Noun & adjective. Army slang. B- & b-. Early 20th century.
[Urdu b'lāytī, colloquial form of bilāyatī, wilāyatī foreign, (esp.) European, from Arabic wilāya(t) dominion, district. Compare with VILAYET.]
A1. noun. England, home, after foreign service. E20
A2. noun. A wound securing return to England or home. E20
B. attributive or as adjective. Of or pertaining to England or home; securing return to England or home. E20
If you've ever heard an Englishman refer to 'Dear Old Blighty', you might well have wondered what on earth he was waffling on about; even for those that use or understand the word, its origins can be something of a mystery. The OED is quite clear, however, in showing that Blighty is a corruption of the Urdu word b'lāytī, b'lāytī b'lāytī
Even for those not in such dire circumstances, there's a lot to miss about Blighty of course: the fish and chips, the beer, crumpets, Marmite, pancakes with lemon juice and sugar, football, the weather, the NHS, cheese on toast with tomato ketchup, the countryside, teapots, a full English fry, steak and kidney pies and the inimitable humour to name but a few. Food does figure a lot in that list, doesn't it? And people say that the English can't cook. Tut tut. What absolute rotters!
Do you use or refer to England as Blighty?
If you're an expat, is there anything you particularly miss (or don't miss) about Blighty?
Do please comment below.