| Agapemonian | A member or resident of the Agapemone; = Agapemonite n., Princeite n. Now rare. | 1850 | Go To Quotation |
| aldermanate | The position or office of alderman (= aldermanship n.); aldermen collectively. | 1854 | Go To Quotation |
| aliicide | Murder. | 1868 | Go To Quotation |
| A-line | On a garment, esp. a dress or skirt: a style or cut in which the material flares in… | 1955 | Go To Quotation |
| 'arf | Slang corruption of half n., half adj. or half adv. | 1854 | Go To Quotation |
| atishoo | A representation of the characteristic noises accompanying a sneeze. | 1878 | Go To Quotation |
| audition | trans. To give an audition to (an applicant); to test by means of an audition. | 1935 | Go To Quotation |
| autocycle | A motorized bicycle. | 1895 | Go To Quotation |
| bi-monthly | (Occurring or produced) every two months; n., a bi-monthly periodical. Also used =… | 1846 | Go To Quotation |
| bingle | A short hairstyle for women, between a bob and a shingle. | 1925 | Go To Quotation |
| blacked-up | Of a person or part of the body (esp. the face): made up with black colour; spec. (of… | 1860 | Go To Quotation |
| blithering | Senselessly discursive or talkative, babbling; esp. of a person, used chiefly as… | 1889 | Go To Quotation |
| Box and Cox | Applied allusively to an arrangement in which two persons take turns in sustaining a part, occupying a position, or the like. | 1881 | Go To Quotation |
| Bradbury | Former colloquial name for a currency note of £1. (Cf. Fisher n.) | 1917 | Go To Quotation |
| brunch | A single meal taken late in the morning and intended to combine breakfast with lunch. | 1896 | Go To Quotation |
| burgle | An act of burgling; a burglary. | 1889 | Go To Quotation |
| by-the-way | An incidental remark. | 1896 | Go To Quotation |
| caring | That cares; compassionate, concerned; spec. with reference to professional social work, care… | 1966 | Go To Quotation |
| cess | In phrase bad cess to = ‘bad luck to, evil befall’. | 1859 | Go To Quotation |
| cheerio | A parting exclamation of encouragement; ‘goodbye’. Also quasi-adj.: cheery. | 1910 | Go To Quotation |
| clo' | Shortening of clothes n., esp. in old clo' n. (see old clothes man n., old clothes shop n. at old adj. 4). Now Hist. | 1844 | Go To Quotation |
| cold-shoulder | trans. To treat (a person) with deliberate and marked coldness or contemptuous neglect. | 1843 | Go To Quotation |
| committal | That commits or compromises (a person, or oneself). | 1884 | Go To Quotation |
| coo | An exclamation expressing surprise or incredulity. slang. | 1911 | Go To Quotation |
| cure | An odd or eccentric person; a funny fellow. | 1856 | Go To Quotation |
| daisy-chain | intr. To form a ‘daisy chain’ of people (in a dance, etc.). Also transf. | 1968 | Go To Quotation |
| decriminalize | trans. To reform (an offender or one with criminal tendencies) through psychiatric treatment. (In quot. 1963 as vbl._n.) rare. | 1963 | Go To Quotation |
| delish | Colloq. abbrev. of delicious adj. | 1920 | Go To Quotation |
| detectional | Of, pertaining to, or involving the detection of criminals. | 1930 | Go To Quotation |
| dilly | Delightful; delicious. | 1909 | Go To Quotation |
| etchist | A jocular synonym for etcher n. | 1888 | Go To Quotation |
| Fagin | Allusively: a thief, a trainer of thieves, or a receiver. | 1847 | Go To Quotation |
| Fieldingesque | Of, relating to, or characteristic of Fielding, his writings, or his (often picaresque) style. | 1888 | Go To Quotation |
| filmlet | A short film for cinema or television. | 1931 | Go To Quotation |
| gasp | Used parenthetically to express mock horror, shock, surprise, dismay, etc. | 1968 | Go To Quotation |
| gee | A horse (orig. a child's word; cf. gee-gee n.). | 1887 | Go To Quotation |
| geometricize | trans. = geometrize v. 1. | 1880 | Go To Quotation |
| germophobe | A person who has an intense or irrational fear of germs. | 1894 | Go To Quotation |
| gushiness | Violent or copious outflow; effusiveness. | 1856 | Go To Quotation |
| gushy | Inclined to, or characterized by, ‘gush’. | 1845 | Go To Quotation |
| guv | Spellings representing vulgar or colloq. pronunciations of governor n. | 1852 | Go To Quotation |
| hanky-panky | Jugglery, legerdemain; trickery, double dealing, underhand dealing. | 1841 | Go To Quotation |
| hansom cab | A low-hung two-wheeled cabriolet holding two persons inside, the driver being mounted on… | 1847 | Go To Quotation |
| hic | An imitation of the sound of a hiccup, esp. as an interruption in the speech of a drunken person. | 1898 | Go To Quotation |
| Hindenburg line | The line of fortifications in north-eastern France constructed by the German forces in 1916 –… | 1917 | Go To Quotation |
| hoo-ha | A commotion, a rumpus, a row. | 1931 | Go To Quotation |
| Hoover | loosely. (With small initial.) Any vacuum cleaner. | 1934 | Go To Quotation |
| iddy-umpty | The Morse code; a dot followed by a dash in Morse code. Also: an army signaller. | 1906 | Go To Quotation |
| imprévu | The unexpected, the unforeseen. | 1854 | Go To Quotation |
| in-reference | A reference understood by only a limited group of people. Cf. in-joke n. | 1967 | Go To Quotation |
| in-tray | In an office, etc.: a tray for incoming correspondence and other papers; = in-basket n. Cf. out-tray n. | 1941 | Go To Quotation |
| juggins | A simpleton, one easily ‘taken in’ or imposed upon. | 1882 | Go To Quotation |
| juvenilizing | Rendering young or youthful; that preserves youth, rejuvenating; chiefly Entomol.… | 1959 | Go To Quotation |
| knickered | Clothed in knickerbockers. | 1897 | Go To Quotation |
| knicks | Colloq. shortening of knickers n. or knickerbockers (see knickerbocker n. II.). | 1895 | Go To Quotation |
| Kung-fu | The Chinese form of karate n. Also attrib. | 1966 | Go To Quotation |
| l'affaire | Used before a proper name (after French construction) to denote a scandal associated… | 1875 | Go To Quotation |
| land-lubbing | Land-lubberly. | 1885 | Go To Quotation |
| larky | Inclined or ready for a lark; frolicsome, sportive. | 1841 | Go To Quotation |
| leaf | Leave of absence, furlough; = leave n. 1e. | 1846 | Go To Quotation |
| leaker | One who discloses secret information or allows it to be disclosed. | 1969 | Go To Quotation |
| Lib | = liberal n., in various senses. Freq. in Comb. with the name of another political party: see also Lib-Lab adj. | 1885 | Go To Quotation |
| loq. | intr. = loquitur v. | 1853 | Go To Quotation |
| mailshot | trans. To send advertising or promotional material to (potential clients), esp. in a single mass mailing. | 1987 | Go To Quotation |
| Mallaby-Deeley | A cheap suit of clothes (see quots.). Also in extended use. | 1920 | Go To Quotation |
| mallein | trans. To test for glanders by the intradermal injection of mallein. | 1915 | Go To Quotation |
| margarine | trans. To spread (bread, etc.) with margarine. | 1918 | Go To Quotation |
| matric | Matriculation at a university or college. Also: a matriculation examination for admission… | 1885 | Go To Quotation |
| meisterwerk | A work perceived as the greatest of a particular artist or genre. Cf. masterwork n. | 1964 | Go To Quotation |
| melophonist | A melodist; a singer. | 1847 | Go To Quotation |
| metaphorician | = metaphorist n. | 1958 | Go To Quotation |
| Micawber | intr. To adopt the feckless optimism characteristic of Micawber. | 1963 | Go To Quotation |
| micro-oven | = microwave oven n. at microwave n. adj. Compounds. | 1962 | Go To Quotation |
| milk | = milksop n. 1a. | 1881 | Go To Quotation |
| mini-man | A small man; (occas.) a boy dressed so as to resemble a man. | 1967 | Go To Quotation |
| mininess | Smallness, minuteness; slightness, triviality. | 1964 | Go To Quotation |
| mo-bike | A motorcycle. | 1925 | Go To Quotation |
| mod con | Any amenity, appliance, etc., regarded as typical of a well-equipped, modern home… | 1934 | Go To Quotation |
| Mohockism | The practices or the spirit of the Mohocks; (gen.) delinquent or hooligan behaviour. | 1882 | Go To Quotation |
| mollycoddling | That mollycoddles; indulgent; excessively careful or cautious. | 1881 | Go To Quotation |
| morning-after | Of or relating to ‘the morning after’; spec. designating a symptom of or remedy for… | 1884 | Go To Quotation |
| muck-heapy | Resembling or suggestive of a muck-heap. | 1881 | Go To Quotation |
| mucko-chummo | Excessively close-knit, familiar, or informal with one's colleagues. Also as adv. | 1964 | Go To Quotation |
| nannydom | Overprotectiveness or officiousness, esp. conceived of as characteristic of a government… | 1963 | Go To Quotation |
| nannyism | A nannyish principle or policy. Now: spec. a governmental or institutional policy… | 1959 | Go To Quotation |
| new wavish | Associated with, following, or relating to the New Wave, esp. New Wave music. | 1963 | Go To Quotation |
| nig-nog | A new or unskilled recruit; a novice; a foolish or naive person. Cf. ning-nong n. | 1953 | Go To Quotation |
| nippy | A waitress. | 1925 | Go To Quotation |
| non-intervene | intr. To refrain from intervening. Usu. ironically: to intervene. | 1937 | Go To Quotation |
| non-intervener | A person who does not intervene; spec. an advocate of political non-intervention. Cf. non-interventionist n. | 1937 | Go To Quotation |
| nutcase | A crazy, mad, or mentally disturbed person; an eccentric. Also (occas.): a violent person. | 1959 | Go To Quotation |
| octopic | = octopean adj. | 1968 | Go To Quotation |
| officese | Language considered characteristic of or appropriate to an office; = commercialese n. | 1935 | Go To Quotation |
| off-plan | From the architect's plans of a property, before it has been built; after inspection of a plan. | 1986 | Go To Quotation |
| ovation | trans. To give (a person) an ovation or enthusiastic reception. Also intr. Cf. ovate v. | 1894 | Go To Quotation |
| penny-a-lineism | The practice of writing in the inflated style associated with a penny-a-liner; an instance of such writing. | 1854 | Go To Quotation |
| pickwick | An inexpensive kind of cigar. | 1847 | Go To Quotation |
| picturesquerie | The picturesque; picturesqueness. | 1962 | Go To Quotation |
| plane | intr. To travel by aeroplane; to fly in an aeroplane. | 1908 | Go To Quotation |
| poofteroo | = poofter n. | 1966 | Go To Quotation |
| pound-foolishness | The quality or state of being pound-foolish. | 1853 | Go To Quotation |
| prêt-à-porter | Of clothes (esp. designer clothes): sold ready to wear rather than made to measure. Also in extended use. | 1957 | Go To Quotation |
| pretty-pretty | In an excessively or cloyingly pretty manner or style. | 1877 | Go To Quotation |
| pseudosopher | A sham or spurious philosopher; a person who falsely believes himself or herself to be wise. | 1843 | Go To Quotation |
| psycho | trans. To subject to psychoanalysis or psychological testing; = psych v. 1. | 1925 | Go To Quotation |
| Punchine | Of or relating to the magazine Punch. | 1846 | Go To Quotation |
| punmanship | The art of making puns; skill in punning. | 1841 | Go To Quotation |
| Python | A scheme operating at the end of the Second World War (1939 – 45) under which members… | 1945 | Go To Quotation |
| quidsworth | Preceded by a quantifier: the amount of anything which may be bought for that number of pounds. Cf. quid n. | 1940 | Go To Quotation |
| railwaydom | Railways considered collectively; the railway industry. | 1881 | Go To Quotation |
| rapscallionism | The conduct or condition of a rapscallion; rapscallions collectively. | 1853 | Go To Quotation |
| red-tapey | Relating to or characterized by red tape; rigidly adhering to official rules and formalities. | 1860 | Go To Quotation |
| ref | = referee n. 3. | 1890 | Go To Quotation |
| ring-round | An instance of telephoning various people, organizations, etc., in succession. Cf. to ring round (or around) at ring v. 14f. | 1965 | Go To Quotation |
| rockster | A person who performs rock music. Cf. rocker n. 6c. | 1960 | Go To Quotation |
| romanticky | Somewhat romantic; of a romantic character. | 1892 | Go To Quotation |
| rouse-out | An act of waking a person or people up; a wake-up call. Cf. to rouse out 2 at rouse v. Phrasal verbs. | 1861 | Go To Quotation |
| saccharined | Excessively sweet and sugary in tone. | 1962 | Go To Quotation |
| Sam Browne | In full, Sam Browne belt: a belt with a supporting strap that passes over the right… | 1915 | Go To Quotation |
| save | colloq. A financial saving; an economy. | 1844 | Go To Quotation |
| Saxony | A fine kind of wool, and cloth made from it. Also absol. = Saxony-cloth. | 1842 | Go To Quotation |
| scriptless | Of a film, broadcast, etc.: without a script (sense 5a); unscripted, extempore. | 1962 | Go To Quotation |
| scruto | A spring trap-door, made of strips of wood or whalebone, flush with the floor of the stage. Also attrib. | 1853 | Go To Quotation |
| secretary | intr. To work as a secretary (esp. an office secretary). Also const. to. colloq. | 1927 | Go To Quotation |
| serio | = serio-comic n. 2. | 1889 | Go To Quotation |
| shoe | Conforming to the dress, behaviour, or attitudes of students at… | 1962 | Go To Quotation |
| sitzmark | The impression in the snow made by a skier falling backwards on his posterior; an act of so falling. | 1935 | Go To Quotation |
| ski-joring | A winter sport in which a skier is pulled over the snow by a horse or horses (or by a motorized vehicle). | 1920 | Go To Quotation |
| slangwhang | trans. and intr. To assail with, to make use of, violent language, abuse, or vituperation. | 1880 | Go To Quotation |
| smellie | A (hypothetical) cinema or television film in which smell is synchronized with the picture. Usu. pl. Cf. feely n. | 1929 | Go To Quotation |
| smudger | One who smudges. | 1884 | Go To Quotation |
| snack bar | A bar or counter at which snacks are served to customers; (part of) a restaurant containing such a bar. | 1930 | Go To Quotation |
| snobbess | A female snob. | 1869 | Go To Quotation |
| snobbism | The characteristic qualities of a snob; snobbishness. Also, an instance or manifestation of this. | 1845 | Go To Quotation |
| solo | trans. To perform (a piece of music) as a solo. rare. | 1858 | Go To Quotation |
| sousaphone | A large bass wind instrument of the helicon type. Also attrib. | 1925 | Go To Quotation |
| starring | The action of the verb star v.; spec. the acting or touring of a ‘star’ performer. | 1841 | Go To Quotation |
| stentorphone | An electrical device for reproducing sounds, esp. the human voice, with increased intensity. | 1921 | Go To Quotation |
| stereophonics | With pl. and sing. concord. Stereophonic techniques; stereophonic sound. | 1958 | Go To Quotation |
| stodger | A stodgy person; one who is lacking in spirit or liveliness. | 1905 | Go To Quotation |
| storm-troops | = shock troops n. at shock n. 8a. Also fig. | 1917 | Go To Quotation |
| supermind | A mind of exceptional capacity or ability; a person possessing such a mind. | 1903 | Go To Quotation |
| swotting | = swot n. 1; hard work at one's studies. | 1873 | Go To Quotation |
| tango | To dance the tango. | 1913 | Go To Quotation |
| teenagery | The period or state of being a teenager. | 1960 | Go To Quotation |
| thought control | The control of one's own thoughts, esp. as a form of therapy or mental discipline. | 1884 | Go To Quotation |
| toodle-oo | Goodbye. Cf. pip-pip int. n. | 1907 | Go To Quotation |
| trendy | Fashionable, up to date, following the latest trend. (Sometimes dismissively.) | 1962 | Go To Quotation |
| tuku-tuku | (See quots. 1946 1958.) | 1936 | Go To Quotation |
| twee | Originally: ‘sweet’, dainty, chic. Now only in depreciatory use: affectedly dainty… | 1905 | Go To Quotation |
| twisteroo | (A narrative with) an unexpected twist. | 1963 | Go To Quotation |
| undies | With pl. concord. Articles of girls' or women's underclothing. | 1906 | Go To Quotation |
| un-pin-downable | That cannot be pinned down or defined. | 1966 | Go To Quotation |
| untermensch | Esp. with reference to the Nazi régime (1933 – 45): a racially inferior person, a sub-human person. Cf. Übermensch n. | 1964 | Go To Quotation |
| veggie | A vegetable; a plant grown for or used as food. Usu. in pl. Cf. veg n. | 1907 | Go To Quotation |
| villagization | In Africa and Asia, concentration of population in villages; the transfer of control of… | 1963 | Go To Quotation |
| voyant | Showy, gaudy, flashy; spec. of clothes, appearance, etc. | 1906 | Go To Quotation |
| washerette | = launderette n. | 1968 | Go To Quotation |
| Webbian | Pertaining to or characteristic of the Webbs or their ideas. | 1956 | Go To Quotation |
| work-in | A form of protest, usu. against threatened closure of a factory, etc., in which workers… | 1968 | Go To Quotation |
| workwise | As far as work is concerned. | 1962 | Go To Quotation |
| writter | One who serves a writ or process. | 1882 | Go To Quotation |
| youthquake | The series of radical political and cultural upheavals occurring among students and young people in the 1960s. | 1967 | Go To Quotation |
| yum-yum | An action providing a pleasurable or delicious sensation; love-making; also (Naval slang… | 1885 | Go To Quotation |
| Zapata | Used attrib. to designate a type of moustache in which the two ends extend downwards to the chin. | 1968 | Go To Quotation |
