Questions tagged [slang]
Slang is a type of language that consists of words, and phrases, that are regarded as very informal.
1,358
questions
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2answers
84 views
Is there a reason for the “9” in teen slang “code 9”
Various websites that monitor teen slang have taken notice of a mostly text-based form of communication via the number nine, where code 9 or CD9 means, essentially, that parents or authority figures ...
-1
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1answer
58 views
What does “cold balls” exactly mean in American english?
I've been watching a crime TV anime show lately, and I've run into this fancy and maybe offensive too ( sorry about that, if it is like so ) and to put you guys in the scene context here is a summary:
...
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0answers
26 views
Another word for Adventurous or Fearless [on hold]
I am looking for a word or two words that describe someone who is adventurous. One who likes to be daring such as doing extreme sports like snowboarding or skydiving.
Weird request but I am looking ...
4
votes
1answer
78 views
What is the first documented use of the gay culture term “daddy”?
According to Wikipedia, "daddy" is a slang term in gay culture meaning an (typically) older man sexually involved in a relationship or wanting sex with a younger male.
There are currently, however, ...
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0answers
79 views
What is the opposite of 'TL;DR'? [on hold]
I'm wondering if there an opposite of the slang initialism "TL;DR".
Note that my use case is for posts on my personal tech blog. I sometimes write a quick section at the top of the post titled "TL;DR"...
18
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6answers
11k views
Is it rude to refer to janitors as 'floor people'?
I came into the office today and the first thing my manager asked me was is if I saw the 'floor people' while I was walking through the building. The reason he asked me this was because he had put in ...
23
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0answers
237 views
What is the meaning of “Can I have a slice?” In NYC?
I spent the day yesterday with some friends in Manhattan. We were in a food commons area of a mall and had just started to eat a pizza when a couple of college age guys stopped at our table and one of ...
3
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4answers
56 views
How did 'phat' come to be used in music as slang?
most prominently things like ''phat bass line'', meaning a bassline rich in texture ie has a full sound. Appears to have originated in African American use?
3
votes
1answer
39 views
Origin of the phrase ''Respect,man/bro. ''?
Respect bro!! , you never hear anything like ''Fear, man'' or ''honesty, man.'' used in the same sense, its interesting.
3
votes
1answer
94 views
Differences in swearing - UK vs US [closed]
I often watch american series and they all swear like:
"fuck", or "don't fucking do this", "what the fuck!"
on the softer side:
"Jesus Christ!", "Jeez".
But I was wondering is, what are the British ...
0
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0answers
31 views
Is it common usage to sign off or end a show with the present perfect tense?
I recently watched stand up comedian Ali Wong's Netflix special, Baby Cobra, and she ended her set by saying, "Alright, I've been Ali Wong, thank you!"
I've never encountered the present perfect ...
1
vote
0answers
48 views
Origin of “Sup boss” and “Thanks boss”? [closed]
I’ve had a lot of customers lately tell me “Thanks boss” or “Sup boss” and not only to me, to other coworkers and to each other and my coworkers say it to people too.
Is there some sort of origin for ...
0
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1answer
45 views
How to translate “for *cough* decades”?
I came across a sentence in a comment in Stack Exchange Workplace which I can not translate:
have been freelance for *cough* decades
Can anyone help me?
Here is the link to original post - see ...
1
vote
0answers
79 views
I have problems with some Irish slang
I am translating a text set in Ireland and there are some Irish phrases that I do not understand.
1- Bartley Butt-end-of-the-village: I could only find one reference in the internet. Does this mean a ...
2
votes
5answers
132 views
Word or a short phrase to describe a person who is socially responsible
I’m looking for a single catchy word or a short phrase to describe a person who is socially responsible. The “responsibility” meaning seems to be too official and not catchy enough. I’m looking for a ...
20
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16answers
6k views
Opposite of “Squeaky wheel gets the grease”
I want a fun and playful retort to use against someone who says "The squeaky wheel gets the grease", which, according to the so-named Wikipedia1 article means:
The squeaky wheel gets the grease is ...
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votes
1answer
52 views
'She is gonna poppa your dom' [closed]
'She is gonna poppa your dom'
It's from Shortland Street E6739 at 10:10.
I googled word by word.
I find nothing about 'poppa' used as a verb on google.
What does it mean?
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vote
1answer
98 views
What are the constraints on replacements of the phrase “Holy S—t”? [closed]
When my friend found out that the new season of Rick and Morty is going to be released this year, he yelled in excitement:
Holy fucking Rick!
This is not a valid (ie. grammatically correct) ...
1
vote
2answers
192 views
What is the origin of “cool beans”?
What is the origin of "cool beans"? I know some sites (wiktionary) claim it's from the Cheech & Chong 1978 movie Up in Smoke, but I'm talking to people who remember it being used earlier. (USA).
...
13
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2answers
2k views
Origin of “cooter” meaning “vagina”
My girlfriend and I were having a conversation the other day about sexual euphemisms and I told her about the following I'd seen on Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update by Tina Fey
According to a ...
2
votes
1answer
61 views
A word whose suffix is the prefix for another word, so you can combine them?
I'm trying to think of words to be used for usernames and I noticed people sometimes take a word whose suffix matches the prefix of another word and combine them. Noteworthy examples:
disarmpit
...
6
votes
1answer
149 views
Since when is “Ese” used in American “Spanglish”?
My question is about "Ese" when used to designate a person.
How long has this usage been part of common speech in the US? 80s? 90s? Earlier? Later?
I am thinking of 'Ese' as it used by Latino film ...
27
votes
5answers
5k views
What is the word for reserving something for yourself before others do? [duplicate]
In English-speaking TV shows, characters sometimes say something similar to dips to say to other people they are taking something for themselves before others do.
Neither Google, Wiktionary or Urban ...
11
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3answers
2k views
What was required to accept “troll”?
At what point did the concept of internet troll become incorporated into an English dictionary?
1
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1answer
4k views
What does “Where Can I get 40 %?” mean in this context? [closed]
Context of the scene : In a bar, at night, she enters and there are only 3 men playing pool. The bartender asks her what she wants and she says a whiskey on the rocks and then he asks her if she is ...
2
votes
2answers
88 views
What is the word to describe “annoying but commonly accepted”? [closed]
For example: You're searching for your wedding location. You google, called, email - go through all the process of finding the perfect location.
It's super annoying but at the same time you accept ...
1
vote
2answers
74 views
What does canonical mean when used in sentence?
I just heard someone said "a canonical horrible idea"
I have been googling and still unable to understand exactly what "canonical" means when not used in programming language.
Can someone explain me ...
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votes
2answers
46 views
In the context, the translation of the phrase FLASHY BOI “5 hours of debugging VS / flashy boi” [closed]
In the context, the translation of the phrase FLASHY BOI?
"5 hours of debugging VS / flashy boi"
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votes
1answer
47 views
Who and what was the first meme? What does meme mean? [closed]
I might already know this, but I actually want to know it, you can't trust the internet, well except for you guys
3
votes
1answer
2k views
Origin of the word “yeet”
Dear fellow linguists,
I have been researching the origins of the spurious word "yeet"
Various studies have returned the root word "yeetus," however this does not provide any further clarification
...
1
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1answer
150 views
Does “that's fair” indicate disagreement in a conversation?
If I argued with my friends and he texted me, "I got you. Yeah, that's fair." Does he mean he actually disagrees with me?
3
votes
3answers
65 views
What would be an internet slang adjective to describe something perfect, mythical and ultimately kind
In Russian language there's a slang/meme to describe something that possesses the "ideal" properties or characteristics - "lamp". It comes from the myth that amplifiers for sound systems that are ...
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votes
1answer
45 views
Can banger (in context of a song) be used as a noun?
I wrote this sentence and something seems off about it:
Some of their stuff are complete bangers.
Can't place my finger on what's wrong. Is banger not supposed to be used as a noun? or is it not ...
0
votes
1answer
53 views
What does “Potato Cat” mean when you point this to a person?
I saw this phrase many times on Twitter. But, I don't know the exact usage or meaning this phrase portrays. Can anyone please enlighten me with the definition you think is accurate! Thanks in advance!
2
votes
1answer
52 views
What does “See it styled” mean?
I browsed a watch website and there's a section for an image gallery and the title "See it styled". The images in the gallery depict the watch worn by different people in different situations. The ...
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2answers
86 views
Why do people use the slang “what’s your twenty?”to ask for location but not other code like ‘ten’ or else?
I know from the Wikipedia that the slang “what’s your twenty”comes from the term ‘10-20’ of CB slang. But I don’t understand why people used the code ‘10-20’ but not something like ‘5-15’?
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votes
1answer
148 views
How do I properly respond to “Have you sorted everything out”?
There is a guy at my university from another class asking me "Have you sorted everything out"every day, I don't know how to properly respond to that which is embarrassing. What is the best reply to ...
33
votes
3answers
5k views
Why is it “take a leak?”
Why is the sometimes-used expression to urinate "take a leak" or "take a piss", instead of "give a leak" or "give a piss".
I looked it up using a search engine, and didn't find any good answers.
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2answers
70 views
Slang“put your guns on”
Would you like to tell me what does this slang mean?"put your guns on"anyone gets it?
0
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1answer
125 views
Is thriple,a couple with 3 persons, a recognized word or a rarely used slang word?
I cannot find "Thriple" in Cambridge or Oxford dictionary. I do not know if it is really used or not.
10
votes
2answers
355 views
What's the etymology of the military slang word “jippo” meaning gravy?
My late grandfather who served in WWII always used to refer to gravy as jippo and it has passed down into common usage by the family, while there are sources which confirm this meaning, I cannot find ...
0
votes
1answer
65 views
What does the man in the soup say exactly? [closed]
In this video - Soup Leprechaun the man in the soup says something I cannot understand.
Can a native speaker please help me with that?
Is it:
would you like my pod of gold
would you like my part of ...
14
votes
3answers
3k views
Is it common for children to say “times” when pausing play?
When I was a child on the American west coast, my circle of friends would always say "times!" to suspend play and talk out of character, or otherwise suspend the rules of a game. For example, if we ...
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votes
2answers
155 views
what does “kicking ass” mean? [closed]
I hope you're doing fantastic!
Well, my question is simple. I wished my friend a good day at work. About an hour later he said: "I'm kicking ass and chewing bubblegum".
That's confusing :( I have no ...
2
votes
2answers
88 views
What does word «zippo» means in American slang?
I have to work in contact with one guy from the US who is known for his extremely laconic way of expressing himself in writing (it is curious there are no problems like the one described below when ...
3
votes
1answer
44 views
Making out the meaning of words
I am listening to a story that has no transcript. So I can’t make out some phrases and therefore the meaning of some sentences. I would really appreciate if you could help me out;) thanks in advance!
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0
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1answer
21 views
“Stay on us for this” [closed]
In response to "Thank you. Much appreciated"
Reply was
"Please stay on us for this"
What is the exact meaning of this response.
0
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1answer
81 views
What' s the meaning of 'mole trap'?
sorry if my English is not good .
in season 1-episode 3 of "killing Eve", there a conversation about a murder between Eve and Jin.
Jin want to give something Secretly to Eve.
Eve : What is that?
...
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1answer
71 views
Growing popular misuse or change in definition of the phrase “conspiracy theory”?
Has there been a subtle shift in the definition of the phrase "conspiracy theory" in recent years?
I've noticed the phrase popping up occasionally in conversations or in online forums, YouTube, etc., ...
1
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0answers
87 views
What is the history of the Australian slang word “sleeps” (meaning days)?
What is the history of the Australian slang word "sleeps" (meaning days)? I lived in Sydney many years ago and the term was not used then.
