Read Dictionary of Contemporary Slang Online
Authors: Tony Thorne
I need some weight.
weighted off
adj British
imprisoned. This synonym for
sent down
has been recorded in this form since at least the 1980s. In the form âweighed off' it is much older, referring to the assessing of the criminal and subsequent passing of the sentence carried out by the judge or prison governor.
weirdie, weirdo
n
a nonconformist, eccentric, a
beatnik
or
hippy
. The terms have been used, typically by disapproving adults, since the end of the 1950s; weirdie was the standard British version (âbearded weirdie' was an elaboration) until about 1966 when the American equivalent weirdo became more prevalent. The standard English word âweird' (from the Old English
wyrd
, meaning fate) not only describes the appearance and behaviour of âdeviants' but was a vogue word among beatniks themselves, meaning impressive and acceptable as well as bizarre.
weirding
n British
a more recent version of the American
weird
(ing)
out
weird out
vb American
to behave eccentrically, undergo a disturbing change of mood. An extension of the use of âweird' in
hipster
,
beatnik
,
hippy
and later teenage parlance, originally frequently used in a drug context, the phrase currently more often refers to unpredictable or temperamental displays by children, parents, etc. To âweird someone out' is to disorientate or confuse them.
weisenheimer
n American
a know-all, âwise-guy',
wiseacre
or
wiseass
. The word, dating from the first decade of the 20th century, is an elaboration of the standard term âwise' into a quasi-German or Yiddish surname (on the lines of Oppenheimer, etc.).
welch, welsh
vb
to fail to repay a loan or wager or to evade another obligation. Now virtually standard English, this term originated as 19th-century racecourse slang inspired by the archaic belief concerning the dishonesty or meanness of the inhabitants of Wales.
I knew he'd welch on the deal.
well
adv British
very. A vogue usage among adolescents and younger schoolchildren since about 1987, from the slang of the streets (used by black
youth
and some white working-class adults) of the earlier 1980s. Typical instances of the word as an intensifier are âwell good' and âwell hard'.
well-hung
adj
having large genitals. A vulgarism applied to males (only very rarely used of large female breasts) for at least two hundred years.
âNo male streakers are naff, least of all stupendously well-hung men who invade the pitch at a Test Match and upset Richie Benaud.'
(
The Complete Naff Guide
, Bryson
et al
., 1983)
See also
hung
The pun âwell-hanged' appeared in Shakespeare in 1610.
wellie
1
, welly
n British
1a.
force, impetus, power. The word often occurs in the phrase âgive it some wellie'.
1b.
brute strength, brawn as opposed to brain
âIt was just welly, welly, welly. The ball must have been screaming for mercy.'
(Ron Yates characterising Wimbledon FC's style,
Independent
, May 1989)
2.
a dismissal, the sack, as in âget the wellie/the order of the wellie'
3.
a condom. A term from the late 1980s using the name of one piece of protective rubberwear for another. Also known as a
willie-wellie
.
4.
a
green welly
Wellie, as a diminutive of âwellington (boot)', became a household word in the 1970s. It was quickly applied to figurative or metaphorical uses of the word or notion of âboot', both as a noun and, later, a verb. The first instances of the use of the word have not been definitively identified, although the Scottish comedian Billy Connolly popularised the term, closely followed by several radio disc-jockeys.
wellie
2
vb British
1.
to kick out, dismiss, sack
2.
to defeat, bully or attack
These are back-formations from the noun form of the word, heard since the end of the 1970s.
well-oiled
adj
drunk. A colloquial synonym for
lubricated
.
well on
adj
a.
drunk
b.
intoxicated by drugs
In both senses the euphemism was fashionable in the late 1990s.
welsh
vb British
an alternative spelling of
welch
wenching
n
(of a male) having sexual relations with females. A term typically employed in the UK by adult males but adopted for ironic or jocular use by adolescents.
wenchy, wench
adj American
obnoxious, condescending. Used particularly of and by women, the term is based on a specifically American colloquial sense of âwench' as a forward, shameless or troublesome female. (In archaic dialect usage in Britain, the word, deriving from an Old English word for a child, had for several centuries signified a promiscuous or immoral woman.) By 2004 the words were being used in the UK as a generalised term of disapproval.
Wendy
n British
a feeble, ineffectual or contemptible person; a
weed
,
swot
or misfit among schoolchildren. The word was typically applied to schoolboys by their contemporaries in the 1980s. The name is supposed to epitomise âgirlishness' and, like Tinkerbelle, probably owes its resonance to a character in
Peter Pan
by J. M. Barrie.
wet
1
adj British
1a.
ineffectual, irresolute, feeble or foolish. A characterisation common in service and public-school usage since the early 20th century.
1b.
(of a Tory) having liberal views as opposed to being resolutely âThatcherite'. The schoolboy term began to be applied in 1980 as a term of disapproval to MPs with reservations about the style and substance of the current cabinet policies.
2.
(of a woman) sexually aroused. Also expressed as
damp
.
wet
2
n British
1a.
a weak, irresolute or foolish person
Oh Nigel, you're such a wet!
1b.
a Tory who was not a wholehearted supporter of the policies of Margaret Thatcher. The word was used by the Prime Minister herself in 1980.
2.
an alcoholic drink
get us a wet, will ya
wetback
n American
an illegal immigrant from Latin America. The term refers specifically to those swimming the Rio Grande, the river which forms the MexicanâUS border. It dates from the 1940s.
wet scene
n American
a gory killing. An item of police and secret-service jargon of the 1970s.
âhellacious wet scene'
(Jonathon Kellerman,
Over the Edge
, 1987)
wetter
n British
a knife when carried or used as a weapon. An item of black street-talk used especially by males, recorded in 2003, so called because the blood wets the blade.
wettin'
n British
running. Used in street-gang code and its imitations since around 2010.
WFIO
A chief executive's private cry of despair or a manager's last desperate admission to his team, the acronym, pronounced âwee-fee-yo', stands for âWe're finished. It's over.' Of course a slightly stronger f-word can be, and very often is, substituted. This Americanism surfaced with the economic meltdowns of the later 2000s and has now gone global. At the time of writing UK
business exits
, as they are known, are still increasing at 5% per year (in Australia the figure is probably higher). Though always prompted by some sort of
epic fail
, the exclamation doesn't invariably signal the end of everything. Those riding the rollercoaster of a start-up or steering a vulnerable brand through recession may experience a succession of
WFIO-moments
and still somehow survive â or not. Further down the pecking order, in the back office or on the production line, the passive victims of these life-threatening episodes may refer to them ruefully as
AFLO
, âanother flippin' learning opportunity', or
SSDD
(also
S2D2
), âsame stuff, different day'.
whablow
exclamation British
a vogue greeting originating among black youth around 2000, but recently more widespread
whack
1
n
1.
British
a quantity or portion. The word is imitative of a slapping or smacking (down); here used in the sense of dumping or depositing spoils onto a table or other surface.
He insisted on his full whack.
2.
American
a contract killing. A variant of
hit
.
3.
heroin. A later variant form of
smack
.
4.
American
a
whacky
person.
See also
wack
1
whack
2
vb American
to kill. A racier and more recent coinage based on the well-established use of
hit
in this sense.
whacked
adj
a.
abnormal, deviant, crazy
b.
unpleasant, unacceptable A more recent version of
whacky
and
wack
.
whacker
n
1.
a
whacky
person, an irresponsible or eccentric individual
2.
an alternative spelling of
wack
or
wacker
whacko, wacko
n, adj
(someone who is) crazed, eccentric, insane. This racier version of the colloquial
whacky
has been heard since the mid-1970s. It was popularised by press references to the singer Michael Jackson as âWacko Jacko'.
We got enough to handle without her going whacko on us.
whack off
vb
to masturbate. A vulgarism heard all over the anglophone world. Like many synonymous terms it employs the notion of striking or slapping.
whack-up
vb
to share, apportion. The phrase is heard particularly in Australian speech.
whacky, wacky
adj
crazed, eccentric, insane. This now widespread colloquialism seems to have originated in northern English dialect meaning a fool (either by analogy with âslap-happy' or as an imitation of âquacking' speech). The word was particularly popular in the 1980s.
âThe Wacky Patent of the Month is devoted to recognising selected inventors and their remarkable and unconventional inventions.'
(
www.colitz.com
, June 2005)
whacky baccy
n
marihuana. A humorous nickname from
whacky
(eccentric or crazy) and
baccy
(tobacco).
whagwan?, whatagwan?, wha's gwanin?
exclamation British
a vogue greeting (a dialectal version of the bonding catchphrase âwhat's going on?') originating among black youth around 2000, but recently more widespread
whale
n See
play the whale
whale-tail
n
a thong visible above the rear waistline of clothing worn by a female
wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am
n
a catchphrase used to characterise a brusque, cursory sexual act. The expression was heard among American servicemen in World War II (probably adopted from cowboy parlance). Currently the phrase is most often employed disapprovingly by feminists and others to describe a selfish or boorish male attitude to sex.
I was hoping for something interesting or exciting, but it was just wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am.
whammers, wammers
n pl British
female breasts. An adolescent vulgarism heard in the late 1980s.
whammy, the whammie
n American
a supernatural power, spirit or curse, responsible for punishment or retribution. A fanciful evocation, adapting the colloquial term âwham', imitative of a heavy blow. The word is sometimes part of the phrase âto put the whammy on (someone or something)'.
âSarge, you got the whammy on me!'
(
Bilko
, US TV series, 1957)
whang, whanger
n
the penis. These are earlier (and still current) spellings of
wang
and
wanger
.
whap
vb American See
whop