lurgy
Chiefly preceded by the.
ˈlɜːɡiDocumented since 1950s1950sBoomerhistorical120 viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026＋ Add a definition
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Born ~1951 · no dated citations yet20th centurySee decade cohort →
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UK
#1·Apr 27, 2026UK
Chiefly preceded by the.
Origin: The is derived from fever-lurgy, possibly influenced by or related to lurk. Fever-lurgy is possibly a variant of fever lurden, from fever + lurden, lurdane. Lurden, lurdane is derived from , from , lourdin, from lourd, lourt, lorz (modern ) + -in; and lourd from , lurdus, probably from , possibly from lūror (possibly ultimately from ) + -idus. (“non-specific disease”) was popularized by the British radio comedy show The Goon Show (first broadcast 1951–1960), especially the episode “Lurgi Strikes Britain” (series 5, episode 7; 9 November 1954) written by the Anglo-Irish comedian Spike Millig. Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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UK
#2·Apr 27, 2026UK
(chiefly England (>, >), obsolete) Idle, lazy.
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