Slang_2014.fm Page 12 Monday, December 9, 2013 6:05 PM
arsehole to a very remote and/or unpleasant place. ‘Arse-end Charlie’ is a more robust version of the colloquial ‘tail-end Charlie’, as applied to a straggler. arsehole1 n British 1. the anus. Asshole in American English. 2. the arsehole of the universe/earth/world an extremely unpleasant place, especially one that is dirty, smelly and hot, but now by extension anywhere awful. The phrase was probably coined by troops stationed overseas, prompted by such captions as ‘the pearl of the Orient’ or ‘the gateway to the Pacific’. 3. an extremely unpleasant person, especially one who combines offensiveness with stupidity. The term, when used in Britain or Australia, is stronger than the American equivalent asshole, and slightly different in emphasis. It shows real distaste and dislike rather than mild contempt. arsehole2 vb 1. British to ‘crawl’, flatter or curry favour in a nauseating way. Typically used at work about a fellow employee, this is probably inspired by the now dated expressions ‘arsehole-crawler’ or ‘arsehole-creep’. There he goes, arseholing again. It makes me sick. 2. Australian to throw someone out, to get rid of (an unwanted lover). The word is often used plaintively or resentfully by jilted teenagers. I can’t understand it. Robyn arseholed me last night. arseholed adj 1. British very drunk. A popular word among students, younger members of the armed forces and other heavy drinkers from the 1960s to the present. The image is of someone disgustingly or helplessly drunk, as in the expression ‘pissed as an arsehole’; but the term is neutral, not usually pejorative, and is used by all social classes. ‘Once a month he gets completely arseholed and then comes home and asks me to forgive him.’ (Recorded, housewife, Devon, 1986) 2a. Australian dismissed from one’s job 2b. Australian ejected, especially from a bar 2c. Australian rejected by one’s partner arseholes! exclamation British nonsense. A term expressing brusque dismissal or defiance which now seems to arsehole
arsehole
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12 be falling into disuse. The singer Ian Dury included it in a stream of abuse featured on a 1978 record. arsehole to breakfast time adj, adv British 1. completely disorganised, ‘at sixes and sevens’. A picturesque, if fundamentally meaningless expression sometimes heard in Britain, especially in the north of England. It’s no good, it’s all arsehole to breakfast time in that office at the moment. 2. thoroughly, constantly, or the full distance as, for instance, in the expression ‘he kicked him from arsehole to breakfast time’. This may be an allusion to the complete digestive process (breakfast time referring to the mouth), but the origins of the phrase are obscure. arselick vb British to flatter, curry favour. The verb, which may be transitive or, more often, intransitive, is a more recent back-formation from the noun form. arse-licker n a flatterer or toady, someone who is nauseatingly sycophantic. This ancient image and phrase is paralleled in many European languages (Arschlecker in German, lèchecul in French). arse-man n a man whose favourite part of a woman’s anatomy is the buttocks as opposed to a leg-man or tit-man arse-on n British a fit of bad temper, sulk. The term has been heard since 2000. feeling a bit of an arse-on He’s got the arse-on. arse over tip/tit adv head over heels, upside down. The expression is typically cockney, but widespread in Britain and Australia. The American version is ass over tincups/teacups. ‘She tripped and fell arse over tit down the stairs.’ (Recorded, plumber, London, 1987) arse up vb British to make a mess of, mix up or spoil. A less common variation of balls up and the verb form of cock-up. He managed to completely arse up the whole job. arse-up n British a synonym for cock-up and fuck-up, which became popular from the mid-1990s, in arseholetobreakfast ime
arselick
arse-ilcker
arse-man
arse-on
arseovertip/ti
arseup
arse-up