But there's some evidence they borrowed an existing English dialect term, perhaps one they had heard in the Army during World War Two. The English Dialect Dictionary notes lurgy from northern England as an adjective meaning idle or lazy.
Lurgi, the lurgi or the dreaded lurgi (also sometimes spelt lurgy) rhymes with Fergie and is a lovely informal BrE word with comedic (and possibly dialectal) origins that can now refer to an annoying (but not serious) illness that hangs around and makes one feel miserable.
Dreaded Lurgy | British English Expressions | Learn English
What is the slang for OK in London?
There are a few ways to say OK in British slang. Some common expressions include: sound, fair enough, no worries, and cheers. Yes, Brits do say mate. It is a common way to address someone, regardless of their gender.
Get to grips with their colourful Scottish expressions and phrases. But, there are some things you dinnae want to say to avoid getting on their wrong side. Follow our sound advice and you'll dodge getting told to 'haud yer wheesht' (shut up), 'get tae' (go away) or 'skedaddle aff' (leave them alone).
As far back as the 1500s, breasts were called paps. In the 1600s, there came other names, like apples, globes and lily white balls. Then, around 1680, there arose a bit of slang that would outshine most all the rest in its various forms: bubby. Bubby, Green says, may come from the Latin word bibere, meaning to drink.
Apparently, it started as slang in the mid 1900's as slang, and it just stuck. There's no deep meaning behind it. It's just a word that sounds like what boredom would sound like if it were audible. Blah.
The most commonly cited reason for our use of the word loo is that it comes from the cry of "gardyloo!". This, in turn, comes from the French term "regardez l'eau", which translates literally as "watch out for the water".
Knackered. Use this adjective after a long, busy day at work or school, when you have no energy left but to throw yourself onto the sofa. Pronounced “nackered” (with a silent “k” as in “knee”), this popular term describes the state of being worn out or exhausted.
Coorie is a Scots word meaning "to stoop, bend, cringe, crouch for protection" and "to snuggle, nestle." It has been positioned as a "lifestyle trend," similar to the Scandinavian concept of hygge, which involves ideas such as cosiness.
“Hurkle-durkle is a 200-year-old Scots term that means lounging in bed well past the time you were supposed to get up,” she said in a TikTok with over 719,000 views.
9. Hank Marvin = Starving. “I'm completely Marvin.” Hank Marvin was a guitarist in popular band during the 1960s. Cockneys took a shine to his name, and now you can announce your levels of hunger by including Hank, Marvin, or Hank Marvin in a sentence.
' is a contraction of the tag question 'Isn't it? ' and people use it to prompt a response from the listener. So if someone says 'Nice weather, innit? ', they are expecting you to agree and say 'Yes'.