The Importance of Mastering American Slang

Knowing General American English just doesn’t cut it anymore. American slang is everywhere – in movies, music, TV shows… It’s almost impossible to ignore it; and why should you? It is a living, growing thing and the best representation of how a language is evolving.

Language that teenagers use today is often a mystery to their parents. Young people can speak using current slang and parents are mostly left clueless as to what is going on!

It’s as if their kids are communicating in code. Most intelligence agencies would probably be left confused as well when trying to understand what teens today are talking about.

However, we will not be talking about teenagers’ slang in this article but rather about some general slang that you need to know. The terms we will be discussing are not to be found in official dictionaries or in school books.

But what is slang?

Slang consists of idiomatic uses of words and phrases which have taken on a meaning different from their usual meaning. It is used in very casual talk and writing, and– is often very humorous and colorful. We will give you the best examples of how American English is growing and changing in the US.

Examples of common slang words and phrases and their meanings:

A

airhead (n.) – a silly, stupid person
ankle-biter (n.) – a derogatory term for an infant or small child
antsy (adj.) – impatient; restless; anxious
ass-kisser (n.) – someone who says nice things to someone in order to get something from them

B

beat box (n.) – rhythmic percussive sounds, usually created with the voice while rapping
bail (v.) – to leave in a hurry, or to give up on or quit something
blast (n.) –a wonderful and enjoyable time
bling (n.) – flashy jewelry worn to create the impression of wealth

C

can (v.) – to dismiss or fire someone; to put a stop to (as in “Can that noise!”)
can (n.) – toilet
chillin’ (v.) – spending time alone or with good friends just relaxing and taking it easy

D

da bomb (adj.) – excellent, extremely good (usually used after a linking verb “to be”, as a predicate adjective, as in “That band is da bomb!”)
deadbeat dad (n.) – a father who doesn’t pay child support regularly
diddly-squat | diddly (n.) – anything (usually with a negative, as in “He didn’t contribute diddly”)
dis | diss (v.) – to show disrespect to someone by saying or doing something insulting
donkey (n.) – a stupid or silly person
dork (n.) – a socially awkward person

E

empty-nester (n.) – a parent whose children have grown up and left home
ends (n.) – money

F

flake (n.) – an unreliable person
for real (adv) – (to speak) honestly and truthfully
funk (n.) –a very bad mood

G

goof off | goof around (v.) – to use time in a wasteful manner doing unimportant and silly things

H

hickey (n.) – a mark on the neck or face caused by a lover biting or sucking the skin
hood (n.) – a neighborhood, mostly poor, in a city
hood (n.) – a criminal, a member of a criminal gang
hooky | hookey (n.) – (in the phrase “play hooky”) to stay away from school or work without permission
hoops (n.) – the game of basketball
hustler (n.) – an excellent poker player or player of billiards who cheats other players by pretending to be an average player and then challenging them to play for money

I

ice (n.) – diamonds; expensive jewels
icky (adj.) – unpleasant in color or taste
idiot-box (n.) – television, TV
ill (n.) – good, excellent
in a New York minute (adv.) – (to do something) in a very short time
inhale (v.) – to eat very quickly
ivories (n.) – teeth / piano keys

J

jack (v.) – to steal
jack (n.) – nothing; very little
janky (adj.) – poorly made, of low quality
jock (n.) – an athlete, sportsman
john (n.) – the bathroom; toilet
joint (n.) – (usually used with “the”)prison, jail (“I spent time in the joint.”)
jollies (n.) – fun, thrills, enjoyment
juiced (adj.)– very excited or eager to do something

K

kick-ass (adj.) – forceful, aggressive; excellent
klutz (n.) – a clumsy or foolish person
knock over (v.) – to rob a store or a bank
kook (n.) – a strange or eccentric person
kooky (adj.)– strange or eccentric

L

louse up (v.) – to spoil something or make it fail

M

make out (v.) – to kiss and hug
mojo (n.) – spirit, passion, zest
moola | moolah (n.) – money

N

nix (v.) – to cancel something; to stop something from happening
noggin (n.) – a person’s head

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O

off (v.) – to murder, to kill

P

pain (n.) – an annoying or troublesome person or thing
pimp | pimp out (v.) – to customize or renovate something; to make something flashier or more appealing

Q

quarter (n.) – a U.S. or Canadian 25-cent coin
quarterback (v.) – to lead and make decisions

R

rap (v.) – to talk together in a relaxed way | (n.) – a relaxed talk (a “rap session”)
rats! (exclamation) – used to express mild annoyance / disappointment
ratty (adj.) – in poor condition; worn or damaged because of extensive use

T

tee off (v.) – to make someone angry
thick (adj.) – full–figured without appearing overweight
threads (n.) – clothes
total (v.) – to destroy something

U

ugg boots | ugh boots (n.) – soft sheepskin boots that originated in Australia
upchuck (v.) – to vomit; to throw up

V

veep (n.) – the vice president

W

wedgie | wedgy (n.) – The pulling up of someone’s underpants sharply from behind to wedge them in the crack of the buttocks

X

XYZ (interjection) – “code” said to alert someone that their pants-zipper is open

Y

Yo! (interjection) – a greeting, like “Hey!”
yo-yo (n.) – a stupid or crazy person

Z

zap (v.) – to control an appliance like a TV with a hand-held device; to cook in a microwave
zinger (n.) – an interesting or amusing comment
zip (n.) – nothing; zero
zonk (v.) – to hit or punch someone
zonked | zonked out (adj.) – extremely tired
z’s (n.) – sleep

Photo credit: The U.S. Army / Foter.com / CC BY, bobbi vie / Foter.com / CC BY, Free Digital Photos, Tom Hickmore / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND, zilverbat. / Foter.com / CC BY-NC