What it means
Lash means to go at something hard and fast — be that sinking pints, tearing into a big feed, or giving an activity absolute welly. It paints a picture of unholy enthusiasm with a cheeky wink. You use it when someone's properly going for it, no half-measures, a beautiful chaos of pure joy.
Usage examples
"We lashed into the chipper after the pub, sauce everywhere."
"She lashed through the work in an hour, absolute machine."
"I'm gonna lash the town tonight, see where we end up."
Where it comes from
From the Irish word 'láiseach', meaning to beat or thrash, which in Old Irish carried the sense of hitting with force. Over time it shifted from physical hitting to the idea of doing anything with that same energy. You can still hear echoes of it in the way people talk about lashing rain — nature going hard — and from there it jumped to lashing pints and more, keeping that wild spirit alive.
Editors of this term
Your vote counts
Is this real street talk or have we lost the plot? Cast your vote.
We look after this expression together
If they say it where you live and something is missing here, bring it. A magikito looks at it and adds it.
- An example
- Your patch
- Your voice