Questions tagged [slang]
Questions about “Language of a highly colloquial type, considered as below the level of standard educated speech, and consisting either of new words or of current words employed in some special sense.” [OED: 𝒔𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒈]
1,383
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1answer
84 views
What does “That stick through they man through the BS with” mean?
I'm concerned with the second line of the first verse of "By a Stranger" by Black Rob:
We came to give love to our die hearted real bitches
That stick through they man through the bullshit with
...
3
votes
1answer
70 views
Did slang “hang” meaning “turn” as in “hang a left” relate at all to boxing slang?
Green's Dictionary of Slang gives this definition of "hang," referring to turning left or right in a car, with a citation from 1966.
(orig. US) to turn a corner in a motorcar; as in hang a left, ...
0
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0answers
67 views
what kind of euphemism is this “work done” about? (in a context of online dating)
This is the latest of several online dating profiles I've seen posted, by women, about "work done".
He has done his own work and respects that I've done mine.
Similarly, I've also seen he's had ...
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votes
0answers
54 views
Any modern references to “hand job” in original context?
Thank you for reading this.
I am organizing a fine arts and crafts event. I am calling it "Hand Job." I am fully aware of the slang version of this phrase, which is sexual, but I actually embrace the ...
1
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1answer
33 views
Does 'throwback' require an indefinite article?
Should it be ‘a cheeky little throwback’ or just ‘cheeky little throwback’
Any help would be appreciated
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2answers
67 views
Looking for a word for an “outhouse” inside the house
I need a word for a restroom that does not have running water - where there is a pit toilet or a composting toilet instead of a flush toilet. If it were detached from a house, I am sure it would be ...
0
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1answer
47 views
Is “How's it going” a slang saying
My friend asked me how's it going and I asked how's what going as I expected the friends meaning was that of knowing what I was currently doing but my friend doesn't know currently the things which I'...
1
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0answers
56 views
Is the following AmE usage of “chick” offensive?
GDoS shows the following AmE slang usage of chick (short for chicken) in different contexts:
Chick:
of interest to girls or women, e.g. chick movie, chick lit.
1993 [US] M. Myers et ...
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0answers
21 views
Narrowing Down a Phrase
In a story I am reading the narrator overhears snippets of someone else's conversation. In context, the sentence looks like this:
Most of it was about story arcs and podcasts and montages and ...
3
votes
4answers
174 views
Does this vulgar expression necessarily imply a certain body part?
My question is about the expression "suck on it."
Background (you can skip this paragraph if you want): at Spanish SE we were doing some back-translating of a game we were playing in Spanish. When ...
5
votes
2answers
97 views
Is “ho”/“hoe” basically an equivalent of “whore” which differs only stylistically?
On Russian SE we had a discussion about some Russian intentional misspelling one can encounter in Internet. As an example of such phenomena in English I've pointed to the following example: using "hoe"...
0
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4answers
110 views
What is the difference between “oof” and “oops”?
Can I interpret that "oops" is for when you yourself make a mistake and "oof" is for when someone else has a slip up? Do they share same origin? They seem awfully symmetric.
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1answer
227 views
Looking for a more obvious and more formal equivalent to a vulgar expression [closed]
What is the non-slang form of "shitting on someone", like to throw someone down?
0
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1answer
26 views
untill its worth / not invain
I guys, I'm wondering to make a tattoo but I have been struggling a bit for the words to use; the first idea was "until it's worth" (abbreviated like 'till it's worth) but the meaning that I'm looking ...
2
votes
2answers
311 views
The meaning of “scoots” as noun in Irish slang
In the second season, episode 4 of Derry Girls, in the last two minutes, the girls are caught trying to get rid of 'happy' scones, flushing them through the toilet, which gets clogged. In the next ...
3
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1answer
84 views
What is the origin and meaning of 'lookit'?
A recent English Language & Usage question (Information about "lookit") noted that a number of dictionaries do not have entries for the word lookit. I checked Merriam-Webster's Third New ...
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1answer
56 views
2nd meaning of “touch it and you'll be tangled up in it forever”
I just heard that
"touch it and you'll be tangled up in it forever"
has a really bad second meaning and I should not use it - can anyone explain ?
0
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0answers
35 views
What does “bang two fishes above their head” mean?
The context is "Then there are those people who come to it who have had enough of the trauma of abuse, who have tried ‘everything’ to heal but to no avail– and who would be willing to bang two fishes ...
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3answers
132 views
What is it called when someone types a random string of characters in an online conversation? [duplicate]
We can often see in online group conversations messages composed of random letters like "fjqofudnelfi" as a response to something surprising or unexpected.
Is there a name for this kind of "behaviour"...
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1answer
85 views
What is the Origin of '' 'sup? ''
Sup is a contraction or aphetic of the older term ''what's up?'', Does anyone know how it has originated?
1
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1answer
42 views
Is “magnum” a valid word to cover “big”? [closed]
This word is mostly unusual to use in speaking, so here my question.
Magnum comes from 1788 in English as "large wine-bottle," usually containing two quarts. As the name of a powerful type of handgun,...
2
votes
1answer
69 views
Meaning of “sleep” and “shave it through on the grub”
I read in "The White Silent" of Jack London and see this sentence
'Only one day. We can shave it through on the grub, and I might knock over a moose.'
I do not understand meaning of 'we can ...
2
votes
1answer
130 views
“High and fine”: is it American slang?
I heard someone describing another as "a high and fine person". I couldn't find this phrase online. It is certainly not high and dry as it doesn't fit the context of their conversation. I wonder if it ...
15
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5answers
6k views
“Mouth-breathing” as slang for stupidity
This was used in the US TV series Stranger Things (S01E03, 2016):
I was tripped by this mouth breather, Troy, okay?
Mouth breather?
Yeah, you know a dumb person.
A knucklehead.
(...
1
vote
1answer
38 views
When did “floored” become used to mean “surprised?”
My go-to resource, Etymology online, has plenty of information about "floor" as a noun, but not as a verb to mean "surprise" or even "knock over." I just want to know if it would be anachronistic to ...
2
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2answers
101 views
Does “me” take singular verb form?
I have seen a meme which confuses me:
"At 18:
Others: have partners, do drugs etc.
Me: watches tv and sleeps
Is this grammatically correct and does "me" take singular verb form?
I ...
1
vote
2answers
118 views
What did Marge Simpson mean when she said “629,000 results. Wow. And all this time I thought that ‘googling’ yourself meant the other thing”
What did Marge Simpson mean when she said while googling her name
629,000 results. Wow. And all this time I thought that ‘googling’ yourself meant the other thing.
(S18 E17, April 22, 2007)
...
1
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3answers
54 views
Meaning of an old slang phrase “on the pan”
A reference to this expression appears in Peggy Gilbert, "How Can You Blow a Horn with a Brassiere," Downbeat magazine (April 1938), quoted in its entirety in Jeannie Gayle Pool, Peggy Gilbert & ...
14
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1answer
290 views
Derivation of a slang greeting in Yorkshire: “Aye up serry”
When I was young, in the West Riding of Yorkshire 1942 to 1960 you would greet an acquaintance thus: "Aye up serry". I believe older residents of the village of Kiveton Park still use the phrase, or ...
1
vote
1answer
75 views
The phrase 'mentally check out'
I asked an older English person about this phrase, but he was unaware of it. Is it new slang that someone of his generation wouldn’t have heard, or is it strictly American English? I don't have an ...
75
votes
5answers
19k views
What is “ass door”?
I'm not English speaking, I understand the joke but say please what is "ass door"? Is it the same as butt door? Didn't find it in the dictionary.
0
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1answer
77 views
Expression for straight male who prefers the company of gay men
We used to call women who preferred the company of gay men as
"fag hags"
What are straight men who prefer the company of gay men called? I found nothing on the internet, unless you count Urban.
5
votes
2answers
111 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 ...
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1answer
94 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:
...
4
votes
1answer
114 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, ...
18
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6answers
12k 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 ...
24
votes
2answers
483 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
votes
4answers
153 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
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1answer
47 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
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1answer
186 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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1answer
48 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 ...
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0answers
85 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
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5answers
183 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
7k 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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1answer
53 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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1answer
110 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
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2answers
876 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).
...
14
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3answers
5k 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
95 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
160 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 ...
