General
cods
What does cods mean?
Bad in the cheap-and-nasty sense — tacky, vile, beneath you. You'd call a grim outfit, a dingy bar or a dud night 'cods.' It's the verdict you hand down when something fails the taste test entirely. Sits in the same family as the mainstream British 'naff,' though 'cod' leans more towards genuinely vile than merely drab.
"Have you seen the state of that frock? Absolutely cods."
Origin
Polari, the secret language of British gay men. 'Cod' (also 'cods') meant bad in the sense of tacky or vile.
Frequently asked questions
What does cods mean?
In Polari, cods means bad in the sense of tacky, naff or vile.
How do you use cods in a sentence?
"Those cheap plastic decorations look proper cods."
What language is cods from?
It comes from Polari, the coded slang historically used by gay men and theatre and fairground circles in Britain.
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