Xx
x noun an empty railway wagon US, 1946
X noun 1 MDMA, the recreational drug best known as ecstasy.
Generally an abbreviated ‘ecstasy’ specifically used of any MDMA
tablet stamped with a symbol that may be read as an X US, 1988.
2 marijuana UK, 2003. 3 in blackjack, any card worth ten points. A
Roman numeral used by card counters US, 1991. 4 a cross-breed of a
dog
CANADA, 1997. 5 a grip on all illegal gambling US, 1974 8see:
GENERATION XER. < the X in the circus or carnival, exclusive
rights for an item or concession US, 1980
X verb to take MDMA, the recreational drug best known as ecstasy US,
1985
X adjective 1 annoyed, irritated, angry. A pun on ‘cross’ UK, 1962. 2 in
drag racing, experimental. The designation FX means an experi-
mental car from a factory; MX means an experimental component
from a manufacturer US, 1970
x-double-minus adjective very bad. Alluding to a non-existent
grading scale US, 1968
x-dressing noun cross-dressing UK, 2003
Xer noun 8see: GENERATION XER
X-Files noun haemorrhoids. Rhyming slang for PILES,formedonUS
television science-fiction/conspiracy drama The X-Files first
broadcast in 1993
UK, 1998
X-Files E noun a tablet of MDMA, the recreational drug best known
as ecstasy, branded with a borrowed logo. After The X Files, a cult
science fiction televison programme from the mid-1990s, playing
on
X (E) UK, 1996
x-ing noun MDMA, the recreational drug best known as ecstasy UK,

1998
X marks the spot used as a caption or legend to a specific
location (marked with a cross) on a map or in a photograph. Of
catchphrase status although rarely spoken. Familiar uses include:
the scene of the crime, a hotel window on a postcard and pirate
treasure maps
UK, 1968
Xmas noun Christmas. Pronounced ‘Exmas’. Originally pronounced
as ‘Christmas’, derived from Greek, the initial letter of Christos, yet
is generally presumed to be a coinage of modern marketing and,
while widely recognised, remains an unconventional usage
UK, 1755
X queen noun a homosexual male who is a frequent user of MDMA,
the recreational drug best known as ecstasy US, 1994
x-ray eyes noun the sense of intuition of a poker player who can
ascertain the hands held by other players
US, 1988
X-row noun the area in a prison housing inmates condemned to
death US, 1992
xs and os noun the basic elements of a plan. From play diagrams in
basketball, football or other sports, in which the xs represent the
players of one team, and the os represent players of the other US,
1984
XT C noun MDMA, the recreational drug best known as ecstasy.
Pronounced ‘ecstasy’ US, 1985
Xvidnoun a sexually explicit video US, 1992
XX noun a twenty-dollar note US, 1982
XY noun a spouse. A mutual abbreviation from XYL (a wife) and XYM
(a husband) US, 1976
XYL noun a wife. A partial acronym: ‘ex-young lady’ US, 1976

XYM noun a husband. A partial acronym: ‘ex-young-man’ US, 1976
XYZ noun a citizens’ band radio user of undiscovered gender; hence,
a homosexual. By extension from XYL (a wife) and XYM (a husband)
US, 1976
XYZ used to alert someone that their fly zipper is open. A partial
acronym: ‘examine your zippers US, 1999
Yy
Y noun < the Y a premises of the Young Men’s Christian
Association (YMCA) or Young Women’s Christian Association
(YWCA); also the YMCA or YWCA organisation
US, 1915
Y2K noun 1 the year 2000; the first second of the year 2000. Y (year)
plus 2xK (2000) CANADA, 1995. 2 used as the first three characters for
any year between 2001 and 2009 INDIA, 2004
yaba noun paramethoxyamphetamine, PMA. A phonetic approxi-
mation (perhaps Thai or Burmese), literally ‘crazy medicine’, by
which name it is also known, 2002
yabba noun methamphetamine in pill form when taken as a rec-
reational drug UK, 2001
yabba-dabba doo! used as a cry of exultation. The Flintstones,a
US television animation-comedy, first broadcast in 1960,
introduced ‘yabba-dabba-doo!’ as a catchphrase. ‘A yabba-dabba
doo time’ (an excellent time) comes directly from the theme song,
‘The Flintstones: Rise and Shine’, written by William Hanna and
Joseph Barbera, the show’s creators. As a noun, ‘yabba-dabba doo’
means ‘exuberance’
US, 1998
yabber noun a conversation; a chat AUSTRALIA, 1855
yabber verb to talk, converse, chat, now especially used of
unintelligible language that is annoying; hence, to chatter, blabber,

be noisy. Originally used in Australian pidgin. From an Australian
Aboriginal language, possibly the Wuywurung language of the
Melbourne region AUSTRALIA, 1841
yabbering noun talk, conversation AUSTRALIA, 1847
yabby noun an Australian freshwater crayfish, found throughout
eastern Australia and introduced into Western Australia, commonly
caught for food; later applied to various other similar freshwater
crayfish. From Wemba, an Australian Aboriginal language of
Victoria AUSTRALIA, 1894
yabby verb to fish for freshwater crayfish. After the noun sense
AUSTRALIA, 1934
yabbying noun the act of fishing for yabbies, usually with a bit of
meat on a string
AUSTRALIA, 1934
yack adjective sick UK, 2001
yack; yak noun 1 voluble talk. Echoic of idle chatter US, 1952. 2 ajoke
US, 1951. 3 a telephone sales solicitor, either for a legitimate
business or for a confidence swindle US, 1985. 4 a watch. Possibly
derived from Welsh gypsy yãkengeri (a clock, literally ‘a thing of the
eyes’). Still current, in second spelling, among market traders
UK,
1812
yack; yak verb 1 to talk volubly and either idly or stupidly or both US,
1949. 2 to vomit US, 1992
yacker noun a swindler working on a phony investment scam by
telephone US, 1988 8see: YAKKA
yacker verb to talk AUSTRALIA, 1882
yackety-yack noun inconsequential talk UK, 1958
yadda yadda yadda used for suggesting meaningless conversation
US, 1993

yaffle verb 1 to eat hurriedly or greedily. Originally, ‘to eat or drink’;
still current in Royal Navy slang but only as ‘to eat’ UK, 1788. 2 to
engage in oral sex. From the sense ‘to eat’ UK, 1998
yaffler noun a person who talks too much AUSTRALIA, 1995
yag noun yttrium aluminium garnet. Used in the diamond trade UK,
1975
yage noun ayahuasca also known as yajé, a psychedelic drink from
South America
US, 1999
yah boo! used as an expression of scorn or derision. A childish use
UK, 1921
yah boo sucks! used as an expression of defiance, scorn or
derision. Originally used by children, now childish; an elaboration
of
YAH BOO! UK, 1980
yahoo noun 1 an unrefined, loutish, uncultured person. An
imaginary race of brutes created by Swift in Gulliver’s Travels
UK,
1726. 2 crack cocaine US, 1994
yahoo! used as an exuberant expression of excitement or delight UK,
1976
yahoos noun the female breasts. Perhaps from ‘yahoo!’ as a
celebratory cry US, 2001
yahso adverb here; in or to this place JAMAICA, 1995
yak noun during the Korean war, an enemy aircraft. Coined as an
allusion to North Korea’s YAK-9 fighter jet
US, 1991 8see: YACK
yakenal noun a capsule of phentobarbital sodium (trade name
Nembutal™), a central nervous system depressant US, 1982
yakka; yacker noun work. From the now defunct verb ‘yacker’ (to

work), from the Australian Aboriginal language Yagara, Brisbane
region. Connection with the Ulster word ‘yokkin’ (a spell of work)
is untenable. Now usually in the phrase HARD YAKKA AUSTRALIA, 1888
yakker noun 1 talk AUSTRALIA, 1961. 2 food. From Australian pidgin;
possibly equating YAKKA (work) with food. Variants include ‘yack’
AUSTRALIA, 1942
yale noun crack cocaine UK, 2003
Yale noun a commerical hypodermic needle, whether or not it is
manufactured by Yale US, 1973
Yalie noun a student or alumnus of Yale University US, 1952
yam verb 1 to talk too much US, 1951. 2 to eat as if famished BARBADOS,
1965
yam foot noun a foot that is broad and splayed out TRINIDAD AND
TOBAGO
, 2003
yammagi; yamidgee noun an Aboriginal, especially an Aboriginal
male. A Western Australian Aboriginal (Watjari) term, yamaji, used
generically. Variant spellings include: ‘yamagee’, ‘yamagi’,
‘yammagee’ and ‘yammogee’ AUSTRALIA, 1925
Yammie; Yammy noun a Yamaha motorcyle, in production since
1954 UK, 1999
yandy noun a shallow dish used for separating seeds from other
matter AUSTRALIA, 1903
yandy verb to separate seeds from surrounding matter in a YANDY;
hence, in tin-mining, to pan. Such work is done by a ‘yandier’
AUSTRALIA, 1914
yang noun 1 the penis. From the masculine principle in the Chinese
philosophy of yin-yang
US, 1983. 2 the rectum US, 1974
yang-yang adjective of a horse, lively or spirited AUSTRALIA, 1976

Yank noun 1 an American. Originally a New Englander or someone
from the northern states of America. An abbreviation of
YANKEE;
often derogatory UK, 1778. 2 an American bird. Bird-watching slang
UK, 1977
yank verb to tug something with sudden energy; to remove
something US, 1848
yank and bank verb to execute a turn in a fighter plane US, 1986
yankee noun a multiple bet, gambling on four different horses in a
specific combination of eleven bets UK, 1967
Yankee noun 1 a native or inhabitant of New England; hence, more
generally, of the northern states of America. The most likely deri-
vation is from Dutch Janke, a diminutive of Jan (John) as a
pejorative nickname; also possible is a North American Indian
corruption of ‘English’; or Cherokee eankke (a slave, a coward).
Used by the Confederates of the Federal army during the
American Civil War, 1861–65, and since by the south of the north
US, 1765. 2 a tool used by car thieves to pull out the cyclinder of the
ignition lock UK, 1977
Yankee adjective American UK, 1781
Yankee-bashing noun an act of engaging US servicemen in sexual
activity. Well-used by members of the Women’s Royal Army Corps
in Hong Kong during the 1960s UK, 1984
Yankee clipper noun a North American moving van US, 1976
yankee dime noun akissUS, 1900
Yankeeland noun the United States of America UK, 2000
Yankee shout noun a social outing where everyone pays for
themselves
AUSTRALIA, 1945
Yankee tournament noun a sporting contest in which everyone

plays everyone else. An Australian nuance of
YANKEE (American) as
‘equal for all’
AUSTRALIA, 1961
Yanking noun an act of engaging US servicemen in sexual activity.
Formed on
YANK (an American) UK, 1950
Yank tank noun a large car, especially one manufactured in the US
AUSTRALIA, 1981
ya-o noun crack cocaine US, 1995
yaoh noun cocaine UK, 1999
yap noun 1 the mouth US, 1900. 2 inconsequential talk US, 1907. 3 in
circus and carnival usage, a naive, gullible local resident US, 1981
yap verb to talk incessantly. The term existed in this sense in C19
English dialect, and then independently arose in the US in the
1920s UK, 1886
yapper, snapper, and crapper noun oral, vaginal and anal sex with
a woman. A clever phrase heard in jokes but rarely in real life US,
2004
yappies noun < the yappies greyhound racing or coursing. A play
on THE DOGS AUSTRALIA, 1984
yappy; yappified adjective idiotic UK, 1979
yar! used as a general-purpose interjection, usually conveying
excitement about something US, 1989
yarco; yark noun a member of a subcultural urban adolescent
grouping in Yarmouth, Norfolk, that seems to be defined by a hip-
hop dress and jewellery sense UK, 2005
yard noun 1 one hundred dollars US, 1926. 2 one thousand dollars US,
1932. 3 a prison sentence of 100 years US, 1969 . 4 a prison sentence
of one year US, 1950. 5 your country, especially Jamaica UK, 1994.

6 your home, your house; in prison, your cell. West Indian and UK
black JAMAICA, 1950 . 7 a member of the Montagnard tribe, the
aborigine hill tribes of Vietnam’s Central Highlands US, 1991
Yard noun < the Yard Scotland Yard, subsequently New Scotland
Yard, headquarters of the Metropolitan police. Originally, since
1888, used of the location of London’s Metropolitan Police; the
familiar name stayed when the headquarters moved to new
premises in 1967 UK, 1888
yard verb 1 to be sexually unfaithful US, 1960. 2 to get hold of
someone CANADA, 1984
yardage noun a big penis US, 1970s
yard-and-a-half noun one hundred and fifty dollars US, 1962
yardbird noun 1 a chicken US, 1956. 2 a prisoner, a convict US, 1965. 3 a
newly arrived military recruit US, 1945. 4 in trucking, a terminal
employee who moves trucks around the yard US, 1971. 5 on the
railways, an injured employee assigned to limited duty in a railway
yard
US, 1968
Y ardbird nickname Charlie Parker, jazz saxophonist US, 1949
yard buddy noun a close friend in prison US, 1974
yard bull; yard dick noun a railway detective US, 1958. a railway
detective US, 1950
yard dog noun an unsophisticated, uncouth person US, 1973
yard goose noun a railway pointsman US, 1977
yardie noun 1 a member of a violent gang culture rooted in the
West Indies, especially Jamaica. Yardies have an international repu-
tation for drug-related crime
JAMAICA, 1986 . 2 apersonfromyour
neighbourhood; a friend
JAMAICA, 2003 . 3 a yardman AUSTRALIA, 1990

yard man noun a Jamaican JAMAICA, 1994
yardney noun a manner of speech combining West Indian and
London accents and vocabularies. Combining
YARDIE (a Jamaican
gangster) and ‘Cockney’ (a stereotypical Londoner)
UK, 1999
yard out verb to exercise in a prison yard US, 1984
yard sale noun in snow-based sports, the result of an accident in
which equipment is deposited over a wide area
US, 1995
yardstick noun a road mile marker US, 1976
yarn noun 1 a story, an adventure story, especially a long, marvellous
or incredible story. Of nautical origin; from ’spin a yarn’ (to tell
such a story) UK, 1812. 2 a chat, a talk, a conversation AUSTRALIA, 1852
yarn verb 1 to tell a story UK, 1812. 2 to talk; to have a chat AUSTRALIA,
1847
yarpie noun 8see: JAPIE
yarra adjective mad, stupid, eccentric. From the mental asylum at
Yarra Bend, Victoria AUSTRALIA, 1943
Yarra-banker noun a loafer or vagrant idling on the banks of the
Yarra River, Melbourne; a Melbourne soap box orator
AUSTRALIA, 1895
Yarra – stinking Yarra! used as an offensive catchphrase
addressed by Sydneyites to Melbournites. Melbourne sits on the
banks of the Yarra River AUSTRALIA, 1984
yassoo! used as a greeting among troops who have served in
Cyprus. From Greek giasou! (an all-purpose word for ‘hello’,
‘goodbye’, ‘cheers!’). Sometimes elaborated in mock-Scots as
‘yassoo the noo!’ UK, 1984
yattie noun agirlUK, 2003

yawn noun anything which induces boredom UK, 1974
yawn verb < yawn in technicolor to vomit US, 1981
yawn said to register the speaker’s boredom, instead of actually
yawning UK, 2000
yay! used as an exclamation of delight UK, 1963
yay; yayoo; yeah-O; yeyo; yeo noun crack cocaine US, 1995
Y-bone noun the vulva and vagina as an object of oral sex NEW
ZEALAND
, 1998
YDubnoun a premises of the YWCA (the Young Women’s Christian
Association), or the organisation itself. Short for YW. Later use
seems to be predominantly in New Zealand
US, 1984
yea; yay adverb when describing size, and combined with an
appropriate gesture: this, so US, 1960
yeah noun yes, used as a signal of assent US, 1905
yeah-yeah no. Said dismissively; a rare instance of a double
affirmative producing a negative UK, 2000
year noun a one-hundred dollar note US, 1997
year blob noun a notional date that, within context, was a very long
time ago. A variation of YEAR DOT UK, 1997
year dot noun a notional date long ago; time immemorial UK, 1895
yeast verb to exaggerate US, 1973
yee yes US, 1980
yegg noun a criminal, especially a burglar or safecracker. Anglicised
by 1932 US, 1900
ye gods!; ye gods and little fishes! used as a mild oath,
especially to express exasperation or indignation. The former dates
from 1807; and elaborated with ‘little fishes’ since the 1850s.
Original use was no doubt sincere but from the 1960s usage has

been derisory or jocular UK, 2002
yeh noun marijuana UK, 1998
Yekke; Yekkie noun a German Jew. Derogatory. From Yiddish, but of
uncertain origin
UK, 1950
yeller feller; yellow feller; yellow fellow noun a person of mixed
Aboriginal and white parentage
AUSTRALIA, 1913
Ya nkee | yeller feller; yellow feller; yellow fellow 712
yellow noun 1 a capsule of pentobarbital sodium (trade name
Nembutal™), a central nervous system depressant; any barbiturate
US, 1944. 2 LSD US, 1977
yellow adjective 1 cowardly, afraid US, 1856. 2 used to describe that
section of the printed news media which tends towards the
sensational, the unscrupulous and the tawdry. Derives from an
1895 experiment by the New York World in the use of colour-
printing with the intent to attract more readers; a cartoon of a
young girl in a yellow dress known as ‘The Yellow Kid’ US, 1898.
3 light-skinned; of mixed race US, 1934
yellow and white earth noun money CANADA, 1983
yellow bam noun 1 a capsule of pentobarbital sodium (trade name
Nembutal™), a central nervous system depressant
US, 1986.
2 methamphetamine hydrochloride, a powerful central nervous
system stimulant
US, 1994
yellow-bellied adjective cowardly US, 1924
yellow-belly noun 1 acowardUS, 1930. 2 a person of mixed Asian and
white parentage. A derogatory and racist reference to skin-tone. An
earlier use, from 1842, was by Americans of Mexicans UK, 1867

yellow-belly bird noun acowardTRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 1960
yellow bullet noun a capsule of pentobarbital sodium (trade name
Nembutal™), a central nervous system depressant US, 1977
yellow canary noun in trucking, a Yellow Transit Freight Lines truck
US, 1976
yellow dimple; yellow dimples noun LSD, especially in combi-
nation with another drug US, 1982
yellow doll noun a capsule of phentobarbital sodium (trade name
Nembutal™), a central nervous system depressant US, 1977
yellow egg noun Temazapam™, a branded tranquillizer UK, 1998
yellow jacket noun 1 a barbiturate or other central nervous system
depressant, especially Nembutal™ US, 1952. 2 a high-velocity, hollow-
nose, expanding bullet US, 1981
yellow legs noun the US Marines. Korean war usage; coined by the
North Koreans alluding to the marine leggings US, 1968
Yellow Legs noun the Royal Canadian Mounted Police CANADA, 1974
yellow pages noun in poker, a play or a bet made strictly for the
purpose of creating an impression US, 1996
yellow peril noun 1 a danger (real or imagined) that armies of any
and all Asiatic peoples will overrun the West. From the convention-
al use of ‘yellow’ to convey an Asiatic or Oriental complexion.
Usage is mainly historical but paranoia and the Internet keeps the
phrase alive UK, 1900. 2 used as a collective noun for all sorts of
things with a yellow connection. Mainly jocular. Used by
motorcyclists of traffic wardens (from the yellow flashes on their
uniforms)
UK, 1943. 3 hepatitis. A peril of shared needles by drug
addicts; their usage, with a pun on the fear of Asians and the skin
discolouration associated with hepatitis UK, 1985. 4 in prison, school,
or any canteen in any institution, a bright yellow cake favoured by

the caterers. Originally services UK, 1961
Yellow Peril nickname in Canadian military aviation, the Harvard
training aircraft
CANADA, 1995
yellow rock noun methamphetamine in rock form, yellow in colour
either because of incomplete processing or the presence of
adulterants US, 1989
yellow sheet noun a criminal record. A generic in UK use, from the
colour of the New York Police Department document at the time
of coining
US, 1992
yellow streak noun a trait of cowardice UK, 1911
yellow submarine noun marijuana. A fanciful similarity in shape
between a
JOINT and The Beatles’ musical cartoon creation ‘Yellow
Submarine’, 1969; however, both promise a colourful journey
UK,
2003
yellow sunshine; yellow cap; yellow dot noun LSD US, 1972
yells, bells and knells noun newspaper announcements of births,
marriages and deaths. A journalistic summation of life; a variation
of HATCH, MATCH AND DISPATCH AUSTRALIA, 1984
yen noun an intense craving, especially for a drug; an addiction UK,
1876
yen verb to crave a drug intensely. From the Chinese; originally
applied to opium users
US, 1919
yenems; yenams; yenhams noun free cigarettes; anything
belonging to someone else. Adopted from Yiddish, possibly as
early as the mid-1920s UK, 1984

yennep; yennap; yenep noun a penny. Back slang UK, 1851
yen pock noun an opium pellet US, 1934
yen pop noun marijuana US, 1950
yen pox noun opium ash US, 1957
yen-shee noun heroin. From an earlier generalised sense as ‘opium’
(which included heroin in its definition) US, 1960
Yenshee baby noun an extremely constipated bowel movement
that is the product of opiate addiction. Yenshee is Chinese for
‘opium residue’
US, 1938
yen-shee-suey noun opium or heroin dissolved in wine US, 1949
yen sleep noun a drowsiness encountered by many LSD users after
the effects of the drug have worn off US, 1972
yenta noun a gossip; a busybody; a scold. Yiddish US, 1923
yeola noun marijuana UK, 2003
yep yes. A variation of ‘yes’; the final plosive stresses the affirmative
and gives it a semi-interjection or exclamatory sense
US, 1891
yerba noun marijuana. A Mexican Spanish word that means ‘herb’
or ‘grass’, thus
HERB (marijuana) or GRASS (marijuana) US, 1967
yerba mala noun poor quality marijuana; phencyclidine. Adopted
from Mexican Spanish, the literal meaning is ‘bad/evil grass’; yerba
beuna (good grass) is probably also used
US, 1986
yerhia noun marijuana UK, 2003
yer man noun an unnamed male IRELAND, 1997
yer one noun an unnamed female IRELAND, 1997
yers pronoun a variant spelling of YOUSE AUSTRALIA, 1923
yesca; yesco noun marijuana. Directly from Spanish yesca (tinder),

‘a fuel that is burnt’ US, 1949
yes, if you’ve got the inclination; yes, but not the incli-
nation
used as a catchphrase response to: ‘Have you got the
time?’. Also, ‘yes, if you’ve got the money’ UK, 1977
yes man; yes-man noun an obsequious subordinate; a person who
agrees with everything a superior says or does UK, 1912
yessir! yes indeed US, 1913
yes siree (Bob) yes indeed US, 1846
yes sir, we’re pals, and pals stick together used as a humorous
affirmation of agreement. Used as the sign-off by Ed McConnell
on the Smilin’ Ed’s Gang (1950–55) children’s television
programme. Repeated with referential humour US, 1955
yes sir, yes sir, three bags full used for mocking unquestioning,
blind obedience. US naval aviator usage, from the children’s song
‘Ba Ba Black Sheep’
US, 1986
yessus!; yesus!; yissus! used for expressing anger, frustration,
shock, surprise, etc. From the Afrikaans pronunciation of ‘Jesus’ as
an oath or exclamation SOUTH AFRICA, 1942
yesterday adjective out-dated; unaware of current fashions and
trends US, 1968
Yes way! used for humorously rebutting someone who has just said
‘No way!’
US, 1989
yes-woman; yes-girl noun an obsequious female subordinate; a
person who agrees with everything her superior says or does. A
consequence of
YES MAN; originally ‘yes-girl’ had primacy but
current use favours ‘yes-woman’ US, 1930

yettie noun a successful person who is young, entrepreurial and
technical
UK, 2000
yet to be adjective free, gratis. Rhyming slang UK, 1961
yew noun the eye. Usually in the plural UK, 2002
yeyo; jejo noun cocaine. Adopted directly from Spanish UK, 1998
713 yellow | yeyo; jejo
yez pronoun you (plural). Originally only in representations of Irish
speakers, but later as the typical Australian pronunciation with an
unstressed vowel
IRELAND, 1828
Yid noun a Jewish person. Offensive US, 1874
yiddel; yiddle noun a Jewish person US, 1946
Yiddish highway noun US Highway 301, which runs between New
York and Miami, Florida
US, 1979
Yid kid noun a young Jewish person US, 1978
Yidsbury nickname Finsbury, an area of north London with (traditio-
nally) a large Jewish population. A combination with
YID (a Jewish
person)
UK, 1981
yike noun a fight; an altercation AUSTRALIA, 1940
yikes! used in surprise, pain or shock. Possibly a variant of conven-
tional ‘yoicks!’ or ‘crikey!’ (Christ!)
US, 1971
Yim, Yoe and Yesus noun in poker, three jacks. A play on ‘Jim, Joe
and Jesus’ (instead of Jack), but the reason why is unknown
AUSTRALIA, 1953
yimyom noun crack cocaine UK, 1998

yin noun one, indicating a single person or thing. Often in
nicknames, such as ‘Big yin
’ (Billy Connolly), ‘wee yin’, etc UK:
SCOTLAND
, 1911
ying noun marijuana. This word seems to derive from the combi-
nation of two facts lodged in a vaguely
HIPPIE philosophy: 1) the
female cannabis plant is considered superior; 2) in Eastern philos-
ophy, the concept of two complementary forces that make life is
yin yang. ‘Yin’, mispronounced here as ‘ying’, represents the
female
UK, 2003
ying yang noun 1 the anus and/or rectum US, 1968. 2 the penis US,
1981. 3 a variety of LSD identified by the ying yang (yin yang)
symbol UK, 1996. < up the ying yang to excess. The suggestion of
‘ying-yang’ is ‘the rectum’ US, 1976
yin-yang noun a well-known variety of MDMA, the recreational drug
best known as ecstasy, identified by the yin and yang symbols
embossed on the tablet UK, 2002
yip verb to bark in a piercing and shrill manner US, 1907
yipes!; yipe! used in shock, pain or surprise. Synonymous vari-
ations of YIKES! US, 1998
yippee!; yippy! used as a declaration of excitement and assent US,
1920
yippie noun a member of, or adherent (knowing or not) to, the prin-
ciples of the Youth International Party, a short-lived blend of 1960s
counterculture values and New Left politics US, 1967
YL noun an unmarried woman; a girlfriend. An abbreviation of
‘young lady’ US, 1976

YM noun 1 a premises of the YMCA (the Young Men’s Christian
Association), or the organisation itself. Pronounced ‘wy em’ US, 1937.
2 a boyfriend. Acronym of ‘young man’: US, 1976
YMCA dinner noun a meal made from leftovers. Standing for
‘yesterday’s muck cooked again’ AUSTRALIA, 2003
yo; Yolanda noun in craps, a roll of eleven US, 1999
yo! 1 used as a greeting. Both Italian-American and black
communities lay claim to ‘yo!’. First recorded in 1944 among
Philadelphia’s Italian-Americans and popularised by Sylvester
Stallone in the 1976 film Rocky
US, 1944. 2 used as an expression of
surprise, contempt, dismay, etc SOUTH AFRICA, 1871
yob noun an uncultured, boorish person. Ultimately back slang, from
‘boy’ AUSTRALIA, 1938
yobbery noun hooliganism UK, 1974
yobbish adjective loutish, characteristic of a YOB UK, 1972
yobbo; yobo; yobboe noun a lout. A variation of YOB UK, 1938
yobby adjective characteristic of a yob UK, 1955
yo-bo noun a member of the Korean Service Corps. Korean war
usage
US, 1957
yochie noun in the language surrounding the Grateful Dead, a
follower of the band who has lost all touch with reality
US, 1994
yock noun a laugh US, 1938
yock verb 1 to laugh US, 1938. 2 to expel nasal mucus UK, 2001
yockele noun a Christian. Slightly derogatory East End Yiddish;
perhaps an elaborate back slang variation of
GOY. ‘Yog’ is recorded
for ‘a Gentile’ in 1939 UK, 1977

yocks noun the eyes. English Gypsy use UK, 1936
yodel noun an act of vomiting NEW ZEALAND, 1995
yodel verb 1 to vomit AUSTRALIA, 1965. 2 to perform oral sex on a
woman
US, 1941. < yodel up the valley to perform oral sex on a
woman. An elaboration of conventional ‘yodel’
AUSTRALIA, 1971
yodeller noun a Chrysler car. Citizens’ band radio slang, 1981
yog; yogg noun a fire in the hearth. Market traders’ use, directly
from Romany
UK, 1979
yogga noun a gun. English Gypsy use, perhaps from YOG (a fire) UK,
2000
yoghurt cannon noun the penis. An image formed on an
ejaculating penis UK, 1998
yogi noun 1 a member of the uniformed personnel (commissionaire,
security, etc) at Nottingham University in the early 1970s. Derives,
apparently, from US animated cartoon series Yogi Bear,first
broadcast in 1958 UK, 1984. 2 a poker player with the annoying habit
of coaching other players US, 1996
yoink verb to steal US, 2002
yoinks! used for registering surprise UK, 1997
yoke noun 1 a tablet of MDMA, the recreational drug best known as
ecstasy. This usage is an extension of the Hiberno-English use of
the term for ‘something whose name does not spring immedi-
ately to mind’ IRELAND, 1998. 2 a choke hold. Originally military slang
embraced by the police US, 1987. 3 robbery by force US, 1951
yoked; yolked adjective muscular US, 1993
yokel noun an unsophisticated, gullible person, especially one with a
rural background

UK, 1812
yola noun a light-skinned black female US, 1947
yomo; yom noun aperson,afellowUS, 1977
yomp verb to cross rough country on foot, especially when fully
laden with equipment. A Royal Marines term from the
Falklands/Malvinas war UK, 1982
Yonge and Eligible noun the Yonge and Eglinton street area CANADA,
2002
yoni noun the vagina. From the Sanskrit term, which is an object of
Hindu veneration TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 2003
yonks noun an indefinitely long time UK, 1968
yonnie noun a small stone suitable for throwing. Probably from an
Australian Aboriginal language AUSTRALIA, 1941
yoof adjective used to describe any product (especially of the media)
for the youth-market that may be characterised as high on
fashionable content and criticised as low-culture. A deliberate
misspelling of ‘youth’, mocking the pronunciation of stereotypical
‘yoof’ television presenters, emphasising the critical view
UK, 2000
yoof; yufe noun a young person; the period of youth. A deliberate
mispronunciation of ‘youth’, used by Leicestershire teenagers
UK,
1977
yoofsploitation noun the exploitation of youth culture and imagery
for commercial gain, especially in films UK, 2002
yoo-hoo noun a poker player who engages in excessive needless
table talk US, 1996
yoo-hoo verb to try to get someone’s attention by calling ’yoo-hoo’
US, 1948
yoot; yut; yout noun a youth; a youth gang member. West Indian

US, 1949
yop verb to inform on someone. School slang, recorded in Glasgow
UK: SCOTLAND, 1985
york verb to vomit US, 1966
Yorkie; Yorky noun a Yorkshireman or -woman UK: ENGLAND, 1818
yez | Yorkie; Yorky 714
Yorkshire Penny Bank noun an act of masturbation; more usually,
something of little or no value. Rhyming slang for
WANK (an act of
masturbation) UK, 1980
Yorkshire Ripper noun a slipper. Rhyming slang, formed on the
nickname of mass murderer Peter Sutcliffe who was at large in the
1970s
UK, 1992
Yorkshire tyke noun a microphone. Rhyming slang for MIKE UK, 1957
you ain’t said nothing used for expressing contempt for what has
just been said
US, 1968
you and me noun 1 a flea. Rhyming slang. A C19 term recorded as
current
UK, 1998. 2 tea. Rhyming slang UK, 1925. 3 urine; urination.
Rhyming slang for
WEE or PEE UK, 1998. 4 a pea. Rhyming slang UK,
1998
you beaut adjective great; excellent AUSTRALIA, 1974
you beaut!; you beauty!; you bewdy! excellent, terrific, hooray!
AUSTRALIA, 1943
you beautery noun excellence AUSTRALIA, 1965
you betcha! used for expressing emphatic affirmation US, 1983
you better believe it a catchphrase used for expressing emphatic

agreement
US, 1969
you can go off some people, you know used as a (usually
jocular) response to offence or imagined offence UK, 1984
you can have it!; you can keep it! ‘I want nothing to do with it!’
UK, 1930
you cannot be serious! ‘that is preposterous!’. A stock phrase of
US tennis star John McEnroe whose questioning of officials’ calls
was as legendary as his genius at the game. Of all his rants against
tennis officialdom, this one spread into mainstream catchphrase
status
US, 2002
you can say that again used as an expression of heartfelt
agreement US, 1942
you can say that in spades used as an expression of heartfelt
agreement. Card playing imagery UK, 1961
you can’t stop him, you can only hope to contain him used as
a humorous comment on a high achiever. Popularised by ESPN’s
Dan Patrick US, 1997
you can’t take it with you! directed at someone who, in saving
money, loses happiness UK, 1847
you could have knocked me down with a feather used for
expressing astonishment at something that has happened
UK, 1741
you don’t even know used as an intensifier when words fail US, 1984
you don’t know the half of it! used, as a catchphrase, to imply
so much more US, 2002
you don’t say! used for expressing astonishment at a statement US,
1912
you don’t say so! used for expressing astonishment at a statement

UK, 1779
you for coffee? an unambiguous invitation to drink coffee
pronounced ‘you fuck-offee!’ UK, 1984
you go, girl! used as an encouragement or exhortation. Popularised
by several black entertainers relatively simultaneously in the 1990s,
and widely repeated, usually in a woman-to-woman context US, 1993
you haven’t got the brains you were born with used as a
derisive catchphrase UK, 1961
you have some explaining to do used for humour when there is
in fact some explanation owed. A catchphrase from the ILove
Lucy television series (1951- 61), with the ‘explaining’ often
butchered with a pseudo Desi Arnaz Cuban accent to ‘splaining’
US, 1996
you heard! ‘you heard me all right, so don’t pretend you didn’t!’ or
‘Oh, you understand, so stop pretending!’
US, 1960
you know noun cocaine. Rhyming slang for SNOW (or, possibly, BLOW)
UK, 1998
you know used as a verbal pause for indicating that the speaker
assumes that the listener is listening, understanding and agreeing.
An annoying discourse marker if ever there was one
UK, 1599
you know what an unnamed (but strongly implied) activity or
thing. The ultimate multi-purpose euphemism
UK, 1845
you know what you can do!; you know what you can do with
it!; you know what to do with it! used as a very definite
expression of rejection of someone or something. A barely
euphemistic catchphrase
UK, 1945

you like? used as a humorous mock pidgin version of ‘do you like
this?’ US, 1990
you little beaut; you little beauty used as praise AUSTRALIA, 1945
you’ll be a long time dead! a catchphrase offered as an excuse
for indulgent behaviour
UK, 1957
you’ll do yourself out of a job used as a jocular catchphrase
addressed to someone working hard
UK, 1977
you look marrrrvelous used for humorous praise. Popularised by
comedian Billy Crystal on NBC’s Saturday Night Live in the 1980s;
uttered by a Crystal character, Fernando. Repeated with referential
humour
US, 1984
you make a better door than a window addressed to a person
getting in the light, or blocking a view NEW ZEALAND, 1941
you never get a satisfied cock without a wet pussy used for
expressing the principle of symbiosis UK, 1967
you never know something unexpected may well happen UK, 1924
young adjective < not so young as I was; not as young as he
used to be
getting or being old UK, 1852. < the night is young;
the night is yet young
it is still early UK, 1937
youngblood noun a young man, especially a young black man and
especially an impetuous one; used as a term of address to a
young man US, 1946
young, dumb, and full of come adjective used for describing a
young man with great hopes and little experience
US, 1966

young fellow-me-lad; young feller-me-lad noun used as a semi-
jocular form of address UK, 1926
young fogey noun a young person with out-dated ideas and values.
Coinage is claimed by Australian writer and wit Clive James
UK, 2001
youngie noun a young woman; a young person. The natural
corollary of OLDIE AUSTRALIA, 1965
young lady noun a female sweetheart UK, 1896
young man noun a male sweetheart UK, 1851
young one noun an attractive young girl who is sexually of age
IRELAND, 1991
young stir noun a reformatory for junvenile offenders. A pun on
‘youngster’ US, 1982
young ’un noun a child, a young or younger person UK, 1810
young volunteer noun a youthful male homosexual prostitute US,
1982
young woman noun a female sweetheart UK, 1858
you now what?; you know what! used as an introductory
catchphrase UK, 1961
your actual; yer actual adjective used to emphasise a noun UK, 1966
you rang? used as a humorous line when entering a room. A
signature line of the hipster character Maynard G. Krebs on the
television situation comedy The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis (CBS,
1959–63). Repeated with referential humour US, 1963
your arse! used as an expression of contempt, rejection, disbelief or
derision UK, 1988
your arse in parsley! you are talking nonsense! An elaborated
form of (
UP) YOUR ARSE! UK: SCOTLAND, 1985
you’re right, you fox used as a tease when someone has finally

stumbled over the obvious US, 1966
you’re sharing used as an admonition that the speaker is straying
into personal matters that should be kept private US, 1995
you’re telling me used for concurring with another speaker UK, 1932
you’re the boss you decide, you make the choice. Used among
equals, or even to a child, with no real superiority involved
AUSTRALIA, 1984
715 Yorkshire Penny Bank | you’re the boss
you’re the doctor! whatever you say; you are the authority, or the
expert, or the one in charge; the responsibility is yours
US, 1907
your man noun a specific male individual. An idiomatic phrase used
in Hiberno-English
IRELAND, 1991
your one noun a specific female individual. An idiomatic phrase
used in Hiberno-English
IRELAND, 1995
yours and ours noun flowers. Rhyming slang; noted as current
among Covent Garden porters
UK, 1960
yourself pronoun < up yourself smugly self-satisfied; self-involved
AUSTRALIA, 1987
yours truly pronoun used for ‘me’ or ‘I’; a reference to yourself.
Adopted from the formal subscription to a letter; usage is generally
jocular in tone UK, 1866
youse; yous; youze; yers; yez noun you, both singular and plural
AUSTRALIA, 1885
you shot who? I didn’t hear you – what did you just say? US, 1988
you tell me! used for expressing a complete lack of understanding
of the subject under discussion

UK, 1969
you the man used for registering the personal superiority of a man
so addressed; hence, used to encourage and to champion
someone
US, 1997
you’ve said it! ‘yes, indeed!’, I entirely agree with you US, 1931
you were born stupid – you’ve learnt nothing – and you’ve
forgotten that
a catchphrase addressed to someone who has
said or done something foolish. Probably of military origin
AUSTRALIA, 1984
you weren’t born – you were pissed up against the wall and
hatched in the sun
a catchphrase used in response to such
assertions as ‘before I was born’, ‘when I was born’, etc UK, 1977
you what?; y’what? what did you say? Often challenging,
disbelieving or truculent UK, 1964
you won’t know yourself a catchphrase used as encouragement
to diet or exercise or to try a change of style (clothes, hair, etc)
UK,
1961
you wouldn’t want to know you would be terribly amazed,
disappointed, disgusted; you would not believe it! AUSTRALIA, 1975
yow! 1 watch out! Used as a warning to people engaged in some
criminal activity AUSTRALIA, 1950. 2 used as an expression of surprise.
Popularised in the Zippie the Pinhead cartoon US, 1991
yowge adjective emphatically huge. Liverpool dialect echoes the
stressed pronunciation UK, 2001
yowl noun the exhaust note of a twin two-stroke motorcycle engine
UK, 1979

yoy noun an editorial rant likely to contain the phrase ‘why oh why’.
An acronym in journalistic use
UK, 2005
yo-yo noun 1 afoolUS, 1955 . 2 a bisexual US, 1986. 3 a hot rod
enthusiast who races illegally US, 1956. 4 in air combat, a steep climb
and dive in an attempt to gain a more favourable position US, 1989.
< up and down like a yo-yo used of a person whose moods
alternate rapidly between optimism and despair
UK, 1984
yoyo verb to perform a tactic in aerial combat resembling a roller
coaster ride US, 1983
yoyo children noun children who become pawns in a violent
matrimonial battle and are constantly changing home UK, 1977
yoyo mouth noun a citizens’ band radio user who talks too much
US, 1976
yoyo nickers; yo-yo knickers noun a woman who (allegedly)
exhibits a casual readiness for sexual encounters. The image is
drawn of panties going up and down, up and down UK, 1999
YP noun in prison, used insultingly of an inmate who is not behaving
in an adult manner. An initialism of ‘young prisoner’
UK, 1996
Y’s noun male underpants. Presumably this term is restricted to
pants with a Y-shaped opening
UK: SCOTLAND, 1985
YT yours truly, me UK, 2001
yuck noun 1 a laugh US, 1971. 2 afoolUS, 1943. 3 in gambling cheating
schemes, a victim
US, 1962. 4 crack cocaine US, 1993
yuck!; yech!; yuk! used as an indication of disgust. Echoic of
vomiting

UK, 1966
yuck; yuk; yuk-yuk verb to laugh. Echoic US, 1974. < yuck it to stop
doing something UK: SCOTLAND, 1985. < yuck it up; yuk it up to
behave in a foolish, time-wasting way
US, 1964
yucky; yukky; yukkie adjective disgusting US, 1970
yug noun a deviation from an intended flight-path. In Royal Air Force
use UK, 1979
yuk verb to vomit US, 1997
yuletide log; yuletide noun a dog, especially a racing greyhound.
Rhyming slang; a variation of CHRISTMAS LOG UK, 1974
yuletide logs; yuletides noun greyhound racing. Rhyming slang for
THE DOGS UK, 1974
yum!; yum-yum! used for registering pleasurable anticipation,
especially with regard to your personal appetites UK, 1878
yumlicious adjective of a young man, sexually attractive. Teenage
girls’ usage, or foisted upon them by the magazines they read.
Elision of YUMMY (tasty, attractive) and ‘delicious’; literally ‘good
enough to eat’ UK, 1998
yummy noun an attractive woman who is not easily seduced. Often
embellished to
KANSAS YUMMY US, 1985
yummy adjective tasty, delicious, attractive UK, 1899
yummy mummy noun a sexually desirable mother. Not to be
confused with the branded breakfast cereal which probably lent its
name to this breed IRELAND, 2001
yum-yums noun any illegal drug in capsule form US, 1980
yup noun a yuppie (young upwardly mobile professional). A sneering
abbreviation of a sneering initialism US, 1984
yup yes, absolutely. A variation of YEP; the final plosive stresses the

intention and gives it a semi-exclamatory sense
US, 1906
yuppie noun an individual socially categorised as a young upwardly
mobile professional. An acronym, often used derogatively, probably
coined by several people independently. Variations include:
BUPPIE/BUPPY (black upwardly mobile professional), ‘chuppy’
(Chinese etc.), ‘puppy’ (Punjabi etc.). These social groupings are
the stuff of personal ads where you can find new, evermore
contrived acronyms including, according to David Rowan, A
Glossary for the 90s, 1998: SINBAD (single income, no boyfriend
and absolutely desperate), SITCOM (single income, two children
and an oppressive mortgage) and YAPPIE (young affluent parent)
US, 1982
yuppie scum noun an arrogant young professional. A favourite
epithet of the 1980s US, 1992
yuppification noun the change that is made in order that
something or somewhere becomes attractive to the yuppie
market; gentrification. Derogatory in tone
UK, 1999
yuppify verb to style or remodel something in a manner character-
istic of, or suitable for, yuppy life UK, 1984
yupster noun a young upwardly mobile professional. A variation of
YUPPIE US, 1986
yutz noun a fool. From Yiddish yutz (the penis) US, 1991
you’re the doctor! | yutz 716