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The word slang and the concept it now usually represents are familiar to most users of English, although opinions may differ as to what words and phrases constitute slang. What is perhaps less well known is how this word became our default term for vocabulary that is very colloquial or informal, used in formal contexts by linguists and lexicographers alike to label words and phrases as somehow ...
Aug 2, 2017 · The word became cemented in antigay lingo with the infamous CBS Reports episode “The Homosexuals,” which aired on March 7, 1967 (I would be born on the same day 25 years later). The episode ...
Term Contextual note Time/Region References; ace queen: 1970s term meaning “great queen”. Prison slang for a man who wears a more “feminine” look i.e. shaved legs, plucked eyebrows. May be described as part of incarcerated homosexual culture. Should not be confused with the more widely-used term "ace," a shortening of "asexual." See ...
This limerick wouldn't provide much insight into the origin of beaver as a term for—as J.E. Lighter, Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang (1994) puts it—"a woman's pubic hair" if it were not related to another phenomenon of the early twentieth century: the street game of calling out "Beaver!" at the sight of a man wearing a ...
"Just for the record, Valspeak inherited 'like' from the previous generation: it was already, like, the conventional marker for hip/beat dialogue in the early 60s. Like look up Bob Denver's character Maynard G. Krebs in The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. I have no idea how much farther back it goes."
Aug 7, 2024 · The "greatest" slang word is subjective and can vary depending on personal preferences, cultural context and the time period. However, one highly influential slang word that has had a significant impact on language and culture is "cool." "Cool" has been used for decades to describe something fashionable, impressive or socially acceptable.
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Jul 12, 2022 · Linguists Nicole Holliday and Ben Zimmer go through the history of some of the most popular slang words ever and talk about not only their origins, but why some of them have gone out of style ...
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