sprog

English

Etymology

1940s, originally service slang. Perhaps from obsolete sprag (“lively young man”), of unknown origin.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General Australian) enPR: sprŏg, IPA^(key): /spɹɒɡ/

  • Audio (AU)

    (file)

• (US, Canada) IPA^(key): /sprɔɡ/
• (cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /sprɑɡ/
• Rhymes: -ɒɡ, -ɔɡ, -ɑɡ

Noun

sprog (countable and uncountable, plural sprogs)

1. (UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, informal, humorous) A child.
   • 1984 September 13, Donald Gould, Forum: Suck it and see, page 54:

     To test this hypothesis further, he and his mate Fifer persuaded 16 women, heavy with child, to read a story called The Cat in the Hat to their unborn sprogs, twice a day, during the last few weeks of their pregnancies.

   • 2008, Julian Knight, Wills, Probate, & Inheritance Tax For Dummies, UK, unnumbered page:

     Any guardianship or trusts that you set up when your children were little sprogs may no longer be needed.

   • 2010, Brett Atkinson, Sarah Bennett, Scott Kennedy, New Zealand′s South Island, Lonely Planet, page 220:

     Kids will love the climbing wall and NZ′s highest vertical slide. If the sprogs get bored with reality, movie make-believe (p232) is right next door.

2. (UK, military, RAF, slang, derogatory) A new recruit.
3. (uncountable, Australia, slang, dated) Semen.
4. (countable, slang) A deflection-limiting safety device used in high performance hang gliders.

Synonyms

• (child): ankle-biter, bairn, crib lizard, crotch fruit, crotch goblin, kid, rug rat
• (semen): cum, jizz, spoof

Derived terms

• sproglet

Verb

sprog (third-person singular simple present sprogs, present participle sprogging, simple past and past participle sprogged)

1. (UK, Australia, slang, humorous) To produce children.
   • 2007, Libby Purves, Love Songs and Lies, unnumbered page:

     You must have been terrified, it′s not like today with film stars sprogging babies everywhere.

   • 2008, Lucy Diamond, Over You, unnumbered page:

     ‘How′s it all going with your boyo in the valleys? Any plans for sprogging or vows or anything serious yet?’

   • 2009, Peter James, Dead Tomorrow, unnumbered page:

     ‘Women lose their sexual drive after they′ve sprogged,’ Norman Potting interjected.

2. (Australia, slang) To ejaculate, to come.

   Synonyms: spoof; see also Thesaurus:ejaculate

   • 2004, Kathryn Fox, Malicious Intent, Pan MacMillan Australia, unnumbered page,

     The kid was fathered by the same guy who sprogged into Debbie Finch′s throat.

Anagrams

• progs

Danish

Etymology

From Middle Low German sprâke. Cognate to German Sprache, Dutch spraak, Norwegian språk, Old English sprǣċ and Swedish språk.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sprɔːˀɣ/, [ˈsb̥ʁɔˀw], [ˈsb̥ʁɔwˀ]

  • Audio

    (file)

Noun

sprog n (singular definite sproget, plural indefinite sprog)

1. language

Declension

Declension of sprog

neuter gender	Singular		Plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	sprog	sproget	sprog	sprogene
genitive	sprogs	sprogets	sprogs	sprogenes

Derived terms

• babytegnsprog
• billedsprog
• dagligsprog
• enhedsskriftsprog
• fagsprog
• fremmedsprog
• gruppesprog
• kodesprog
• kropssprog
• kunstsprog
• lokalsprog
• plansprog
• regionalsprog
• rigssprog
• røversprog
• skriftsprog
• standardsprog
• talesprog
• tegnsprog

 

Further reading

• “sprog” in Den Danske Ordbog