English

Etymology

The usage is dated to the 1930s. A shortened version of , the hunt based at Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire. In the Cockney rhyming slang, is made to rhyme with giving the word its original slang meaning.

Pronunciation

• :In both Berkely and Berkshire, berk is pronounced like bark. In other cases such as Cockney and American English pronunciaton, it rhymes with "work".

Noun

1. {{context|UK|slang|pejorative}} A fool, prat, twit.
2. In the Context of An idiot, in an affectionate sense.
3. In the Context of cunt|Cunt.

Usage notes

It is not perceived to be excessively rude, perhaps because whilst it is known for being a slang word, its real meaning is not well known.

See also

• Belvoir

References

• Chambers Dictionary: Entry for berk
• Cassell's Dictionary of Slang. Jonathon Green. Pub. Cassel & Co. ISBN 0-304-35167-9

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Dutch

Pronunciation

• An audio transcript can be found at Nl-berk.ogg

Noun

1. birch

Category:nl:Trees

es:berk fr:berk io:berk ku:berk nl:berk ro:berk ru:berk sq:berk fi:berk tr:berk