tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post6728282533756533687..comments2024-03-16T00:21:43.240+00:00Comments on Separated by a Common Language: Words of the Year 2006lynneguisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-21346341931018109612018-04-13T04:39:10.338+01:002018-04-13T04:39:10.338+01:00Hmm, undoubtedly this word has its origins in BrE,...Hmm, undoubtedly this word has its origins in BrE, but we Americans got it from the Canadians, especially Bob and Doug McKenzie of the "Great White North" on SCTV, although hoser easily pipped wanker at the time.fthompsohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13953605115587300660noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-35857928431555181142014-04-15T21:16:53.691+01:002014-04-15T21:16:53.691+01:00Jumping on the band wagon very late I just had to ...Jumping on the band wagon very late I just had to reply to this one! "She is a wanker" is not something you would hear even as an insult really in the UK. Wanker is not exclusively a male insult but it sounds weird to call a girl a wanker...more likely to be a cow or a bitch!<br /><br />It's weird because the verb "to rank" has a different meaning from calling someone a wanker. A wanker is a dick, a giant nob-end, a loser (definitely more AmE) & more insulting than the AmE jerk I think...<br /><br />Although I haven't heard it used in ages so must be out if vogue...Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10830320891404684967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-21413700787895546842013-01-25T15:47:36.289+00:002013-01-25T15:47:36.289+00:00I have observed another use of "wank" wi...I have observed another use of "wank" with loose connections to its origin. Say "She is a wanker" in certain online circles, and the image evoked will be malicious gossip and messy emotional drama. Compare "It's a circle-jerk".Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-29262145675243834122007-01-30T01:27:00.000+00:002007-01-30T01:27:00.000+00:00Correcting my previous comment--the Kath and Kim e...Correcting my previous comment--the Kath and Kim episode featuring <I>muffin top</I> is not from 2005. I'm having trouble finding out when it's from. (Anyone know the name of the episode?) The first AmE citation located so far is from 2003.lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-13118124911847872172007-01-26T10:01:00.000+00:002007-01-26T10:01:00.000+00:00No...No...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-59716589900787065282007-01-25T14:04:00.000+00:002007-01-25T14:04:00.000+00:00Newsflash:
The Macquarie Dictionary (Australia) h...Newsflash:<br /><br />The Macquarie Dictionary (Australia) had its first WotY vote this year, and have declared <I>muffin top</I> its colloquialism of the year. They claim that the word has its origins in the Australian sitcom <I>Kath and Kim</I>. Hm, so I've claimed it for the Americans, Hadley Freeman in the Guardian has claimed it for the British, and now Macquarie is claiming it for the Australians. Does anyone have any evidence of the term being used before the 2005 <I>Kath and Kim</I> citation?lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-76463155199469446812007-01-10T08:46:00.000+00:002007-01-10T08:46:00.000+00:00I don't know the phrase double hip as a standard p...I don't know the phrase <I>double hip</i> as a standard phrase, but I understood it immediately upon reading it. It's when you've got a silhouette like this:<br /><br />[tummy]<br /> ( ) [above hip joint] <br /> ( ) [below hip joint] <br /> | | [legs]<br /><br />between the hip and thigh because fat sticks out on the hip, then not at the actual joint, then again at the start of the thigh. I think of <I>saddlebags</I> as referring to the lower set of <a href="http://separatedbyacommonlanguage.blogspot.com/2006/08/parentheses-and-brackets.html">parentheses/brackets</A>, rather than the whole set up. The problem in wearing clingy clothes is not so much that one is round, but that there's this divot at the joint that completely ruins the line of the clothes (and the body).<br /><br />Not at all the same as a muffin top, since one has a 'double hip' even when undressed--whereas the muffin top is pushed into being by the clothes. <br /><br />Don't ask me how I know this, please.lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-3054526724806881552007-01-10T04:45:00.000+00:002007-01-10T04:45:00.000+00:00What is a "double hip"? Does it refer to what I wo...What is a "double hip"? Does it refer to what I would call saddlebags (lumps of flesh on the outside of the thighs) and if so is this another AmE/BrE thing, or am I just ignorant of this phrase?<br /><br />With regard to BrE equivalents of "through" I have heard "Friday <i>while</i> Thursday" used, but pretty specifically regional to the Sheffield area. Not sure if it implies inclusivity or not.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-47331448790005742972007-01-08T23:02:00.000+00:002007-01-08T23:02:00.000+00:00The BBC article is about the American Dialect soci...The BBC article is about the American Dialect society Word of the Year (<i>plutoed</I>). The URL above is cut off, so click <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6240055.stm">here</a> to get to it.lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-17943364790004147382007-01-08T12:15:00.000+00:002007-01-08T12:15:00.000+00:00Yet another link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world...Yet another link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6240055.stmAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-16846218896218049672007-01-07T02:28:00.000+00:002007-01-07T02:28:00.000+00:00How ironic is it that people are trying to delete ...How ironic is it that people are trying to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Articles_for_deletion/Wanker_%282nd_nomination%29">delete </a> the word of the year from Wikipedia. C'est la vie!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-26095319778250738622007-01-06T15:49:00.000+00:002007-01-06T15:49:00.000+00:00dunno about word of the year, but riffing off 'wan...dunno about word of the year, but riffing off 'wanker', my fave new word is 'yankstain' (e.g., bu$hCo follower). and yes, i'm American but blissfully living in England.<br /><br />nb: i got sick and tired of 'wanker' after Atrios used it to death last year and most others followed, which all helped me to quit posting on politics and concentrate on the fun things in life.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-65562758870817917852007-01-04T03:18:00.000+00:002007-01-04T03:18:00.000+00:00Whoops, the above link to Language Log links to a ...Whoops, the above link to Language Log links to a different website (which was also discussing SbaCL that day, and I got into a flattered confusion!).<br /><br />The Language Log post is <a href="http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/003994.html">HERE</a>!lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-91035188829887338412007-01-03T14:57:00.000+00:002007-01-03T14:57:00.000+00:00I agree, ginger yellow. Can't imagine anyone ever ...I agree, ginger yellow. Can't imagine anyone ever thinking, eg, 'secondary schools are for pupils aged 11 to 16' meant that the youngest pupil was 12 and the eldest 15, or 'Because of the bank holiday I'm working Tuesday to Friday this week' as meaning the speaker was going to work only 2 days.<br /><br />As for <i>wanker</i>, it sounds like the US hasn't quite got the hang of how insulting it is. Whereas you might call someone a bastard/ git/ etc in jest, calling someone a wanker really implies they are/ have done something completely contemptible. (I'm sure i've typed a comment in which i said almost exactly the same thing on this blog before, by the way.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-85641462339905241762007-01-03T13:15:00.000+00:002007-01-03T13:15:00.000+00:00Did you see the banished word list?
http://www.ls...Did you see the banished word list?<br /><br />http://www.lssu.edu/banished/current.phpAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-70018785714050571122007-01-03T05:35:00.000+00:002007-01-03T05:35:00.000+00:00Ben Zimmer analyses googleschaden in depth over on...Ben Zimmer analyses <I>googleschaden</i> in depth over on <a href="http://community.livejournal.com/linguaphiles/2956206.html">Language Log</a>.lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-47210965106972188392007-01-03T03:39:00.000+00:002007-01-03T03:39:00.000+00:00British replacement for "Friday through Tuesday" w...British replacement for "Friday through Tuesday" would <b>probably</b> [US <b>likely</b> as an adverb] be "Friday to Tuesday inclusive". You could probably say "Friday through to Tuesday" and be both understood and not accused of Yankophilia. Too many Brits will still say "Friday to Tuesday" and risk misubderstandings.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-58082946594264847412007-01-02T22:29:00.000+00:002007-01-02T22:29:00.000+00:00According to the nominator, there is no BrE equiva...According to the nominator, there is no BrE equivalent for <i>through</I> in that context.lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-61912645708984437762007-01-02T21:01:00.000+00:002007-01-02T21:01:00.000+00:00I recall 7-8 years ago we in a California bar and ...I recall 7-8 years ago we in a California bar and my friend was walking the fine line trying to mouth-off to someone without starting a fight -- so he called the guy a wanker. The other guy apparently didn't know what it meant, or at least didn't take offense. <br /><br />What's the BrE alternative to 'through?'Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-11690316479010413952007-01-02T17:36:00.000+00:002007-01-02T17:36:00.000+00:00"Wanker" is a fantastic word, though I've never wo..."Wanker" is a fantastic word, though I've never worked it into my vocabulary because I think it'd sound a bit pretentious with my hillbilly accent.<br /><br />"Jagoff" is an AmE equivalent, maybe regional, though. I've mainly heard it in the Pittsburgh area.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-19485657864924275822007-01-02T16:00:00.000+00:002007-01-02T16:00:00.000+00:00I agree with Ben Zimmer. I'd go so far as to say t...I agree with Ben Zimmer. I'd go so far as to say that "jerk" has lost any sexual innuendo, in my experience. To me, it merely denotes a rude person, and little kids may say it without reprimand.<br /><br />American traditional (i.e. non-political) skinheads often call each other "wanker" affectionately/ironically, either as a way of asserting their shared connection to the subculture's British origins or to chide someone for acting "too British". I have recently noticed, though, that the intoned emphasis marking this as an ironic use is weakening, which leads me to think that it's being adopted as an ordinary word.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-4419656476395981332007-01-02T15:47:00.000+00:002007-01-02T15:47:00.000+00:00Connotatively speaking, I think "jerk-off" gets yo...Connotatively speaking, I think "jerk-off" gets you a bit closer than "jerk".Ben Zimmerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02927962158447853691noreply@blogger.com