adjective General Slang

Starry

/ˈstɑːri/ · adjective · slang

Nadsat for old or ancient, from the Russian 'stary'.

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Definitions

1

Applied to people and things alike, often with the gang's contempt for the old order.

“These starry lewdies do not understand us, Alex sneers.”
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2

In Nadsat, starry means old, aged, or ancient. Source word: Russian 'stary' (старый), literally 'old'.

“A starry veck shuffled past, leaning on his cane.”
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3

Sets up the generational tension between Alex's 'nadsat' youth and the 'starry' adult world.

“Young against starry is the fault line of the whole novel.”
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Starry In A Sentence

The starry building was due to be torn down.
He mugged a starry man for the cutter in his pockets.
Respect the starry ways? Not these malchicks.

Origin & Usage

Coined by Burgess in A Clockwork Orange (1962) from the Russian 'stary', 'old'. It frames the generational conflict between teenage 'nadsat' culture and the 'starry' adult establishment.

Variants starry
Tags #nadsat#clockwork-orange#fictional#literary#age

People Also Ask

What does starry mean in Nadsat?

It means old or ancient, from the Russian 'stary'. It has nothing to do with stars.

Where did starry come from?

Anthony Burgess coined it for A Clockwork Orange in 1962 from the Russian word for old.

How does starry relate to the theme of the book?

It marks the adult, 'old' world against which Alex's teenage 'nadsat' culture defines itself.

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