Printers’ Slang

Printers’ slang is as old as the profession itself, and whilst we know little of the origins of the vocabulary of the press and of those busy composing rooms, the language that has come down to us is certainly expressive.

Picture of a printer’s devil on a seasonal calling card.

Pie, the earliest of all printers’ slang, is short for printers’ pie, which since 1659 has meant unsorted or jumbled type.

Put in pie, is to make a mess of something or lead another astray.

Hell-box, the box containing unused type.

Fat, easy to compose, and lean, difficult to compose: the former also means profitable, the latter unprofitable work.

Antimony, type; sorts the character in a fount of type; out of sorts, a deficiency of material in the type-case, has since 1780 also meant unwell (who knew the origin of this particular phrase, very common at this time of year!).

Squabble, is type that gets mixed up.

Sling type, to set or compose.

Devil, short for printer’s devil, a general, unskilled assistant.

Pencil-shover, a journalist.

Brains, the paste with which a sub-editor sticks his cuttings together.

Chalk your pull, means things are on hold.

So, this festive season, if things get fraught, don’t put in pie or squabble. Chalk your pull! Sling your type! and make sure that turkey is a fat one!