Questions tagged [slang]
Slang is a type of language that consists of words, and phrases, that are regarded as very informal.
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90 views
What are the constraints on replacements of the phrase “Holy S—t”?
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) ...
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1answer
39 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).
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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 ...
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1answer
47 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
...
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1answer
137 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 ...
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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 ...
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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?
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1answer
2k 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 ...
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2answers
87 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 ...
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2answers
49 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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2answers
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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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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
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1answer
764 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
...
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1answer
58 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?
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3answers
59 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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1answer
44 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 ...
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1answer
52 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!
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1answer
47 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
73 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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1answer
93 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 ...
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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
56 views
Slang“put your guns on”
Would you like to tell me what does this slang mean?"put your guns on"anyone gets it?
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1answer
78 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.
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2answers
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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 ...
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1answer
62 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 ...
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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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2answers
86 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 ...
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2answers
82 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 ...
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1answer
43 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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1answer
20 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.
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1answer
66 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
69 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., ...
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0answers
59 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.
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2answers
292 views
What is the male equivalent of the 1960's slang “bird”, meaning a woman
Back many years ago, perhaps 1950's, 60's or 70's, the word "bird" was used to describe a woman, and more typically a girlfriend, as in the phrase "She's a top bird"
Was there a male equivalent to ...
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2answers
504 views
“turnt” and “turnt up”
Time for another American English slang term I picked up from the YouTube comments
(emphasis in bold mine)
"well... i gave her a vicodin." reminds me when i had a cold and my dad gave me a sip ...
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1answer
64 views
Slang terms for unkempt and badly dressed [closed]
What are some American slang words for someone who is unkempt and badly dressed?
I'm looking especially for terms that girls use to refer to other girls in their social circles in a mean way.
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0answers
36 views
Word for ditching someone in a taxi [closed]
Is there a word for this sort of situation:
Jack and Jill meet for the first time, and eventually agree to return home together for "coffee". They take a taxi to Jacks house, but as they pull up and ...
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1answer
51 views
What does “<nickname, callsign or characteristic> out” mean?
What does "smartass out" mean?
This is a verb? (I know that "smartass" means, but)
I guess it means that "He pretends to be smart, and tries to show it in all ways". Yeah, im right?
Can you give ...
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1answer
94 views
What dialect is “You wants I should do it for ya?”
I heard this phrasing in an episode of a TV show, but I can't remember what for the life of me. I just remember how weird it sounded, because no one else talked like that in the series?
It was a ...
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1answer
40 views
Is this archaic usage or a mistake in the gutenberg version?
In the version of "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" available on gutenberg.org here, this appears:
"she told him at last that if he didn't quit using around there"
Is the use of the word "using" here ...
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1answer
46 views
Whats a word for a person who pretends to be a administrator? [closed]
For example,
person 1 is in a forms website and breaks the rules.
Person 2 who is not a administrator tries to imposternate being one by informing the rules.
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1answer
33 views
Meaning of “go cards-up on something”
I've seen this expression in an episode of Supernatural TV series:
"Do it, or I go cards-up on your whole clambake"
For me it seems he intends to tell the others about "the clambake" unless they ...
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2answers
200 views
“Oh for cute” - grammatical interpretation?
So I'm from Minnesota, and while most of our English is fine, we're known for a few -- shall we call them -- adaptations. One of these is the phrase "oh for <insert adjective here>".
It's used as ...
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0answers
71 views
What is a “demi” (in a university setting)
My university computer science department recently sent out a letter asking for "students to demi for our first-year modules". The letter makes mention of it several times, such as "demis must have ...
0
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2answers
323 views
What does “fu” mean? [closed]
Bitch niggas always jackin' blood, but I know they fu
What does "fu" mean in this context? I'm sure it isn't "fuck you".
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1answer
298 views
What is the space in between flights of stairs where you can see all the way down called?
The space between flights of stairs that is kinda like a tunnel of sorts. Or a shaft. Does it have a name? It needs a name. Maybe this should be posted on a architecture page.
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1answer
69 views
Slang word for amputee [closed]
How do you refer (informally) to someone that is missing (1) one eye (2) a leg / foot or an arm / hand. ??
Am looking for something that I can use in a translated expression... For example...
We ...
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2answers
121 views
When and where did “bad boy” start being used to mean something impressive, e.g. “Let's take this bad boy out for a spin!”
The term "bad boy" literally means a boy who is bad. Those of us who were boys and grew up speaking English are likely to have heard it applied to us, either as a description or a warning.
Somewhere ...
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0answers
45 views
Kids' slang questions
I'm ESL and have some questions on some of the phrases used in 'Dive Olly Dive!' "Hide and Seaweed" episode. Hope you can help. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yst45J7SFCI
"...it's back to SURF with ...
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1answer
28 views
'GUTS' and Cast your Guts !spell again? in this Context
I see this dialogue in Code Geass episode 3 in subtitles and I did not understand what is meant by GUTS! and Cast your Guts! spell again?
Girl1: Rivalz, Can't you take being a student council member ...
