 |
Look up plonker in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
Plonker is a slang term of British or Australian origin whose meaning has evolved over time. Partridge in the third edition of his A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English in 1949 recorded the term as "low" slang for penis, "since ca. 1917". The term remains in recent use with that meaning.
By 1966, the term had also acquired the meaning of a man who let his girlfriend sleep with his male friends,[1] and in the 1980s had a new meaning of a stupid or inept person. This meaning gained very wide circulation through its frequent use in Only Fools and Horses, and has entered common usage.[2]
The term plonker started out as a reference to someone who was forever drunk on cheap wine (cheap wine is nicknamed plonk) this person was usually a homeless person, or poor person.
References
- ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/programmes/wordhunt/newresults.shtml
- ^ Extract revised for OED Online Oxford English Dictionary, in association with the BBC etymological programme Balderdash & Piffle, July 2007
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
