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I referred to a head as a noggin in my ESL sessions this week. My learner was amused and intrigued. So there are two parts to this....
other terms for your head (noodle etc....), and other terms for a body part that you might actually hear in conversation in public occasionally. I am NOT going near "Lady Garden", for example. But I might go with lugholes if it wasn't so Brit-only (it is, isn't it? ) Are legs "pins" everywhere? My bilinguality is handicapping me....
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Head = Bean
Back in the day beaning a batter was hitting a guy in the head with a baseball. Many things on reddit are offensive but none more than r/baseball bastardizing the term to include hitting a batter anywhere. kids today
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ooh yes, bean's a goodun
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A head can also be a melon.
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Will Shortz got in trouble for using "beaner" (as in bean ball) in a NYT crossword.
Inappropriate slang for Latin American in general, Mexican in particular
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monster wrote:
Are legs "pins" everywhere?
This one is entirely British, I think.
You will sometimes hear "mitts" for hands in a mildly thieving sense, as in "get your mitts off my stuff."
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monster wrote:
I referred to a head as a noggin in my ESL sessions this week. My learner was amused and intrigued. So there are two parts to this....
other terms for your head (noodle etc....), and other terms for a body part that you might actually hear in conversation in public occasionally. I am NOT going near "Lady Garden", for example. But I might go with lugholes if it wasn't so Brit-only (it is, isn't it? ) Are legs "pins" everywhere? My bilinguality is handicapping me....
Try giving 'bonce' an airing next time.
Admittedly it's rarely heard these days but worth an honourable mention.
Last edited by Carruthers (6/24/2021 12:36 pm)
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Ooooh! I do like bonce!
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I did tell her about bonce already..... with the caveat I was pretty sure it was British....
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Loaf is apparently also Brit-centric
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Clodfobble wrote:
monster wrote:
Are legs "pins" everywhere?
This one is entirely British, I think.
You will sometimes hear "mitts" for hands in a mildly thieving sense, as in "get your mitts off my stuff."
Mitts! thanks
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monster wrote:
I did tell her about bonce already..... with the caveat I was pretty sure it was British....
From the BBC America website....
1: Bonce
This has it’s origin in the fine game of marbles.
Continues...
But way back in the 1860s, the biggest marble in the game was called a bonce.
And as it’s such a good word, it soon made the leap to describe that other gleaming orb, the human head.
I assume it started as a form of mockery for bald men, and then softened in meaning, to include everyone.
Fraser's Phrases: Five Slang Terms For The Head
While I'm here...
4: Loaf
Another simple one, derived from the ever-present cockney rhyming slang. Loaf of bread = head.
Should you ever annoy a cockney with your foolishness, enough for him or her to bellow “use your loaf!” at least you’ll know what he’s banging on about.
Last edited by Carruthers (6/25/2021 4:50 am)
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pinkie
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monster wrote:
pinkie
Isn't it a pinkie in the States?
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Yes, you might occasionally hear "little finger" but "pinkie" is universal here.
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right. it's a good one I just thought of
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in bodybuilding/weightlifting,
legs= wheels
arms = guns
other weird ones, like..
lower back = christmas tree (like this)
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ooh biceps as guns is a goodun
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Sun's out, guns out.
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Thanks, guys, she loved these
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Not a body part itself, but a (somewhat old-fashioned) way to refer to a punch is a "knuckle sandwich."
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Not really slang, it's pretty much the common term in these parts, oxters are armpits.
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these are great, although I don't think oxters is going to help here... but I love it
When she learned people sometimes say buns for buttocks, she wanted to know how on earth that was related to "having a bun in the oven"
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monster wrote:
Are legs "pins" everywhere?
In the old (Merkin) film noir gangster movies they used 'pins' for legs.
Pins and gams. Also 'get away sticks'. 'Hooks' for hands.