Exploring New Words, Jargon And Slang
Marion Field was Head of English in a large Comprehensive School for many years and is an examiner for GCSE English. She is the author of several language improvement books for writers.
Language changes all the time and new words and phrases are constantly being added, and words adapted and changed. Yesterday’s jargon and slang may well become acceptable and no longer recognised as colloquial.
COINING NEW WORDS
Words are introduced into the language from many different sources. People and places often give their names to nouns and, with the advent of new technology, many new words have been coined.
Naming by a person
Many words in the English language are derived from people’s names. These are known as eponyms. Individuals frequently gave their names to items of clothing with which they were associated. Some food and drink also bears people’s names. Other names have also passed into our language.
Examples
Bramley: a cooking apple first grown by Matthew Bramley in the mid-nineteenth century.
Benedictine: a liqueur first made by Benedictine monks in the sixteenth century.
Bloomers: the ancestor of women’s pants named after American feminist Amelia Jenks Bloomer (1818-1894).
Boycott: to ostracise a person or organisation: Captain Charles Cunningham Boycott was ostracised when he refused to reduce his tenants’ rents.
Cardigan: knitted, buttoned jacket named after the seventh Earl of Cardigan, a British Cavalry officer (1797-1868): his men wore the garment in the Crimean War.
Garibaldi: a biscuit with currants named after Italian soldier, Giuseppe Garibaldi (1807-1882).
Leotard: tight, one-piece garment worn by acrobats and dancers: named after the French acrobat, Jules Leotard (1842-1870).
Levis: trademark for a type of jeans named after Levi Strauss, an American immigrant from Bavaria (1830-1902).
Mackintosh: a raincoat named after Scottish chemist, Charles Macintosh (1793-1843) (he did not spell his name with a ‘k’!).
Pavlova: meringue dessert with cream and fruit named after the Russian ballerina, Anna Pavlova: it was a delicacy created to be served during her ballet tours.
Plimsoll: rubber-soled canvas shoe named after Samuel Plimsoll (1824-98).
Quisling: a traitor who collaborates with the enemy: the Norwegian Vidkum Abraham Quisling (1887-1945) collaborated with the Germans in the Second World War.
Sandwich: two slices of bread separated by a filling: named after the fourth Earl of Sandwich (1718-1792): because he hated to leave the gambling table to eat, his valet brought him beef between two slices of bread.
Saxophone: brass musical instrument named after its Belgian inventor, Adolphe Sax (1814-1894).
Stetson: wide-brimmed felt hat named after the designer, John Batterson Stetson (1830-1906).
Teddy bear: a soft stuffed toy bear named after American President, Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt (1858-1919): he once saved the life of a bear cub.
Watt: unit of power named after Scottish engineer and inventor, James Watt (1736-1819).
Wellington: waterproof rubber knee boot named after the first Duke of Wellington (1769-1852).
Naming from a place
Some words take their names from places. This is particularly true of words identifying food and drink. These are called toponyms and some examples follow.
Examples of drink
Amontillado: a dry sherry originating from the Spanish town of Montilla.
Beaujolais: a red wine produced in the Beaujolais district of France.
Bordeaux: wine from the Bordeaux region of France.
Burgundy: wine produced in the Burgundy region of France. Champagne: sparkling white wine originally made in the Champagne province of France.
Manhattan: cocktail of whisky, vermouth and bitters originally concocted in Manhattan in the late nineteenth century.
Port: fortified red wine originally produced in the seventeenth century in Oporto in Portugal.
Sherry: fortified Spanish wine originally produced in Jerez in Spain: sherry is a corruption of Jerez.
Examples of fruit and vegetables
The following obviously take their names from their place of origin:
Brazil nuts |
Brussels sprouts |
swede tangerine |
swede |
tangerine |
Examples of cattle
Alderney |
Friesian |
Guernsey |
Hereford |
Jersey |
Examples of dogs
Afghan |
Alsatian |
Labrador |
Pekinese |
Rottweiler |
ADDING TO THE LANGUAGE
With the advent of new technology there have been many changes during the latter part of the twentieth century. As well as new words, some words have changed their meaning.
Examples of new words
Ageism: n. |
discrimination on account of age |
Aromatherapy: n. |
massage using oils |
Bar code: n. |
printed code on shop goods that can be scanned |
Blitz: n. |
devastating attack on something |
Born-again: adj. |
enthusiasm of a new convert - particularly to Christianity |
Buyout: n. |
a group of managers purchase a company |
Camcorder: n. |
portmanteau word created by the combination of camera and recorder: a portable video: camera combined with a sound recorder |
Chocoholic: n. |
someone who is addicted to chocolate |
Contraflow: n. |
two-way traffic on one carriageway of motorway |
Credit card: n.. |
a card which allows customer to spread payments over a period of time |
Debit card: n. |
a card which enables money to be taken automatically from a customer‘s bank account |
Designer: adj. |
fashionable |
Desktop publishing: n. |
publishing straight from a computer and alaser printer |
Dinky: n. |
an acronym from ‘double income, no kids‘ |
E-mail: n. |
electronic mail sent by computer through a telephone line |
Ersatz: n. |
an artificial substance replacing a natural one |
Fax: n. v. |
printed documents sent via the telephone |
Flagship: n. |
a card which allows customer to spread the most important building or item within a group |
Flak: n. |
anti-aircraft fire |
Green: adj. |
Green: adj. used of those who wish to conserve and improve the environment |
Greenhous eeffect: n. |
the increase in the earth‘s temperature |
Hands-on: adj. |
involvement at a personal, practical level |
Insider trading: n. |
illegal buying and selling of shares by those who have inside information |
Laptop: n. |
small personal computer that can be used on the lap |
Litterbug: n. |
someone who is always dropping litter |
Networking: v. |
making business contacts during social engagements |
New Age: n. |
a modern philosophy that suggests the ‘old age’ has had its day: it combines ideas from various religions |
Ozone-friendly: adj. |
item that does not damage the ozone layer |
Package-holiday: n. |
everything for your holiday is included: travel, hotel, etc. |
Racism: n. |
discrimination on account of race |
Roadhog: n. |
someone who shows no consideration to other road users |
Sexism: n. |
discrimination on account of sex |
Sound bite: n. |
short extract from speech or broadcast |
State-of-the-art: adj. |
up-to-date achievement |
Tapas: n. |
Spanish hors d‘oeuvres |
Toy boy: n. |
young male lover of an older woman |
User-friendly: adj. |
a card which allows customer to spread payments over a period of time |
Workaholic: n. |
someone who is addicted to work |
USING JARGON
The word jargon is derived from a Middle English word meaning ‘meaningless chatter’ or ‘babble’. Today the English language would probably be poorer without it as many ‘jargon’ words and expressions have passed into common usage. The ending of ‘-ise’ on to many words, for example, is obviously here to stay.
marginalise |
nationalise |
normalise |
prioritise |
privatise |
The Americans have coined a delightful word: quietise - to make quiet.
Jargon expressions pass into the language and often become cliches while we forget their origins. Members of particular groups, professions and organisations have their own jargon but sometimes these are so vivid that they become generally used. Those who play games have their own jargon and so do people who work in the theatre. Members of professions create jargon which is often unintelligible to anyone outside the group.
Many expressions from sport are now in common usage. Look at the following examples.
Finding sporting images
From cricket
- it’s not cricket
- knocked for six
- play the game
From boxing
- hitting below the belt
- the gloves are off
- saved by the bell
From football
- kick into touch
- score an own goal
- move the goalposts.
Noting jargon words
It is difficult to distinguish between ‘new’ words and ‘jargon’ words. Some of the following could have been put in the previous section of ‘new’ words but the following list may be considered to be more recent words.
Down-market: adj. |
descriptive of the poor and unsuccessful |
Headhunter: n. |
one who tries to persuade high-flyers to work for his client company |
In-depth: adj. |
detailed |
Infrastructure: n. |
the complete structure of an organisation or institution |
Input: n. |
contribution |
Feed-back: n. |
response to some undertaking or conference |
Junk food: n. |
food with little nutritional value |
Minder: n. |
bodyguard |
Monetarism: |
the philosophy of controlling money in a certain way |
On going: adj. |
continuing |
Pilot project: n. |
the first attempt at a project |
Political correctness: n. |
showing sensitivity to minority groups |
Pressure group: n. |
a group whose aim is to further its particular ideas |
Quality time: n. |
the time devoted by those with careers to their families |
Real terms (in): n. |
the absolute value of something as against the apparent value |
Recycle: v. |
to collect and re-use certain materials |
Scenario: n. |
the conditions in which something can happen |
Sell-by-date: n. |
the date by which a product must be sold |
Shelf life: n. |
the length of time an article stays on the shop shelf |
Solvent-abuse: n. |
glue sniffing |
Spin doctor: n. |
someone employed (by a politician, for example) to influence public opinion |
Sub-text: n. |
the hidden text that is read between the lines |
Sweetener: n. |
a polite word for a bribe |
Top up: v. |
to supply extra material |
Tabloid: n. |
easy to read small newspaper with many pictures |
Take on board: v. |
to take account of |
Tactical voting: n. |
voting against your own party to prevent another party winning |
Terminal: adj. |
fatal, final |
Tax haven: n. |
a place one can go to avoid paying income tax |
Up-market: adj. |
descriptive of those who are wealthy and successful |
Zero tolerance: n. |
refusing to let anyone get away with anything you consider wrong. |
EXPLORING SLANG
In one dictionary slang is described as ‘colloquial language that rarely lasts long’. It has also been described as very in-formal language and language that originates from a particular group. Many words become popular for a short period and then disappear without trace; others are local and rarely travel beyond a particular area. However, some words are so evocative that they pass the test of time and sometimes pass into general usage.
There are a number of dictionaries of contemporary slang and, like all dictionaries, these have to be frequently up-dated. Some of them give fascinating insights into the origins of slang terms so if you have some free time you might find a browse through one an enlightening experience.
Following are some examples that are currently used. It is sometimes difficult to distinguish between slang and jargon so some words could probably have fitted into the jargon section of this chapter.
Examples of slang
Ace: adj. |
excellent |
Dozy: adj. |
slow witted |
Auntie: n. |
BBC |
Aussie: n. |
an Australian |
Babe: n. |
a sweetheart |
Bag: n. |
an unattractive woman |
Ballistic: adj. |
furious, uncontrolled |
Bananas: adj. |
crazy |
Banged-up: adj. |
imprisoned |
Baron: n. |
a prisoner who exercises power over other inmates |
Beak: n. |
the nose; a person in authority |
Beatnik: n. |
someone following a ‘beat’ form of dress |
Beeb: n. |
BBC |
Beef: n./v. |
a complaint/to complain |
Beetle: v. |
to hurry |
Bell: n./v. |
a phone call/to telephone |
Bender: n. |
a bout of heavy drinking |
Biddy: n. |
an old woman |
The Bill: n. |
the police |
Bimbo: n. |
an empty-headed woman |
Bin: v. |
to throw away |
Black Maria: n. |
ta prison van |
Blighty: n. |
Britain |
Bloke: n. |
a man |
Blotto: adj. |
drunk |
The blower: n. |
the telephone |
Blown away: v. |
killed |
Blow-out: n. |
over-indulgence when eating |
Cack-handed: adj. |
aa coward/cowardly |
Clever-clogs: n. |
a know-all |
Clippie: n. |
a bus conductress. |
Cock-up: n. |
mistake |
Dishy: adj. |
very attractive |
Dosh: n. |
money |
Doss: n. |
a place to sleep. |
Drop-out: v.n. |
to opt out from normal society someone who opts out |
Eyeball: v. |
to stare |
Fab: adj. |
wonderful |
Feisty: adj. |
spirited, tough |
Flash: adj. |
ostentatious |
Flip: v. |
to lose control |
Freebie: n. |
a free newspaper or a free item given for promotion purposes |
Gig: n. |
a musical entertainment. |
Glitzy: adj. |
glamorous |
Gob: n. |
mouth |
Gunge: n. |
mucky substance |
Hack: n. |
a journalist |
Hooray Henry: n. |
a loud, empty-headed, upper class man. |
Hooter: n. |
the nose |
Hot: adj. |
stolen |
Howler: n. |
a bad mistake |
Iffy: adj. |
questionable |
Keen: adj. |
excellent |
Kip: n. |
a short sleep |
Knees-up: n. |
a lively party |
Kosher: adj. |
correct, aceptable |
Laid back: adj. |
very relaxed |
Leg it: v. |
to run away |
Legless: adj. |
drunk |
Loaded: adj. |
very wealthy |
Lolly: n. |
money |
Loo: n. |
the lavatory |
Macho: adj. |
aggressively masculine |
Magic: adj. |
superlative |
Mega: adj. |
huge, wonderful |
Monkey suit: n. |
a uniform |
Mug: n. |
the face. |
Naff: adj. |
shoddy, tasteless |
Neck: v. |
to embrace |
Oddball: n.. |
an eccentric person |
Pad: n. |
one‘s home |
Parky: adj. |
cold |
Quack: n. |
a doctor |
Recce: n. |
a preliminary reconnoitre |
Rip off: v. |
to cheat |
Sack: n. |
a bed |
Scam: n. |
a fraud |
Scarper: v. |
to run away |
To shop: v. |
to betray someone |
Shrink: n. |
psychiatrist |
Sleaze: n. |
immorality or sordid behaviour |
Sound: adj. |
excellent |
Spare: adj. |
very angry |
Sprog: n. |
a child |
Spud: n. |
a potato. |
Spud-bashing: n. |
the peeling of potatoes |
Stiff: n. |
a corpse. |
Swot: n. |
a student who works hard |
Tacky: adj. |
shabby. |
Tad: n. adj. adv. |
a little, very slightly |
Tearaway: n. |
a reckless young person |
Tight: adj. |
mean with money, miserly |
Towrag: n. |
a person who is regarded with contempt |
Toff: n. |
a socially superior person |
Togs: n. |
clothes |
Tranny: n. |
transistor radio |
Trick cyclist: n. |
psychiatrist |
Uptight: adj. |
tense, stressed |
Way-out: adj. |
extreme, eccentric |
Wimp: n. |
a derogatory term for a timid person |
Wind-up: n./v. |
provocation/to provoke. |
Wrinkly: n. |
an old person. |
Zap: v. |
to destroy. |
Zilch: n. |
nothing |
Zit: n. |
a spot on the skin |
