Read it in paper today. The police commission have apparently banned their offiicers as using it as it is un-PC.
Why is this term offensive now?
2006-10-02 01:13:52 · 7 answers · asked by CorporalPickles. 1 in Politics & Government ➔ Law Enforcement & Police
The word 'yob' has quite a long proven history, dating back to at leasty 1859, and probably earlier. It is believed to have stemmed from a variant of 'back-slang' used in Lond. Back-slang was an argot used primarily by the urban working class to confuse or taunt their social 'superiors' and the aurthorities. It generally consiste dof taking the first letter from a word and placing it at the end of the word, then adding an 'a' on. In this way, 'fool' would become 'oolfa' and so on. A variant used in London simply reversed a word and added an 'o'. By this means 'boy' became 'yobo' and later just 'yob'.
A printed supplement to the 1921 Oxford English Dictionary described the word 'yob' as meaning boy, although in the context of urban working class youth, and noted that its known use dated from at least 1859. Its inclusion in a supplement to the OED in 1921 appears to suggest that it had passed from being a minority slang-word to one more widely used in general conversation. At that time, it was not noted as having a specifically derogatory or criminal context. However, in successive editions of the OED, the interpretation of 'yob' appears to have become more disapproving, until by the 1927 edition it was clearly delineated as meaning a loutish person or ruffian, of working class origin. Similarly, the word 'yobbo' appeared in the 1922 edition of the OED, and its interpreation also moved towards that of a lout or ruffian. The most explicit early reference to 'yob' or 'yobbo' in a derogatory context is from 1938, when it was specified as meaning a 'street rough' eg a ruffian.
Therefore, the term 'yob' has been around for a long time, and its offensive or derogatory interpretation has been with us for at least 68 years, if not more. This is an interesting example of how influential the Oxford English Dictionary really is in determining our language and its usages and meanings.
Anyway, I'm sure the Police have a range of other words to describe teenage law-breakers!
2006-10-02 01:36:27 · answer #1 · answered by JimHist 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
same as golliwog toy it some prat who has nothing better to do than make up a load of old bollocks about words which at the end of the day mean nothing yobs is a word
2006-10-02 01:18:47 · answer #2 · answered by johnny boy rebel 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yank here - what does YOB mean?
2006-10-02 01:16:05 · answer #3 · answered by cassandra 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It has always been offensive, I think it derives from BOY spelt backwards.
2006-10-02 01:17:21 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
dunno but 99% of yobs aint bothered about callin a policeman a f**kin pig so why should they bother bout the word yob bein offensive.
2006-10-02 01:16:56 · answer #5 · answered by hellraiza15 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
i didn't know it was classed as offencive i think that's quite a tame word i call the lil bast*rds worse then yob its bloody ridiculous wtf has happened to freedom of speech
2006-10-02 02:56:09 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
what? that is crazy!!!!
suppose i should start calling them socially and morally challenged vagrants.
they dont care about calling anyone else a name.
2006-10-02 01:20:22 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋