nark
English
Pronunciation
- Lua error in Module:parameters at line 360: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "UK" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. enPR: näk, IPA(key): /nɑːk/
- Lua error in Module:parameters at line 360: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "US" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. enPR: närk, IPA(key): /nɑːɹk/
Audio (AU): (file) - Rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)k
Etymology 1
Alternative forms
Noun
nark (plural narks)
- (British, slang) A police spy or informer.
- 1879 October, J[ohn] W[illiam] Horsley, “Autobiography of a Thief in Thieves’ Language”, in Macmillan’s Magazine, volume XL, number 240, London: Macmillan and Co. […], →OCLC, page 505, column 1:
- So I went and laid down on the grass. While laying there I piped a reeler whom I knew. He had a nark (a policeman's spy) with him. So I went and looked about for my two pals, and told them to look out for F. and his nark.
- 1912, George Bernard Shaw, Pygmalion, Act I,
- It’s a—well, it’s a copper’s nark, as you might say. What else would you call it? A sort of informer.
- (Australia, slang) An unpleasant person, especially one who makes things difficult for others; a spoilsport.
Synonyms
- (police spy): see Template:ws link
- (unpleasant person): see Template:ws link or Template:ws link
Related terms
- (police spy): copper's nark
Translations
police spy
Verb
nark (third-person singular simple present narks, present participle narking, simple past and past participle narked)
- (transitive, thieves' cant) To watch; to observe.
- (intransitive, slang) To serve or behave as a spy or informer.
- (transitive, slang) To annoy or irritate.
- It really narks me when people smoke in restaurants.
- (intransitive, slang) To complain.
- He narks in my ear all day, moaning about his problems.
- (transitive, slang, often imperative) To stop.
- Nark it! I hear someone coming!
Synonyms
- (inform on): rat out, tattle, see Template:ws link
Derived terms
- (watch): nark it (“look out”)
- (inform on): narking dues
Translations
serve as a spy
|
annoy
|
complain
Etymology 2
See narc.
Noun
nark (plural narks)
- Alternative form of narc (narcotics officer).
References
- “nark”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
- Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., 1989.
Anagrams
Categories:
- English 1-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio pronunciation
- Rhymes:English/ɑː(ɹ)k
- English terms derived from Romani
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- British English
- English slang
- English terms with quotations
- Australian English
- English verbs
- English transitive verbs
- English Thieves' Cant
- English intransitive verbs