arsey

English

Alternative forms

• arsy

Etymology

From arse +‎ -y.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɑː(ɹ)si/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)si

Adjective

arsey (comparative more arsey, superlative most arsey)

1. (UK, Ireland, Commonwealth, slang) Unpleasant, especially in a sarcastic, grumpy or haughty manner.
   • 2000, Peter Billingham, Sensing the City Through Television: Urban Identities in Fictional Drama, page 50:

     First few months in, I was arsey as hell. Thought they were a right bunch of wankers.

   • 2002 October 28, Simon Hattenstone, quoting Sophie Ellis-Bextor, “Sophie's world”, in The Guardian‎^[1]:

     "Oh, we had that singer in the other day and they were really arsey with us, and we only kept them waiting half an hour' - and I go, 'Hang on a minute, that's a long time and they've probably been doing lots of work that day and I think that it's actually justified for them to get annoyed.'"

   • 2007 April 30, Jon Bentham, “How to...... do work experience”, in The Guardian‎^[2]:

     Work experience as an arsey teenager is pretty straightforward: disappear into the storeroom, smoke a few cigarettes, text your mates and watch the minute hand tick slowly by. If there's nowhere suitable to hide, all you need is a vacant computer and you can chat to your skiving associate in the building next door.

   • 2011, Lotte Daley, Faking It‎^[3], Penguin, →ISBN:

     Maybe Hanna Frost, for all of her arsey mannerisms, really did know what she was doing.

2. (Australia, New Zealand, slang) Lucky.

Derived terms

• arsey-versy

Anagrams

• Areys, Ayers, Ayres, Rayes, Reays, Sayer, Sayre, ayres, eyras, resay, sayer, years