Slang It To Me
January 19, 2001
O ne of many challenges I had when I first got to America is to learn all the slang words. These are the words that they don't teach you in the classroom, or they did but it meant completely different than what you might be used to.

First thing I did when I got to the US was to subscribe to a teen magazine, "Seventeen". I set aside my embarrassment, and stopped my host mom and my friends for explanation if I didn't understand something. Sometimes, I would just listen to people talking, make mental notes of some words, and ask someone later. (This also works with improving your English in general.) The next thing I know, I even started forming my own words, and some of those caught on with my friends.

I have compiled for you a tiny glossary of some of the useful slang words you would hear, and that you could use when you get to American campus, completed with sample sentences. I'm just going on the words that are, umm, used quite often around me.

Airhead : n. Stupid person. Also - birdbrain, bonehead, and knucklehead.

  • "He is such an airhead/birdbrain/bonehead/knucklehead for not noticing your new haircut."

    All-nighter : n. Staying up all night studying for a test and/or doing homework.

  • "We need to pull an all-nighter or we'll flunk the test."

    Barf : v. To vomit. Also - puke, hurl, heave, worship the porcelain god, and other creative variations.

  • "She's got the flu and has been the restroom barfing/puking/hurling/heaving/worshiping the porcelain god all afternoon."

    Bash :
    1) n. Outrageous party/celebration.

  • "Greg's birthday bash."
    2) v. To insult/put down someone or something else.
  • "It's a girls' night out, of course there is going to be some male bashing."


    It seems everyone is getting plastered
    at the company's holiday bash!
    (HSX.com holiday party 1999)

    Beemer : n. BMW.
  • "That Z-3 Beemer is my dream car."

    Bomb : This is a tricky word, so pay close attention and use with care. "Bomb" varies from context to context.

  • "You're the bomb," or "It's the bomb," means that you are/it is really great.
  • "That movie was such a bomb," means that movie sucks.

    Bum :
    1) n. Homeless person or beggar.
    2) v. To borrow something with no intention of returning it.

  • "Can I bum a ride home?" or "Can I bum a pen off you?"
    3) v. Also, to spend time lazily.
  • "Nah. I'm just going to bum around the dorm this weekend."
    4) v. To be disappointed or to feel depressed.
  • "USC just lost another football game. I'm so bummed."

    Bummer : n. A disappointment.

  • "USC lost again? That's a bummer."
  • Also commonly used as "What a bummer!" meaning "That's too bad," or "That sucks!"

    Chow down : v. To eat a lot and/or quickly. Also - pig out, stuff your face with, and scarf.

  • "We went to the cafeteria and chow down/stuff our faces with/pig out on/scarf some greasy cheeseburgers."

    Couch potato : n. Someone who does nothing but watching television.

  • "I've been a couch potato all day because Star Trek Marathon is on."

    Ditch a class : v. Skip a class.

  • "I'm so tired I think I'll ditch History today."

    Drunk : v. Under influence of alcohol. Also - sloshed, hammered, and plastered.

  • "I have never seen Greg so drunk/sloshed/hammered/plastered!"

    Flunk :
    1) v. To fail a class or an exam.

  • "He flunked his physics midterm."
    2) v. Also, to be dismissed from a class or a school for failure.
  • "He flunked out of physics class."

    Freebie : n. Free stuff.

  • "They're giving away freebies in the middle of campus."

    Grand : n. $1,000.

  • "The tuition has gone up to over 10 grand ($10,000)!"

    Gross : adj. Disgusting.

  • "He just stepped on a cockroach. That's so gross!"

    Grub : n. Food.

  • "Let's get out of here and get some grubs. I'm hungry."


    The family gets ready to chow down on
    these wonderful grubs.
    (Oakley spends Christmas 2000 with her friends.)

    Jerk your chain : v. To tease someone or give someone a hard time. Also pull and yank your chain.
  • "Don't get mad now. You know I was just jerking/pulling/yanking your chain."

    Klutz : n. Clumsy person.

  • "He dropped his books again. What a klutz." (The adjective for this is klutzy.)

    Micky mouse : v. To do something sloppily just to get by for now.

  • "You can tell he mickey moused his presentation. Look at the spellings."

    Nuke : v. To heat food up in a microwave.

  • "Just nuke the leftover pizza for dinner then."

    Period : n. Short for "menstrual period". Also many other creative variations.

  • "I hate it when I'm on my period/I'm having my period."
    * Useful related words are PMS (Pre-or Post-Menstrual Syndrome, when you have mood swings, cravings, migraine headaches, and such), pads (maxi pads), and Pamprin/Midol (pain medication specially for menstrual cramps).

    Snooze :
    1) n. Sleep.

  • "I'm going to catch some snooze."
    * In the same context, you can also say "I'm going to take a snooze/catch a wink/catch some Zs/take a nap."
    2) v. To sleep.
  • "I'm going to go snooze for a while."

    Wired : v. To be highly alert because of caffeine or sugar.

  • "I shouldn't have had Mountain Dew so late. I'm so wired now I can't sleep. Woohoo!"

    And there are so many more I know you are curious to find out the use and the meaning. (Feel free to email me.) Of course, you can watch any contemporary American films and try to catch these words and how they are used. There are also several websites and books on American slang for English As a Second Language (ESL) students. These sources are great places to start. But to really talk the talk, you would have to live the moment.


    Related Links

  • Commonly-Used American Slangs for ESL Students
  • Yindii.com's Guide to American Slang - They're in Thai!
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