The BBC is doing a silly Scott-versus-Shackleton vote on their website.
I've always taken the piss out of this sort of celebrity beauty contest by asking who was better, Alfred the Great or Davey Crockett—then insisting that the correct answer is Alfred the Great. (Which it is, by the way.)
But anyone who votes for Scott of the Arse-antic is a total div. Go and vote for Shackleton immediately!
"A total div"!!!
I haven't heard that for yonks, down the back jigger when I was a wee'un.
I am very unreliably informed that the word 'div' is derived from the word Deva - the Roman name for Chester. There was once a lunatic asylum in Chester called Deva, and the residents were referred to as 'Divs'.
But I'm sure it must be a made-up derivation.
I thought it was something to do with oldfashioned "unemployment dividend" and originally used to mean a workshy scrounger.
I like your derivation better though.
A "div" or "divvy" was always considered a dope as opposed to a scrounger in my neck of the woods.
I'm with Keith on that one: a div(vy) is someone who's thick.
Well yes, same here actually. That's why I preferred Richard's etymology.
I feel a bit of a div now.