2 definitions by Thoroughly Modern Zo
1960s expression slang among Mods for taking time effort & money to get dressed up to look your best.
Mods a 1960s youth subculture who embraced Modern Jazz & Modern style of dress especially sharp well tailored sartorial looks eg tightly cut mohair suits, short dresses & bobbed hair for girls. Mods were working class youth who embraced style as weapon against their assigned place in society, a rebellion of upward aspiration to outdo middle classes less clued up about style. Lambretta & Vespa scooters subverted & customized as a 'weapon' of expression & identity too, as motorcycles greasy & unsuitable for smart clothes. Pitched battles took place Mods & Rockers/Greasers in 1960s seafront bank holiday rallies. The subculture existed from 1963-1969 then again in revival 1977-82, & remains a style even today. Music included The Who, Small Faces & Tamla Motown, & in 70s manifestation The Jam The Chords & Secret Affair.
Wide use as an expression in 1960s, these days in daily use generally confined to those who work in rag trade (often ethnic minority) especially tailors, retail fashion, or Mod culture itself
"To get dressed, something that could take a very long time indeed, especially when you remember the lengths your average mod would go to in order to get their clothes ready for wear. That thing about sitting in a bath wearing a pair of Levi’s to shrink them down to a skin-tight fit, that must’ve taken DAYS." Fraser McAlpine of BBC America
Mods a 1960s youth subculture who embraced Modern Jazz & Modern style of dress especially sharp well tailored sartorial looks eg tightly cut mohair suits, short dresses & bobbed hair for girls. Mods were working class youth who embraced style as weapon against their assigned place in society, a rebellion of upward aspiration to outdo middle classes less clued up about style. Lambretta & Vespa scooters subverted & customized as a 'weapon' of expression & identity too, as motorcycles greasy & unsuitable for smart clothes. Pitched battles took place Mods & Rockers/Greasers in 1960s seafront bank holiday rallies. The subculture existed from 1963-1969 then again in revival 1977-82, & remains a style even today. Music included The Who, Small Faces & Tamla Motown, & in 70s manifestation The Jam The Chords & Secret Affair.
Wide use as an expression in 1960s, these days in daily use generally confined to those who work in rag trade (often ethnic minority) especially tailors, retail fashion, or Mod culture itself
"To get dressed, something that could take a very long time indeed, especially when you remember the lengths your average mod would go to in order to get their clothes ready for wear. That thing about sitting in a bath wearing a pair of Levi’s to shrink them down to a skin-tight fit, that must’ve taken DAYS." Fraser McAlpine of BBC America
"Gab Up darlin' we're going to The 100 Club tonight"
"I'm not gettin' all gabbed up if we're not going anywhere"
"I quite fancy a day at the races mate come all let's gab up and go to Doncaster for the Leger"
"I'm not gettin' all gabbed up if we're not going anywhere"
"I quite fancy a day at the races mate come all let's gab up and go to Doncaster for the Leger"
by Thoroughly Modern Zo August 27, 2023
A Mod expression for the 1960s. Mod was an aspirational working class youth culture which used sharp and sartorial style as a rebellious statement against their allotted place in life so many expressions were associated with this. So English expression 'at sixes and sevens' means in a physical or metaphorical mess, all over the place, and was used by Shakespeare. But the price of t shirts in Woolworth's selling discounted which were inferior quality clothing to that which the Mods aspired, was seven shillings and sixpence written 7/6- . The two references materialized in the Mod terms 'Not your 7/6' meaning something was not cheap and/or messy clothing
"The mod lifestyle was about conspicuous spending on quality goods. Suits had to be tailored, not bought off-the-peg, and anyone who did turn up at an all-nighter wearing a low-cost version of mod fashion would be labelled a seven and six. The numbers are a reference to pre-decimalized British currency and the cost of cheap T-shirts in Woolworths." Fraser McAlpine BBC World Service
"The mod lifestyle was about conspicuous spending on quality goods. Suits had to be tailored, not bought off-the-peg, and anyone who did turn up at an all-nighter wearing a low-cost version of mod fashion would be labelled a seven and six. The numbers are a reference to pre-decimalized British currency and the cost of cheap T-shirts in Woolworths." Fraser McAlpine BBC World Service
"Of course it's a nice suit what did you think? Real mohair mate not your seven and six- "
"She turned up lookin' a bit seven and six to be honest I wouldn't date her again"
"She turned up lookin' a bit seven and six to be honest I wouldn't date her again"
by Thoroughly Modern Zo August 27, 2023