OBSERVATIONS ON SLANG AND UNCONVENTIONAL ENGLISH Some notes on the challenges of lexicography, drawn entirely from the writings of Eric Partridge (1894–1979) Partridge wrote widely on matters concerning the English language. He did not, by any means, restrict his interest to matters slang and unconventional; however, it is his work in this area that had, and continues to have, the gr eatest impact, and on which his reputation is most celebrated. He wrote more than forty books in his lifetime, considering such diverse topics as abbreviations, American tramp and underworld slang, British and American English since 1900, comic alphabets, English and American Christian names, Shakespear e’s bawdy, usage and abusage, and he contributed to many, many more. It is so substantial a body of work that any list short of a full bib- liography will inevitably do his great achievement a disservice. He was a phil ologist, etymologist, lexicographer, essayist and dictionary-maker; he is a legend and an inspi- ration. The flavour, and wisdom, of Partridge’s work is gathered in the quotations that follow, loosely grouped by subject, and presented under sub-headings that make new use of a selection of his book and article titles. Slang Today and Yesterday From about 1850, slang has been the accepted term for ‘illegitimate’ colloquial speech: but since then, especially among the lower classes, ‘lingo’ has been a synonym, and so also, chiefly among the cultured and the pretentious, has ‘argot’. Now ‘ar got’, being merely the French for ‘slang’, has no business to be used thus – it can rightly be applied only to French slang of French cant: and ‘lingo’ properly means a simplified language that, like Beach-la-Mar and Pidgin-English, represents a distortion of ( say) English by coloured peoples speaking English indeed but adapting it to their own phonetics and grammar. ‘Jargon’ – originally as in Chaucer, used of the warbling of birds – has long been employed loosely and synonymously for slang, but it should be reserved for the technicalities of science, the pro- fessions and the trades: though, for such technical- ities, ‘shop’ is an equally good word. 1 [S]lang is much rather a spoken than a literary language. It originates, nearly always, in speech. 1 Slang is easy enough to use, but very hard to write about with the facile convincingness that a subject apparently so simple would, at first s ight, seem to demand. But the simplest things are the hardest to define, certainly the hardest to discuss, for it is usually at first sight only that their simplicity is what strikes one the most forcibly. And slang, after all, is a peculiar kind of vagabond language, always hanging on the outskirts of legitimate speech, but continually straying or forcing its way into the most respectable company. 2 Language in general and every kind of language belongs to everyone who wishes to use it. 3 Slang, being the quintessence o f colloquial speech, must always be related to convenience rather than scientific laws, grammatical rules and philosophical ideals. As it originates, so it flourishes b est, in colloquial speech. 1 Slang may and often does fill a gap in accepted language. 1 Words, Words, Words! Every group or association, from a pair of lovers to a secret society however large, feels, at some time or other, the need to defend itself against outsiders, and therefore creates a slang designed to conceal its thoughts: and the greater the need for secrecy, the more extensive and complete is the slang[.] 1 The specialization that characterizes every vocation leads natur ally to a specialized vocabulary, to the invention of new words or the re-charging of old words. Such special words and phrases bec ome slang only when they are used outside their vocational group and then only if they change their meaning or are applied in other ways […] But, whatever the source, personality and one’s surroundings (social or occupational) a re the two co-efficients, the two chief factors, the determining causes of the nature of slang, as they are of language in general and of style. 1 One kind of eyewash, the army’s innumerable ‘states’ and ‘returns’ was known as bumf, short for bum- fodder: the abbreviation was common in English public schools from before 1900; the full term for toilet-paper dates back to the seventeenth century, when it was co ined by Urquhart, the translator of Rabelais; Urquhart is one of the most prolific originators of the obscenities and vulgarities of our language, and with him rank Shak espeare and Burns. 4 In English, the ideas most fertile in synonyms ar e those of drinking, drunkenness, money, and the sex- ual organs and act. 1 Many slang words, indeed, are drawn from pleasurable activities (games, sports, entertainments), from the joy of life, from a gay abandon: for this reason it has been wittily called ‘language on a picnic’. 1 Common to – indeed, very common in – the jazzman’s and the Beatnik’s vocabulary is the noun pad, whence the entirely Beatnik pad me, a cat’s invitation to a chick to shar e his room and bed. […] The Beatniks got it from the jazzmen who got it from the American underworld who got it from the British underworld (pad, a bed) who got it from Standard English of the sixteenth–eighteenth centuries (pad, a bundle of straw to lie on). 5 The metaphors and allusions [in slang] are generally connected with some temporary phase, some ephemeral vogue, some unimportant incident; if the origin is not nailed down at the time, it is rarely recoverable. 1 [B]orr owings from foreign languages produce slang; and every language borrows. Borrowings, indeed, have a way of seeming slangy or of being welcomed by slang before standard speech takes them into its sanctum. 1 War always produces a rich crop of slang. 6 [W]ar (much as we may hate to admit the fact), because, in all wars, both soldiers and sailors and, since 1914, airmen and civilians as well, have imported or adopted or invented hundreds of words, terms, phrases, this linguistic aspect ranking as, if we except the unexceptable ‘climate of courage,’ the only good result of war. 7 Human characteristics, such as a love of mystery and a confidential air (a lazy freemasonry), vanity, the imp of perversity that lurks in every heart, the impulse to rebellion, and that irrepressible spirit of adventure which, when deprived of its proper outlook in a ction, perforce contents itself with verbal audacity (the adventure of speech): these and others are a t the root of slang[.] 1 Here, There and Everywhere When we come to slang and familiar speech gener- ally, we come to that department of the vocabulary in which British and American differences are naturally greater than anywhere else, just as they are greater in the colloquial language generally than in the literary. 8 American slang is more volatile than English and it tends, also, to have more synonyms, but a greater number of those synonyms are butterflies of a day; English synonyms are used more for variety than from weariness or a desire to startle. American slang is apt to be more brutal than Englis h[.] 1 Canada also has an extensive and picturesque objective slang, but that slang is 80 per cent American, with the re mainder rather more English than native-Canadian[…] it is linguistically unfair to condemn it for being so much indebted to its near and ‘pushing’ neighbour[.] 1 Australian speech and writing have, from the outset, tended to be unconventional […] The unconventionality is linguistic. 9 The truth is that South African slang, as distinct from indis pensable Africanderisms, is not intrinsically so vivid, humorous, witty, or divinely earthy as Canadian and Australian slang, nor is it nearly so extensive, nor has it, except during the Boer War, succeeded in imposing itself upon English slang, much less upon Standard English[.] 1 New Zealand is like South Africa in that its popu- lation is t oo small to have much influenced the language of the mother country whether in Standard or in unconventional English. 1 Usage and Abusage Some of the upstart qualities [of slang] and part of the aesthetic (as opposed to the moral) impropriety spring from the four features present in all slang, whatever the period and whatever the country: the search for novelty; volatility and light-headedness as well as light-heartedness; ephemerality; the sway of fashion. In the standard speech and still more in slang we note that the motive behind figurative expressions and all neologisms is the desire to escape from the old accepted phrase: the desire for novelty operates more freely, audaciously, and rapidly in slang – that is the only diff erence. […O]f the numerous slang words taken up by the masses and the classes, most have only a short life, and that when they die, unhonoured and unsung, they are almost immediately replaced by novelties equally transitory: the word is dead, long live the word! […S]lang, as to the greater part of its vocabulary and especially as to its cuckoo-calling phrases and it’s parrot-sayings, is evanescent; it is the residuum that, racy and expressive, makes the study of slang revel- atory of the pulsing life of the language. 1 [S]lang is indicative not only of man’s earthiness but of his indomitable spirit: it sets him in his proper place: relates a man to his fellows, to his world and the world, and to the universe. 10 And slang is employed for one (or two or more) of thirteen reasons: 1 In sheer high spirits; ‘just for the fun of the thing’. 2 As an exercise in wit or humour. 3 To be ‘different’ – t o be novel. 4 To be picturesque. 5 To be startling; to startle. 6 To escape from cliché’s and long-windedness. 7 To enrich the language. 8 To give solidity and concreteness to the abstract and the idealistic, and nearness to the Observations on slang and unconventional English xvi distant scene or object. 9 To reduce solemnity, pain, tragedy. 10 To put oneself in tune with one’s company. 11 To induce friendliness or intimacy. 12 To show that one belongs to a certain school, trade or profession, intellectual set or social class. In short to be in the fashion – or to prove that someone else isn’t. 13 To be secret – not understood by those around one. 11 But no real stylist, no-one capable of good speaking or good writing, is likely to be harmed by the occasional employment of slang; provided that he is conscious of the fact, he can employ it both frequently and freely without stultifying his mind, impoverishing his vocabulary, or vitiating the taste and the skill that he brings to the using of that vocabulary. Except i n formal and dignified writing and in professional speaking, a vivid and extensive slang is perhaps preferable to a jejune and meagre vocabulary of standard English; on the other hand, it will hardly be denied that, whether in writing or speech, a sound though restricted vocabulary of standard English is preferable to an e qually small vocabulary of slang, however vivid may be that slang. 1 The Gentle Art of Lexicography I began early in life: and it is the course of my life which, allied to a natural propensity to original sin, has made a lexicographer out of me. 12 For most of us, a dictionary is hardly a book to read; a good dictionary, however, is a book to browse in. Some dictionaries are so well written that one just goes on and on. To write such a dictionary has always been my ambition. 12 Slang [etymology/lexicography] demands a mind constantly on the qui vive; an ear c onstantly keyed to the nuances of everyday speech, whether among scholars or professional men or craftsmen or labourers; a ve ry wide reading of all kinds of books. 13 I have read much that is hopelessly inferior, hopelessly mediocre; and much that, although interesting, is yet devoid of literary value. But ever since my taste acquired a standard, I have been able to extract some profit from even the most trashy book. 14 There is far more imagination and enthusiasm in the making of a good dictionary than in the average novel. 15 Words at War: Words at Peace For over a century, there have been protests against the use of slang and controversies on the relation of slang to the literary language or, as i t is now usually called, Standard English. Purists have risen in their wrath and conservatives in their dignity to defend the Bastille of linguistic purity against the revolutionary rabble. The very vehemenc e of the attack and the very sturdinessof the defence have ensured that only the fittest surv ive to gain entrance to the citadel, there establish themselves, and then become conservatives and purists in their turn. 16 Any term that prevents us from thinking, any term that we employ to spare us from searching for the right word, is a verbal narcotic. As though there weren’t too many narcotics already… 17 Words are very important things; a t the lowest estimate, they ar e indispensable counters of communication. 18 Notes/bibliography 1 Slang Today and Yesterday, 1933: George Routledge & Sons, London 2 Slang Today and Yesterday, 1933, quoting Greenough and Kittredge, Words and their Ways in English Speech, 1902: George Ro utledge & Sons, London 3 ‘The Lexicography of Cant’, American Speech,Volume 26, Issue 2, May 1951: The American Dialect Society, Durham, North Carolina 4 ‘Byways of Soldier Slang’ in A Martial Medley, 1931: Scholartis Press, London 5 ‘A Square Digs Beatnik’, August 1959. Originally published for priv ate circulation Christmas 1959/New Year 1960. Collected in ACharmofWords, 1960: Hamish Hamilton, London 6 ‘Words Get Their Wings’, originally published in Chamber’s Journal, July-August 1945. Collected in Words at War: Words at Peace, 1948: Frederick Muller, London 7 ‘Introduction’ in Dictionary of New Words, Mary Reif er, 1957: Peter Owen, London 8 British and American English Since 1900,co-authored with John W. Clark, 1951: Andrew Dakers, London 9 ‘Australian English’ in ACharmofWords, 1960: Hamish Hamilton, London 10 Usage & Abusage, 1947: Hamish Hamilton, London [originally published in the US in 1942] 11 The World of Words, 2nd edition, 1939: Hamish Hamilton, London [reduced by Eric Partridge from a fuller consideration in Slang Today and Yesterday, 1933, and based on the work of M. Alfredo Niceforo, Le Génie de l’Argot, 1912] 12 The Gentle Art of Lexicography, 1963: André Deutsch, London 13 Adventuring Among Words, 1961: André Deutsch, London 14 Journey to the Edge of Morning, ©1946, reprinted 1969: Books for Libraries Press, New York 15 As C orrie Denison, a pseudonymous epigraph to A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue by Captain Francis Grose (3rd edition, 1796), edited by Eric Partridge, 1931: Scholartis Press, London 16 Here, There and Everywhere, 1950: Hamish Hamilton, London 17 ‘Verbal Narcotics’, originally published in Good Housekeeping magazine, June 1949. Collected in From Sanskrit to Brazil, 1952: Hamish Hamilton, London 18 ‘Words in Vogue: Words of Power’, 1942: collected in Words at War: Words at Peace, 1948: Frederick Muller, London xvii Observations on slang and unconventional English Aa A noun 1 amphetamine US, 1967. 2 LSD. An abbreviation of ACID US, 1977 . 3 in a deck of playing cards, an ace US, 1988. < get A into G; get your A into G to stop idling; to apply yourself to an activity; to start doing something useful. Euphemistic for GET YOUR ARSE IN GEAR NEW ZEALAND , 2002 A adjective 1 reserved for the best; the best US, 1945. 2 anal US, 1997 a2m noun a scene in a pornographic film in which an object or body part is withdrawn from a rectum and taken into a mouth without either washing or editing. Shorthand for ‘ass-to-mouth’ US, 1997 A3 anytime, anyplace, anywhere. An abbreviation used in text messaging UK, 2003 AAA noun an amphetamine tablet. In the US, the AAA is the national automobile club, which, like an amphetamine tablet, helps you get from one place to another US, 1993 A and A noun in the military, a leave for rest and recreation. A jocular abbreviation of ‘ass and alcohol’ US, 1966 A and B noun assault and battery US, 1986 aap; arp noun a marijuana cigarette. From Afrikaans for ‘monkey’ SOUTH AFRICA, 1946 aardvark noun an F-111 combat aircraft or any aircraft that is awkward-looking or difficult to fly. Vietnam war usage US, 1963 ab noun an abscess, especially as a result of injecting drugs US, 1952 AB noun 1 the Aryan Brotherhood, a white prison gang in the US US, 1990. 2 the bleed period of the menstrual cycle. An abbreviation of ‘Annie Brown’ NEW ZEALAND, 1996 ABA noun a traveller’s cheque US, 1985 abb adjective abnormal US, 1991 abba-dabba noun chatter, gossip. Undoubtedly originated with the song ‘The Aba-Daba Honeymoon’, written in 1913 and re-released with great success by Larry Clinton and His Orchestra in March 1948, in which ‘abba-dabba’ is the chatter of monkeys US, 1961 abba-dabba adjective dark-skinned, especially Arabic US, 1975 abbed adjective having well-defined abdominal muscles UK, 2002 abbey noun a swindler who impersonates a priest US, 1950. < on the abbey engaged in a swindle involving clergy impersonation US, 1992 abbott noun a capsule of pentobarbital sodium (trade name Nembutal™), a central nervous system depressant. From the name of the manufacturer US, 1971 Abby Singer noun in television and film making, the next-to-last shot of the day. Singer was active in US television from the early 1950s until the late 1980s; his name became an eponym when he was an Assistant Director in the 1950s US, 1990 ABC noun 1 an American-born Chinese US, 1984. 2 in poker, the ace, two and three US, 1988 ABC adjective of a piece of chewing gum, already been chewed. Childish usage US, 2004 ABC ad noun a newspaper advertisement listing shows in alphabetical order US, 1973 ABC class noun the entry grade in a primary school TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO , 2003 ABCing you used as a farewell. Intended as a clever variant of ‘I’ll be seeing you’ US, 1947 ABC’s noun underwear US, 1949 ABC-ya used as a farewell. Intended as a clever variant of ‘I’ll be seeing you’ US, 2002 abdabs; habdabs; screaming abdabs noun a condition of anxiety, uneasiness, nervousness; also, but rarely, delirium tremens or a state of enraged frustration. Always following ‘the’, usually now phrased (to give someone) the screaming abdabs UK, 1946 abdicate verb to vacate a public toilet upon orders of a homosexual- rousting attendant. The royal imagery is derived from the homo- sexual as QUEEN US, 1941 Abdul noun 1 used as a term of address for any Turkish soldier. World War 1 coinage UK, 1925. 2 any male Arab. Gulf war usage US, 1991 Abe noun 1 a five-dollar note. An abbreviation of ABE LINCOLN US, 1945. 2 any Jewish male. Also variant ‘Abie’. From the archetypal Jewish name: Abraham US, 1914 A bean noun a capsule of MDMA, the recreational drug best known as ecstasy UK, 2003 Abe Lincoln noun a five-dollar note. The note bears an engraving of President Lincoln US, 1966 Aber nickname Aberdare, Abergavenny, Aberystwyth or any town so constructed. From Welsh for ‘where two waters meet’ UK: WALES, 2001 abercrombie noun 1 a person devoted to prep-school fashions and style US, 2004. 2 someone who strives at creating the impression of knowing all US, 1945 abfab adjective absolutely fabulous. Originally the slang of Australian teenagers. From early 1990s in the UK it has been the widely fam- iliar short-form of popular television situation comedy Absolutely Fabulous AUSTRALIA, 1965 Abigail noun a staid, traditional, middle-aged homosexual man US, 1972 able adjective strong, capable, courageous. In general speech, this word is usually followed by ‘to do [something]’, but the Canadian use tends to follow the otherwise obsolete pattern of letting it stand alone or with an intensifier CANADA, 1980. < can’t spell a ble be unable to do what you are told to do BARBADOS, 1996 Able Dog noun the propeller-driven Douglas AD Skyraider. Based on the letters A and D in phonetic alphabet. The Skyraider was manufactured between 1946 and 1957; it saw service in Korea and Vietnam US, 1961 able Grable noun a sexually attractive girl US, 1945 abo noun an Australian Aboriginal. An abbreviation of ‘aborigine’ blended with the ‘-o’ suffix. Now a strongly taboo word, formerly in frequent use by white people, and viewed by them as less marked than other terms such as ‘boong’ or ‘coon’. It was even used in names for products, businesses, etc AUSTRALIA, 1906 abo adjective Australian Aboriginal; of, or pertaining to, Australian Aboriginals AUSTRALIA, 1911 aboard adverb present, part of an enterprise US, 1957. < go aboard of someone to act vigorously and aggressively, to attack, or scold vigorously CANADA, 1980 A-bomb; atom bomb noun marijuana combined in a cigarette with cocaine, heroin or opium. The addition of narcotic enhancements to a BOMB (a marijuana cigarette) is signified by the ‘A’ US, 1969 A-bombed adjective under the influence of amphetamines US, 1975 A-bone noun a Model A Ford car, first built in 1927 US, 1951 aboot preposition used as a humorous attempt to duplicate a Canadian saying ‘about’ US, 1995 abort verb to defecate after being the passive partner in anal sex US, 1972 abortion noun a misfortune; an ugly person or thing US, 1943 about-face noun a 180-degree turn executed while driving fast US, 1965 about it; ’bout it adjective in favour of something US, 2001 about right adjective correct, adequate UK, 1850 above board adjective entirely honest. From card playing UK, 1616 above par adjective 1 in excellent health or spirits. Originates from describing stocks and shares as above face value UK, 1937. 2 mildly drunk. By extension from the previous sense UK, 1984 abrac adabra, please and thank you used as a humorous embellishment of ‘please’. A signature line from the Captain Kangaroo children’s television show (CBS, 1944–84). Repeated with referential humour US, 1944 Abraham Lincoln; Abie Lincoln adjective disgusting, contemptible. Glasgow rhyming slang for STINKING UK, 1988 Abrahampstead nickname Hampstead, an area of north London with a large Jewish population. A combination with the archetypal Jewish name Abraham UK, 1981 abs noun the abdominal muscles US, 1956 absobloodylutely adverb absolutely, utterly. First recorded as ‘absoballylutely’ UK, 1914 absofuckinglutely adverb absolutely UK, 1921 absolutely! used for registering complete agreement UK, 1937 Absolutely, Mr Gallagher. Positively, Mr Shean. used for a humorous assent. From the Vaudeville team of Gallagher and Shean US, 1922 absotively; absitively adverb certainly. A jocular blend of ‘posi- tively’ and ‘absolutely’ US, 1926 Abyssinian polo noun a game of dice US, 1962 Abyssinian tea noun khat, a natural stimulant grown in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia UK, 2004 Ac noun an Acura car US, 2002 AC/DC; AC-DC noun in gay society, a couple UK, 2002 AC/DC; AC-DC adjective bisexual. A pun on electricity’s AC (alternating current) and DC (direct current) US, 1960 ACAB all coppers are bastards. An initialism, a philosophy, a tattoo UK, 1996 academy noun a jail or prison US, 1949 Academy Award noun recognition of excelling in a field US, 1958 Academy Award adjective 1 excellent US, 1958. 2 histrionic AUSTRALIA, 1966 Academy Award winning adjective histrionic AUSTRALIA, 1987 Acapulco noun marijuana from southwest Mexico. A shortened form of ACAPULCO GOLD US, 1970 Acapulco gold noun golden-leafed marijuana from southwest Mexico. A popular, well-known strain of cannabis. The song ‘Acapulco Gold’ by the Rainy Daze was released in 1967 and had just begun its climb on the pop charts when programme directors figured out what it was about and pulled it off play lists US, 1965 acca; acker noun an academic whose work serves the marketplace rather than the intellect; hence a particularly sterile piece of academic writing. An abbreviation punning on OCKER (a coarse Australian) AUSTRALIA, 1977 accelerator noun 1 an amphetamine tablet US, 1993. 2 an arsonist US, 1992 accessory noun a boyfriend or girlfriend US, 1992 accibounce noun a minor collision or accident TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 2003 accident noun a murder that cannot be proved as such US, 1964 accidentally on purpose adverb apparently accidental yet deliberately done, especially with hidden malicious purpose US, 1887 accommodation arrest noun a pre-arranged, consensual raid of an illegal gambling operation, designed to give the appearance of strict enforcement of laws US, 1961 according to Hoyle adverb in keeping with established rules and norms. After Edmond Hoyle (1672–1769), who codified the rules for many games US, 1904 accordion act noun collapsing under pressure US, 1989 accordion war noun US tactics during the Korean war: accordion- like movements up and down Korea by land forces US, 1982 account executive noun a pimp who procures and profits from high-price prostitutes US, 1972 accrue verb < accrue chocolate to behave towards officers in an obsequious, sycophantic manner. Royal Navy usage; a play on BROWN-NOSE (to behave obsequiously, etc.) UK, 1929 accumulator noun a type of bet where the amount won on one event becomes the stake for the next event; a bettor who operates in such a manner UK, 1889 ace noun 1 a very close friend US, 1932. 2 used as a form of address UK, 1919. 3 a good and reliable friend US, 1941. 4 one dollar US, 1900 . 5 one hundred dollars US, 1974. 6 one-eighth of an ounce of a drug US, 1989. 7 phencyclidine, the recreational drug known as PCP or angel dust US, 1981. 8 in dice games, a rolled one US, 1999. 9 an important or notable CB user. Citizens’ band radio slang US, 1976. 10 a prison sentence of one year US, 1927. 11 in the theatre, a one-night engagement US, 1981. 12 in pool, the number one ball US, 1878. 13 a table for one at a restaurant US, 1961. 14 a single rotten fruit UK, 1963. 15 in lunch counter usage, a grilled cheese sandwich US, 1975. 16 the grade ‘A’ US, 1964. < ace in the hole an undisclosed resource US, 1908. < ace up your sleeve a resource that is yet to be revealed. From the popular belief that card cheats hide cards up their sleeves US, 1927. < on your ace alone; by yourself AUSTRALIA, 1904 ace verb 1 to outsmart someone US, 1929. 2 to work your way somewhere, to engineer something US, 1929. 3 to do well in an examination US, 1957. 4 to kill someone US, 1975 ace adjective exceptional, expert, excellent US, 1930 ace boon coon; ace boon poon noun a very close friend US, 1958 ace boy noun a very good male friend BERMUDA, 1985 ace cool noun a very close and trusted friend US, 1988 ace-deuce noun 1 a fellow prisoner upon whom you rely without question US, 1989. 2 your best friend BELIZE, 1996 ace-deuce verb in craps, to sustain a heavy loss US, 1987 ace-deuce adjective 1 cross-eyed US, 1955. 2 riding a racehorse with the right stirrup higher than the left US, 1948 ace-deuce adverb on an angle, with one side higher than the other US, 1948 ace-douche noun in craps, a first roll of three. ‘Douche’ is an intentional corruption of ‘deuce’; a come-out roll of three loses US, 1999 ace high; aces high adjective the very best. From poker US, 1896 ace in verb 1 to manipulate someone or something into a situation US, 1971. 2 to become associated with a group and work your way into it US, 1992 acelerante noun an amphetamine or central nervous system stimu- lant. Borrowed Spanish used by English-speakers US, 1992 ace man noun a youth gang’s top fighter US, 1953 ace note noun a one-dollar note US, 1929 ace of spades noun the vulva US, 1960 ace on adjective skilled at BAHAMAS, 1982 ace out verb 1 to fool someone; to swindle someone US, 1933. 2 to exclude someone US, 1964 . 3 in poker, to win a hand by bluffing while holding a relatively low-value hand US, 1983 ace over apex adverb head over heels US, 1960 aces noun in poker, a hand with a pair of aces US, 1987. < aces in both places in craps, a roll of two US, 1999 aces adjective excellent US, 1901 acey-deucey noun 1 in backgammon, a variant rule under which the game is started in positions other than the standard layout US, 1944 . 2 a bisexual. A probable elaboration of AC/DC US, 1980 acey-deucey verb (used of a jockey) to ride with the inside stirrup lower than the outside stirrup. A riding style popularised by legendary jockey Eddie Acaro US, 1948 above board | acey-deucey 2 . of communication. 18 Notes/bibliography 1 Slang Today and Yesterday, 1 933 : George Routledge & Sons, London 2 Slang Today and Yesterday, 1 933 , quoting Greenough and Kittredge, Words and their Ways in English Speech,. and dignified writing and in professional speaking, a vivid and extensive slang is perhaps preferable to a jejune and meagre vocabulary of standard English; on the other hand, it will hardly be. these and others are a t the root of slang[ .] 1 Here, There and Everywhere When we come to slang and familiar speech gener- ally, we come to that department of the vocabulary in which British and