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Origin and history of banger

banger(n.)

1650s, "anything which bangs," in any sense, agent noun from bang (v.). British English slang for "a sausage," by 1919, perhaps is from a sense of "a bludgeon," though this is recorded only in U.S. slang. Bangster was a 17c. word for "muscular bully."

also from 1650s

Entries linking to banger

bang(v.)

1540s, "to strike hard with a loud blow," an imitative formation, or else from a Scandinavian source akin to Old Norse banga "to pound, hammer" also of echoic origin.

The slang meaning "have sexual intercourse with" attested by 1937. As an adverb, "suddenly, abruptly," by 1828, probably from the notion of "with a sudden or violent sound." Related: Banged; banging.

Banging (adj.) in the slang sense of "large, great, surpassing in size" is attested by 1864. Bang-up (adj.) "excellent, first-rate, in fine style" (1810) probably is shortened from a phrase such as bang up to the mark. Compare slang slap-up "excellent, first-rate" (by 1823).

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    Trends of banger

    adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/ with a 7-year moving average; ngrams are probably unreliable.

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    firecracker
    also fire-cracker, "exploding paper cylinder," by 1821, American English coinage for what is in England a cracker (n.1), but the longer U.S. word distinguishes it from the word meaning "biscuit" (cracker (n.2)). See fire (n.) + agent noun from crack (v.). Attested in newspapers f
    fizzle
    It is further explained in the Yale Banger, November 10, 1846: "This figure of a wounded snake is intended to represent what...
    pyrotechnic
    1704, "of or pertaining to the use of fire" (a sense now obsolete); 1825, "of or pertaining to fireworks and the art of making them," from pyrotechny "the manufacture and use of gunpowder" (1570s), from pyro- "fire" + Latinized form of Greek tekhnē "art" (see techno-). Figurative
    fanny
    "buttocks," 1920, American English, from earlier British meaning "vulva" (1879), perhaps from the name of John Cleland's heroine in the scandalous novel "Fanny Hill or Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure" (1748). The fem. proper name is a diminutive of Frances. The genital sense is st
    scepter
    "staff of office peculiar to royalty or independent sovereignty," c. 1300, ceptre, from Old French ceptre, sceptre (12c.) and directly from Latin sceptrum "royal staff," from Greek skēptron "staff to lean on," in a Persian and Asian context, "royal scepter," in transferred use, "
    insidious
    1540s, from French insidieux "insidious" (15c.) or directly from Latin insidiosus "deceitful, cunning, artful, treacherous," from insidiae (plural) "plot, snare, ambush," from insidere "sit on, occupy," from in- "in" (from PIE root *en "in") + sedere "to sit," from PIE root *sed-
    saloon
    1728, an Englished or otherwise deformed variant of salon (q.v.), and originally meaning the same, "spacious room set apart for reception of company or artistic display." The specific sense of "large hall in a public place for entertainment or amusement" is from 1747; especially
    forsake
    Old English forsacan "object to, oppose, refuse, deny; give up, renounce" (past tense forsoc, past participle forsacen), from for- "completely" + sacan "to struggle, dispute, wrangle; accuse, blame" (see sake (n.1)). Related: Forsaking. Similar formation in Old Saxon farsakan, Du
    suffer
    mid-13c., sufferen, "allow to occur or continue, refrain from hindering, fail to prevent or suppress," also "be made to undergo, endure, be subjected to" (pain, death, punishment, grief, injury, humiliation); from Anglo-French suffrir, Old French sofrir "bear, endure, resist; per
    usher
    late 13c., "servant who has charge of doors and admits people to a chamber, hall, etc.," from Anglo-French usser (12c.), Old French ussier, uissier "porter, doorman," from Vulgar Latin *ustiarius "doorkeeper," variant of Latin ostiarius "door-keeper," from ostium "door, entrance,

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