Manifesto by Shan Sandhu: The Origins of Slang

Friday 15 July 2011

The Origins of Slang

Published January 2010

Dictionary.com defines the term ‘slang’ as “a kind of language occurring chiefly in casual and playful speech, made up typically of short-lived coinages and figures of speech that are deliberately used in place of standard terms for added raciness, humour, irreverence, or other effect.”

Slang can be derived from a variety of different dialects (think Cockney rhyming slang) as well as social groups who applied their own personal twist on a particular lingua franca.

From the reading I’ve done online, the oldest slang word to date seems to be that well known statement of commiseration, ‘Woe is me’. The exact expression is actually ‘Woe unto me’, taken from the Bible, Old Testament in Job 10:15. Job is the oldest book in the Old Testament dating back from around 1200BC, making this phrase well over 3,200 years old.

‘Boondocks’ is something often used to describe a remote area or one far removed from urban development. American GIs based in the Philippines during World War II are credited with introducing this word. It is derived from ‘Bundok’, the Filipino word for mountain and describes a place that is remote and inaccessible.

The term ‘Blue blooded’ is said to have originated in Spain, to differentiate Europeans from those with Moorish or Jewish ancestry. Upon close inspection, individuals with pale skin have blood vessels that take on a blue-ish tinge. Hence the expression.

“In the limelight”, a well-loved Hollywood reference to performing on stage or being famous, was coined well before the invention of electricity. Lighthouse keepers and theatres would burn lime, which would create a suitably strong spotlight effect.

‘Blockbuster’ is slang that is constantly used to describe movies or stage productions that garnered rave reviews and earned filmmakers, writers and actors bucketloads of money. In short a ‘blockbuster’ is used when referring to a smash hit success in the entertainment industry. Bet you didn’t know that ‘blockbusters’ were bombs dropped by the British Royal Air Force on German towns during World War II. They were so named because at 12,000 pounds, they were big enough to easily demolish an entire city block.

A group of loud, aggressive louts (usually found in or around football stadiums) may be described as ‘Hooligans’. This word dates back to 1898 and is adapted from the Houlihans. The Houlihans were a family of Irish immigrants living in London who were infamous due to their voracious appetites for drunken revelry, and frequently violent run-ins with the police.

Let us not overlook the ever popular ‘Computer/Chat/Text Slang’ either.

BRB is code for Be Right Back, I Don’t Know is shortened to IDN. IMHO represents In My Humble Opinion, TTYL refers to Talk To You Later, and then there’s my personal favourite right now: TMI – Too Much Information. This expression is used to describe displeasure at being subject to disturbing or embarrassing content. Urban Dictionary sums up the explanation of TMI perfectly: “ Way more that you want or need to know about someone.”

Lastly, credit should also be paid to William Shakespeare. The Bard’s literary works carry originally coined phrases which are now, as a friend put it, common currency in our everyday lexicons.