h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Does dungaree count?

AndyF

There are a few more if "-gree" is substituted. Cheating, mind.
"thing" words - macguffin, oojamaflip, doodah (doodad in US), wossname (used by nobody but Terry Pratchett) and a vague waving motion of the hand or hands, not usually accompanied by a vocalisation unless it is one of the "thing" words, followed by "-you know..."

Gry - n. the noise of a pig or the dirt found underneath your fingernails. Don't ask me how to pronounce it - I don't know whether it rhymes with "cry" or sounds like the last bit of angry or hungry.
There are a couple of other archaic words ending in gry but I like this one best.

Words for summat: A doin's

Having read your list... here's a few more you missed... a few are welsh ones... but they all count I guess!

Black Maria - a van used to transport a number of police to a trouble spot.
BLT - a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich
covi - a person from Caernarfon
Cowboy - a tradesman with very little skill.
Crusty - a style of hippie who never wash!
Draw - a term used for cannabis as in " got any draw?"
Gladys - name for a long-term girlfriend "how's your Gladys?"
Heffer - a big girl
Jarred - to get drunk as in " I got jarred last night!"
joskin - a person from Anglesey
Joyrider - a car thief who races police for fun.
Keeping up with the Jones's - to out do your neighbours.e.g. To buy a more impressive car etc.
Knob - either an idiot or a penis
La's - a collection of young men
Lid - a crashhelmet
Panad - a Welsh cup of tea
Pavement pizza - to vomit
Pint - An alcoholic drink, usually served in a pint glass (568ml) used as "you going for a pint?"
Plastic - a credit card
Plastic scouser - a person from the areas outside Liverpool, e.g. Cheshire, north Wales coast, etc.
Pot noodle - a meal that requires hot water prior to eating which is of dubious nutritional content.
Punter - a customer, normally used within the betting industry
Quid - currency. A British pound
Rave - a dance music party usually held in a deserted area, where the use of drugs is widespread.
Scouse - a person from Liverpool
Skallie - a young troublemaker
Tab - a tablet, usually associated with illegal drugs
Talking to god on the big white phone - to vomit in the toilet
Ton - 100 of something, used to describe cash or speed " I was doing over a ton up there."
Wireless - an old term for a radio

Well, I hope that lot keeps you amused for a while... my creative juices have run dry for the time being!

Contrary to what Rob and Doug may claim, I tend to think that your assessment is right, especially given the characters that use it. Come to think of this, I only remember hearing Rimmer say "Smeg" once, in the line "Better dead than smeg."

Fruitbat

Interestingly, I remember hearing from someone years ago that the use of the word "Cool" arrived because of the excessive use of the word "Hot" to describe something immensely popular or exciting (or whatever it's meant to mean). The change happened because the '60's generation wanted a word of their own that hadn't been done to death by their parents' generation.
"Cool" is one of those words that I've never really heard defined, and which everyone uses. Today, depending on who's using it, the word can mean anything from "Okay, sure" to "This is the latest thing, it's immensely popular and fascinating until later today when something equally brilliant will come along to replace it."
In the IT programme I just completed, "Cool" meant something very versatile, easy use work with, and sometimes a lot of fun to play with.

Fruitbat

How about words for being put in prison?

In the chokey
Doing porridge
In the Clink - from the infamous Clink Street Prison in London - where debtors were sent.
Doing time
In the glasshouse (Army)

Minging is also used to describe an unatractive member of the female sex.

laters = gutted = cherry to you = oh dear you have suffered some misfortune or you have been proved wrong and I am happy about that.

hmm...have people been looking at the 'geezer' slang site:
http://www.geezer.demon.co.uk/
because it looks like they've taken loads of stuff off there...

anyway...

what about "fur coat and no knickers" = someone (usually a woman) who's "full of it" and thinks she's better than she really is.

"minging" is actually pretty offensive because it derives from the word "minge" = vagina. "noshing on a minge" = to indulge in cunnilingus

"bog roll" = toilet paper

"frenchies" can be tonguey "snogs" or "french letters" = condoms

"snogs" = deep kisses

i also heard "jemima" for f**k, taken from the beatrix potter story 'jemima puddleduck'. as in "i'd like to jemima you"

"did an elephant" taken from "elephant's trunk" = did a "bunk" ie ran away/went into hiding from a responsibility

"bunk off" usually means to play truant

"gingers" = "ginger beers" = queers

"tom" is another word used to refer to a prostitute's "punter"

"nicked" means to be arrested as in "you're nicked, my son" but conversely, it also means to have stolen something as in "i nicked it" so whilst bragging that you'd nicked something, you could be nicked for having nicked it...confusing innit?

"innit" = shortening of "isn't it" i hear it more often used by young asian londoners than anyone else

to "fudge" something is to mess it up "damn, i fudged it" comes from the euphemism for "f**k"

"aggro" was invented by the "skins" (skinheads) and is a shortening of the words "aggravation" and "agression". it usually means to cause a ruckus

"come on" means to start menstruation, i have never heard this used outside of britain. hence if a woman tells you "i've just come on" she's probably explaining why she's been so tetchy for the past week!

i think "cop off" (to pull, pick up someone) is derived from the word "copulation"

i also think that's enough to be going on with!

Thats funny minging where I come from (Ealing,Harrow area) means
drunk to the point of merriment and/or intoxicated by some sort of drugs.
as in Im really minging tonight!!!!!
I might point out that it is pronounced ming-ging not as I suspect
minge-ing as the last entry sort of suggests.

i have heard it pronounced as "minge-ing"

classic example of slang overheard yesterday: 2 blokes (and there's an example in itself) walked past and they must've been talking about a fight because one said:
"there was claret all over the shop"
(trans. "there was blood everywhere")

and the other said:
"did anyone call the rozzers?"
(trans. "did anyone call the police?")

Minging - anything awful, vile, filthy, depraved, eg. member's of the opposite sex, cars, decor, head after a long night of abuse.

Shed Dragger: someone towing a caravan

Rhyming Slang for the late 1990s:

New Labour (Manifesto) = pesto
Robin (as in Robin Reliant) = three-wheeler = dealer
Tory sleaze = e's
whitebait = lightweight

I thank you.

quid = pound(s) Sterling, as in 'It cost me five quid'
fiver = five quid = £5
tenner = ten quid = £10
a butchers = a look, as in 'Let's have a butchers at that' [this is ryming slang; butcher's hook = look - its the only one in regular usage].

3 words ending in gry Vesty? You've been reading the Guardians Notes and Queries again haven't you?! There are loads of them.

I know it's lowering the tone but how about slang for vomit if it's not yet been done

Barking at the ants
Parking custard
Pavement pizzas
Multicoloured yawn
Speaking to God on the great white telephone

Nope, I knew it well before the Guardian did it's bit. There's a great site called Ask a Librarian where you can ask any factual question and they say they will always get back by email within 24 hours. That and www.imdb.com settle loads of arguments.

An excellent selection there. It struck a particular chord because, only yesterday after a succession of Belgian beers, I was wondering to myself "Where the hell did the expression 'big girl's blouse' originate?"
Does anybody know? I can't even think of any ridiculous ideas...

It was a comedienne's catch phrase. Another one of hers was "I must get a little hand put on this watch" after being asked the time and saying "five past, er, er,"
She was in a TV series with Jimmy Jewel - but I can't remember her name for the life of me!