Sunday 7 October 2012

Get on my wick

Meaning - Annoy me; get on my nerves.

Origin - The slang term 'wick' features in several variants of this phrase 'you get on my wick', 'you're getting on my wick', we even find 'he got on her wick', although, as we will see below, the latter isn't strictly anatomically correct. The expression is of UK origin but sounds a little dated now and was much more widely used in the mid 20th century.

'Wick' isn't just slang, it is Cockney Rhyming Slang. For the source we have to visit the South West London district of Hampton Wick. The 'Hampton Wick' rhyme is with 'prick', which was later shortened to just 'hampton' or, less frequently, to 'wick'. As with other words that are now considered acceptable in everyday speech, e.g. 'berk',and 'cobblers', 'you are getting on my wick' is often used without the speaker or hearer considering the genital origin.

See full article at http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/get-on-my-wick.html

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