What is the origin of the term yob?
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Kevisaurus is a Carnotaurus today
ANSWERS: 3
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The antithesis of what a good boy should be - rude, obnoxious, violent and stupid. Formed by spelling 'boy' bacwards, it was coined in England in the 18th century as it was very popular amongst upperclasses to speak backwards at the time. http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=yob
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Yobbo or yob is a slang term for an uncouth or thuggish blue collar person. The word derives from a backslang reading of the word "boy" (boy or boyo reversed becomes yob or — slightly modified — yobbo).
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G'day Kevin, Thank you for your question. Yob or yobbo is backward slang as it is a reversal of the words boy or boyo. It is a common word in Australia and the UK. In the 19th century it was simply slang for boy. By the 1920's it had acquired its current meaning as a thug. It's first citation in the Oxford English Dictionary in this sense is in Crook Pie by J.C. Goodwin "A yob shouted: ‘Now for yer belts, boys!’ and my friend was thrashed." The term is used in Look Back In Anger where there is a reference to "‘Let's go to the pictures.’.. ‘And have my enjoyment ruined by the Sunday night yobs in the front row?’" I have attached sources for your reference. Regards Wikipedia Yobbo http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yobbo Word Detective http://www.word-detective.com/032404.html Oxford English Dictionary BBC Yob culture http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/in_depth/uk/2001/life_of_crime/yob_culture.stm
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