noun
General Slang
Lewdies
/ˈluːdiz/ · noun · slang
Nadsat for people, from the Russian 'lyudi'.
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Definitions
1
The spelling nudges toward English 'lewd', a faint extra colouring typical of Burgess.
“He spat the word lewdies as if the whole world disgusted him.”
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2
Used for the general public, often the ordinary citizens the gang preys on.
“Decent lewdies stayed indoors when the droogs were out.”
by community
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3
In Nadsat, lewdies means people. Source word: Russian 'lyudi' (люди), literally 'people'.
“The streets were empty of lewdies after dark.”
by community
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Lewdies In A Sentence
Ordinary lewdies have no idea what happens at night.
The lewdies on the bus pretended not to notice.
Why should we care what the lewdies think?
Origin & Usage
Coined by Burgess in A Clockwork Orange (1962) from the Russian 'lyudi', 'people'. The respelling faintly evokes English 'lewd', though the literal root is simply 'people'.
Variants
lewdies
People Also Ask
What does lewdies mean?
It is Nadsat for people, from the Russian 'lyudi'.
Where did lewdies come from?
Anthony Burgess coined it for A Clockwork Orange in 1962 from the Russian word for people.
Does lewdies have anything to do with the word lewd?
Only as a faint visual echo; the actual root is the Russian 'lyudi', meaning people.
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