No Wikis please....
2007-02-07 00:24:23 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Education & Reference ➔ Words & Wordplay
MMM!! Interesting question! I always thought of it as a very Australian term for 'man' or 'fellow'. I've noticed a lot of Aussies are saying "this guy" now, when in the past they would have said "this bloke".
I looked it up, it derives from anancient Irish Gypsy-type language called "Shelta".
Thank you for asking that question. I have learned something!
2007-02-07 01:03:34 · answer #1 · answered by cloud43 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Bloke is rather an interesting word, precisely because you "know it's English." And while bloke is certainly a predominantly English word in current use, it was not always that way.
Bloke, which means 'a man; a fellow', is first recorded in England in the 1820s. It first appeared in a glossary by the late 1830s, spelled "bloak" and defined as "a gentleman."
By the 1850s, bloke had travelled to America, where it appeared in a slang dictionary written by former New York City Chief of Police George W. Matsell, in its usual spelling and defined as "A man." Throughout the late nineteenth century, the word was rather common in American English, first in underworld slang, later in more general use (even Mark Twain used it: "I made up my mind to be a square bloke," he wrote in Life on the Mississippi). It lasted until the 1930s, when it is found in Cab Calloway's signature "Minnie the Moocher" and in writings of Damon Runyon, before fading away. It is now rare in America and is usually regarded as a typical Briticism.
The origin of bloke is uncertain. It is sometimes attributed to Shelta, a private language, derived in part from Irish Gaelic, spoken by the tinkers (or Travelling People) in Ireland.
2007-02-07 00:32:23 · answer #2 · answered by Basement Bob 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It probably comes from the Gypsy word "loke" (a man), though some people suggest instead the Celtic word "ploc" (literally a "block", someone in the way).
The phrase "chip off the old block" may suggest that "bloke" was once pronounced "block".
2007-02-07 00:28:58 · answer #3 · answered by gvih2g2 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It comes from an ancient secret language, called Shelta, used by Irish and Welsh tinkers and gypsies and was based on altered Irish or Gaelic words. 19th Century. Means - a man.
2007-02-07 00:31:09 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Gawd is a pronunciation from East London for God. So it's really For God's sake.
2007-02-07 00:29:31 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋