” Barmy. Slightly crazy, nutty. Prat. Female sexual pudenda. Someone who does something stupid. A very mild form of cunt, which is reserved for someone who does something offensive. Bender. Rarely used to mean homosexual. More often used to refer to a heavy drinking season Bloody, Bleeding, Blooming. Mild expletive. Shortened form of the archaic: By the Blood of Christ. Blimey. Expression of surprise. “Blimey, you’ve a nice pair of knockers.” Shortened form of the archaic: Blind Me. Knockers. Female breast. Bristols. (Cockney) From Bristol City, which rhymes with: tittie. Blow Off. Fart. Bob’s Your Uncle. Finished easily. “Take a pinch of baccy, mix in some shit, roll it in skins, and bob’s your uncle, you have a spliff.” Meaning; simply roll a mixture of marijuana and tobacco in cigarette papers to make a joint. Bollocks. Testicles. It can also mean nonsense, as in: “You’re talking bollocks.” Nowadays, it also means: Good, as in The Dog’s Bollocks, meaning the very best. Not used as such in the 1960s Bollocking. Tell off. “He gave me a right bollocking.” Pissed. Doesn’t mean fed up as it does in some other parts of the world. In London, it simply means: Intoxicated. Bottle. Courage. Bomb. Things can cost a bomb if expensive. Or go down a bomb if successful. Fags / tabs. Cigarettes. Poof / poofter / queer. Homosexual. The term ‘gay’ wasn’t in common use as a term for homosexual. It wasn’t known in young Featherstone’s circle. The words are now seen as offensive and Featherstone tries to say, “Gay,” nowadays. Faggot is American and even more offensive than ‘poof’. Fag is a cigarette, or junior boy at some public schools. A public school in England is, of course, a private school. Crack Up. Find something extremely funny. Cracked Up. (1).State of having been highly amused. (2). Described in an exaggerated fashion. Something found disappointingly unsatisfactory is: Not all it’s cracked up to be. Bird.(1) Girl. UK equivalent of Chick. (2). (Cockney) A prison sentence. From Bird Lime, rhymes with time. Doing time/doing bird. Bobby. Nickname for a policeman. From Sir Robert (Bob) Peel, twice Prime Minister and creator of The Metropolitan Police Force. Old Bill. Nickname for the police force. No know origin, but not recorded before 1950. Barney. An argument. Carry On. Nonsense behaviour. “They were having a right carry on.” Geezer. A working class ‘gentleman’. A bloke is a bloke but a geezer is to be respected. Face. A well known criminal. Lairy. Full of self importance. Clout.(1). Hit hard. (2). A large vagina. (3). Having strong back up. Yonks. A long time. Bang Out of Order. Inexcusable misconduct. Bloody, Bleeding, Blooming. Mild expletive. Shortened form of the archaic: By the Blood of Christ. Blimey. Expression of surprise. “Blimey, you’ve a nice pair of knockers.” Shortened form of the archaic: Blind Me. Knockers. Female breast. Bristols. (Cockney) From Bristol City, which rhymes with: tittie. Blow Off. Fart. Bob’s Your Uncle. Finished easily. “Take a pinch of baccy, mix in some shit, roll it in skins, and bob’s your uncle, you have a spliff.” Meaning; simply roll a mixture of marijuana and tobacco in cigarette papers to make a joint. Bollocks. Testicles. It can also mean nonsense, as in: “You’re talking bollocks.” Nowadays, it also means: Good, as in The Dog’s Bollocks, meaning the very best. Not used as such in the 1960s Bollocking. Tell off. “He gave me a right bollocking.” Pissed. Doesn’t mean fed up as it does in some other parts of the world. In London, it simply means: Intoxicated. Bottle. Courage. Bomb. Things can cost a bomb if expensive. Go down a bomb if successful. Go like a bomb if very fast. Grass. To inform on someone. |
Pub etiquette.
BUYING A ROUND. The correct form to adopt when drinking in company, at least, in Featherstone’s company, is buying a drink for everyone. If you’re the first to arrive then you are in ‘The Chair’. That means that as others who want to join your company arrive, you buy them a drink of their choice. When someone finishes their drink, that is the end of a ‘Round’. The ‘chair’ is then passed to him and he buys everyone in the company, and others who join, a drink. It is his ‘Shout’ while in the chair. It is common courtesy to announce the fact that it is, “My shout,” and ask, “What’re you having?” when joined by a newcomer to the company. The ‘chair’ is passed to everyone in turn until it comes back to the first person. That’s when arguments sometimes start. Depending on how big the company is, a decision has to be made. This is where a sense of personal honour comes into play. Whether you intend to stay for only one or two more drinks, YOU MUST buy a round for everyone before leaving. The ‘offence’ is called: Mumping, and the offender, a Mumper. A persistent mumper might well be excluded from further sessions. If a company member brings a female with him, she will be included in the rounds, but is not expected to buy one herself. Featherstone has noticed that this ‘rule’ has been moderated of late due to the phenomenon of chick’s liberation. Although no formal note is kept of whose round it is, you can always bet that someone will remember, and mention the close of play at a previous session, and demand that rounds continue where they had left off. In Featherstone’s experience, no one has ever been barred from joining regular company on the grounds that he hasn’t enough money (Skint). He will be included and not expected to buy a round. This is not an indefinite arrangement and is seldom repeated at following sessions. PUB GAMES. The most popular pub game has always been: Darts. Sadly, few old style pubs with the typical dartboard remain. But there is a strict protocol to be adopted when wanting to join a game. Firstly, you must ask that your name (Usually an initial) be chalked on the blackboard. This will denote your place in the queue for your turn. You will be expected to ‘Chalk’ the game preceding yours. You will not be excused on the grounds that you are crap at mental arithmetic. Each player will check that you have marked his score correctly, and advise you politely if you get it wrong. “You daft prat,” will be added at the end of his correction. The winner of a game will stay on the ‘Oche’ (Pronounced: ‘Ockey). The challenger will be invited to throw first. “Chalks away,” he’ll say. To a skilled player, this is a definite advantage, so the usual game is: 301, double to start. This means that your score doesn’t count until the first dart lands in the outer ring where the number is doubled. This brings the game back to the advantage of the more skilful player. Coin operated games come under similar protocol. The winner stays on and the challenger pays for the game. Placing a coin or token on the side, denotes your intention to play, and position in the queue. Under no circumstances can anyone be refused a challenge. There is no such thing as a ‘private game’ in a public house. Synonyms for an American Ass. Arse Jacksie Arris. (Cockney.) From Aristotle rhyming with Bottle = Bottle and Glass, which of course, rhymes with arse. Please note that in London, a ‘fanny’ is exclusively female. It is an extension of the American fanny, found at her front. As we’re on the subject of Fannies, Featherstone would also call it a Minge, Twat, or Quim. He doesn’t like the word: Cunt. He’d only use it to describe someone who’s upset him. Pussy is a word that seems to have crept into his vocabulary under American influence. Pre decimal currency. Understanding pre decimal currency is divided by age as much as cultural differences. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland changed its currency in 1971. It adopted the system made popular by the French, and used by most sensible nations. Virtually overnight Britons saw 240 pennies to the pound reduced to only 100 pence. It coincided with (Though Featherstone is adamant that it caused) high inflation. In the period that Featherstone is set, wages were about 20 pounds a week, though most manual workers earned a lot less. It was paid in Pounds, Shillings and Pence. One pound consisted of 240 pennies (Not pence). 12 pennies (Coppers) made a shilling (Bob). 20 shillings in a pound (Quid). Simple. NOTES AND COINS: The pound was then a paper note, as was 10 shillings. There was a 5 shilling coin (Crown) though not commonly used. The Half Crown (2 shillings and sixpence) was the highest valued coin in common use. Then there was a Two Shilling piece (Two Bob), and of course, a single Shilling. The shilling was further broken down into the Sixpence piece (Sixpenny Bit, or Tanner), an odd looking twelve sided coin valued at 3 pennies called a Thrupenny Bit, Pennies, Half pennies (Ha’penny) and though practically worthless, a quarter penny (Farthing). Another slang term for five shillings was: Dollar. (Half a Crown = Half a Dollar) the term dates from the second world war when the exchange rate for a pound was four Dollars. A less commonly used slang term for the Half Crown was ‘Bed and Breakfast’. That too dates back to a time when the standard cost of overnight lodgings cost Two and Six (2 shillings and sixpence). The term is now mainly reserved for a score of 26 in a game of darts. Please note that penny is synonymous with pence. There is a grammatical difference. I have used the correct terms where applicable. Thrupence, sixpence. The movement of one’s lips when mouthing the words, “Thrupence, sixpence,” is said to resemble the sight of a particularly pleasant looking pair of female buttocks as she walks in front of you. Skint. Broke, having no money. (From Skinned.)
Boracic. (Cockney) Pronounced ‘brassic’, Boracic lint is a type of medical dressing and rhymes with skint. Skint means having no money. Spratz./Sprazi./Sprazzy. Sixpence. A variation of Sprat from the 1800s, a sprat being a small fish. Stick it on tick. Most retailers, who knew you, and where you’d shop regularly, would extend credit, usually on a weekly basis. When making a purchase, you’d ask for it to be ‘put on tick’. “Stick it on tick,” Featherstone said. The retailer would note the purchase in a book, called a ‘slate’. No interest was charged, but Featherstone’s only ever boss, Boris, at Alf’s butcher shop would add a phantom purchase to most slates. Woolworth’s (Woollies). F.W. Woolworth and Co. Ltd., was a very popular high street retail chain in the 1960s. It was a subsidiary of the American five-and-ten stores, but not in anyway (Other than by name) connected to the one in Australia. Swipe, Pinch, Nick. Casual theft, like shoplifting. Rob. Serious theft. Roll. The term used for today’s Mug. The Smoke. (Or just, Smoke.) London. As The Big Apple is New York. Ta. Short for: Thank You. Bung. (1).Throw: “Bung me my coat, will you.” Or Bung. (2). Give: "Bung us a couple of quid, mate". Bung (3). (noun) A bribe. As is: Bunce, which can also mean a tip, or a small payment on top of what is expected, as in: A bit of bunce. Dead Chuffed. Very pleased. Usually of oneself. “I feel dead chuffed.” Brass. Prostitute. Usually of the common type (Common, as in: cheap.) Brassed off. Fed up. In Like Flynn. A reference to vintage movie star, Errol Flynn. He had a reputation for being a ladies’ man. A great seducer, if any girl gave Errol or Featherstone the slightest encouragement, they’d be in like Flynn. Harrison Marks. A well know glamour photographer of the 1950s and 1960s, and soft porn movie maker in the 1970s. The film, Naked as Nature Intended, gave Featherstone an early if not entirely satisfying insight into the naked female form. Go Ape Shit. Get angry. Think of England. What one is recommended to do during unwanted sexual activity. Doddle. Easy. Alright? Spoken in greeting as an enquiry unto ones health, like its predecessor, How Do You Do? The correct form in both cases is not to answer the question, but to reply with the same. So, if someone asks if you’re all right, you reply, “Alright?” Barmy. Slightly crazy, nutty. Prat. Female sexual pudenda. Someone who does something stupid. A very mild form of cunt, which is reserved for someone who does something offensive. Bender. Rarely used to mean homosexual. More often used to refer to a heavy drinking season Snog, snogging. Known as: Neck, necking in other parts of the world. |