Back slang

Back slang

Back slang is an English coded language in which the written word is spoken phonetically backwards. It is thought to have originated in Victorian England, being used mainly by market sellers, such as butchers and greengrocers, to have private conversations behind their customers' backs and pass off lower quality goods to less observant customers.fact|date=September 2008

The appellation "back slang" is specific to the English language. Other languages, however, have similar coded forms, such as the French "verlan", in which it is syllables, rather than the entire word, that are reversed. Working-class Yiddish speakers in England also employe some English-style backslang, e.g. "yok", meaning "goy" (Yiddish for gentile).fact|date=September 2008 Swedish has a similar phenomenon: the word fika (Swedish for 'to have a coffee break'), for example, is derived from a reversal of the syllables in "kaffi" (older Swedish for 'coffee').

ee also

* Cant (language)
* Pig Latin

External links

* [http://www.victorianweb.org/history/slang2.html Victorian Web Article]
* [http://www.csit.fsu.edu/~burkardt/fun/wordplay/back_slang.html John Burkardt's list of back slang words at Florida State University]


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  • Back slang — Back Back, a. 1. Being at the back or in the rear; distant; remote; as, the back door; back settlements. [1913 Webster] 2. Being in arrear; overdue; as, back rent. [1913 Webster] 3. Moving or operating backward; as, back action. [1913 Webster]… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • back-slang — backˈ slang noun Slang in which every word is pronounced as if spelt backwards • • • Main Entry: ↑back back slang see under ↑back1 • • • Main Entry: ↑slang …   Useful english dictionary

  • back slang — noun : a secret language in which each word is pronounced exactly or approximately as if spelled backwards (as nam for man; nird for drink) Cockney back slang * * * back slang, slang in which words are pronounced or written backwards or in some… …   Useful english dictionary

  • back slang — /ˈbæk slæŋ/ (say bak slang) noun a form of slang in which words are pronounced as far as possible as though spelt backwards. Compare pig Latin, rechtub kelat. Also, backslang …  

  • back slang — noun slang in which words are spoken as though they were spelled backwards (e.g. redraw for warder) …   English new terms dictionary

  • back slang. — futb. Jugadores de la defensa …   Diccionario Lunfardo

  • Back — Back, a. 1. Being at the back or in the rear; distant; remote; as, the back door; back settlements. [1913 Webster] 2. Being in arrear; overdue; as, back rent. [1913 Webster] 3. Moving or operating backward; as, back action. [1913 Webster] {Back… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Back blocks — Back Back, a. 1. Being at the back or in the rear; distant; remote; as, the back door; back settlements. [1913 Webster] 2. Being in arrear; overdue; as, back rent. [1913 Webster] 3. Moving or operating backward; as, back action. [1913 Webster]… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Back charges — Back Back, a. 1. Being at the back or in the rear; distant; remote; as, the back door; back settlements. [1913 Webster] 2. Being in arrear; overdue; as, back rent. [1913 Webster] 3. Moving or operating backward; as, back action. [1913 Webster]… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Back filling — Back Back, a. 1. Being at the back or in the rear; distant; remote; as, the back door; back settlements. [1913 Webster] 2. Being in arrear; overdue; as, back rent. [1913 Webster] 3. Moving or operating backward; as, back action. [1913 Webster]… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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