young, adj. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

young adj.

1. diminutive, miniature, a small version of.

1838		R.S. Surtees Jorrocks Jaunts (1874) 207: They are a sort of cross between a cab and a young diligence.
1851		‘How Sally Hooter Got Snake-Bit’ in T.A. Burke Polly Peablossom’s Wedding 68: Cracky! it’s worse nor er young earthquake – beats h-ll!
1855		Bell’s Life in Sydney 5 May 2/7: Inspector Singleton produced a brooch about the size of a young frying pan.
1879		H. Hartigan Stray Leaves (2nd ser.) 223: ‘[H]e hada lump av a watch like a young cight-day clock in his pocket’.
1889		Dead Bird (Sydney) 17 Aug. 6/1: Each morning is responsible for the attendance of touts growing larger and larger, and within a week or two there will be quite sufficient to bring off a young race meeting.
1907		C. M’Govern By Bolo and Krag 18: A bunged-up old Spanish wash-tub with a couple of young telegraph poles for masts.
1913		‘Lord Ballyrot in Slangland’ in Tacoma Times (WA) 21 Aug. 4/4: You want to show your dairy girl a grand time by handing her a young trunk of yum-yum tablets.
1916		‘Anzac’ On the Anzac Trail 177: One fellow whose dug-out had utterly vanished, its place being now occupied by a crater like a young volcano.
1940		M. Marples Public School Slang 34: Charterhouse for many generations had a cake called he, [...] hence young he ( =small cake).
1942		W. Winchell On Broadway 3 Sept. [synd. col.] To date he’s collected a young mint.
1946		Mezzrow & Wolfe Really the Blues 211: Those records of Louis’ are making me a young fortune on my machines.
1955		N. Pulliam I Travelled a Lonely Land (1957) 67: Sliced canned peaches with a young mountain of whipped cream on top.
1964		‘Return of Honky-Tonk Bud’ in D. Wepman et al. Life (1976) 61: We’ll blister your rump with a young tree stump.
1999		Eble Campus Sl. Nov. 14: young – too tight [...] ‘Her shirt is so young.’.

2. (US black) immature, unversed in street life.

[1811		Lex. Balatronicum n.p.: A familiar expression of contempt for another’s ignorance, as ‘ah! I see you’re a young one.’ How d’ye do, young one?].
1935		Z.N. Hurston Mules and Men (1995) 19: When we got there the party was young. The house was swept and garnished [...] several people sitting around; but the spot needed some social juices.
1943		J. Phelan Letters from the Big House 38: Young greens don’t no nothing.
1969		H. Rap Brown Die, Nigger Die! 43: I got a job working on a ship. [...] Everybody there was a brother except one little ol' young ass white boy.
1980		E. Folb Runnin’ Down Some Lines 39: He just young! He tryin’ be so old, don’ know shit!

3. (Irish) tipsy.

1942

E. Cross Tailor and Ansty 84: The Englishman wasn’t used to this, for it was the right whisky, and soon he was getting pretty ‘young’ (merry).

In compounds

young kipper (n.) [a pun on the Jewish festival of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, at which time it is customary to spend the day fasting]

an inadequate meal.

1986–7

Maledicta IX 58: kipper, young n [D] Inadequate meal; play on Yom Kippur.

young suit (n.)

(US black) a suit which is badly fitting or too small.

1942

Z.N. Hurston ‘Story in Harlem Sl.’ in Novels and Stories (1995) 1010: Young suit: ill-fitting, too small.

In phrases

young in the head (adj.)

(US black) childish, immature.

1980		E. Folb Runnin’ Down Some Lines 260: young in (one’s) head Childish.
2002		R. Hammersley et al. Ecstasy 129: I’m not matured enough like all the rest of them at 23 years old [...] I’m young in the head.
2011		‘Justice’ Southside Sunz — Bk 1 60: Lars’ boys were young in the head and high on emotions.

SE in slang uses

In compounds

young-ass (adj.) [-ass sfx]

(US black) immature.

1972		(con. 1950s) D. Goines Whoreson 192: Why you sure in the hell didn’t, young ass, bitch ass...
1983		N. Heard House of Slammers 71: Whatchoo mean you didn’t mean nothin, youngass punk?

young bantam (n.) [bantam n. (4)]

(US black) a very young girl.

1944

‘Jiver’s Bible’ in D. Burley Orig. Hbk of Harlem Jive.

young hemp (n.) [? link to hempen adj., i.e. a candidate for the gallows]

an ill-behaved young man or boy.

1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
[1944		A. Marshall These Are My People (1957) 55: ‘The hemp for these lads is just about sprouting in New Zealand,’ which was his way of prophesying a hanging for the three of them.].

young horse (n.)

(US prison) roast beef.

1931		G. Milburn ‘Convicts’ Jargon’ in AS VI:6 442: young horse, n. Prison word for roast beef.
1936		Mencken Amer. Lang. (4th edn) 580: In virtually all American prisons [...] roast beef is young-horse.

young ’un (n.)

a young person, often as a direct term of address.

1834		‘The Story Of An Ass’ in Luscious Songster 39: My young ’uns they’re the wery same.
1842		J. Labern ‘Royal Appointments’ Comic Songs 8: Ev’ry Old File / As well as the young ’uns wear Prince Albert’s Tile.
1857		T. Hughes Tom Brown’s School-Days (1896) 219: ‘Why, young ’un,’ said he, ‘what have you been after?’.
1866		J. Greenwood Night in a Workhouse 44: I was at the workhouse at Stepney when I was a young ’un, don’t you know.
1874		H. Mayhew London Characters 476: I can’t say what my thoughts is about the young ’uns [...] It’s wretched in the extreme to see one’s children want and not to be able to do to them as a parent ought.
1888		‘Rolf Boldrewood’ Robbery Under Arms (1922) 2: His wife and the young ’uns’ll run out when they hear father’s horse.
1898		Boy’s Own Paper 31 Dec. 219: What’s your name, young ’un?
1907		Gem 16 Mar. 10: You’d have been pulp by this time, young ’un.
1914		C. Holme Lonely Plough (1931) 181: These young ’uns are always too clever by half.
1925		A. Christie Secret of Chimneys (1956) 15: There are probably shoals of young ’uns knocking about.
1934		W.R. Burnett Goodbye to the Past 32: ‘[D]on’t sit down. I don’t want you younguns sitting around in here when you don’t want to’.
1943		C. McCullers Heart is a Lonely Hunter (1986) 145: I lived in Gastonia when I was a young ’un.
1956		N. Algren Walk on the Wild Side 12: Next week I’m bringen the younguns.
1962		K. Waterhouse There is a Happy Land (1964) 149: He’s got my young ’un with him!
1999		Indep. Information 14–20 Aug. 25: Trouble is that these young ’uns are too anodyne.
2000		G. Pelecanos Shame the Devil 126: He had a couple of younguns runnin’ for him, that’s all.
2012		‘Dutch’ ? (Pronounced Que) [ebook] My youngins, they pedigree, so they bucked [...] The heads say they gunned my nigguhs down.

In phrases

young, dumb, and full of come [cum n. (1)]

(US) used of a teenager or young person whose enthusiasm for life (and esp. sex) outweighs their intelligence; usu. of a man, but occas. of a woman.

1969		Ramparts 8 27/1: We’d say of ourselves that we were young, dumb and full of come, but only me and Oldie were young.
1972		N.C. Heard To Reach a Dream 101: ‘When I was young, dumb, and full of come.’ Hollywood laughed loudly.
1995		(con. 1985–90) P. Bourjois In Search of Respect 211: These bitches were young, dumb, and full-a’-cum. If they are hanging out too much [...] then we know that we can take them.
2001		(con. 1975–6) E. Little Steel Toes 94: Almost wish I was still young and dumb and full of cum my ownself.
2005		(con. 1950s) E. White My Lives 111: That nice country boy, young, dumb and I presume full of come.
2011		J.J. DeCeglie Drawing Dead [ebook] Young and dumb, their cunts just aching to be full of my rousing cum.
2015		P. Beatty Sellout (2016) 166: When I was young, dumb, and full of cum, my [...] African-American daddy dropped some knowledge on me.