murder n.
1. something (or someone) unbearable, extremely difficult or infuriating.
![[UK]](/static/img/flags/uk.png "United Kingdom") | Paris Sketch Book I 113: I say, that when Raphael painted this picture, two years before his death, the spirit of painting had gone out of him [...] it was time he should die!! There — the murder is out! | |
![[Ire]](/static/img/flags/ire.png "Ireland") | Handy Andy 281: She’s a fine lump of a girl, but her breath is murdher intirely – phew! | |
| Paul Foster’s Daughter I 231: I’m in love, Ned — that’s what I mean. There! — the murder’s out now! | |
| Girl in the Brown Habit II 162: There, the murder is out. | |
| Boy’s Own Paper 31 Dec. 210: Down comes the rain like murdher. | |
| Sporting Times 4 July 1/3: Though he looked plurry murder, he said nix. | |
![[US]](/static/img/flags/us.png "United States") | Grimhaven 41: It’s murder just to breathe to anybody that you’re thinking about it. | |
| Busman’s Honeymoon (1974) 37: ‘All right,’ he said with a groan, ‘The murder’s out. Entailed. – I admit it.’. | |
| ‘Depend on Aunt Elly’ in Texas Stories (1995) 104: For a hundred [dollars], it developed suddenly [...] he was murder. | |
| Long Good-Bye 180: Then she threshed about and moaned. This was murder. I was as erotic as a stallion. I was losing control. | |
| Apprentices (1970) I iv: The train journey is murder. | |
| Scully 23: What he did was kiss walls and sing to them. It was murder, he’s got a voice like a cat on heat. | |
| London Fields 403: Worst double on the board. Never go near it less you’ve fucked double 12 and then come inside on double 6. Murder. | |
| Guardian 21 Oct. 4: They are murder to peel, take ages to cook and are, well, just a little boring. | |
| Everyday Eng. and Sl. 🌐 Murder (n): tough going/difficult. |
2. (orig. US black) an excellent or marvellous person or thing.
| Wash. Times (DC) 14 Sept. 10/5: Murder — A big gathering; excitement. | |
| How I Became a Detective 93: Murder – A big gathering; excitement. | |
| N.Y. Times 30 Oct. n.p.: It’s Murder [...] There is a terrific amount of theatrical business [OED]. | |
| Vile Bodies 186: It’s sheer murder the way that Marino drives – a fair treat to see ’im. | |
| Really the Blues 230: Right quick another cat spoke up real loud, saying, ‘That’s murder man, really murder’. | |
| N.Y. Amsterdam News 5 Jan. 21: Don’t miss out on that Ann Moore singing [...] She’s murder!! | |
| West Side Story I i: Listen I was a smash in that fight. Oh, Riff, Riff, I was murder! | |
| (con. 1930s) Lawd Today 203: That’s murder, Papa. | |
![[WI]](/static/img/flags/wi.png "West Indies") | Official Dancehall Dict. 35: Murdah an expression to describe something eye-catching or great, a wicked piece of music, etc. |
In phrases
to be severely chastised or punished.
 | Operation Sadie 166: A full kit inspection was underway with the NCOs thumping the sailors before kicking their kit into a huge untidy pile [...] The lads were getting murder . | |
| It Was An Accident 41: If Rafiq’s mum got hurt and I stood by I was going to get murders off my mum. |
SE in slang uses
In compounds
(US) a selection panel; a panel that grills a candidate to prepare them for an interview or debate.
| Not My First Rodeo 138: My team was extremely nervous about the event and put me through hours of preparation and ‘murder boards’ to prepare me to debate Stephanie [Herseth Sandlin]. |
(N.Z. juv.) a school dental clinic.
| in Reid Book N.Z. 240: ‘Missed writing to-day. Had to go to the Murder House instead.’ ‘The Murder House?’ My hand falters to my throat. ‘You mean the Headmaster’s Study?’ ‘No, the Dental Clinic. See?’ [DNZE]. | |
![[NZ]](/static/img/flags/nz.png "New Zealand") | Kiwi-Yankee Dict. 68: murder house: At most large schools, and for each collection of small ones, there is a small prefabricated building set slightly apart... The children..consider a visit to the school dental clinic an unpleasant necessity, at best. Hence the name. | |
| Lovely Day Tomorrow 24: She has an appointment that day at the school’s ‘Murder House’ – the dental clinic, with its treadle drill ably wielded by the dental nurse [DNZE]. | |
| Reed Dict. of N.Z. Sl. |
1. to make threats that one couldn’t or wouldn’t ever back up with action; thus as n.
| Seize the Time 158: Some dudes were high, and wanted to be murder-mouthing – ‘Yeah, I’m going to get a gun.’. | |
| Animal Factory 12: Some people do get through with murder-mouth and nothing behind it. | |
| Blood in My Eye xii: Many inmates ‘murder mouth’ and ‘sell wolf tickets’; they do a lot of heavy talking, but when it comes down to the point of action, they disappear. |
2. attrib. use of sense 1.
| Sea Birds Are Still Alive 172: If you ain’t some bronze Barbie doll type or the big fro murder-mouth militant sister, you Aunt Jemima. | |
| Kente Cloth 45: Before I went to the joint I would have been all over that nigga talking that murder mouth shit. |
see separate entries.
(orig. US) a charge of murder.
| ‘The Nudist Gym Death Riddle’ in Vice Squad Detective 🌐 While you’re about it, Swannie, you might as well make the murder rap stick. | |
| You Can Always Duck (1959) 75: You can’t hang any murder rap on me. | |
| Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye in Four Novels (1983) 123: There’s a murder rap staring us in the face. | |
| Crazy Kill 109: That means a murder rap for one of you. | |
| Fields of Fire (1980) 1: Don’t need no murder rap from a junkie dead inside a toilet. |
In phrases
see separate entry.
see blue murder n.
to flout all proprieties with absolute success, to achieve the otherwise unacceptable; occas. with blue.
| in Zwilling TAD Lex. (1993) 58: He’s been getting away with murder he has — it’s a wonder they don’t tumble to that fathead. | |
| Kid Scanlon 168: If he had discovered anything, he could actually do even half way decent, he would have got away with murder. | |
![[Aus]](/static/img/flags/aus.png "Australia") | Shearer’s Colt 117: They let that stable get away with murder. | |
| Really the Blues 66: Johnny could get away with murder if he wanted to. | |
| Alcoholics (1993) 99: No wonder they thought they could get away with murder. | |
| Saved Scene xi: When someone carries on like ’er, they ’ave t’ pay for it. People can’t get away with murder. | |
| After Hours 11: You’d think I was gettin’ away with murder the way he carried on. | |
| Traveller’s Tool 34: A man can get away with blue murder. | |
| Guardian Weekend 11 Sept. 24: They have five years of being [...] allowed to get away with murder, turning up late. | |
| Robbers (2001) 182: Big corporations could get away with murder. |
(US) to raise an outcry, to make a fuss.
| Behind the Bars 161: The childers hollered murther and set up a big howl. | |
| ‘Experiences of a Cunt Philosopher’ in Randiana 51: Oh Johnny, dear Johnny, you’ll make me cry murther, / Oh, Johnny, pray cease this [i.e. intercourse], you’ll make me scream murther. | |
| Bird o’ Freedom 8 Jan. 5/3: She stayed in her room yelling every kind of murder. | |
| Negro and His Songs (1964) 155: An’ the girls all holler murder. | |
| ‘The Snatching of Bookie Bob’ in Runyon on Broadway (1954) 120: Their mammas are sure to go running around hollering bloody murder. | |
| Pal Joey 56: He yelled bloody murder. | |
| An Only Child (1970) 23: I hid under the kitchen table, yelling bloody murder. |
In exclamations
see separate entry.