Gippy bint

Gippy bint: An Egyptian girl. "Bint" comes from Arabic بنت meaning "daughter", "female descendent", or colloquially, "girl."

The term entered the British lexicon during the occupation of Egypt at the end of the 19th century, where it was adopted by British soldiers to simply mean "girlfriend" or "bit on the side". Its register varies from that of the much harsher term "bitch" to being affectionate, the latter more commonly associated with the West Midlands. The term was used in British armed forces and the London area synonymously with "bird" in its slang usage (and sometimes "brass") from at least the 1950s. In the Tyneside shipping industry, particularly in Laygate, in South Shields, the term may have been adopted earlier, from the Yemeni community which had existed there since the 1890s.

References / notes

The above term is listed in our Compendium of the Great War.

This compendium forms the central hub of words, phrases, people, and places relative to the Great War period of 1914–1918. These also include battles, political events, ships, trench slang, British and American service terms and expressions in everyday use, nicknames, sobriquets, the titles of British and Commonwealth Regiments and their origins, and also warfare in general. These words and phrases are contemporary with the war, which is reflected in the language used, some of which may seem derogatory by today's standards. Feel free to expand upon and improve this content.

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