Head-butt

June 10, 2004 5:58 AM

Give me a Glasgow kiss! The OED's newest English words. Glasgow kiss, n. [ Glasgow, the name of a city in west central Scotland + KISS n., in humorous allusion to the reputation for violence accorded to some parts of the city. Cf. earlier Liverpool kiss s.v. LIVERPOOL n.] A head-butt.
posted by mfoight (19 comments total)

the liverpool kiss is explained in bryce courtenay's excellent novel of south africa, "the power of one".
posted by quonsar at 6:02 AM on June 10, 2004

See also previous quarterly OED updates here, here & here. To echo me3dia's comment on the latest of these: Do we really have to have a post every time the OED adds a couple of flash-in-the-pan words?
posted by misteraitch at 6:21 AM on June 10, 2004

*headbutts mfoight, quonsar, misteraitch. cackles like Richard Widmark in Kiss Of Death*
posted by matteo at 6:32 AM on June 10, 2004

I sort-of like hearing about these new words (but I do suppose one could check the OED site rather than mefi, as our colleagues imply above). I wonder, though, what prescriptivists make of the OED: "Omigod! 'Omigod' isn't a real word!"
posted by josephtate at 7:04 AM on June 10, 2004

Fuxache matteo, ma heid's nae hauf coupin'! Any mair ay yer cheek an' ye'll get a cuddy lug, ye wee bugger!
posted by misteraitch at 7:18 AM on June 10, 2004

By the way, the North American office of the OED in New York City is hiring.
posted by Mo Nickels at 7:23 AM on June 10, 2004

Hmph. And yet a "bang on the ear" can be a good thing.
posted by Shane at 7:24 AM on June 10, 2004

Do we really have to have a post every time the OED adds a couple of flash-in-the-pan words?

It's always funny to hear or read comments like that, since the OED is notoriously conservative and reluctant to admit new words without strong evidence, strong history, and good reason.
posted by Mo Nickels at 7:27 AM on June 10, 2004

Of no particular interest to anyone: a few years ago Yorkshireman disappeared from the OED. I dunno if it's there again or not now, but I posted a bit of a rant about it on some usenet forum which may or may not have involved the deaths of the entire OED editorial team and their first born. I possibly shouldn't have done that from my work account but I still keep the written warning I received with some measure of pride.
posted by vbfg at 7:49 AM on June 10, 2004

It is usually called a "Gorbals Kiss"
To be specific to an area of Glasgow. :-)
posted by stuartmm at 8:05 AM on June 10, 2004

And here was me thinking that it was a Govan kiss stuart.
posted by johnnyboy at 9:04 AM on June 10, 2004

Anybody know what a "John Lennon" is? I don't have access to the online OED, alas.

(I like the OED posts, but then I would, wouldn't I?)
posted by languagehat at 9:06 AM on June 10, 2004

MetaTalk.
posted by me3dia at 9:53 AM on June 10, 2004

Yorkshireman is still in the OED.

John Lennon has not yet shown up in the online edition, but when it does it will be defined as, "attrib. Designating a pair of meta-framed spectaclesor sunglasses with small, round lenses, a type worn and popularized by John Lennon." Cites are from 1982, 1995, and 2000.
posted by Mo Nickels at 9:57 AM on June 10, 2004

Yorkshireman isn't a real word.
posted by i_cola at 10:35 AM on June 10, 2004

He's a real Yorkshire man, sitting in his Yorkshire land, making all his Yorkshire plans for Yorkshire.
posted by Goofyy at 11:07 AM on June 10, 2004

"Glasgow Kiss?" How long until "Cleveland Steamer" is in there?
posted by scarabic at 11:40 AM on June 10, 2004

I'm waiting for "Blumpkin" and "Dirty Sanchez," myself. Until then, then it sure ain't definitive, is it?

Still. I so want a copy of it, if only for word-nerd supremacy in my own house.

(You down with OED? Yeah, you know me.)
posted by chicobangs at 7:45 PM on June 10, 2004

Having a look at the attribs for Glasgow kiss, how do that actually decide what to use? They quote the execrable Is Harry on the Boat? from 1997, whilst it was clearly in use before that, just off the top of my head? For example, Carter USM used it in the song 'Sealed with a Glasgow Kiss' in 1995.
posted by biffa at 3:51 AM on June 11, 2004