American-Australian Slang Dictionary

Robert P. O'Shea

First edition: 86:7:3

Revised and enlarged: 88:5:6

Revised and enlarged: 96:10:18

I collected this lexicon to preserve some of the creative, interesting, or less-well-known words and phrases I encountered in North America. I'm making the lexicon public because I thought it might amuse others as much as it amused me to compile it. In revising it, I had in mind as a reader a young Australian male about to set off for an extended stay in the US. Let's call this hypothetical Australian Kyp. Anyway, the lexicon may help Kyp appreciate some of what he hears. But Kyp should be warned that this lexicon will not make him a convincing user of American slang (see also warning 2 below). It will take Kyp several years to master the timing, sense of context, or prosody of accomplished American slang users. It is the same as expecting an American to read a dictionary of Oz slang and be an accomplished user; it's just not bloody on, mate!

Warning: 1. The following lexicon contains sexually explicit words (such as *e*i*, and *a*i*a, and even *ea* o**) and words referring to defecation and other activities not usually mentioned in polite company. Persons likely to be offended by such words (just to give you another sample: **i*!) are advised not to read this list.

2. It would be a mistake to think that Americans use slang as often as Australians. Many of these terms would never be used in polite company, and would be used guardedly even in impolite company. My advice for neophyte speakers of American is: don't do it! Always use a mainstream word, even if your entire linguistic history is telling you that a slang term would be the mot juste. Americans seem to take offense very easily (any who read this sentence will be offended by it!); as a guest in their country you should avoid offending your hosts.

Usage panel members: Jamie Bagelman (JB), David B. Berwick (DBB), Randolph Blake, Mary Bravo (MB), Rafael Bravo (RBr), Michael von Grunau (MvG), Lynn Halpern (LH), Karen Holopigian (KH), Geoff Hurst (GH), Paul Kaplan (PK), Tony Lopresti (TP), Donald Mitchell (DEM), Bob Patterson, Sharon Riger (SR), Chuck Rothstein (CR), Diane Rothstein (DR), Lisa Rothstein, Annette Skorupa, Phyllis D. Stone (aka Phyllis Sharon) (PDS), Mary Tang (MT) Jim deWolfe (JdW).

Explanatory Chart:

word or phrase [optional part] part of speech. (Origin, if known; frequency of use) 1. First meaning {Australian slang synonym(s)} (Synonyms:. Antonyms:.). Information about usage, including (e.g., ``Examples'') (s.a. related words) and derived words or phrases. (Initials of usage panel member, if it was not possible to obtain verification of the word by at least one other person) 2. Second meaning, etc.
derived part of speech. Pertaining to various meanings.

INDEX
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

ayuh n. (Maine) Yes. This is always said quietly on an intake of breath, no matter how momentous the question, and with a rising inflection denoting resigned optimism (e.g., ``Did you just see that out-of-control Mac truck bearing a load of plutonium crash through the wall of your mobile home and explode in flames?'' ``Ayuh.'').

[B]

babe n. Woman {you don't think I'd be as silly as to precipitate an international incident by suggesting that Aussies refer to humans of the female gender as anything other than women}.

bacon strip n. (Usually plural) What is left on one's undies after a gbl fart (q.v.) {skid marks}.

bad a. (African American) Good.

bag your face instruction. Used to inform someone of their social duty to hide an ugly face from general view (s.a. coyote ugly, one bagger, two bagger).

ball vt. To engage in sexual intercourse (Synonyms: boff, hump, pork, pump, makin' bacon, wet one's wick).
n. Testicle (s.a. chooms)

balls n. Character, strength, cheek {large in the scrotum} (s.a. chutzpah, moxie).

ball buster n. Someone or something that gives one a hard time (e.g., ``This project I'm working on is a real ball buster'').

barf v. To vomit {chunder} (Synonyms: blow chow, blow chunks, call Earl, call Ralph, flip one's cookies, hork, pray to the porcelain god[des], ralph, ride the porcelain horse, scream at one's feet, toss one's cookies. Antonyms: glom, scarf, snarf).
a. Pertaining to vomit (e.g., barf bag -- the brown paper bag provided on planes for the use of airsick passengers).
n. Vomitus.

back assward a. (Intentional Spoonerism of ass backward) Reversed {arse about Charlie}. (s.a. bass ackward).

bass ackward a. Back assward (q.v.).

bazoombas n. (Always plural) Female breasts (s.a. boobs).

beached whale n. A fat woman (s.a. small heifer). Such a description would most usually be made in appropriate circumstances, such as when the woman is wearing her swimming costume, and lying on a beach.

beat feet v. To run (often away).

bearded clam n. The female genital region, especially the pubic hair and labia {fanny} (Synonyms: beaver, poontang, pussy, snatch. Antonyms: see crank) (s.a. pearl).

beater n. (Chicago) An older, usually large car bearing lots of dents and/or rust, usually in poor mechanical condition {bomb} (Synonyms: bomber, piece of junk, pile of junk).

beat off vi. To masturbate {visit Mrs. Palm and her five daughters} (Synonyms: jack off, jerk off, snap the carrot, run off a batch by hand, take the one-eyed trouser snake for a walk [in the grass]) (s.a. twinkie tweaker, wonk).

beaver n. The vulva (s.a. bearded clam).

beaver buck n. A Canadian dollar (s.a. dime, IGWT dollar). (DEM)

bitch v. Complain {whinge}.

bite the big one vi. (From Saturday Night Live?) To conduct an activity too distasteful to be specified. Usually one is commanded to do this in an annoyed tone (e.g., ``Go bite the big one'').
adjectival phrase. Bad, distasteful (e.g., ``that bites the big one'') (s.a. suck).

black n. (Not a slang term) An African American (Antonyms: honkey, white trash). Black is in transition from favoured to unfavoured term. The hierarchy of terms, from most to least offensive is: nigger, negro, coloured, black, African American, of color (q.v.). My advice is never to refer to any American by their skin colour or ethnic origin. That is, never use any of the terms in the hierarchy.
a. African American.

blue ball[s] n. (Usually plural) 1. Aching testicles from unrequited lust {lover's balls}. 2. General state of lustiness, exacerbated by being unrequited (s.a. horny).

blitzed a. Drunk {parro} (Synonyms: bombed, crocked, looped, out of hand, out of it, polluted, shitfaced, skunked, smashed, stewed, wasted, zoned) (s.a. scotch polio).

blow chow v. To vomit {puke} (s.a. barf).

blow chunks v. To vomit {spew} (s.a. barf). (MB)

blow it out your ear instruction. Used to let a person know that what they are saying is either objectionable {don't shit me} or of dubious authenticity {pull the other one, don't come the raw prawn}.

blow off vt. To shed an obligation. It is applied mainly to work (e.g., ``He blew off work for the day'') {wag it} or relationships (e.g., ``She blew him off'', which could mean, depending on the context, she stood him up, or she terminated the relationship {racked him off}, s.a. dump). (KH)

blow out n. A large affair, a big party {rage?}.

bodacious a. (U.S. country) Amazing, incredible. It is used to describe an object which is uncommon in its admirable defiance of social convention, common experience, or even physical laws (e.g., ``Her boobs were simply bodacious'' might suggest that they were extra large and defied the law of gravity).

boff vt. To engage in sexual intercourse {fang} (s.a. ball).

bombed a. Drunk {pissed} (s.a. blitzed).

bomber n. A beater (q.v.).

boner n. An erection (s.a. chubby, stiffy).

boobs n. (Always plural) Female breasts {tits} (s.a. bazoombas, ta tas, tits, yabbos).This is a fairly inoffensive term.

booger n. A ball of congealed nasal mucus {boogy} (s.a. clam, hork).

boot n. A condom {frenchie} (s.a. rubber).

bottom line n. (From business, denoting the profit or loss figure in a balance sheet) The final answer, the essence.

bowl clogger n. The results of a magnificently depleting defecation (s.a. bowl filler). (PK)

bowl filler n. Not quite as big as a bowl clogger (q.v.). (PK)

Brahmin n. (Boston, originally from India) Member of the elite social caste.

breeder n. (Homosexual) Heterosexual.

brown nose vt. To curry favour with a superior, to be a yes-man {to lick someone's arse}. It derives from the consequences of following someone (figuratively, their ideas) so closely that one is ``nose to tail'', to put it delicately.
n. A person who so brown noses {arse-licker} (s.a. ass kisser).

bug n. Any insect or arachnid.
vt. To bother, to annoy.

bug up the ass a. Angry (s.a. pissed) (e.g., ``He's got a bug up his ass'').

bugger n. Someone who bugs (q.v.). This is not necessarily pejorative and is often used affectionately.

bullet n. (Business) A rejection letter.

bum n. 1. A low person, a tramp, a panhandler. 2. Buttocks (s.a. ass, buns). This meaning is almost unknown in the U.S., but is slightly more common in Canada.

bummed a. Short form of bummed out (q.v.).

bummed out a. (Drug culture) Depressed, dejected.

bump uglies v. To have sexual intercourse indiscriminately, with no concern for the aesthetic qualities of the partner.

bunch n. 1. A number, from 3 to 7. American informal numbers, in order, are: zip, zilch, nada (all 0s) (q.v.), bunch (about 3 to 7), whole bunch (about 8 to 39) (q.v.), and shit load (about 40 or more) (q.v.). 2. A moderately large amount.

buns n. Buttocks (s.a. ass).

bust one's butt v. To try, or work, very hard (s.a. butt).

bust one's gut v. (To have a hernia) To laugh uncontrollably (e.g., ``It was so funny, I busted my gut'').

butt n. (Contraction of) Buttocks (s.a. ass).

[C]

call Earl v. To vomit {call God on the great white telephone} (s.a. barf).

call Ralph v. To vomit {have a liquid laugh} (s.a. barf).

camp vi. To behave in an exaggeratedly self-mocking way.

campy a. Describing someone prone to camping (q.v.).

catch some zees vi. (Snoring in cartoons is always represented by ZZs, but whether this egg hatched the above chicken is a matter for debate) To sleep, to nap {hit the tick} (s.a. go saw wood, hit the hay, sack or rack).

catching flies a. Sleeping (s.a. catch some zees).

cheese n. Waxy deposit of shed epidermis cells, usually found under the foreskin (but s.a. toe cheese), smegma.

cherry n. Hymen (s.a. pop a cherry).

cherry bomb n. The highest-powered fire cracker sold to the general public {threepenny bunger}.

chew the shit v. (Corruption of chew the fat) Converse desultorily, gossip. (s.a. shoot the shit).

chill out imperative. Calm down.

choke vi. To perform poorly when under pressure.

chooms n. (Always plural) Testicles (s.a. ball).

chubby n. A partial erection (s.a., boner). (DBB)

chutzpah n. (Yiddish) Spunk, character (literally: guts) {arse, cheek} (s.a. balls).

class clown n. A person who amuses the rest of a high-school class by such antics as always making funny or smart (q.v.) answers to the teacher's questions.

clam n. An irregularly-shaped glutinous mass of larangeal mucus {golden watch} (s.a. booger).

clean a. (African American) Very good.

close enough for government (army) work phrase. A shoddy job.

come down vi. To occur, to happen (e.g., ``What's coming down''--translation: ``What's happening'') (Synonym: go down).

cool a. Good, stylish, imperturbable.

corn cob up the ass a. Stuck up, snobbish {knobby}.

corn hole vt. To engage in sodomy (s.a. ream out).

coyote ugly a. (A coyote caught in a trap will chew off its own leg to escape) A woman so ugly that a man, on waking from a drunken stupor and finding himself in bed with the woman lying on his arm, will chew off his own arm in order not to wake her (s.a. two bagger).

could care less vi. (Originally from a longer phrase: He knows nothing and could care less) Couldn't care less.

could give a damn vi. (Or, as I guess an American would say, I still have an idea) Couldn't give a damn.

crank n. Penis {the unemployed} (Synonyms: dick, dork, one-eyed wonder worm, peter, pocket rocket, pud, rod, twinkie, weenie, whang, willie, winkie. Antonyms: see bearded clam).

crap n. (From the name of Thomas Crapper, the inventor of the flushing toilet) 1. (Literally) Excrement {nuggets} (Synonyms: do, dung, jelly bean, shit, turd). 2. (Figuratively) Nonsense, rubbish, junk.
vi. To defecate {choke a grogan} (s.a. go to the bathroom).

crocked a. Drunk {emotional} (s.a. blitzed).

curve ball n. (Baseball) Something that is very tricky (e.g., ``That last question was a real curve ball'') (s.a. hard ball).

cut it v. To pass some implicit or explicit test. It is usually given in the negative (e.g., ``He can't cut it'', i.e.: he can't make the grade).

cut the cheese vi. Fart (s.a. anal applause, gbl fart, let Freddie out of the cage, SBD [fart]).

[D]

dago n. A derogatory term for an Italian person (s.a. kike, spik, wet back, wop).

date n. (This term embodies an extremely complex set of concepts, which I must confess I still do not fully understand. Nevertheless, I'll have a go:) 1. A social occasion (e.g., a movie, a dance, a concert, a party; an occasion at which there are lots of other people) attended by an unmarried male and female, two people, one of whom has invited the other. A date is either gone on, or had (e.g., ``He went on a date with her''). To go on a date is a necessary, but not sufficient, condition to be dating (q.v.); that is, it connotes the possibility of a more-enduring relationship between the two people. 2. One of the above couple going on a date. The male One is the date of the other female, and vice versa. The ages of the two are usually similar, and range from the minimum which will fulfill the requirement that an invitation be extended (i.e., about five years old) to as old as people can get.
vt. To conduct a relationship in which one person regularly goes on dates with another. This usually, but not necessarily, implies monogamy, and that there is an enduring relationship between the two people (s.a. dating).

dating pp. To be in a relationship which involves going on dates (q.v.) The nature of the relationship can be judged by terms used to qualify it: there is casual dating in which a person may go on dates with many partners, and serious dating which is probably a synonym for going steady (q.v.).

dibbs n. (Always plural) An informal verbal contract establishing primacy of a person's claim to something, made with all other persons within earshot. It is usually emphasized adjectivally as in: ``I've got first dibbs on this seat'' {equivalent to: ``I bar this seat''}.

dick n. Penis {dick!} (s.a. crank).
v. 1. To penetrate with a penis. 2. To mislead irritatingly (e.g., ``My bank's been dicking me around''). 3. To perform a task desultorily (s.a. piss).

dilly n. A very good example of something, although the word may be used sarcastically. Rather better than a doozy (q.v.).

dime n. (This is not a slang term) A ten-cent coin. U.S. coins are the only ones in the world I know of which do not show their numerical value. To further confuse the matter, they are almost never referred to by their numerical value, all but the 1 cent (penny) are silver coloured, and the sizes are unrelated to value: the nickel (q.v.) is larger than the dime, and nearly as large as a quarter (q.v.) (s.a. two bits, IGWT dollar). Canadian coins are the same denominations and sizes, and are referred to by the same terms (s.a. beaver buck). They differ by showing their numerical values, and in the patterns with which they are struck (having a picture of Liz II).

dine at the Y vi. (From the suggestive appearance of the letter Y, and that the Y denotes the YWCA, a place where there could be both conventional dining, and the opportunity) to perform cunnelingus {muff dive?}. (Antonyms: go down, gobble [one's goofy].)

dirt ball n. Milder version of scum bag (q.v.). (LH)

discombobulate v. To confuse (s.a. throw for a loop).

diss vt. 1. (African American) To disrespect. 2. To dismiss (disrespectfully).

ditz n. Scatterbrained woman.

ditzy a. Behaving like a ditz.

do v. Signal the intention, but not the date or time, to have a casual date for a particular activity (e.g., ``Let's do lunch''). Usually this means that the proposer of the date thinks that the date is worthwhile, but not sufficiently worthwhile to justify scheduling it. It would usually be considered bad manners for the proposee to reply, for example, ``OK. How about tomorrow at 12:30?''.

do [do] n. Excrement {blind mullet}. This is a euphemism (e.g., doggie do) (s.a. Maine state trooper, poop, twinkie).

doozer n. (Canadian) a doozy (q.v.) (s.a. dilly).

doozy n. A good example of something (s.a. dilly).

dork n. 1. Penis {dork!} (s.a. crank). 2. Stupid or unfashionable person {dork} (s.a. jerk, nerd).

dorky a. (Pertaining to a person who is a dork) Stupid or unfashionable.

dots n. (Always plural; this is not a slang term) The brand name for lollies consisting of numerous round (about 1.5 cm in diameter and about .5 cm high) dry globs of sugary stuff of various colours which are stuck on a roll of waxed paper (about 3 cm in width), and bought in lengths (s.a. jimmies, malted-milk ball, pixie stick, pop bottle, sprinkles, Whoppers).

doughnut n. (From the pattern left on the road or snow bank) A 360 degree spin inadvertently performed by a car on a snowy icy road (s.a. lay a patch).

down-market a. Poor, cheap, down-scale (q.v.), lower class, not up-market (q.v.) (s.a. up-market, up-scale, up-side, down-side).

down-scale a. Down-market (q.v.), not trendy, not up-scale (q.v.).

down-side n. Bad news, negative side (of a situation), cons (of an argument), not the up-side (q.v.).

drop a trout v. To defecate {lay down some blind mullet} (s.a. go to the bathroom).

drop a twinkie v. To defecate (s.a. go to the bathroom, twinkie).

drop some mud v. To defecate (s.a. go to the bathroom).

dump vt. To break a relationship {to rack off} (e.g., ``He dumped her''). vi. To be so dumped.

dump on v. To come down hard on, to heap abuse on.

dust bunny n. A dust ball. Colonies of these gregarious creatures are usually found under the bed.

dweeb n. Dork (q.v.).

dyke n. Lesbian (s.a. faggot).

[E]

Earl n. A person who calls Earl when vomiting, usually distinguished from a Ralph (e.g., ``Are you a Ralph or an Earl?'').

eat shit and die v. Go away {rack off}.

eat watermelons vi. To be pregnant {be in the pudding club}. It is always used adjectivally, and denotes past activity now evident (e.g., ``She's been eating watermelons'').

eh tag ending (?) (Canadian) Don't you agree? (e.g., ``It's a beautiful day, eh.''). My definition restricts eh's meaning much more than it should. The word is used in all sorts of contexts. The lexicographically most challenging example I heard is: ``Goodbye, eh''. {Similar to, but much more universal than, the Queensland eh}.

[F]

fag n. Short form of faggot (q.v.) {poof} (s.a. fudge packer, member of the club, member of the team, stool pusher). This is probably used as frequently as the long version.

faggot n. Male homosexual {poofter} (s.a. dyke).

fanny n. A tush, usually a female tush (q.v.).

fat chance n. No chance {Buckley's}.

first base n. (Baseball) The initial stage of some process. This is usually used sexually, and refers to contact between male hands and clothed female breasts (s.a. second, third, and home base; touch base).

fish or cut bait v. To begin the main task or continue with the preparations. Often asked exasperatedly: ``Are you going to fish or cut bait, or given as a command (s.a. shit or get off the pot).

flake n. An eccentric, weird person (s.a. flakey).

flakey a. Having the characteristics of a flake (q.v.) (s.a. off the wall, out in left field, out to lunch, the lights are on but no one's home).

flamer n. An extremely dishonourable person. This is a contraction of the term flaming asshole.

flip a bird, flip the bird vi. To gesture (to someone) by raising a clenched fist with the second finger extended; to give the finger to.

flip one's cookies v. To vomit {have a liquid laugh} (s.a. barf).

fly girl n. (African American) Pretty, fashionable, usually African American woman. (SR)

for a fat broad you don't sweat much phrase. (Vaudeville) Expression of approbation addressed to a particularly ugly and fat woman (s.a. one bagger).

fried a. 1. (Modern) Burnt out, emotionally exhausted. 2. Drunk (s.a. blitzed).

freshman n. (Education; not a slang term) 1. A male or female student in his or her first year of an undergraduate degree {fresher}, or highschool. 2. Any beginner in a profession (e.g., ``The bartender is a freshman'') (s.a. sophomore, junior, senior).
a. Describing a freshman (q.v.) (e.g., ``The freshman senator from Virginia'').

from away adjectival phrase. (Maine) A Maine resident whose parents were not born and raised in Maine (said disdainfully) (s.a. out of stater).

fudge packer n. Male homosexual {shirt lifter} (s.a. fag).

full of it a. Used to describe a person who utters an erroneous or exxagerated statement. And, what, you may well ask is the ``it'' that this person is full of. So as not to endanger my reputation of leaving nothing to the imagination, see next entry.

full of shit a. What else? (i.e., see above).

[G]

gbl fart n. (Actually an abbreviation: Gambled But Lost, fart) A fart which leaves skid marks on undies (s.a. SBD). (MB)

geek n. (Originally: A circus term for a person in a side-show with no obvious physical peculiarities, but who would conduct degrading acts such as biting off the heads of live chickens) A strange, unfashionable, often unwashed, usually male person; a person totally engrossed in his own pursuits (hence neglecting social conventions; e.g., ``He's a computer geek'') (s.a. nerd).

get a handle on vt. Understand (e.g., ``Let's see if we can get a handle on this concept'').

get-go n. The start, the outset.

get one's buns into gear phrase. Get moving, begin {get yer arse into gear}.

get your shit together verb phrase. (Dated) 1. To exhort someone to get organized. 2. To so get organized. (MvG)

gin blossom n. An alcoholic's big red nose. (DBB)

ging n. (From the sound made by a cash register) Money, usually ``big ging''. (JB)

glom vt. 1. To bolt down food, to eat large amounts of food quickly {scoff} (s.a. scarf, snarf). This may be spelled glomb; none of my informants has seen it written. It is often followed by the preposition ``down'' (e.g, ``She glommed it down'', ``He glombed down his food''). 2. To adhere to something or someone (hence, figuratively; e.g., ``He glommed onto our group''). (DR)

gnarly a. (Valleyspeak, see grody) Cool (q.v.).

go bye bye vi. To tell a child that it's time to leave {go ta tas}.

go down vi. 1. Come down (q.v.). 2. Perform fellatio on (s.a. gobble).

go saw wood vi. (Snoring might be said to sound like wood being sawn) To sleep {have forty winks} (s.a. catch some zees).

go see a man about a dog (horse) phrase. Urinate {siphon the python} (s.a. go to the bathroom).

go steady vt. To be in a monogamous, heterosexual relationship, with the intention of marrying the other person. This is neither as formal, nor quite as serious as getting engaged, and also does not imply that the two people live together.

go to the bathroom v. To urinate {strain the potatoes} or defecate {choke a darkie} (Synonyms for urination: go see a man about a dog (horse), make one's bladder gladder, pee, piss, take a whiz) (Synonyms for defecation: drop a trout, drop a twinkie, drop some mud, pinch a loaf, take a dump). People in North America are very coy about micturation and defecation, as exemplified by this magnificent euphemism. Normally-linguistically-careful people will utter mixed metaphors such as: ``He went to the bathroom against a tree in the street!''. There seems to be a dearth of scurrilous synonyms, especially for unination, perhaps reflecting the absence of a North-American Barry Humphries to create them.

gobble [one's goofy] vi. Perform fellatio on (s.a. go down).

got to piss so bad my back teeth are floating phrase. To express an urgent need for urination {If I don't splash the boots soon, you'll be picking up pieces of bladder from the floor} (s.a. go to the bathroom)

grody a. (So-called Valleyspeak, originating from San Fernando Valley in California) Gross (q.v.) (e.g., ``Oh, grody to the max!''--translated is: ``Oh, how very disgusting'').

gross a. Disgusting, bad. This is used almost as frequently as its antonym: neat.

grunge n. An unrepentantly-dirty or untidy person.

grungy a. Dirty, scummy, grubby (s.a. scungy, scuzzy).

gunner n. (Northwestern University Medical School) A person who studies all the time {concho} (Synonyms: keener, tech ween, throat). (MT)

[H]

half-assed a. Impractical, not giving a full effort {weak in the pants}.

hammered a. Drunk {mute} (s.a. blitzed, tanked).

hang vt. To execute a turn while driving a vehicle {drop} (e.g., ``Hang a U-ee {drop a U-ee}'', ``Hang a left'') (s.a. louie, ralph).

hang out vi. To wait, to congregate, usually aimlessly {hang around}.

hard ass n. Someone very tough.
a. Describing a hard ass (e.g., ``He's a real hard ass guy'').

hard ball n. (Baseball) A serious situation (e.g., ``These guys are really playing hard ball'') (s.a. curve ball).

have at it vt. (New England) To do something courageous, to take a chance. Usually one is urged to do this {as in: avago, ya mug}.

Hershey's Kiss n. (This is not a slang term) A milk chocolate morsel in the shape of a flattened rain drop, and wrapped in silver paper.

Hershey highway n. Rectum and colon (s.a. asshole).

Hershey squirts n. Diarrhoea (s.a. Montezuma's revenge, power shits, shits, squirts, tourista, trots).

head for the rhubarb v. (Maine) To go (somewhere) for a sleep (s.a. catch some zees). This would be used apologetically, to excuse oneself from a gathering. (JdW)

hell on wheels n. An extremely uncomfortable trip or situation.

hellatious a. 1. Terrible. 2. (Southern) Bigger than hell, humongous (q.v.).

high waters n. Trousers that end short of the ankle (s.a. waders).

hit on v. To engineer a social situation which might lead to dating (q.v.), or, at least, the possibility of reaching first base (q.v.) {con on}.

hit the hay v. To sleep (s.a. catch some zees). Other things which may be hit to induce sleep include the rack or the sack.

hobo soda n. A glass of water {Adam's ale} (s.a. pine tree float). A hobo soda is a derisive term, perhaps used by waitresses, to describe the drink ordered by miserly people (s.a. stiff) in restaurants.

hog a. Abandonedly, without limits.

hog heaven n. A sublime state of bliss.

hog wild n. Abandoned behaviour.

home base n. (Baseball) The final goal. This usually denotes sexual intercourse (s.a. first base).

honest to God a. Authentic, real (s.a. real McCoy).
exclamation. In truth, verily.

honkey a. (African American) A white American (s.a. white trash).

hop on that like a hobo on a ham sandwich v. (Maine) Seize a particular opportunity with alacrity and delight {go for it}. This is often used sexually, in which case the ``that'' could be a hot date (q.v.). (JdW)

hork v. 1. (U.S.) Barf (q.v.) {technicolour yawn}. 2. (Canadian) Produce a clam (q.v.) {bring up a golden watch}.

horny a. 1. Desiring sexual activity {hot for it, hot to trot}. 2. Sexually excited. 3. Having an erection (literally: possessing a horn; this particular meaning applies only to males) (s.a. randy). These three meanings overlap considerably, but not necessarily, For example, it is possible to have an (unwanted) erection, yet not desire sexual activity (s.a. blue balls, randy).

hot a. 1. Full of potential, valuable. 2. Sexy, desirable, ready for sexual intercourse. 3. Stolen.

hot bubblin' shit adjectival phrase. Really good (used sarcastically). (MB)

hot date n. A person, and hence a social occasion, that offers the certainty of reaching home base (q.v.).

hot stuff n. A person or object that is full of potential. Often, though depending on the context, the potential is sexual.

humongous a. Huge, very big.

hump vt. To engage in sexual intercourse {root} (s.a. ball).

hush puppy n. A comestible made from deep-fried corn meal (s.a. pattie melt, Rocky Mountain oysters, Sloppy Joe, Texas caviar).

[I]

ice a. (African American?) Very cool (q.v.).

if she had as many things sticking out of her as she has had in her, she'd look like a porcupine phrase. Used to describe a loose woman. (JdW)

if the light aint on at the top, it's dim all the way down phrase. Used to describe someone very stupid, or an organization headed by someone stupid. (JdW)

if you can lean, you can clean phrase. What a boss would say to employees to encourage them to continue working. (JdW)

IGWT dollar n. (From the words printed on U.S. money: ``In God We Trust'') A U.S. dollar (s.a. beaver buck). (DEM)

I'm from Missouri exclamation. (U.S.; presumably people from Missouri were, or are, extremely skeptical) Prove it, I don't believe you.

in your face adjectival phrase. (Sport) Describing a particularly confrontational person or style of interaction (s.a. one on one).

it aint over till the fat lady sings phrase. (From basketball, derived from the understanding that opera is not finished until the soprano sings the aria) It is not finished, don't count your chickens before they hatch.

[J]

jack off vi. To masturbate {twang the wire} (s.a. beat off).

JAP n. A derogatory term for a Jewish American Princess, or (rarely) Jewish American Prince. These royalty are young Jewish people who have been totally insulated from the realities of life by their parents' money.

jap flaps n. Raffia thongs.

jerk n. (From jerk off, q.v.) An aggravating, worthless person {dickhead} (s.a. jerk off, loser, schlep, wonk).

jerk off vi. Masturbate {play pocket billiards} (s.a. beat off).
n. A jerk (q.v.).

jimmies n. (Always plural) Small multicoloured specks of confection used to decorate cakes or ice creams {hundreds and thousands} (s.a. dot).

jit bag n. A scum bag (q.v.). (JB)

jock n. An athletic person, usually stupid.

joe limp dick n. (Sexual) A wimp (q.v.).

juicy poops n. Diarrhoea (s.a., Montzuma's revenge).

junior n. (Education; not a slang term) A student in his or her second year of an undergraduate degree {second-year} or high school (s.a. freshman).

[K]

kazoo n. Anus {arse}.

keener n. (Queen's University) A gunner (q.v.).

keester n. A tush, usually a male tush (q.v.).

key a. (Business) Up to date.

kick ass (butt) v. Impose one's authority.

kike n. A derogatory term for a Jewish person (s.a. dago).

klingon n. A small piece of fecal matter adhering stubbornly to the anus (usually plural).

[L]

last Pepsi in the desert adjectival phrase. (Rare, probably idiosyncratic) Used to describe someone with an overinflated estimate of their own worth (e.g., ``He thinks he is the ... '') (s.a. attitude). (RBr)

lay a patch v. Intentionally to spin a car's tyres by acceleration {drop a wheelie} (s.a. doughnut).

let Freddie out of the cage v. Fart (s.a. cut the cheese).

life's a beach phrase. Variation on next entry. (T-shirt caption first sighted in New Jersy by KH)

life's a bitch and then you die phrase. Predominant 80s American existential philosophy (s.a. shit happens).

light [one] up v. (Sport) 1. To annhilate someone or a team in a game (e.g., ``He lit him up! He torched him!'') (s.a. toast). 2. To inspire someone or a team. (DBB)

lighten up instruction. Relax, keep the current situation in perspective.

looped a. Drunk {parro} (s.a. blitzed).

lose it v. 1. To lose control. 2. To lose one's virginity.

loser n. A worthless person (s.a. jerk).

louie n. A left turn (e.g., ``Hang (q.v.) a louie'') (Antonym: ralph). Both louie and ralph are somewhat out of date.

low ball v. (Business, apparently from signals used on railway tracks: a low ball meant that the train could proceed, a high ball meant the train had to stop) To give someone the minimum price on a product, to undercut a competitor's price.

luck out vi. To have good luck.

[M]

main squeeze n. (Common prior to 80s; now rare) Someone one is dating (q.v.).

Maine state trooper n. (Maine) Turd (as in ``Here I sit on the pooper (q.v.), just gave birth to a Maine state trooper).

make one's bladder gladder v. To urinate {have a snake's} (s.a. go to the bathroom).

makin' bacon vi. Being engaged in sexual intercourse (s.a. ball).

malted-milk ball n. (This is not a slang term) A Malteser; same as a Whopper (q.v.) (s.a. dots).

MBWA n. (Business; literally Management By Walking Around) A sinecure. It is used as if naming a person's academic qualifications: e.g. ``He's got an MWBA'').

max out v. To go all out, to give the maximum effort.

mellow out imperative.Calm down. This is a more graceful command than chill out (q.v.). (GH)

melt n. Any food with melted swiss cheese on top (s.a. hush puppy). Melts are always qualified (e.g., pattie melt (q.v.), tuna melt).

member of the club n. Homosexual {whoopsie} (s.a., fag).

member of the team n. Homosexual {invert} (s.a., fag).

mess vt. 1. To adjust (e.g., ``the plumber was in here messing with the faucet''). 2. To antagonize (e.g., ``don't mess around with Jim'').

Montezuma's revenge n. (Montezuma was the last Aztec emperor of Mexico, defeated by CortŽz) Diarrhoea suffered from a visit to Mexico {Bali belly} (s.a., Hershy squirts, juicy poops, tourista).

moon v. 1. (From the white colour and gibbous appearance of buttocks) To pull down one's pants and present one's buttocks to onlookers. This is usually done as a form of social commentary but is regarded as far more shocking than dropping a brown eye in Oz {Rolf Harris} (s.a. pants).

moxie n. Spunk, character (s.a. balls).

[N]

nada n. (Spanish) Zero (s.a. zip).

neat a. Good. This is probably as overworked in American speech as is the word ``nice'' in Oz speech.

nerd n. An unfashionable person, usually male. Defining characteristics include wearing a calculator on his belt, and wearing a plastic pocket protector bearing at least five pens, in his shirt pocket (not so objectionable a person as a geek, q.v., s.a. propellor head, techie ween).

nickel n. (This is not a slang term; it derives from the major metal making it up) A five-cent coin (s.a. dime).

nickel and dime v. To charge someone in numerous small amounts (e.g., ``These bank charges are nickling and diming me to death'').

no shit Sherlock interjection. Obviously {shit eh}.

not just whistling Dixie phrase. Serious (e.g., ``He's not just whistling Dixie'').

nuke vt. 1. To bomb with nuclear weapons; defeat heavily (s.a. toast). 2. To microwave.

[O]

of color a. (Not a slang term) Used to refer, usually collectively, to underprivileged Americans with other than white skin (e.g., ``People of color''). Members of this group, from most definite to least, includes African Americans, Hispanics, and native Americans. Definitely excluded are Asian Americans. See also: black; white trash.

off like a prom dress phrase. Go quickly (e.g., ``It's time to go. We're off like a prom dress.''). (JdW)

off the wall a. (This either derives from baseball, referring to the difficulty of catching a ball which bounces off the wall, or is an allusion to occupants of a padded cell in a mental institution) Crazy, outlandish (s.a. out in left field).

okedoke affirmation OK. Sometimes expanded to okedoke smokie. (DR)

one bagger n. A woman sufficiently ugly that she would need a bag over her head before any male would have sexual intercourse with her (s.a. two bagger).

one-eyed wonder worm n. Penis (s.a. crank).

one on one adv. Pertaining to any informal athletic contest in which one person plays another in what is conventionally a team game, usually basketball. To ``go one on one with someone'' means to play such a game, but its use is broadening to include nonpersonal nonathletic rivalries (e.g., ``Apple is going one on one with IBM''). It is sometimes abbreviated to on one.

out v. (From ``come out of the closet'') To reveal publicly one's homosexuality. Also used adjectivally.

out in left field a. (This presumably derives from baseball; apparently few balls are ever hit to left field, so any person fielding there is not really in touch with the game. Note the superficial similarity to the fielding position in cricket of silly point) To be out of touch with reality, to be somewhat deranged {not the full quid; a kangaroo loose in the top paddock} (s.a. flake).

out of hand a. 1. Uncontrollable. 2. Drunk.

out of it a. 1. Disoriented. 2. Drunk.

out of stater n. (Maine) A tourist or a person who has a summer home in Maine (said extremely disdainfully) (s.a. from away, summer over).

out to lunch a. Crazy {one brick short of a load} (s.a. flakey).

[P]

pants vt. To sneak up behind a boy and pull down his pants, leading to his embarassment and general hilarity from onlookers (s.a. moon, wedgie). (DBB)

paper vt. To toilet paper (q.v.).

pattie melt n. A rissole (the pattie) with melted swiss cheese (the melt, q.v.) on top, served on a piece of rye bread soaked with melted butter and grilled (s.a. hush puppy).

pearl n. The clitoris (s.a. bearded clam). (DBB)

pearl jam n. (Involving congestion of the clitoris?) Female orgasm (s.a. pearl). (DBB)

pecker n. Penis (s.a. crank).

pee n. Urine {piss}.
vi. To so produce pee, to micturate {shake hands with the wife's best friend} (s.a. go to the bathroom).

pencil-necked geek n. (Probably derived from his appearance; i.e., having a large head on a skinny, nonmuscular neck) An extreme form of a geek (q.v.), a very nerdy (q.v.) geek.

peter n. Penis {Percy} (s.a. crank).

phat a. (90s teenagers) Cool and funky looking. (TP)

phenon n. (from phenomenon) A precocious person.

pididdle n. (Maine) Car with one functioning headlight.

pine tree float n. A glass of water with a toothpick in it (s.a. hobo soda).

piece of cake a. Easy {piece of piss}.

piece of junk n. A beater (q.v.).

pile of junk n. A beater (q.v.).

pinch a loaf v. To defecate {squeeze a Malteaser} (s.a. go to the bathroom).

pistol n. A high-energy, vibrant person, someone who is hot stuff (q.v.).

piss v. 1. To anger, to enrage. 2. To perform ineffectually, desultorily, or unseriously {fart-arse} (e.g., ``He was just pissing around''). 3. (Rare) To urinate {piss!} (s.a. go to the bathroom).

pissed a. Angry {shitted off}.

pissed off a. Long form of pissed {pissed off!} (q.v.).

pits, the a. Bad, depressing (e.g., ``It's the pits).

pixie stick n. (This is not a slang term) A confection consisting of a barber's-pole-coloured paper drinking straw filled with tart sugary white powder (s.a. dot).

pocket pool n. Masturbation {pocket billiards} (s.a. beat off).

pocket rocket n. Penis (s.a. crank).

polluted a. Drunk {been on the turps} (s.a. blitzed).

poontang n. (Southern U.S., from South East Asian (Vietnamese?) for woman or whore; rare) Vagina {twat} (s.a. bearded clam).

poop n. Excrement {poo} (s.a. do).
vi. To so produce excrement {to poo} (s.a. go to the bathroom).

pooper n. Toilet.
a. Pertaining to excrement (e.g. ``Pooper scooper'').

pop a cherry v. To deflower a virgin (s.a. cherry).

pop bottle n. (This is not a slang term) A confection consisting of a small (4 cm) flattened container made of white edible wax, in the shape of a soft-drink (pop) bottle, and filled with a sweet coloured liquid. This is not to say that the wax is tasty, as I learned when I tried one. The contents of the pop bottle gives the wax a flavour for about 10 seconds, but thereafter the macerated mass tastes like wax. These lollies are prized for the chewing enjoyment they offer (s.a. dot).

pop-corn fart n. Something very dry {dead dingo's donger} (as in ``I'm as dry as a pop-corn fart'').

pork vt. To engage in sexual intercourse (s.a. ball).

power shits n. Particularly bad diarrhoea (s.a. Hershey squirts).

pray to the porcelain god[des] v. To vomit {call god on the great white telephone} (s.a. barf).

preppie n. 1. A rich university student who dresses ostentatiously. Males wear button-down shirts, polo jumpers and plaid pants, and drive Corvettes. Females wear tartan pleated skirts, silk blouses, and get driven around in Corvettes (s.a. yuppie). 2. (Rare) An adult who dresses like a preppie.
a. Pertaining to preppies.

press [the] flesh v. 1. To shake hands. 2. To politic by talking briefly to people and shaking hands.

propellor head n. (MIT?) A person so entranced by technology as to wear a hat surmounted by a propellor (s.a. nerd).

pud n. Penis {one-eyed trousers snake} (s.a. crank).

pump vt. To engage in sexual intercourse (s.a. ball).

pussy n. Vulva {the furry hoop} (s.a. bearded clam).

pussy whipped a. Describing a man who is subservient to his girlfriend or wife.

putz vi. (Yiddish for penis) To mess around. Despite its origin, this is quite a mild term (s.a. schlep, schmuck).

[Q]

quarter n. (This is not a slang term; it specifies one quarter of a dollar) A coin worth twenty-five cents (s.a. dime).

[R]

rad a. (African American) Exciting, innovative (literally: radical) (s.a. rod).

radar vt. Look (usually at members of the opposite sex) {perve} (s.a. scope).

rag v. To harass, to complain {whinge} (s.a. bitch). (KH)

raincoat n. (Canadian?) A condom (s.a. rubber).

ralph v. To vomit (s.a. barf).
n. 1. Vomitus. 2. (Capitalized, a name) A person who calls Ralph when vomiting, usually distinguished from an Earl (q.v.). 3. A right turn (s.a. louie).

randy a. (Rare) Desiring sexual activity {randy (as a rabbit)} (s.a. horny).

raunchy a. 1. Strong, unpleasant (e.g., as of odours). 2. Erotic, sleazy.

real McCoy n. The true, authentic item; the thing claimed; the unique object (e.g., If some person's authenticity was in doubt, then substantiated, this might be communicated by ``He is the real McCoy''. There is no plural, and the phrase always takes the definite article.) {It is similar to the Oz adjective: fair dinkum} (s.a. honest to God).

really exclamation. (More common in Canada than the U.S., although this may record the passing into oblivion of its usage) Obviously (literally translated as ``I acknowledge the hyperbolic statement you just made, applaud your humour, and sympathise with you about the injustice/ inconvenience/duplicity/whatever which is the reality of the situation'').

ream out vt. Sodomize violently {bugger} (s.a. corn hole).

regular a. Good, definitive (e.g., ``He's a regular guy'').

ride the cotton pony v. (From the cotton of tampons) Menstruate (s.a. spark plug). (PDS)

ride the porcelain horse v. To vomit {pray at the porcelain alter} (s.a. barf).

right a. (Maritime Canada and Maine U.S.) Very (s.a. some, wicked).

Rocky Mountain oysters n. (Colorado?) Southern delicacy consisting of bulls' testicles (I don't know how they are cooked).

rod a. 1. Rad (q.v.)
n. 2. Penis {bar} (s.a. crank).

roll up the sidewalk (street) v. To close all commercial establishments (such as shops, bars, restaurants) in a region and to ensure that no one is in sight. This is effected by the mysterious ``they'', as in ``They really roll up the sidewalks {footpaths} here on public holidays'', as can often be seen in Halifax.

rubber n. A condom (s.a., boot, raincoat, skin) (this is the usual term).

run off a batch by hand vi. To masturbate {have one off the wrist} (s.a. beat off).

[S]

salt water taffy n. (Not a slang term) Soft, coloured, paper-wrapped taffy lollies, available for sale at beach shops on the east coast. These inoffensive lollies symbolize everything that is sleazy and innocent, tawdry and traditional, overpriced and free, kitsch and folk, amoral and conservative, lonely and friendly, post adolescent and pre-adult, and hedonistic and capitalistic about such beach resorts from Fort Lauderdale Florida to Old Orchard Beach Maine. You have to be there to understand.

SBD [fart] n. Silent, But Deadly fart (s.a. gbl fart).

scarf vt. To bolt down food, to eat large amounts of food quickly {scoff} (s.a. glom).

schlep vt. (Yiddish) To drag, to carry something. vi. (literally: to drag oneself around) To waste time, to kill time, to engage in valueless activity.
n. A loser (q.v).

schmooz v. (Yiddish) To press [the] flesh (q.v.) in nonpolitical situations. One who schmoozes is a schmoozer.

schmuck n. (Yiddish for a penis) A jerk. This is quite a mild term in the U.S., but a terrible thing to say if one is Jewish.

scotch polio n. Hangover after drinking too much scotch. (DBB)

scream at one's feet v. To vomit (s.a barf).

schtick n. (Yiddish) An avocation, an idee fixe, an area of expertise (to put it into obsolete slang: someone's bag, their thing). Used pejoratively (e.g., ``that's her schtick'').

screech n. (Newfoundland) Potent rum from the bottom of the barrel.

screw over v. (The interesting word here is over; s.a. warm over) To exploit, to take unfair advantage of a person, perhaps repeatedly.

scum bag n. (literally: used condom) A worthless, immoral man (Synonyms: dirt ball, jit bag, scum ball, sleaze bag).

scum ball n. Variant of scum bag (q.v.).

scungy a. Grungy (q.v.).

scuzz ball n. Variant of scum bag (q.v.).

scuzzy a. Grungy (q.v.).

second base n. (Baseball) A stage, intermediate between first and third, in a process. (This is usually used sexually, and refers to contact between male hands and naked female breasts) (s.a. first base).

senior n. (Education; not a slang term) A student in his or her final year of an undergraduate degree {fourth-year} or high school (s.a. freshman).

shake a leg v. 1. To move, to bestir ones self. One is usually exhorted to do this. 2. To dance.

shit-eating grin n. Big, smug, grin, usually displayed by someone getting away with something.

shit happens phrase. Predominant 90s American existential philosophy (s.a. life's a bitch and then you die, stuff happens).

shit load n. A lot {big mobs} (s.a. bunch).

shit or get off the pot v. To begin the main task or continue wasting time (s.a. fish or cut bait).

shitfaced a. Drunk {shitfaced} (s.a. blitzed).

shoot exclamation. (Southern; that is, Slim Pickins used to say it all the time) Shit. This is an euphemism.

shoot the shit v. (Corruption of shoot the breeze) Chew the shit (q.v.).

sit on it v. Euphemistic shortening of next entry.

sit on it and rotate v. (Sexual) Go away {piss off} (s.a. eat shit and die).

sit on it and rotate till it bleeds v. Cacophemistic lengthening of previous entry.

skin n. A condom (s.a. rubber).

skunk vt. To beat someone comprehensively in a game, often to a score of zero (Synonyms: toast, torch) (s.a. blitzed).

skunked a. 1. Describing someone held to zero in a game. 2. Drunk (s.a. blitzed).

slam [dunk] vt. (Basketball) To accomplish a task easily.
n. An easily-accomplished task.

sleaze n. Short form of sleaze bag (q.v.).

sleaze bag n. (literally: douche bag) A worthless, immoral woman (s.a. scum bag).

Sloppy Joe n. Cooked minced meat and tomato paste on a hamburger bun (s.a. hush puppy).

small heifer n. A fat woman (s.a. beached whale). In this case, the opposite of hyperbole.

smart [-ass] a. 1. Describing a smart ass (q.v.). 2. Describing something pedantic or unfunny (e.g., ``That was a smart-ass thing to say).

smart ass n. An objectionable person who points out other people's errors.

smashed a. Drunk {ratshit} (s.a. blitzed).

smooth move, Ex Lax exclamation. (Ex Lax is a purgative, so the resulting smooth move, while positive for the mover, is not so positive for others forced to witness it) Said sarcastically after someone does something stupid, especially during Boston driving.

snap the carrot vi. To masturbate (s.a. beat off). (PK)

snarf v. 1. Bolt down food (s.a. glom). 2. Reverse the direction of post nasal drip, by sniffing hard.

snatch n. Vagina {snatch} (s.a. bearded clam).

some a. (Maritime Canadian) Very, but not so very as right (q.v.) (e.g. ``This screech (q.v.) is right some {is extremely} good'').

sophomore n. (Education; not a slang term) A student in his or her third year of an undergraduate degree or at high school (s.a. freshman).
a. Describing a sophomore. Often used to describe a brand of humour featuring bodily fluids (e.g., nasal mucus), athough then the adjective is usually sophomoric {undergraduate}.

space it out vi. To stare fixedly at nothing in particular, with consciousness ``miles away'' {To enter a brown study, to be so in a brown study} (s.a. spaced). Also space out.

spaced a. To be spaced out {to be in a brown study}.

spark plug v. Tampon (s.a. ride the cotton pony).

spik n. A derogatory term for a Spanish or Puerto Rican person (s.a. dago).

spill one's guts v. Confess all.

sprinkles n. (Always plural; this is not a slang term) Jimmies (q.v.).

stem n. (Northwestern University Neuroscience Students) A stupid person, literally a decerebrate person, possessing only a brain stem.
a. Pertaining to a stem, stupid.

stewed a. Drunk {consumed too much of the singing syrup} (s.a. blitzed).

stick to one like snot to a finger phrase. Adhere closely and stubbornly. (CR)

stiff n. A corpse.
vt. 1. To leave no tip in a restaurant, from miserly motives. (Not tipping when the service has been poor is not an example of stiffing. Actually, the hierarchy of socially-approved communications to the person serving is as follows: excellent service rates a tip of 25-20% and would probably be accompanied by a kind word; adequate service scores 20-15%; if one thing was especially displeasing, 15-10% would be left; if there were more than one problem, the tip would be less than 15-10% by an amount proportional to the severity of the problems and the degree of the server's responsibility for them; terrible service would justify no tip, although it would be usual to explain the reason for its absence, presumably to avoid the misperception that the server was being stiffed; finally, insulting service would justify the most insulting tip, that of a few copper coins. In Canada, all the above categories apply, but the figures should be reduced by 5%. 2. To sneak out of a restaurant without paying the bill {to do a runner}.

stiffy n. An erection (s.a., boner).

stool pusher n. Male homosexua {joy boy}l (s.a., fag).

stuff happens phrase. Euphemism of shit happens (q.v.).

suck v. 1. To conduct an activity too distasteful to be specified, except this one involves sucking rather than biting (s.a. bite the big one). 2. To be so distasteful (e.g., ``That sucks'').

summer over v. (New England; not slang term) To escape the oppressive heat of Boston or New York summers by retreating to (palatial homes in) Rhode Island (Vanderbilts, Astors) or Bar Harbour (Rockefellers). Originally engaged in only by rich people, but now common, especially from Boston to Maine (s.a. out of stater).

sweet a. (African American) Cool (q.v.). (GH)

[T]

table vt. (Business) To postpone action on, or discussion of, a project. (DBB)

take a bath v. To lose comprehensively, for example in the stock market (s.a. toast, torch).

take a dump v. To defecate {choke a grogan} (s.a. go to the bathroom).

take a whizz v. To micturate {splash the boots} (s.a. go to the bathroom).

take the monster for a walk v. To take a whizz (q.v.) {shake hands with the unemployed}. (MB)

take the one-eyed trouser snake for a walk [in the grass] vi. To masturbate (s.a. beat off). (PK)

tanked a. Drunk (s.a. hammered).

ta tas n. (Always plural) Female breasts (s.a. boobs). This is a euphemism via baby talk {e.g., wee wee for penis; I cannot think of the Australian equivalent for breasts} of tits, the ta coming from the first letter of tits. (DR)

techie ween n. An engineering (hence techie) student who studies hard, and hence is a nerd (q.v.) (s.a., gunner).

Texas caviar n. Black-eyed (i.e., burnt) peas (s.a. hush puppy).

the lights are on but no one's home a. Possessing all the attributes of human life except cerebration; stupid (s.a. out to lunch).

the virus n. Human immunodeficiency virus (accent on the the).

third base n. (Baseball) The penultimate stage in a process. This is usually used sexually, and refers to manual contact of female genitalia (s.a. first base).

three card monte n. (New York) A con game in which three playing cards, including a queen, are shuffled face-down on a board or table. The object of the game is to pick the queen for a return equal to the stake, but the queen has usually been removed from the table during the shuffling.

three-fingered salute n. (Computing) The manoeuvre required to reboot an IBM[-compatible] computer (i.e., cntrl-alt-del).

throw for a loop v. (Baseball?) To upset, surprise, confuse (e.g. ``She threw him for a loop'') (s.a. discombobulate).

throat n. (From cut throat; from F&M College) A gunner (q.v.). (KH)

tight a. Close (of friends).

tit[s] n. (Usually plural, corruption of teat) Breasts, usually female breasts (s.a. boobs). This is a much more offensive term than the same word in Australia.

to-die-for a. Describing something especially desirable or delicious. Usually applied to foods. Probably from high-fat foods that Americans seem to believe will result in certain death if consumed (e.g., ``The angel-food cake was to-die-for'').

toast v. To conquer someone comprehensively in a game or athletic competition (s.a. torch).
n. 1. Someone so conquered (s.a. take a bath). 2. Someone in big trouble (e.g. ``If you ate the last twinkie, you're toast'').

toasted a. Hung over (s.a. zoned).

toe cheese n. Smegma found between the toes when one's socks are removed after a day of wear (s.a. cheese).

toilet paper vt. To drape toilet paper over someone's house or through the branches of that person's trees, accomplished by repeatedly throwing rolls over the house or trees. This might seem a somewhat collegiate prank, but was regularly practised by the up-scale (q.v.) residents of up-market (q.v.) Evanston, where the whole process was apparently treated with good-natured tolerance. It is sometimes abbreviated to paper.

tops a. Very good, superior.

torch v. (Basketball) To annhilate someone or a team in a game of sport (s.a. toast, take a bath). (DBB)

toss one's cookies. v. To vomit (s.a. barf). It is never used in the canonical form given here, but with an appropriate personal pronoun: e.g., ``She tossed her cookies'').

totally a. (Valleyspeak, see grody) Very, although not as very as ``to the max'' (q.v.).

to the max a. (Valleyspeak, see grody) Very. Valleyspeak words are rare in the general vocabulary, but this phrase is perhaps a little more common.

touch base vi. (Baseball) To contact someone, to meet, to keep in touch (s.a. first base).

tourista n. Diarrhoea suffered by tourists of Mexico {Dehli belly} (s.a., Montezuma's revenge).

townie n. (New England?) A person who grows up, lives, then dies in the same small town.

tschoske n. (Yiddish) An object of little intrinsic worth, but with a garish, overblown appearance.

tubed a. (Possibly from tubes, q.v.) Depressed. (DBB)

tubes n. (Always plural but referring to a singular object; probably denoting the sewerage to which the object is attached) The toilet, a destination much to be kept above (e.g., ``That idea went down the tubes'', i.e.: that idea was discarded as untenable).

tucchus n. (Yiddish) Buttocks. This is a stronger form than tush (q.v.).

tush n. (A contraction of tucchus) Buttocks {bottom}. This is a milder form than ass (q.v.).

Twinkie n. 1. (Not a slang term) A vanilla snack cake containing ``cream'' probably made as a byproduct of the petroleum industry. 2. Turd (s.a. drop a twinkie). 3. Penis (s.a. twinkie tweaker).

twinkie tweaker n. Someone who plays with his penis {wanker} (s.a. beat off, wonk).

two bagger n. A woman so ugly that she needs a bag over her head during sexual intercourse that can only be conducted if the male also wears a bag over his head. The male's bag is in case the woman's bag slips off. The ultimate protection is provided by adding a pistol, with which the male would shoot himself in the event that both bags fell off (s.a. one bagger).

two bit a. (Literally, worth 25 cents, two bits q.v.) Cheap, shoddy {two-bob}.

two bits n. (A long time ago, before inflation, there was a gold coin valued at US$1. It could be chopped into eight bits to allow smaller transactions. Two such bits thus were equal to) 25 cents, a quarter (q.v.).

[U]

up-market a. Rich, expensive, upper class, up-scale (q.v.), not down-market (q.v.).

up-scale a. Up-market (q.v.), trendy, not down-scale (q.v.).

up-side n. Good news, positive side (of a situation), pros (of an argument), not the down-side (q.v.).

up shits creek a. {up shit creek}.

[V]

vertical smile n. The meeting place of the left and right buttocks {crack} (s.a. ass).

vic vt. (African American) To borrow permanently. (SR)

[W]

waders n. Trousers that end short of the ankle (s.a. high waters).

wannabe n. Someone who wants to be something he or she is not (e.g., She's a Madonna wannabe'').

warmed over a. Pertaining to anything (usually food) that is reused after some desultory cosmetic effort (usually reheating) has been made to make it look new.

warzoo n. Anus and rectum (s.a. ass).

wasted a. Drunk {a bit under the weather} (s.a. blitzed).

wedgie n. A manoeuvre in which the administrator of the wedgie reaches into the back of the victim's trousers, grabs the victim's underpants, and pulls them up so that they form a wedge dividing the victim's bottocks (s.a. atomic wedgie).

weed n. Marijuana. Most drug terms overlap considerable with Australian usage. Related terms include: bong, grass, joint, Mary J, Mary Jane, reefer, roach.

weenie n. (A small frankfurt sausage {a cheerio}) Diminutive for a penis {wee} (Synonyms: willie, winkie) (s.a. crank).

wet one's wick v. Engage in sexual intercourse (s.a. ball).

whang n. Penis {old feller} (s.a. crank).

white trash n. Underprivileged white Americans (s.a. black).

white walls n. (From a type of tyre popular in the 60s) A haircut in which so much is taken off the sides that the untanned part of the scalp is visible through the stubble {short back and sides}.

whole ball of wax n. Everything (s.a. whole nine yards).

whole bunch n. A lot. This is a very common expression (s.a. bunch).

whole nine yards n. (Origin unknown) The full extent of a process; that which is required for a process to be completed. This is usually given with the verb to go,as ``He went the whole nine yards'', meaning that he went to all lengths necessary to complete the project. There is a suggestion of disparagement, a suggestion that such lengths were perhaps excessive. (s.a. whole ball of wax).

Whopper n. (This is not a slang term) A Malteser; a malted-milk ball (q.v.) (s.a. dots).

wicked a., adv. (Maine) 1. Good (e.g., ``That's a wicked skidder you've got there''). 2. Very (e.g., ``These hot dogs and beans are wicked good'', ``That's a wicked large house'') (s.a. right). 3. (Rare) Bad (e.g., ``The wind is blowin' up something wicked today'').

willie n. A a weenie (q.v.) {there seems to be a dearth of Oz synonyms for these terms, suggesting that there is a dearth of the objects they describe}.

wimp n. A weak, ineffectual, pusillanimous milk-sop {sook} (s.a. joe limp dick, wuss).

winkie n. A weenie (q.v.).

wonk n. A person who is full of himself or herself {wanker} (s.a. beat off, twinkie tweaker).

wop n. A derogatory term for a Greek person (s.a. dago).

wuss n. (New England) A wimp (q.v.).

[X]

[Y]

yabbos n. (Always plural, rare) Female breasts {norks} (s.a. boobs). (DR)

yank n. (Canadian, and Australian for that matter) Generic term for a person from the U.S {septic}.

yankee n. (U.S.) A person from the New England states. On rare occasions this is abbreviated to yank. People from the U.S. never refer to themselves as yanks, preferring the geographically imperialistic ``Americans''. This is abetted by Canadians.

yuppie n. (Coined by Bob Green, a Chicago Tribune journalist: it is an acronym for Young Upwardly-mobile Professional Person) A rich professional person who dresses and lives ostentatiously. Yuppies go in for conspicuous consumption, nouvelle cuisine, and health clubs. Males wear button-down shirts, and designer jeans, and drive Saabs, Volvos, or BMWs. Females wear Ann Klein suits, and drive Saabs, Volvos, or BMWs. Preppies (q.v.) usually grow up to be yuppies, although there are such beings as adult preppies.
a. Pertaining to yuppies.

[Z]

zilch n. Zero, none (s.a. nada).

zip n. Zero, none (s.a. nada).

zone out vi. Space out (q.v.).

zoned a. 1. Drunk (s.a. blitzed). 2. Spaced out (q.v.).

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