cactuscat's definitions

chav

Immigrant to the United Kingdom from Chavonia. Due to the usual socio-political factors that determine one's class/employment/housing/education etc etc, Chavs tend to be at the lowest level in these areas and are therefore victimised in the media and by those who need someone to look down on. Interestingly, to cover up the obvious bigotry of Chav-hating the country of Chavonia has been removed from the world map and people now pretend that it doesn't exist and that the Chav is merely a British person who affects the demeanour of someone born into an underclass, and could therefore speak like a middle-class person, get a job in graphic-design and join the local golf club, should he or she so desire. The commonly held belief that Chavs are naturally violent is something of a misconception - it's true that they sometimes give goffs/moshers/emos and other fashion victims a bit of a kicking but usually they perform this service quite reluctantly for up to ten or fifteen pounds.

He's a chav you say? That tells me very little about him, but quite a lot about you.

by cactuscat September 18, 2008

Pete Townshend-style research

Viewing any kind of sexually stimulating material (not necessarily illegal or even explicit) on the internet. In common use in northern England, and possibly elsewhere, this expression originates from pop musician Pete Townshend's explanation of why he gave his credit card details to a website containing visual depictions of children being sexually abused - that he wished to view the material for research purposes. Although the implication of the term is that Townshend was lying he was, in fact, cleared of all charges.

Sorry I didn't answer the phone, I was doing some Pete Townshend-style research.

by cactuscat September 14, 2006

wassock

Lancashire dialect word, only ever used light-heartedly as a very mild insult. Pronounced 'wazzock' rather than with an 's' sound. Once famously appeared on a hit record by Tony Capstick, giving it a brief period of popularity with schoolkids, including me, but now only uttered without a degree of irony by coffin dodgers.

No, you wassock, I said Settle, not Seattle!

by cactuscat September 14, 2006

knobstand

Knob is commonly used in Britain to mean penis, so the implication of knobstand is that someone is useless, that he serves no purpose other than to support his own genitals. Not in general use but sometimes heard said by teenagers in South Manchester. A few years ago I saw it in an Australian music fanzine, but I would assume this was written by someone with connections to Northern England.

Can't you do anything right? You knobstand!

by cactuscat September 14, 2006

grebo

West Midlands slang word for rockers, bikers, greasers etc. In the late 1980s it was used by the UK music press to refer to a specific scene centered around the bands Pop Will Eat Itself and Crazyhead. The term never found favour with readers of 'the inkies' (Sounds, Melody Maker and the still extant NME) and was soon dropped. Now often used in predominantly working-class areas of the midlands and the north to mean someone who listens to rock-derived music and/or dresses in a manner that suggests they affiliate themselves with rock music of some kind.

Some grebo passed with Sabbath playing on his stereo.
The Poppies are at no. 17? God, a grebo band in the charts!
They're playing nu-metal now, bloody grebos!

by cactuscat September 15, 2006

bills

Boxer shorts, y-fronts or briefs. Rhyming slang: Bill Grundies = undies. Used specifically for male lower underwear, never female lingerie. Bill Grundy was a famous British television presenter, mostly on news-magazine programmes.

I need some new bills, these are full of holes.

by cactuscat September 15, 2006

biddy

In the UK a biddy (or, more commonly, an old biddy) is a person (particularly a woman) of around 55 or above.

Some old biddy got her purse stolen.

Don't go to the Red Lion, it's full of old biddies.

by cactuscat September 15, 2006