Peculiarities of Slang

2.3.Dictionary

2.3.1.Dictionary of youth slang during 1960-70's

acid (n) LSD, a narcotic drug popular among hippies. see psychedelic, bad trip.

afro (n) haircut popular among African-americans during 1960's and '70's.

aquarian (adj.) we're not sure exactly what this means, but it has something to do with the "Age of Aquarius" and the musical Hair.

bad scene (n) a bad situation. see scene.

bad trip (n) originally described a bad experience using drugs, characterized by frightening hallucinations. Can be used to describe any bad experience.

bag (n) one's main interest or purpose in life.

black light (n) a decorative light, dark blue in color to the human eye, which makes objects or artwork in flourescent colors appear to glow.

blow your mind (v) to have an enlightening or illuminating experience.

bread (n) money.

bummer (n) bad experience.

bust (v) to arrest someone, (n) an arrest.

cat (n) a person. derived from beatnik language of the 1950's.

chick (n) a girl or woman.

commune (n) an community of people who share possessions, living accomodations, and work (or lack thereof). Usually encompasses a farm and other fashionable industries.

crash (v) to sleep, rest, or do nothing.

crash pad (n) a place where one sleeps, rests, or does nothing.

dig (v) like, enjoy, be interested in.

drag (n) an unfavorable situation or state of affairs.

dude (n) person, usually male.

establishment, the (n) traditional business and government institutions, believed to stand in the way of human progress. see "system, the."

far out (adj) very interesting, good. Also an exclamation.

free love (n) love without expectations or commitment.

fuzz (n) police.

get it on (n) successfully interact with others.

groove (v) enjoy, achieve proficiency at. see "groovy."

groovy (adj) good, interesting, enjoyable.

hang out (v) to be some place, usually doing nothing, with no purpose.

hang-up (n) inhibition, usually due to morals, beliefs, or culture.

happening (adj) exciting, new, good.

heavy (adj) thought-provoking.

hippie (n) [still searching for a definition here]. hip (adj) knowledgable of, or consistent with, the latest trends and ideas.

Iron Butterfly (n) a rock band which had one popular song, "Inna Gadda Da Vida."

lava lamp (n) a cylindrical glass container filled a semi-solid viscous material which breaks apart and forms globules while floating in a clear fluid.

like (?) word used to fill up space in an utterance when the speaker is unable to think of a suitable adjective to describe something. Use of this word has also been adopted by adjective-challenged subcultures of more recent generations.

love beads (n) colorful beads worn around the neck to symbolize love.

man (interjection) used as an exclamation to draw attention to one's utterance. related phrase: "hey, man."

mood ring (n) a ring worn on the finger which contains a large stone, the color of which is supposed to indicate the wearer's emotional mood. Mood rings were a fad in the mid-1970's.

oh wow (interjection) exclamation uttered in response to new, thought-provoking, or exciting information.

out of sight (adj) excellent, outstanding. Often used as an exclamation. 
pad (n) living accomodation--house or apartment.

peace (n) absence of war.

psychedelic (adj) of or related to a mental state characterized by a profound sense of intensified sensory perception, sometimes accompanied by severe perceptual distortion, hallucinations, or extreme feelings of euphoria or despair. see acid.

rap (v,n) to talk, conversation. More recently used to name a category of music where words are spoken, rather than sung.

San Francisco (n) worldwide center of hippie activity and general weirdness.

scene (n) place, situation, or circumstances.

sock it to me (phrase) let me have it.

spaced out (adj) dazed, not alert.

split (v) to leave, depart.

square (adj) old-fashioned, not aware of new thinking and customs. (n) one who is square.

system, the (n) the system of laws, governance, and justice. see "establishment, the".

tie dye (v) a method of coloring clothing where the article of clothing is tied in knots, then dying it to produce an abstract pattern. (n) an article of clothing dyed in this manner.

trip (n) an unusual experience. (v) to have an unusual experience.

turn on (v) to become enlightened to new ways of thinking or experiencing reality.

uptight (adj) concerned about maintaining set ways of thinking and doing things.

2.3.2 Dictionary of modern British slang

These phrases are in everyday use around most of Britain.

Phrase Meaning

99 a popular style of ice cream, usually ordered with a 'flake'

'A' levels exams taken at age 18

abso-bloody-lutely a more definite form of 'absolutely'

afters dessert

aggro trouble; violence

all broke up on holiday, usually from school

all of a twitter very nervous or apprehensive

aluminium aluminum

arse bottom, or ass

arse bandit a homosexual

arse over tit to fall head over heels

arse about playing around, being silly

e.g. "stop arsing about!"

artic an articulated lorry; a bick truck

Aussie an Australian

backhander a bribe

bag an unattractive or elderly woman

balderdash rubbish; nonsense

balls-up a mess; a confusion

banger (1) an old car; (2) a sausage

barking mad crazy

batty dotty; crazy

beak magistrate

beehive a tall hairstyle

bees knees something really good

beetle crusher a boot; a foot

behind bottom; buttocks

berk a stupid person

e.g. "you silly berk"

bevvy a drink

bit of fluff a pretty young single woman

bill, the police, sometimes called "the old bill"

binge a drinking bout

bin liner garbage bag

bin men garbage collectors

bint a rough girl

biro a ballpoint pen

bit of alright something highly satisfactory

black maria a police van

black pudding a sausage like food made from

- pigs blood

- oats

- fat

black sheep of the family a relative who gets into trouble with the police

blag a robbery; to rob

blagger a robber

Blighty England

blimey ! an expression of surprise

blob a contraceptive

blotto drunk

blower telephone

blow your own trumpet to brag; to boast

bobby dazzler a remarkable person or thing

bog a toilet, a washroom

bollock naked stark naked

bollocks testicles

bonce head

bonk to copulate

bonnet hood of a car

bookie betting shop owner

boot trunk of a car

boracic penniless

bosch a derogative term for germans

bovver trouble

bovver boot a heavy boot, possibly with a toe cap and laces

quite often worn by skinheads

bovver boy a hooligan; a troublemaker

brass monkey weather cold, taken from the phrase, "it's cold enough

to freeze the balls off a brass monkey"

breakdown van a tow truck

brickie a bricklayer

brill ! short form of brilliant, meaning fantastic

brolly an umbrella

browned off bored; fed up

Brummy a native of Birmingham

bubble and squeak fried cabbage and potatoes

bubbly champagne

bugger all nothing; very little

bumming a fag requesting a cigarette

e.g. "Can I bum a fag from you mate ?"

Note: This has a VERY different meaning

in the U.S.

bunch of fives a fist

"button it !" "be quiet !"

caff a cafe

cake hole a person's mouth

cardy abbreviation of cardigan

champers champagne

char tea; a domestic worker

cheeky monkey a rude person

cheesed off bored; fed up

chin chin a drinking toast

chippy a fish and chip shop; a carpenter

chokey prison

chuffed very pleased or proud

clapped out worn out, broken

clappers to go very fast; to work hard

e.g. That car goes like the clappers !

e.g. I have to work like the clappers

to finish it by lunchtime !

clickety click 66 in bingo calling

clink prison

clinker somebody who is outstanding

clobber clothing

clodhopper a clumsy person

clogger a soccer player who tackles heavily

clot a fool

cloth-ears a person with a poor sense of hearing

cobblers testicles; rubbish

cock and bull a story with very little truth in it

cock up to ruin something

e.g. "it was a real cock-up"

e.g. "haved you cocked it up ?"

coffin nail a cigarette

conk nose

conkers a childrens game played with horse chestnuts

copper police man/woman

cough up to pay

crackers crazy

cracking great; fantastic

crackling a woman who is regarded as a sexual object

crate an old name for a very old plane

create to make a fuss or an angry scene

crown jewels male genitalia

crumbly an old or senile person

crumpet a desirable woman

dabs fingerprints

daft stupid

dark horse somebody who suprises others by their actions

des res Estate agents use this to describe a

"desirable residence"

dial face

dickie bow a bow tie

diddicoy a gipsy

dip a pickpocket

dishy good looking

do a runner to leave quickly avoiding punishment

doddle easy

dog's bollocks something really good

dog's breakfast a mess

donkey's breakfast a straw hat

doodah to be in a state of excitement

e.g. "He was all in a doodah !"

doolally scatter-brained; crazy

doorstep a thick sandwich

dosh money

doss house a cheap lodging house

dosser a tramp

do the dirty on to play a mean trick on

dough money

droopy drawers an untidy or sloppy person

drop a sprog have a baby

drum a house or flat

duffer a stupid person

dummy a baby's pacifier

earful to get a shouting

e.g. "My mum gave me a right earful !"

easy-peasy something very simple

earner a lucrative job or task

elevenses morning tea break

extracting the urine see "taking the piss"

fab fabulous; wonderful

face-ache a miserable looking person

fag cigarette

fag-end a cigarette butt

fence a receiver of stolen goods

filth, the police

fishy about the gills looking the worse for drink

fizzog face

flake a stick that is made up of flaky

pieces of chocolate

flicks, the the cinema

flog to sell

footy football; soccer

fuzz, the police

gamboll a somersault done on the ground

gamp an umbrella

gentleman's gentleman a valet

Geordie a native of Newcastle

gift of the gab being very free with speech

git an insult

e.g. "You stupid git !"

give it a whirl try it out

give someone the pip to get on someone's nerves

gob mouth

gobsmacked speechless

goes like stink very fast

good nick very good condition

gooseberry a fifth wheel

goosegog a gooseberry

go to the dogs to go to ruin

grass, grasser an informant

hang about wait a moment

hell for leather very fast

hols holidays

home and dry to be safe

hush silence

inexpressibles trousers

in good fettle in good health

in the altogether nude

in the know to have inside information

in the noddy nude

jam packed very full

jar a drink, usually a pint of beer

jelly jello

jerry a chamber pot

jerry builder a builder of unsubstantial houses

Jock a scottish person

Jonah a bringer of bad luck

jumped up to be conceited

jumper sweater

keep you hair on please calm down

kick the bucket to die

kissed the Blarney Stone a person who tells tall stories

knackered tired, worn out

derived from horses being taken to the

'knackers yard'

knockers breasts

leg it ! quick lets run !

legless drunk

like a rat out of a very fast

load of bollocks you're talking crap

utter nonesense

loo a toilet; a washroom

Liverpudlian a native of Liverpool (also see Scouser)

lorry a truck

man in blue a policeman

marmite a spread for sandwiches

me old cock my old friend

mind your P's and Q's to be careful; to be polite

moggy cat

mom`s the word it's a secret between you and me

can be abbreviated to "Keep mom !"

money for jam an easy job

money for old rope an easy job

mother's ruin gin

mucker mate, friend

mucky pup someone who has soiled themselves

e.g. "You mucky pup !"

mug face

mutton chops side whiskers

nancy boy an effeminate male

nark a police informer

nightie a nightdress

nick prison; to steal

e.g "Hey, my bike's been nicked !"

nick, the prison

nincompoop a fool

nipper a young or small child

nippy (1) fast, or (2) cold

e.g. (1) "that car is nippy !"

e.g. (2) "it's nippy out today"

nix nothing

none too easy very difficult

e.g. "that exam was none too easy !"

nosey parker somebody who is nosey

not bad very good

not so hot not very good, awful

old man father

old girl mother

old lady mother

one in the oven pregnant, also "a bun in the oven",

"up the plum duff" and "in the pudding club"

on spec on chance

on the nod on credit

on the razzle dressed up and looking for sex

on the tap looking for sex

on your bike! go away!

out for a duck obtained a zero score

Paddy an Irishman

paralitic to be drunk

pavement sidewalk

pictures, the the cinema

pick-me-up a tonic

pie eyed to be drunk

pigs, the police

pigs breakfast a mess

pigs ear a mess

pig in muck somebody in their element

e.g. "he is as happy as a pig in muck"

pillock an insult

pinny apron

pissed drunk

pissed off to be annoyed

2.3.3 Dictionary of modern USA slangs

These phrases are in everyday use in USA

airhead: stupid person. "Believe it or not, Dave can sometimes act like an airhead!"

amigo: friend (from Spanish). "I met many amigos at Dave's ESL Cafe."

antifreeze: alcohol. "I'm going to need a lot of antifreeze tonight!"

armpit: dirty, unappealing place. "This cheap motel is an absolute armpit!"

awesome: great and impressive. "Dave's ESL Cafe is truly awesome!"

baby boomer: a person born from the end of the Second World War until the early 1960s. "Dave Sperling was born in 1961, so he's considered a baby boomer."

ball (1): a fun time. "I really had a ball in Dave's ESL class."

ball [offensive] (2): a testicle. "After getting kicked in the balls, his voice seemed much higher."

bang (1): a very powerful thing. "Disneyland is really a bang!"

bang (2): a powerful effect. "Japanese sake really has a bang!"

barf (1): vomit. "My dog barfed all over the carpet."

barf (2): vomit. "Don't step on the barf!"

barf-out: a displeasing person or affair. "That restaurant was a real barf-out."

bazillion: an infinite number of something. "Has Dennis really taught a bazillion students?"

B-ball: basketball. "Do you wanna play b-ball with me?"

beans: money. "I've worked for this company for ten years, but I still don't have beans."

beat: tired. "I'm really beat because I was awake all night."

beemer: a BMW. "He wants to buy a beemer when he makes more money."

biggie: something important. "I was hoping to get my homework completed, but it's no biggie. "

biker: a motorcycle rider. "Dave used to be a biker until he got into a serious motorcycle accident."

bod: body. "Stalone has a great bod!"

bonkers; go bonkers: crazy. "If Dave works too hard, he sometimes goes slightly bonkers!"

booboo: a mistake. "I made a booboo on the last question of the exam."

boob tube: television. "Benjamin is always in front of the boob tube."

booze: alcohol. "The ESL party was fun, even though there wasn't any booze."

boss: excellent; great. "Dave's ESL Cafe is totally boss!"

bread: money. "Can I borrow some bread?"

brew (1): coffee. "Every morning Dave needs a fresh cup of brew."

brew (2): beer. "Do you want another brew, dude?"

brewski: beer. "I love drinking brewskies!"

B.S.: bullshit; lies. "I'm tired of listening to your B.S."

bull: bullshit; lie. "That's a bunch of bull!"

bullshit [offensive]: lie; dishonesty. "I don't like people that bullshit me"

buns [possibly offensive]: the rear end; buttocks. "Don't stare at my buns!"

bushed: extremely tired. "I'm completely bushed."

butt: the buttocks. "Stop sitting on your butt and help me wash the dishes!"

catch some rays: get some sunshine. "Let's go to the beach and catch some rays."

cheesy: cheap; outmoded. "Why are you wearing such cheesy clothes?"

chicken: coward. "Don't be such a chicken!"

cool: excellent; superb. "Dave's ESL Cafe is totally cool!"

cooler, the: jail. "If you drink and drive, you'll end up spending time in the cooler."

couch potato: a person who watches too much television. "Why did I have to marry such a couch potato?"

crap [offensive] (1): something worthless. "My furniture is a bunch of cheap crap."

crap [offensive] (2): excrement. "Yuck! I stepped on dog crap!"

crap [offensive] (3): falsehoods and lies. "I've had enough of your crap."

deck: to hit someone. "His wife almost decked him when he returned home with lipstick on his shirt."

dicey: unpredictable; risky. "Gambling is a dicey occupation."

dinero: money (from Spanish). "I wish I had more dinero!"

dirt: extremely bad person. "My ex-boyfriend was dirt."

dorky: strange; peculiar. "If you keep acting so dorky, you'll never get a girlfriend!"

dude: a male. "That's really cool, dude!"

dynamite: powerful; excellent. "Dave gave a dynamite presentation."

dinosaur: something old fashioned or out of date. "I'd love to surf the Net, but unfortunately my computer is a dinosaur."

el cheapo: something cheap. "Since I don't make much money, I always purchase the el cheapo brand."

evil: great; excellent. "Your car is really evil!"

eyeball: to stare long and hard at someone or something. "Dave eyeballed his daughter's new boyfriend."

eyepopper: something or someone visibly astounding. "Wow, that girl is truly an eyepopper!"

fab: fabulous. "Dave's ESL Cafe is really fab!"

face-off: confrontation. "I think it's time we had a face-off."

fender-bender: small accident. "This morning I had a fender-bender on the Ventura Freeway."

flaky: unpredictable. "I waited four hours for my flaky friend to show up."

flashback: sudden memory. "In Little Tokyo I had a flashback to my days living in Japan."

flick: movie. "Let's go out tonight and watch a flick."

fox: attractive, alluring person. "Is it true that Dave is a fox?"

freebie: something that does not cost money. "My trip to New York was a freebie."

geek: someone who works too hard, is more intelligent than usual, and is slightly unattractive.

"Bill Gates is kind of a geek."

get it: to understand something. "Sorry, but I just don't get it."

glitch: flaw. "There must be a glitch in this softwware."

go bananas: go slightly mad. "This project is causing me to go bananas!"

gomer: a dumb person. "Stop acting like a gomer!"

goof (1): a silly and foolish person. "What a goof you are!"

goof (2): make a mistake. I really goofed on the test today."

goof off (1): waste time."Stop goofing off and help me clean the house!"

goof-off (2): someone who wastes time and isn't serious. "A goof-off never does well in school"

goof up: make a mistake. "Oh no! I really goofed up!"

goofy: silly. "Kids always make me feel goofy!"

grabbers: hands. "Have you washed your grabbers, Benjamin?"

grand: one thousand dollars. "He's making over a hundred grand a year!"

grub: food. "Where's the grub?!"

grubby: not clean. "I always feel grubby in the morning."

grungy: unclean and stinky. "Grungy people are not allowed in Dave's house!"

gut: a person's stomach; belly. "Dave is getting a big gut because he loves chocolate ice cream and beer!"

guts (1): courage. "It took a lot of guts to ask his boss for a raise."

guts (2): the nature of something. "Let's get to the guts of Dave Sperling!"

hairy: difficult; dangerous. "The steep and windy road was really hairy."

hang a left: make a left turn. "Hang a left at the next corner."

hang a right: make a right turn. "Hang a right at the next corner."

hep: sensible; informed. "She's a really hep student."

hickey: a love bite on the skin. "Wow! Is that a hickey on your neck?"

hip: sensible; informed. "He really tries hard to be hip."

hot : popular. "Brad Pitt is really hot now."

humungous: really big. "American supermarkets are humungous."

hungries, to have: be hungry. "I don't know about you, but I've got the hungries."

hyper: overly excited. "Children often get hyper when they are tired."

icky: unpleasant. "The food is really icky in the school cafeteria."

I.D.: identification. "If you want to order a beer, you'll need your I.D.

I'm outta here: I'm leaving; I'm departing. "Sorry, but I'm outta here, dude."

in: fashionable. "Ray-Ban sunglasses are really in now."

ivories: teeth. "Tom Cruise has really beautiful ivories."

jack around [possibly offensive]: waste time. "Will you please stop jacking around?"

jam, in a (1): trouble. "If you're in a jam, I promise to help you."

jam (2): improvise (musically). "I'd love to jam with Bon Jovi!"

jamming, to be : going well. "Dave's ESL Cafe is really jamming!"

jerk: stupid or annoying person. "How could you go out with such a jerk?"

jillion: an immense number. "Do you really have a jillion problems?"

jock: someone good at sports. "I've never been much of a jock."