This is a list of the Nadsat words and other fictional terms found in the book by Anthony Burgess, A Clockwork Orange, along with their meanings in English and their lexical origins.
The Nadsat slang word is shown with its closest English meaning or meanings. Its Russian origin is shown in Cyrillic, with an approximate transliteration, if pronounced (very) differently from the Nadsat. The translation of the Russian word is also shown if it differs from the English meaning. Words of uncertain origin are marked with a '?', and words which are modified English slang (not of foreign origin) are marked with a '-'.
| Contents: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z |
| Nadsat | English | Word origin | |
|---|---|---|---|
A | |||
| appy polly loggies | apologies | Highly exaggerated pronunciation of apologies – Burgess's homage to James Joyce's ALP | |
| auto | car | Short for automobile; mirrors the usage in Russian: see авто (avto) | |
B | |||
| baboochka | old woman | бабушка (babuška, literally “grandmother”) | |
| baddiwad | bad | Young child talk | |
| banda | band | банда (banda, “gang”) | |
| barry place | prison | From bars on windows in prisons. | |
| bedways | to bed | — | |
| bezoomny | mad, crazy | безумный (bezumnyj) | |
| biblio | library | библиотека (biblioteka) | |
| bitva | battle | битва (bitva) | |
| blub | weep, cry | English slang. Not exclusively Nadsat. From the verb form of the English word blubber, often used in a dismissive or insensitive manner, meaning to sob or weep noisily. | |
| Bog | God | бог (bog) (pronounced /box/ (where x sounds like kh) or (in some dialects) /bog/) | |
| bogman | godman | See section G below | |
| boomaboom | thunder | Onomatopoeia | |
| bolnoy | sick | больной (bolʹnoj) | |
| bolshy | big, great | большой (bolʹšoj); больший (bolʹšij, “larger”). Cf bolshie | |
| boohoo, boohoohoo | to cry | From the sound that one makes while crying. Not exclusively Nadsat. | |
| boorjoyce | bourgeois | Burgess' pronunciation of "bourgeois". [1] | |
| bootick | boutique | ||
| brat, bratty | brother | брат (brat) | |
| bratchny | bastard | брачный (bračnyj, “matrimonial”), — likely a shortened внебрачный (vnebračnyj, “out-of-wedlock”), even though stripping it of the prefix inverts the meaning | |
| britva | razor | бритва (britva) | |
| brooko | belly | брюхо (brjuxo) | |
| brosay, brosat | to throw | бросай (brosaj, “throw!”, imperative), бросать (brosatʹ, “to throw”) | |
| bruiseboys | police officers, security guards | ||
| bugatties | riches | богатый (bogatyj). | |
| bugatty | rich | богатый (bogatyj). | |
C | |||
| cables | blood vessels, tendons?, veins | ||
| cal | crap | кал (kal, “faeces”), sometimes used as an invective as well | |
| cancer | cigarette | Short for English slang cancer stick from the disease with which heavy smoking is most commonly associated | |
| cantora | office | контора (kontora) | |
| carman | карман (karman) | ||
| chai | tea | чай (čaj), not exclusively Nadsat. | |
| charles, charlie | chaplain | A play on Charlie Chaplin. Not exclusively Nadsat. | |
| chasha | cup | чашка (čaška); чаша (čaša, “large bowl”) | |
| chasso | guard | часовой (časovoj) | |
| cheena | woman | женщина (ženščina) | |
| cheest | to wash | чистить (čistitʹ, “to clean”) | |
| chelloveck | person, man, fellow | человек (čelovek, “human, man”) | |
| chepooka | nonsense | чепуха (čepuxa) | |
| choodessny | wonderful | чудесный (čudesnyj) | |
| chumble | to mumble | Blend of chatter + mumble | |
| cine | cinema, film | French slang ciné | |
| clockwork | mechanically responsive | (See notes)[2] | |
| clop | to knock | хлопать (xlopatʹ, “clap”); German klopfen (“to knock”) | |
| cluve | beak | клюв (kljuv) | |
| collocoll | bell | колокол (kolokol) | |
| crack | to break up, smash | — | |
| crark | to howl | Blend of crow + bark | |
| crast | steal, rob, robbery | красть (krastʹ, “to steal”) | |
| creech | to shout, scream | кричать (kričatʹ) | |
| cutter | money | From Cockney rhyming slang derived from bread-and-butter | |
D | |||
| dama | lady | дама (dama); cf Dame | |
| decrep | elder | Short for "decrepit" | |
| ded, dedoochka | old man | дед (ded), дедушка (deduška, “grandfather”), coll. "old man" | |
| deng | money | деньги (denʹgi) | |
| devotchka | young woman | девочка (devočka, “girl”) | |
| dobby | good | добрый (dobryj, “kind, good”) | |
| dook | trace, ghost | дух (dux, literally “spirit”); Romani dook (“magic”) | |
| domy | house | дом (dom) | |
| dorogoy | dear, valuable, expensive | дорогой (dorogoj) | |
| dratsing | fighting | драться (dratʹsja, “to fight”) | |
| drencrom | drug | Possibly adrenochrome | |
| droog | friend | друг (drug, “friend”) | |
| droogie | friendly | дружелюбно (druželjubno, “friendly”) | |
| dung | to defecate | — | |
| dva | two | два (dva) | |
E | |||
| eegra | game | игра (igra) | |
| eemya | name | имя (imja) | |
| eggiweg | egg | Juvenile mutation of "egg" | |
| em | mother | Derived from the first letter of "mother". | |
| espresso rapido | train | "fast express" in Italian | |
| eunuch jelly | gutless coward | ||
F | |||
| fag | tire, exhaust | English slang. Not exclusively Nadsat. | |
| faggy/fagged | tired, exhausted | ||
| fashed | bothered, annoyed, tired | Scots fash | |
| filly | to play or fool around with | Dim. of "fiddle", cf filly (horse) | |
| filmdrome | cinema | From δρόμος (drómos, “course”), meaning "place for doing films". | |
| firegold | strong drink | ? "firewater" | |
| fist | to punch | From Engl. fist, cf удар кулаком, БИТЬ кулаком | |
| flatblock | block of flats | ||
| flip | wild | From Eng. slang to flip out (“to go mad/crazy”) | |
| forella | trout, old lady | форель (forelʹ), from German Forelle | |
| fuzzy | scratchy | ||
G | |||
| gazetta | newspaper | газета (gazeta), cf gazette | |
| glazz, glazzies, glazzballs | Eye, eyes (also used to refer to nipples) | глаз (glaz) | |
| gloopy | stupid | глупый (glupyj) | |
| glory | hair | ||
| godman | priest, chaplain | ||
| golly | unit of money | Rhyming slang, "lolly," or "polly" | |
| goloss | voice/tone | голос (golos) | |
| goober | lip | губа (guba) | |
| gooly | to walk | гулять (guljatʹ) | |
| gorlo | throat | горло (gorlo) | |
| govoreet | speak | говорить (govoritʹ) | |
| grahzny | dirty | грязный (grjaznyj) | |
| grape | uvula | ||
| grazzy | soiled | грязь (grjazʹ, “dirt”), грязный (grjaznyj, “dirty”) | |
| gromky | loud | громкий (gromkij) | |
| groody | breast | грудь (grudʹ, “breast”), груди pl (grudi, “breasts”) | |
| gruppa | group | группа (gruppa) | |
| guff, guffaw | laugh | Guffaw | |
| gulliver | head | голова (golova) | |
| guttiwuts | guts | Children’s speech | |
H | |||
| hen-korm | chickenfeed | Engl. hen + корм (korm, noun, literally “feed”), but cf corn | |
| horn | to cry out | — | |
| horrorshow | good, well, wonderful, excellent | хорошо (xorošo, “well, good”) | |
| hound-and-horny | corny | Rhyming slang | |
I | |||
| in-out in-out, the old in and out | sexual intercourse | — | |
| interessovat | to interest | интересовать (interesovatʹ) | |
| itty | to go | идти (idti, “to go”) | |
J | |||
| jammiwam | jam | Juvenile mutation of the word "jam" | |
| jeezny | life | жизнь (žiznʹ) | |
| juice | tears | - | |
K | |||
| kartoffel | potatoes | картофель (kartofelʹ), which itself is derived from German Kartoffel (“potato”) | |
| kashl | cough | кашель (kašelʹ) | |
| keeshkas | guts | кишка (kiška, “gut”) | |
| kisa | girl | киса (kisa, literally “kitty”) | |
| kleb | bread | хлеб (xleb) | |
| klootch | key | ключ (ključ) | |
| knives | drugs | ||
| knopka | button | кнопка (knopka) | |
| knopkavat | buttoning | кнопка (knopka) + -овать (-ovatʹ) (pronounced -avat) suffix used to form verb infinitive from the noun, cf. газ (gaz, “gas”) - colloquial газовать (gazovatʹ, “to gas up”) | |
| kopat | to 'dig' (appreciate) | копать (kopatʹ, literally “to dig”) | |
| korova | cow | корова (korova) | |
| koshka, kot | cat, tomcat | кошка (koška), кот (kot) | |
| koshtoom | clothing | костюм (kostjum, “suit”) | |
| krovvy | blood | кровь (krovʹ) | |
| kupet | to buy | купить (kupitʹ) | |
L | |||
| lapa | paw | лапа (lapa) | |
| lewdies | people | люди (ljudi) | |
| lighter | old woman, crone | лета (leta) (literally "summers", used to express age) | |
| litso | face | лицо (lico) | |
| lomtick | piece, bit | ломтик (lomtik, “slice”) | |
| luna | moon | луна (luna) | |
| loveted | caught | ловить (lovitʹ, “to catch”) | |
| lubbilubbing | making love | любить (ljubitʹ, “to love”), люблю (ljublju, “(I) love”) | |
| luscious glory | hair | Rhyming slang, possibly "upper storey" (or, more likely, a reference to 'crowning glory') | |
M | |||
| malchick | boy | мальчик (malʹčik) | |
| malenky | little, tiny | маленький (malenʹkij) | |
| maskie | mask | маска (maska) | |
| maslo | butter | масло (maslo) | |
| merzky | filthy | мерзкий (merzkij, literally “vile, disgusting”) | |
| messel | thought, fancy | мысль (myslʹ) | |
| mesto | place | место (mesto) | |
| mewler (or: mowler) | to mew | — | |
| millicents | police | From милиционер (milicioner, literally “a militsiya officer”) (милиция (milicija)), influenced by the given name Millicent. Cf militia | |
| millicent-van | police car, police van | - | |
| minoota | minute | минута (minuta) | |
| molodoy | young | молодой (molodoj) | |
| moloko | milk | молоко (moloko) | |
| Moloko plus | milk laced with drugs | (See notes)[3] | |
| moodge | man | муж (muž, “husband”), archaic, high-flown "man" | |
| morder | snout | морда (morda) | |
| mounch | snack | munch | |
| munchy-wunching | munching | Juvenile mutation of the word "munching" | |
| mozg | brain | мозг (mozg) | |
N | |||
| nachinat | to begin | начинать (načinatʹ) | |
| nadmenny | arrogant | надменный (nadmennyj) | |
| nadsat | teenage | From -надцать (-nadcatʹ, “-teen”), suffix; e.g., одиннадцать (odinnadcatʹ), двенадцать (dvenadcatʹ), тринадцать (trinadcatʹ), etc. | |
| nagoy | naked | нагой (nagoj, “nude”), high-flown for "naked" | |
| nazz | fool | назад (nazad, “backward”) | |
| neezhnies | underpants | нижнее n (nižneje, “lower”, adjective); нижнее бельё (nižneje belʹjó, “underwear”) | |
| nochy | night/nocturnal | ночь (nočʹ) ночной (nočnoj) | |
| nogas | feet, legs (also used in reference to cars) | нога (noga) | |
| nozh | knife | нож (nož) | |
| nuking | smelling | нюхать (njuxatʹ, “smell, sniff”) | |
O | |||
| oddy knocky | on one's own | одинокий (odinokij, literally “lonesome”) | |
| odin | one | один (odin) | |
| okno | window | окно (okno) | |
| oobivat | to kill | убивать (ubivatʹ) | |
| ookadeet | to leave | уходить (uxoditʹ) | |
| ooko | ear | ухо (uxo) | |
| oomny | brainy | умный (umnyj, “clever”) | |
| oozhassny | terrible | ужасный (užasnyj) | |
| oozy | chain | узы (uzy) archaic, high-flown "shackles" | |
| orange | man, person | Malay orang (“man”), whence orang utan (literally “forest man”), orang-pendek | |
| osoosh | to wipe | осушать (osušatʹ, “to dry”) | |
| otchkies | eyeglasses | очки (očki) | |
P | |||
| pan-handle | erection | — | |
| pantalonies | pants, underwear | "pantaloons" | |
| pee and em | father and mother | "pa and ma", "pater and mater" | |
| peet | to drink | пить (pitʹ, “pit”) | |
| pishcha | food | пища (pišča) | |
| platch | to cry | плач (plač, noun), плачь (plačʹ, verb imperative) | |
| platties | clothes | платье (platʹje) | |
| pletcho | shoulder | плечо (plečo) | |
| plenny | prisoner | пленный (plennyj, literally “captive”) | |
| plesk | splash | плеск (plesk); plash | |
| plosh | to splash | Onomatopoeia "kerplosh"; plash | |
| plott | body | плоть (plotʹ, “flesh”) | |
| podooshka | pillow | подушка (poduška) | |
| poison | person | Phonetic approximation of person in a Cockney accent | |
| pol | sex | пол (pol, “gender”) | |
| polezny | useful | полезный (poleznyj) | |
| polly | in phrase "pretty polly" = money | Rhyming slang for "lolly" | |
| polyclef | skeleton key | French clef (“key”); Greek poly- (“many”) | |
| pony | to understand | понимать (ponimatʹ, “to understand”) | |
| poogly | frightened | испуганный (ispugannyj, “frightened”), пугливый (puglivyj, “easily scared”) | |
| pooshka | gun | пушка (puška, literally “cannon”), slang "gun" | |
| pop-disc | a record, pop album | — | |
| prestoopnik | criminal | преступник (prestupnik) | |
| pretty polly | money | Rhyming slang for "lolly" | |
| privodeet | to lead somewhere | приводить (privoditʹ) | |
| prod | to produce | — | |
| ptitsa | girl | птица (ptica, “bird”), cf. chick (bird is a common slang in Britain for a (young) woman, but is not used in Russian in this sense) | |
| punchipunching | punching | Juvenile mutation of "punching" | |
| purplewurple | purple, bruised | - | |
| pyahnitsa | drunk | пьяница (pʹjanica) | |
R | |||
| rabbit | work | работа (rabota) | |
| rabbiter | worker | работник (rabotnik) | |
| radosty | joy | радость (radostʹ, “joy”) | |
| raskazz | story | рассказ (rasskaz) | |
| rassoodock | mind | рассудок (rassudok) | |
| raz | time | раз (raz, literally “time”), as in "one time, two times" | |
| razdraz | annoy/annoyed | раздраж (razdraž, “irritation”) | |
| razrez | to rip, ripping | разрез (razrez, “a cut”), разрезать (razrezatʹ, “to cut”) impf / pf | |
| rookerful | handful | рука (ruka, “hand”) | |
| rook, rooker | hand | руки pl (ruki) | |
| rot | mouth | рот (rot) | |
| rozz | policeman | rozzer (“policeman”) (Cockney rhyming slang) | |
| rozz-shop | police station | - | |
| rozz-van | police car, police van | - | |
S | |||
| sabog | shoe | сапог (sapog, “boot”), cf French sabot (“shoe”) | |
| sakar | sugar | сахар (saxar), cf English saccharine | |
| sammy | generous | "(Good) Samaritan" (Bible Story) | |
| sarky | sarcastic | English slang, not exclusively Nadsat. | |
| scoteena | beast, cow | скотина (skotina, “cattle”) | |
| shaika | gang | шайка (šajka) | |
| sharp | female | Cockney rhyming slang "sharp and blunt" | |
| sharries | buttocks | шары pl (šary, “spheres, marbles”) | |
| shest | barrier | шест (šest, “pole”) | |
| shilarny | desire | желание (želanije, “desire, wish”) | |
| shive | slice | Probably from shiv | |
| shiyah | neck | Russian шея (šeja), Ukrainian шия (šyja) | |
| shlaga | club, bat | German Schläger (“club, bat”, literally “hitter”) | |
| shlem | helmet | шлем (šlem) | |
| shlagnicked | clubbed | "shlaga" + -ник (-nik, “Russian diminutive”) | |
| shlapa | hat | шляпа (šljapa) | |
| shoom | noise, siren | шум (šum) | |
| shoot | fool | шут (šut, “clown, jester”) | |
| shop-crasting | stealing from a cars and houses | ||
| shvat | take | схватить (sxvatitʹ, “grab”) | |
| sicking | vomiting | - | |
| sick up | throw-up, vomit | - | |
| silver-like | shiny | ||
| sinny | film, cinema, movie theater | Mutated spelling of "cine" | |
| skazat | to say | сказать (skazatʹ) | |
| skitebird | shithead | Dialect or slang for seagull, known for their loose bowels | |
| skolliwoll | school | Juvenile mutation of the word "school" | |
| skorry | quick, quickly | скорый (skoryj) | |
| skriking | scratching | Blend of strike + scratch | |
| skvat | to grab | схватить (sxvatitʹ) | |
| sladkvat | sweetest | сладкий (sladkij) | |
| sladky | sweet | сладкий (sladkij) | |
| sloochat | to happen | случаться (slučatʹsja) | |
| sloosh, slooshy | to hear, to listen | слушать (slušatʹ, “listen”), слышать (slyšatʹ, “hear”) | |
| slovo | word | слово (slovo) | |
| smarting | damaged, bruised | - | |
| smeck | laugh | смех (smex, “laughter”) | |
| smot | to look | смотреть (smotretʹ) | |
| sneety | dream | сниться (snitʹsja, “to be seen in a dream”) | |
| snoutie | tobacco | From snout, Engl. prison slang for "tobacco" or "cigarette" | |
| snuff it | commit suicide, to die | From the phrase used to put out a lit candle (to snuff it). Not exclusively Nadsat. | |
| sobirat | to pick up | собирать (sobiratʹ) | |
| sod | to fornicate/bugger, fornicator/bugger | Engl. slang; from sodomy, not exclusively nadsat. | |
| sophistos | sophisticated/beautiful people | . | |
| soomka | old woman, old whore | сумка (sumka, “bag”), as in the English slang for old woman | |
| sooka | whore | сука (suka, literally “bitch”), as in the common slang for a whorish or unsavoury woman | |
| soviet | advice, order | совет (sovet, literally “a piece of advice”) | |
| spat, spatchka | to sleep | спать (spatʹ, “to sleep”), спячка (spjačka, “hibernation”) | |
| splodge, splosh | splash | — | |
| spoogy | terrified | испуганный (ispugannyj) | |
| Staja | cell, State Jail | Formed from the beginning of the words "STAte JAil"; cf German Stalag, English stalag. It is also the scholarly transliteration of стая (staja, literally “flock (of birds, of wolves)”). | |
| Steaky Wake | Beef Steak | A childish pronunciation of the word steak. | |
| starry | ancient, old | старый (staryj) | |
| strack | horror | страх (strax, “fear”) | |
| stoolies | chairs | стулья pl (stulʹja) (from стул (stul)) | |
| stripey hole | prison | From appearance of bars, or alternatively the striped uniforms once worn by prisoners. | |
| synthemesc | drug | Possibly "synthetic mescaline" | |
T | |||
| tally | waist | талия (talija) | |
| tashtook | handkerchief | From German Taschentuch (literally “pocket-cloth”) | |
| tass | cup | From French tasse or German Tasse | |
| this nochy | tonight | ночь (nočʹ, “night”) | |
| tick-tocker | heart | From the sound of a heartbeat, often "ticker" in English slang. | |
| ticklewickled | grazed | ||
| timps | drums | From English timpani | |
| tolchock | punch, hit, smack, push, slap | толчок (tolčok) | |
| toofles | slippers | туфли (tufli, “shoes”) | |
| tree | three | три (tri) | |
U | |||
| ultra-violence | An umbrella term for the assorted violent crimes perpetrated by the setting's youth gangs | ||
V | |||
| vareet | to cook up, to think, an idea | варить (varitʹ, literally “to cook by boiling”) | |
| vaysay | washroom | From French pronunciation of w.-c. (“water closet”) | |
| veck | person, man, fellow | человек (čelovek, “person, man”) | |
| vehina | wine | вино (vino) | |
| vellocet | drug | Probably fabricated; '-cet' is a common ending of painkillers (e.g., percocet, ultracet). Possibly from speed (velocity), which is slang for the drug amphetamine or possibly suggested by the British motorcycle manufacturers Velocette. | |
| venail | ? (used as tolchocking and venailing) | Actually "the nailing in" referring to the nailing of Christ as described in the Bible | |
| veshch | thing | вещь (veščʹ) | |
| viddy | see | видеть (videtʹ, “to see”) | |
| vino | wine (also used as blood) | вино (vino) | |
| voloss | hair | волос (volos, “a hair”); волосы pl (volosy, “hair”) | |
| von | smell | вонь (vonʹ, “stench”) | |
| vred | to harm or damage | вред (vred, “harm”), вредить (vreditʹ, “to harm”) | |
W | |||
| warbles | songs, recordings | From the English word warble (“to sing”). (As in the birds known as "warblers") | |
| worldcast | satellite TV or shortwave radio broadcast | Blend of world + broadcast | |
Y | |||
| yahma | hole | яма (jama) | |
| yahoodies | Jews | From Arabic يهود pl (yahudi, “Jews”)/ from Hebrew( יהודי- yehudi) Jewish/Jew. Not exclusively Nadsat | |
| yahzick | tongue | язык (jazyk) | |
| yarbles, yarblockos | testicles, possibly "Balls!" from Cockney | яблоко (jabloko, “apple”) (The Russian word doesn't have this meaning, see яйца (jajca, literally “eggs”)) | |
| yeckate | to drive | ехать (jexatʹ, “to go (by vehicle)”) | |
Z | |||
| zammechat | remarkable | замечательный (zamečatelʹnyj) | |
| zasnoot | sleep | заснуть (zasnutʹ, “to fall asleep”) | |
| zheena | wife | жена (žena) | |
| zoobies | teeth | зубы pl (zuby) | |
| zvonock | bellpull, doorbell | звонок (zvonok, “doorbell”) | |
| zvook | sound | звук (zvuk) | |