BS: Same As Slang

Subject: RE: BS: Same As Slang
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 04 Aug 06 - 08:36 PM

Dis-
Lighter ("Historical Dictionary of American Slang") states its origin is Black, earliest citation found is 1982, an interview with "Crash Crew" in Rap, defined as "to disparage, to belittle." It appeared in television in "Miami Vice" in 1984, where it (dissed) clearly was used as 'disrespect'. By 1989, it appeared in "Village Voice."
By 1990, it appears in print as a noun- "It's a "dis."
(Many examples quoted, vol. 1 p. 605)

Just speculating, no evidence- It could come from the old use of 'dis' (OED, 1925) as a word for disconnected - not with it, feeble-minded- when applied to someone, it certainly is a disparaging way of speaking of him; most disrespectful.
A few students of language would not regard 'dis' as slang but as an abbreviated form.

Roget's Thesaurus, under synonyms for disrespect, lists disparage. Under synonyms for contempt appears disparage. Etc., etc.

To an old time printer, 'dis' meant unsorted (with regard to type).

Subject: RE: BS: Same As Slang
From: Sorcha
Date: 07 Aug 06 - 10:54 AM

Another US military term for information=skinny and low down
So, give us the skinny (or lowdown) on this situation.

Subject: RE: BS: Same As Slang
From: Matt_R
Date: 07 Aug 06 - 01:04 PM

And if it's information you don't want to get out, it's lowdown on the down low.

Subject: RE: BS: Same As Slang
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 07 Aug 06 - 03:15 PM

Origin of 'skinny' uncertain. Noted in print in 1959 in an article on slang, but probably WW2 or earlier. Perhaps originally meant a 'brief summary' or the 'naked truth'. Appeared in "Gentleman's Quarterly," but I don't have the date.
Also used to mean "What's Up?"
(Oxford English Dictionary)
Sadly, vol. 3 of J. E. Lighter's "Historical Dictionary of American Slang," entries after 'O', has not yet been printed.

Low down- Probably first used in lower class slang, U. S.
1907- Robinson "Comics," "The Lowdown Kid."
1908, Fisher, "A. Mutt." "I can give you the low down on A. Mutt."
1915, T. A. Dorgon- "Aw, give us the low down on them, Bill."
(Incorrect attribution in the OED).
1920, "Colliers Mag." - "He calls me back and in about twenty minutes I have the low down on Monsieur Kane Halliday."
By 1924, P. G. Wodehouse (English) used it in one of his novels.
References from J. E. Lighter, "Historical Dictionary of American Slang, vol, II."
Low down (now lowdown) in common usage before WW1. Not originally a military term.

Subject: RE: BS: Same As Slang
From: Azizi
Date: 07 Aug 06 - 04:22 PM

In addition to the definition Matt gave, "[being] on the "down low" also has the meaning "being homosexual but keeping that fact hidden from your wife or your girlfriend and other heterosexual {"straight"}people".

Another way of saying "on the down low" is "on tha low"

See this online article:

Tips for Those Affected by Men on The Down Low

Subject: RE: BS: Same As Slang
From: The Sandman
Date: 07 Aug 06 - 06:04 PM

PLATES OF MEAT =FEET. hampstead heath =teeth , barnet fair = hair jack jones = on your own. vera lynn = gin. sky rocket and lucy    locket are both pocket .suffin cold[suffolk]=f====ing cold khyber pass = a=se .watch the scales [ backslangbutchers slang]chaw et selacs. mutton pies =eyes.apples and pears= stairs.joy= w=nk. dog and bone = phone.rosie lee =tea ,mudcat = prat

Subject: RE: BS: Same As Slang
From: The Sandman
Date: 07 Aug 06 - 06:08 PM

I just made mudcat = prat, up ,an example of living rhyming slang. EG shambles is not a mudcat

Subject: RE: BS: Same As Slang
From: Sorcha
Date: 07 Aug 06 - 06:19 PM

LOL! Good One, Cap'n Birdseye!
(ps...do you have frozen peas???)

Subject: RE: BS: Same As Slang
From: The Sandman
Date: 08 Aug 06 - 05:55 PM

jimmy =to urinatejimmy riddle = piddle.

Subject: RE: BS: Same As Slang
From: The Sandman
Date: 09 Aug 06 - 12:21 PM

door= rory. rory o moore

Subject: RE: BS: Same As Slang
From: Bert
Date: 09 Aug 06 - 05:22 PM

A British military term for information is Bumpf or Bumf. Usually used for excess information or paperwork which civilians know as Red Tape or BS. Ordinary amounts of information are also known as Gen or Jen.

Subject: RE: BS: Same As Slang
From: HuwG
Date: 09 Aug 06 - 06:27 PM

"Bumf" derives from "bum fodder". It probably derives from the Armed Forces.

The Services had a delightful way with hyperbole. Cutlery is referred to as "eating irons" or "gobbling rods". A spanner is a "nut strangler". The British Army especially has a habit of acquiring Hindi, Malaysian or Arabic words and putting them indirectly into the English language. Examples are: "ulu" (Malay "forest"), "shufti" (Arabic "look").

I don't know how the pacifist and left-wing Ben Elton, Tony Robinson and the other writers and actors of the anti-war "Blackadder goes forth" felt, when catch phrases from that marvellous series were picked up wholesale by the British forces deployed to the Gulf in 1991. Troops were accomodated in "Blackadder Lines" and "Baldric Lines", Iraqi airspace or territory was referred to as "sausage side", and a Nimrod patrol aircraft was named "Nursie". And of course, Operation Desert Sabre was "the cunning plan".

This doesn't seem to have carried over to the Second Gulf War and subsequent occupation.

My favourite services acronym? You've all heard of TEWTs (Tactical Exercises without troops)? The British Army has been known to conduct JEWTS (Jungle Exercises without Trees) and NEWDS (Night Exercises without Dark).

Subject: RE: BS: Same As Slang
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 09 Aug 06 - 09:04 PM

We have had bumf (bumff)in threads before, but I can't find them.
First appeared in 1889 in Barrere and Leland, "Dictionary of Slang"- bum fodder as noted by HuwG; originally applied to schoolboy papers, now applied to everything from toilet paper to govermment and company memos and reports and tourist blurbs. A useful word!

Subject: RE: BS: Same As Slang
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 09 Aug 06 - 09:10 PM

Reminded me of bumly- 1908. Feeling sad, kind of bummed out.
In Lighter.

One heck of a lot of bum- slang words. Many not suitable for posting in a family site like Mudcat.

Subject: RE: BS: Same As Slang
From: The Walrus
Date: 10 Aug 06 - 12:47 PM

"...A spanner is a "nut strangler"..."
I'll add that a tin opener is a "can spanner"

"...The British Army especially has a habit of acquiring Hindi, Malaysian or Arabic words and putting them indirectly into the English language. Examples are: "ulu" (Malay "forest"), "shufti" (Arabic "look")..."
Some of these phrases brought in from the hay-day of Empire have entered 'regular' slang usage to such an extent that many people don't realise that they came from other languages:
"Dekko": Look or Watch - from the Hindi dekhna
"Pukka": Real, genuine or 'proper' (correct) - from the Hindi pakkha
"Jungle" comes from the Hindi and Maharatta term jangal
"Blighty" for Britain (sometimes still heard) comes from either bilaik(Hindi: foreign county); Arabic beladi (my own counrtry); or from the Persian Vilayat (strange or foreign, through the Urdu belait
and of course "Cushy" which comes from the Hindi and, thanks to "Only Fools and Horses" has, somehow mutated to "cushty" (not a good move IMHO)
The Peninsula War gave us "Khasi"/"Karsy" (lavatory) from the Spanish Casa and "Vamoose" (go quickly) from vamos
"Pal" apparently comes from Romany.
Then of course there are combinations of languages to give pidgin terms - a simple one An Indian laundryman was the Dhobi, (from the Sanskrit dhond - to wash) this was extended to Dhobi-wallah, by further extension washing powder is now "dhobi-dust".

Any use

W


(Sorry, I've been hitting Brophey & Partridge and Hobson-Jobson)

Subject: RE: BS: Same As Slang
From: Sorcha
Date: 10 Aug 06 - 01:41 PM

'hung me up'......got me in trouble, prob. from hung out to dry.

Subject: RE: BS: Same As Slang
From: Azizi
Date: 10 Aug 06 - 09:29 PM

I'm refreshing this thread because I don't like the number 66. For some reason [probably religious leftovers] it seems bad to me.

That's bad 'bad', and not bad 'good'.

Someone who shall remain nameless in another thread on colloquialisms posted that he didn't like the term "My bad".

And that's kool and the gang and all that. It's all good. Everybody don't have to like every thing.

But, just for the record, I thought I would hip those not in the know to the fact that fact that "My bad" is contemporary hip-hop African American lingo for "My fault". If someone [in a certain age group and cultural group and setting] unintentionally does something to another person or to a group, in order to avert any repercussions, if he or she knows what's good for him or her, he or she better say "My bad" to that person or group. And hopefully the response is a slight but cool nod of the head, or some clipped statement like "Fine" or "No biggie" or "[It aint] No big deal" that signals that that potential crisis has passed.

So that's what I was going to write about...and I did. I hope you get my drift. But if you don't "My bad".

Subject: RE: BS: Same As Slang
From: Azizi
Date: 10 Aug 06 - 09:32 PM

Hmmm...preview could be my friend if I let it be. {there's a song in that]...

All that to say that this sentence has too many facts in it [or maybe or another level not enough facts]:

"But, just for the record, I thought I would hip those not in the know to the fact that fact that "My bad" is contemporary hip-hop African American lingo for "My fault"."

You can take out one of the facts..whichever one you choose. It's all good. And...

My bad.

:o)

Subject: RE: BS: Same As Slang
From: Azizi
Date: 10 Aug 06 - 09:35 PM

Yeah I know. I made another typo.

What's it to ya? [said with attitude]

Nothin, right?

After all, it's no biggie....

Oh alright alright. I'll say it.

"My bad".

;o}

Subject: RE: BS: Same As Slang
From: The Sandman
Date: 11 Aug 06 - 09:22 AM

TITFER=TIT FOR TAT = HAT

Subject: RE: BS: Same As Slang
From: The Sandman
Date: 12 Aug 06 - 07:56 AM

porkies = pork pies = lies

Subject: RE: BS: Same As Slang
From: Azizi
Date: 12 Aug 06 - 08:26 AM

"Lies" is the insider term for the tall tales that storytellers tell. See this use of the term from Zora Neale Hurston's now classic book "Mules To Men", a collection of African American Folklore from the author's hometown of Eatonville, Florida:

"Hurston announces upon her arrival, "'... Ah come to collect some old stories and tales and Ah know y'all know plenty of 'em and that's why Ah headed straight for home,'" to which the inhabitants of Eatonville respond, "'What you mean, Zora, them big old lies we tell when we're just sittin' here on the store porch doin' nothin'?'"
Source: Reading Hurston writing

Subject: RE: BS: Same As Slang
From: Sorcha
Date: 22 Aug 06 - 04:33 PM

Odd uses of the word 'to'
She's to be buried in Jay Em
It's to rain soon
Will you be to the fair?
Is this primarily a US Southern thing?