div

[stellaweston]

a favourite insult from my childhood days (1980's) does anyone know its origins?

[teash]

That must be a northern thing (maybe not) but i got a clip round my earhole for saying it to my mum. Sorry that doesn`t answer tour Q

[sft42]

Shortened version of the word "Divvy" meaning to divide up....your basically suggesting someone isn't 100%...or not the full shilling.

[linlam]

sft42..does that come from dividend? like you used to get from the co-op..?they divided up a share of your spendings back to you..well not me, my nan. I used to go with her to collect her divvy. Makes sense. Div, divvy has always meant gormless, and like you said, ..not the full shilling.

[patzi]

Ive always known it to be a shortened version of divvet, as in a piece of earth, ie, a different version of a sod, like "you little sod"

[Philtaz]

I always thought it was particular to Merseyside and Mickey Mousers, just like the term Soft Lad.

[OBonio]

We used it down in Farnham in the early 80s. Just meant thick person. No idea what it's short for though.

[sft42]

No the correct spelling of that word is Divot.....so it doesn't lend itself to being shortened much.

[Sir_Spikey]

Again, this is another Romani word adopted by you lot. Div, Divvy, Divus or its deratives of Dinlo or Divlo are all Romani for idiot or fool.

[gingerflaps]

  wow, i thought the only people to say it was us lot from boston (lincs). i call people it all the time and have done all my life. div is short for divvy, and as some of u say it means gormless, not all there, a bit of a spaz. i use both terms i.e.. u f***ing div...or....divvy bas***d.