Jeevesdropping

Refers to where Bertie Wooster's "suave 'n' savvy" butler secretly listens in on others' conversations in order to keep his dim-witted employer out of trouble.

P.G. Wodehouse's famous fictional manservant did a bit of Jeevesdropping on more than one occasion in order to save his naive young London aristocrat's hide.

Jeevesdropping by QuacksO January 27, 2023

Get merch

Get the Jeevesdropping mug.

See more merch

Jeevesdropping

When a Search Engine secretly records your activity or an "Assistant Surface" (Google Home/Alexa) or "AI Virtual Assistant" (Cortana/Siri) listens to your background conversations in order to tailor search results and display ads.

In reference to Ask Jeeves, a search platform, launched in 1997 that allowed users to enter a natural-language query into the search box, and the virtual "valet" would come back with the answer.

I've been frequenting a few websites with seafood recipes and watching some maritime cooking shows and I swear, something must be Jeevesdropping on me because now all my online feeds and ads are about how to meet Nordic women!

Jeevesdropping by ChrisCvet April 17, 2024

Get merch

Related Words

Jeevesdropping • peevesdropping

Jeevesdropping

When you’re eavesdropping on someone else’s conversation and offer your unsolicited answer to their private problem/question/discussion.

Couple at bar having private conversation: “ugh what was the name of that guy in that movie? The movie about spys? Ya know with the one that went crazy?”

You, 3 seats away, by yourself, interjecting: “it’s Tom Cruise. Sorry, I was jeevesdropping.”

Jeevesdropping by Arby KD April 28, 2024

Get merch

peevesdropping

Clandestine surveillance of one or more individuals to ascertain what they typically grumble about.

Most complaining-prone individuals are more than willing to openly voice their chief gripes to anyone who will listen, so there should seldom be any need to resort to peevesdropping in order to become privy to said subject matter!

peevesdropping by QuacksO January 27, 2023

Get merch

Toe Rag

A toe rag was originally a foot wrapping used, since mediaeval times up until the mid-nineteenth century, to protect the foot from chafing by boots or shoes. As these were, quite literally, rags they weren’t usually washed, and so with use they became very smelly until they were thrown away. Because of the similarity in smell, toe rag also became the name applied to dried, salted cod or other things with a strong, unpleasant, fishy smell. It didn’t take that long before the name was applied to someone who was an obnoxious, unpleasant OIC.

1 “Socks! Those aren’t socks you smelly git, they’re toe rags!”
2 “What have you been cooking? Smells like toe rag!”
3 “I can smell ‘er fanny from ‘ere, proper toe rag.”
4 That Heale Malcolm is a right toe rag.

Toe Rag by AKACroatalin November 29, 2016

Word of the Day on July 24, 2026

Get merch

Eternity leave

When some resigns or retires from a job, they are on "eternity leave". This can also refer to someone who has passed away, especially someone who worked somewhere for a long time, retired/resigned, then passed away later.

Oh I'm sorry, you didn't know that Kelly is on eternity leave? She resigned and moved to Hawaii!

With regrets I would like to inform you that my boss is officially on eternity leave. I will never see or hear them again. Ever.

Eternity leave by LingDanc803 February 7, 2023

Word of the Day on July 23, 2026

Get merch

jody

The hypothetical man (often a sinister character who decided not to go to boot camp) that is doing your girlfriend/wife while you are on deployment overseas.

Ain't no use in goin home,
Jody's got your girl and gone.
Ain't no use in goin back,
Jody's got your Cadillac,
Ain't no use in feeling blue,
Jody's took your checkbook too.

jody by Sgt Apan March 31, 2006

Word of the Day on July 22, 2026

Get merch