Heavy Gus, Cockney slang for the English colloquialism "Heavy August" (Hottest= Heavy August=Heavy Gus),
was a common blue collar greeting surrounding the excruciating heat waves of 1841-1845 London.
From The Morning Chronicle- June 26, 1842;
"It was with a start, walking up to Charing Cross, a train drudger tupped his cap at me and said "'evy gus, too much for a capper?"
To which I quickly followed, "Sir, it is but only the end of June"
"Aye, bun the sun is peas in the pot, and it's barely mid-morning" he replied- of which I learned a few priors to mean "hot", and so I tupped my hat back at the sweating brakeman.
Last found in print in 1889, the term 'Heavy Gus' is rarely used today.
was a common blue collar greeting surrounding the excruciating heat waves of 1841-1845 London.
From The Morning Chronicle- June 26, 1842;
"It was with a start, walking up to Charing Cross, a train drudger tupped his cap at me and said "'evy gus, too much for a capper?"
To which I quickly followed, "Sir, it is but only the end of June"
"Aye, bun the sun is peas in the pot, and it's barely mid-morning" he replied- of which I learned a few priors to mean "hot", and so I tupped my hat back at the sweating brakeman.
Last found in print in 1889, the term 'Heavy Gus' is rarely used today.
"As the sweltering morning heat cakes down onto the dock workers, along with the 8 am work whistle, you could hear the salty salutations of "heavy gus to you" among the laborers.
by Bobreingold65 November 23, 2021