Yob is slang in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
for a loutish, uncultured person.
In
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, the word yobbo is more frequently used, with a similar although slightly less negative meaning.
Etymology
The word itself is a product of
back slang
Back slang is an English coded language in which the written word is spoken phonemically backwards.
Usage
Back slang is thought to have originated in Victorian England. It was used mainly by market sellers, such as butchers and greengrocers, f ...
, a process whereby new words are created by spelling or pronouncing existing words backwards. The word ''yob'' is thus derived from the word ''boy''. It only began to acquire a derogatory connotation in the 1930s.
Etymology for the word ''yob'' at Online Etymology Dictionary
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In popular culture
Popular Redlands, California
Redlands ( ) is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 73,168, up from 68,747 at the 2010 census. The city is located approximately west of Palm Springs and east of Lo ...
landmark The Tartan created a drink called The Yob which is essentially a Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
shot in a 40 oz King Cobra malt liquor served in a paper bag.
" Yob" is also the title of a 1998 single by TISM
TISM (an acronym of This Is Serious Mum) are a seven-piece anonymous alternative rock band, formed in Melbourne, Australia on 30 December 1982 by vocalist/drummer Humphrey B. Flaubert, bassist/vocalist Jock Cheese and keyboardist/vocalist Eu ...
, detailing the "ingredients" which go into making up a yob.
''The Yobs'' and ''The Yobbettes'' are a cartoon series written for the satirical current affairs magazine ''Private Eye
''Private Eye'' is a British fortnightly satire, satirical and current affairs (news format), current affairs news magazine, founded in 1961. It is published in London and has been edited by Ian Hislop since 1986. The publication is widely r ...
'' by Tony Husband
William Anthony (Tony) Husband (born 28 August 1950) is a British cartoonist known for black humour. His cartoons appear on greeting cards, and he has a regular cartoon strip in '' Private Eye'' entitled ''Yobs'' that has been published since the ...
since the late 1980s.
See also
*Anti-social behaviour order
An anti-social behaviour order (ASBO ) is a civil order made in Great Britain against a person who had been shown, on the balance of evidence, to have engaged in anti-social behaviour. The orders were introduced by Prime Minister Tony Blair in ...
*Bogan
Bogan ( ) is Australian slang for a person whose speech, clothing, attitude and behaviour are considered unrefined or unsophisticated. Depending on the context, the term can be pejorative or self-deprecating. The prevalence of the term bogan ...
*Chav
"Chav" (), also "charver", "scally" and "roadman" in parts of England, is a British term, usually used in a pejorative way. The term is used to describe an anti-social lower-class youth dressed in sportswear.
*
*
*
* "Chavette" is a related te ...
*Feral (subculture)
The feral subculture is a counter-cultural social movement originating in the latter part of the 20th century, mainly centred in Australia. The movement reached its heyday in the mid 1990s, in parallel with other similar movements in Europe an ...
*Hooliganism
Hooliganism is disruptive or unlawful behavior such as rioting, bullying and vandalism, usually in connection with crowds at sporting events.
Etymology
There are several theories regarding the origin of the word ''hooliganism,'' which is a d ...
*Lad culture
Lad culture (also the new lad, laddism) was a media-driven, principally British and Irish subculture of the 1990s and early 2000s. The image of the "lad"—or "new lad"—was that of a generally middle class figure espousing attitudes typically att ...
*Millwall brick
A "Millwall brick" is an improvised weapon made of a manipulated newspaper, used as a small club. It was named after supporters of Millwall F.C., who have a reputation for football hooliganism. The Millwall brick was allegedly used as a stealth we ...
* Ned
*Pikey
''Pikey'' (; also spelled ''pikie'', ''pykie'' ) is a slang term, which is pejorative and considered by many to be a slur. It is used mainly in the UK to refer to people who are of the Traveller community, a set of ethno-cultural groups found pr ...
* Tapori
*Yokel
Yokel is one of several derogatory terms referring to the stereotype of unsophisticated country people. The term is of uncertain etymology and is only attributed from the early 19th century.
Yokels are depicted as straightforward, simple, naà ...
Notes
References
*Burchfield, R.W. ed. ''The Oxford English Dictionary''. (1987) {{ISBN, 0-19-861211-7
English culture
Culture in London
Pejorative terms for people
Australian slang
New Zealand slang
Socioeconomic stereotypes