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| Tuesday, 1 April 2003 |
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Bartender is a fizzical culturist by Geoff Wijesinghe Taking my evening walk on the pavements of Bambalapitiya, I spent many an hour glimpsing through the second-hand books, some of which are literary gems, which cannot be found at local bookshops. One such is the "Thesaurus of Slang", a rather rare publication by Esther and Albert E. Lewin. It has 150,000 uncensored contemporary slang terms, common idioms and arranged for quick and easy reference. It is a rather large book and is very interesting and revealing. For instance, a bartender is described as a fizzical culturist, blood as people juice, death as a dirt nap, to be drunk to walk on rocky socks, gasoline as motion lotion. Gastrointestinal organs are described as the department of the interior, nonsense as balloon juice, and to understand to wake up and smell to coffee. A ruffian is described as a mug, mugger, gorilla, ape, bodyguard, pug, heavy goon, bully boy, bucko, roughneck, tough cookie, boozer and ugly customer. Sexual attraction is described as chemistry. Automobile hood is described as doghouse. The slang adjective of awful is given as sucks a big one. Raunchy as stinking synthetic. A bad person is also known as sleaze ball, slime bucket, scoundrel. Interestingly, a band leader is described as a monkey professor. A bank as a damper, jay, jug. Bank account as nest egg, rainy day, sock mattress full. Bank book damper pad. Banker as a loan shark, Shylock, juice dealer. Bankrupt as belly up, broke, busted, on the rocks, cleaned out, go to the cleaners, go to the poorhouse. Belittled as eat crow, eat dirt, eat humble pie, sing small, crawl, lost face, took down, put down, come down, dumped on, drummed out, draw in one's horns, egg on one's face, knocked from one's high horse, knocked off one's perch, have a tuck in one's tail, got one's comeuppance. Face treatment is described as facial, face-lift, nose job, hamburger (mixture). A newspaper is also called daily, rag, scandal sheet, sheet, bladder, blat, bulldog, chroniker, extra, fish wrapper, snitch sheet, toilet paper. A nymphomaniac is described as broad, pushover, round heels, easy lay, mink, easy woman, loose woman, woman of easy virtue, chippie, floozy, tramp, bum, slut, dog, frail, frail sister, blimp, bombshell, charity girl, chaser, run around, floss around, fruit, flasher, nymph, nympho, hot to trot. Officer's club is also known as hen house. Red tape is another word for officialdom, and similar words are red tapism, red tapery, foolocracy, gunocracy, mediocracy, and moneyocracy. Old age is described as golden age, gray power, and the dwighdles. An orgy is also known as bat, bender, binge, tear, toot, wingding, bust, circle jerk, circus, circus love. According to this Thesaurus of Slangs, a politician is also called a pol, politico, two-bit politician, peanut politician, boys in the backroom, dark horse, boodler, glad-hander, grandstander, handshaker, stach, wheeler-dealer, logroller, man higher up, ward heeler, flesh presser, whistle stopper, baby kisser, and bell ringer. Potency is also known as juice, snap, zap, zing, zip, sock, kick, moxie, punch, steam, what it takes, piss and vinegar. |
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