British slang for obtaining goods and services without having to pay for them. The word can be used in two rather different ways:
1 If it is for personal advantage then the word has certain negative implications, that the person doing the
scrounging is not wholly trustworthy;
2 If it is to further a project at work or to obtain goods, materials or money for a charity then there can be a certain
amount of admiration.
1 “I see Jan’s mumping drinks again.”
“What a scrounging old fart she is.”
2 “How did you get the job finished so quickly?
“Johnny went out scrounging and brought back some brand new 2 x 1 someone had dumped in a skip.”
British slang for obtaining goods or services without having to pay for them. This can be for personal advantage or to further a project or piece of work; it can also be to obtain goods, materials or money for a charitable organisation.
How did you get the job finished so quickly?
Johnny went out scrounging and brought back some plastic piping, brand new, that someone had dumped in a skip.
Nickname given to bales of marijuana thrown overboard or out of airplanes. Origin is reportedly from members of the US Coast Guard in the area of Southern Florida.
A sunburn or suntan focused on the left arm. It is caused by the left side of the body being the only half that gets exposed to sunlight while driving. Presumably, it would be located on the right side of the body in countries where they drive on the left side of the road.
I had a trucker's tan after driving for 10 straight hours on a sunny day.
British slang for a scientist or technical expert, esp . when the speaker is not certain of the expert’s specific field of study. Not necessarily derogatory, but typically used by persons without a technical background. In the US, the equivalent would be “egghead”, “squint”, or “geek.”
Origin of the word is unknown. Started sometime in World War 2. Given the typical evolution of British slang, could easily have started because what these experts did was confusing or “baffling” to the common person.