Date:  Wed, 14 Feb 1996 14:10:23 +0000

From:  "C.Thomas" <EGP95CMT[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]SHEFFIELD.AC.UK>

Subject: boink/bonk



Bill asked:



> 1). Two years ago some students told me that "to boink" was current slang

> meaning to have intercourse with, as in "John boinked Mary." Last week

> I heard it used meaning "to get rid of (x)." I assumed that this was

> connected with the onomatopoeic comic book use of old. What is current

> with boink?



In England we use the term "bonk" (not boink) to refer to intercourse, as a sort

of permissable, comical euphemism. I've been told several times that

it originated as a neologism from the English (Birmingham) stand-up

comedian Jasper Carrott, before the tabloids picked it up, and

consequently it entered more general usage. However, the on-line OED

cites the earliest recorded usage as being in 1975 in "Foul" , which

I strongly suspect would be before Jasper Carrott was on the scene.

Also, the OED doesn't have any entries for "boink". Perhaps Webster's

does?



As for the fish thing- never heard of it.



Charlotte



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Charlotte Thomas EGP95CMT[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]Sheffield.ac.uk

CECTAL

Dept. of English Language and Linguistics

University of Sheffield

Sheffield

S10 2TN

UK