Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(UK gay) an ageing male homosexual.

2015

(con. 1960s) M. Peppiatt Bacon in Your Blood 36: Back to your filthy urinal, Granny, back to your cottaging, and don’t show that cock-sucking face of yours here again.

(N.Z. prison) a rapist of old(er) women.

2001

D. Looser Boobslang [U. Canterbury D.Phil. thesis] 81/1: granny fucker n. an inmate in prison for raping an elderly woman.

(US) the lowest (thus slowest) gear of a vehicle.

1984		G. Ferguson Freewheeling 24: Many cyclists, though, have a real preference for a low ‘granny gear’ that can get you up those long hills with a full load.
1993		D.L. Ikenberry Bicycling the Atlantic Coast 173: Maine offers both flatlands and hills, several of which warrant a granny gear.
2005		B. Hancock Riding with the Blue Moth 56: I took a deep breath, switched the Canondale into ‘granny gear’ and started my climb.

(US) homemade sanitary towels, made of pieces of cloth.

1957		Sat. Eve. Post Letters n.p.: Granny rags [...] term for the homemade equivalent of Kotex [DARE].
1969		in DARE.
1992		Randolph & Legman Ozark Folksongs and Folklore II 722: A boarding-house mistress who attracted male boarders [...] by boiling up a granny-rag (menstrual cloth) in the soup.

(Irish) in a state of absolute comfort, both physical and psychological.

1992

H. Leonard Rover and Other Cats n.p.: There is a Dublin phrase for being totally at ease and in the kind of company where all may be said and all is understood. Achieve such a state and you are ‘in your grannie’s’ [BS].

(Aus.) everything will be all right.

1963

B. Beaver Hot Summer 115: ‘She’ll be grannies,’ cackled the ragged informant. ‘And I know the girls will be in it because they tipped me off to tell you.’ [AND].

see granny grunts n.

see separate entries.

see separate entries.

see separate entries.

(US) the right-hand lane of a highway, the slow lane.

1975		L. Dills CB Slangage (1978) (4) 48: Granny lane: right lane; slow lane.
1994		oral testimony in Lighter HDAS I 951: There’s a down four in the granny at 8W.

(W.I.) an excl. of annoyance.

2000

N. Hopkinson Midnight Robber 67: Granny farts! The pickney mad or what?

1. (also be grannied! granny! my grandmother! my granny and me! my granny’s knickers! (on) your granny!) rubbish! nonsense!

1794		W. Godwin Caleb Williams (1966) 234: Poh, that is all my granny! Some folks must be hanged, to keep the wheels of our state-folks a-going.
1830		Lytton Paul Clifford II 101: ‘Blow me,’ says Old Bags, ‘[...] you’ll have us scragged if you touches the Church.’ ‘My grandmother!’ says I.
1848		D.O. Madden Revelations of Ireland 115: ‘Tuppence, your grandmother!’ replied Mrs Biddy. ‘do you mane to say that’s chateing the people I am?’.
1883		Harper’s Mag. 889/2: Well, this does beat my grandmother, I must say [DA].
1901		‘Miles Franklin’ My Brilliant Career 38: ‘Cook, be grannied!’ ‘Sybylla! Sybylla, you are getting very vulgar!’.
1917		G.B. McCutcheon Green Fancy 256: ‘Secret granny!’ almost shouted O’Dowd.
1928		C. McKay Home to Harlem 19: Mah granny an’ me! You been in that theah white folks’ country?
1930		K. Brush Young Man of Manhattan 173: Didn’t have a prayer, my grandmother!
1939		‘Flann O’Brien’ At Swim-Two-Birds 13: Tell me this, do you ever open a book at all? I open several books every day, I answered. You open your granny, said my uncle.
1941		A. Gurney Bluey & Curley 19 Dec. [synd. cartoon] Surf me grandmother!! I told that mug it was only a mirage!!
1953		L. Doyle Back to Ballygullion 170: ‘First offence my grandmother,’ says she. ‘Do I look like a first offence?’.
1969		T. Murphy Crucial Week in the Life of a Grocer’s Assistant (1978) Scene vii: Routine me granny.
1983		S. Gee Never in My Lifetime in Best Radio Plays (1984) 57: Friendly, my granny’s knickers.
1996		Sun. Trib. (Dublin) 2 June n.p.: Myles looked smug, as well he might. He muttered something about being deeply sorry – on your granny, I thought – and finally left [BS].

2. (also by granny! my grandmother!) an excl. of astonishment.

1753		Richardson Sir Charles Grandison (1812) I 26: O my grandmother! what with the talk of the young country lady [...] and what with another, we boxed it about.
1851		J.J. Hooper ‘The Elephant in Lafayette’ in Hudson Humor of the Old Deep South (1936) 121–4: Well, by granny, I did notice he was hoarse when he hollered a while ago.
1918		K. Bosher Kitty Canary 11: It was something else and — oh, my granny! — the look that pretty little pink-and-white person gave me. [Ibid.] 114: The sensation of the evening was the arrival and appearance of My Girls, and— oh, my granny! — I was so excited.

(US) a general response of incredulity, disbelief, ‘you must be joking!’.

1821–6		‘Bill Truck’ Man o’ War’s Man (1843) 138: ‘Is the fid out?’ again resounded from the deck. ‘Is your grandmother out?’ muttered Dennis.
1836		T. Haliburton Clockmaker (1843) I 179: They want to ruin the country, that’s a fact. Want to ruin your granny, says I, (for it raised my dander to hear the critter talk such nonsense).
1838		J.C. Neal Charcoal Sketches (1865) 35: ‘Any fool might know that it was a sign of war.’ ‘War!’ ejaculated the party; ‘oh, your granny!’.
c.1850		F.M. Whitcher Widow Bedott Papers (1883) 109: She thought we couldn’t do better’n to give the avails of our labor to the ‘Sons o’ Temperance.’ ‘Sons o’ yer granny,’ says Liddy Ann Buill.
1851		Hereford Jrnl 2 July 4/6: ‘[W]hy you are no better than an impostor, to ask eighteenpence for what cost you twopence.’ ‘Twopence, your grandmother,’ replied Miss Biddy; ‘do you mane to say that it’s chating the people I am?’.
1863		Ladies’ Repository (N.Y.) XXIII Aug. 482/2: ‘Repose, your granny,’ answered Addie, who, when vexed, never stopped for elegant phrases.
1867		R. Whiteing Mr Sprouts, His Opinions 22: ‘Corfee yer gran’mother,’ my old lady ses, firin’ up.
1872		‘Mark Twain’ Screamers (1875) 50: ‘Shake the tree—’ ‘Shake your grandmother! Turnips don’t grow on trees!’ .
1876		‘Mark Twain’ Tom Sawyer 193: ‘Do they hop?’ ‘Hop — your granny! No.’.
1884		(con. c.1840) ‘Mark Twain’ Huckleberry Finn 96: ‘Watchman your grandmother,’ I says; ‘there ain’t nothing to watch but the texas and the pilothouse.’ [Ibid.] 246: Mumps your granny! They don’t set up with people that’s got the mumps. [Ibid.] 303: ‘Want it for Jim to keep a journal on.’ ‘Journal your granny—Jim can’t write.’.
1897		‘Mark Twain’ Tom Sawyer, Detective 66: ‘It ain’t a ghost at all. It’s Jake Dunlap his own self!’ ‘Oh your granny!’ I say.
1899		J. Flynt Tramping with Tramps 361: Ditched yer grandmother! What’s the matter?
1900		Bulletin (Sydney) 15 Dec. 32/2: ‘What do you want with a thing like that?’ he said, pointing to a new three-furrow plough. [...] / ‘To plough with, and save time and labour,’ Dad answered. / ‘Save your grandmother! [...] I’ve a couple of single-furrows over there.’.
1901		B. Pain De Omnibus 93: ‘Look ’ere,’ says the fair-’aired gent, ‘surpose we halves thet bet?’ ‘Halve yer gran’mother!’ says I.
1908		E.S. Sorenson Quinton’s Rouseabout and other Stories 96: ‘Allan, you are not here to watch my father, are you?’ ‘Watch your grandmother!’ cried Allan, indignantly, ‘I come here to see one who is more to me than all the sheep in the world.’.
1913		J. London Valley of the Moon (1914) 498: Mrs. Mortimer looked at him sharply. ‘Two acres your granny,’ she said with asperity. ‘Five acres.’.
1918		Van Loan Fore! 227: Professional, your grandmother!
1918		K.F. Purdon Dinny on the Doorstep 94: ‘Och! how poor he is! yer granny’s night cap!’ said Brigit, with scorn.
1921		O.O. McIntyre Bits of New York Life 22 Jan. [synd. col.] ‘Town hall, your granny. We got an opry!’.