Slang and Other Phrases

Americans, particularly students, use a great deal of vernacular or "slang." Take comfort in the fact that student slang is as difficult to understand for older Americans as it is for you. Slang can be highly localized and it’s always changing. Some slang is also not appropriate for all situations, and may be offensive to some. Much cannot be understood without explanation. If you do not understand a word or phrase, ask what it means and how it is used.

Some Common Slang:

Aboveboard:

Honest, straightforward without tricks

Ace a test:

To do extremely well on an exam

All-nighter:

When someone stays up all night to do homework or to study for a test.

All that:

Great, the best. Superior to others, conceited. "He thinks he’s all that, just because he got an A on that exam."

At your fingertips:

Easily found or recalled

Awesome:

Great, incredible

Bar:

place where alcoholic beverages are served

Beating around the bush:

Avoiding direct speech

Big Deal:

Important event, may be used sarcastically to refer to something that is not important

Blow off:

To ignore or not attend to; "I went to say hi to him and he blew me off." Can also refer to skipping class. "I blew off my classes today so I could go see that new movie."

Bogus:

Non-existent, fake

Booze:

Liquor

Bounce:

To leave; to go. "I’m gonna bounce or I’ll be late to class."

Bounce a check:

Overdraw a checking account

Break the ice:

Make a beginning

Brush it aside:

Ignore it

Buck:

A dollar

Bummer:

Unpleasant experience; too bad

Burned out:

Mentally exhausted; extremely tired, when someone is tired or has had enough of something

Bury the hatchet:

Make peace, reunite: reconcile

Buzzed:

Slightly intoxicated

By the skin of my teeth:

Just barely, scarcely

BYOB:

Bring Your Own Beverage/Bottle/Beer, most often seen on an invitation to a party

Call off:

Cancel

Check out:

Sign a book out of the library

Check out:

To look over a situation, person, place, or thing

Check it out:

Look at something or someone

Chick:

A female, sometimes offensive to women.

Chill / chill out / chillin:

To relax, to calm down. "We were just chillin in front of the TV."

Commuter:

Someone who lives at home and uses some sort of transportation to get to work or school

Cool:

Neat, exciting, great, very good. Very positive, awesome, wonderful, perfect.

Cool it:

Stop what you’re doing

Cop:

Police officer

Cop out:

Quit; to be irresponsible

Couch potato:

Lazy person who spends a lot of time watching TV

Cram:

Study frantically the night before a test

Crash:

Stay overnight at someone's place, usually without notice or formal arrangement, to go to sleep after being very tired

Crash:

To go to sleep, or to rest

Crib:

A house, home; a place of residence.

Cut class:

To not attend class

Cut it out:

Stop it, quit doing that

Dis:

To disrespect, make fun of, tease, harass. To ignore, treat badly.

Ditch:

To skip or leave something or someone.

Double date:

Pre-arranged social activity involving two couples

Down with it / down with that:

Statement of agreement. "Hey, want to go out tonight?" "I’m down with that!"

Down in the dumps:

Gloomy, morose, depressed

Down to earth:

Practical; straightforward, simple person

Drag:

Inhale a cigarette; something that is boring

Man in drag:

Man wearing women's clothing

Drive up the wall:

To make someone nervous or upset

Drop in:

Visit without a specific invitation

Drop off:

Deliver to a designated location

Dude:

Person, especially male. A greeting or salutation. An indication of surprise.

Dutch treat / Go dutch:

To agree on a date or in a social situation that each person will pay his or her own expenses

Drop out:

Quit before completion of a goal; give up

Every now and then:

Occasionally

Face the music:

Prepare to accept the consequences of one’s actions

Feather in your cap:

Praiseworthy accomplishment

Fed up:

Disgusted with

Flip out:

To lose control

For a song:

For a very low price; for a bargain

Freaked out:

Upset, anxious

Gay:

Homosexual

Get in one’s hair:

Bother; pester; annoy

Get on the bandwagon:

Support an apparently successful cause

Gets under one’s skin:

Irritates; bothers; annoys

Ghetto:

Generic bad; dirty, cheap, of poor quality, bad, messy. "The stereo in my car is so ghetto that the radio skips when I go over a bump."

Give one the cold shoulder:

To ignore someone rudely

Go for it:

Statement of encouragement

Gross:

Something disgusting or crude

Hammered:

Extremely intoxicated or under the influence of drugs

Hang out:

Spend time with

Hang in there:

Don’t give up; keep trying

Hangover:

The physical aftermath of heavy drinking, such as headache or nausea

Hardcore / Hard core:

Intense

Hassle:

A problem

Hella:

Very, extremely

High or Stoned:

Under the influence of marijuana or other drugs

Hip:

Cool; in fashion

Hit the sack:

Go to bed

Hold, hold on:

Wait, often used while on the phone

Hold your horses:

Calm down; be patient

Hook up:

Chance sexual encounter; to meet up with friends

Hot:

Sexually attractive; stolen merchandise

ID:

Abbreviation for identification

Jerk:

A person who is rude or inconsiderate

Jock:

Athlete (usually very good athlete)

Joint:

Marijuana cigarette

Junk food:

Food of little or no nutritional value

Kick back:

To relax, to sit around and do nothing.

Kidding:

Teasing, fooling – "I’m just kidding. I didn’t really lose your money."

Lighten up:

Relax, don't be so serious

Like:

Just a filler. "It’s used, like, ALL the time."

Lit:

Extremely intoxicated or under the influence of drugs

Make ends meet:

Budget within one’s income

Mall:

A cluster of stores in one specific area, a shopping center

Munchies:

Hunger, i.e. "I’ve got the munchies."; can also be a noun meaning "snacks"

My bad:

My fault.

On crack:

Ridiculous, crazy, not making sense. "My professor assigned us a 500-page paper that’s due next week – is he on crack?"

On the house:

Free, no cost

On the whole:

Generally

Once in awhile:

At intervals, occasionally

Out of the question:

Impossible

Over my dead body:

Not if I can stop it!

Phat:

Generic positive; Great, awesome, wonderful, perfect, cool, nice.

Piss:

Urinate

Piss off:

Make someone angry

Pot or weed:

Marijuana

Psyched:

Excited about something that is about to happen

Psyched up:

Mentally prepared for something, excited

Put someone on:

To fool or try to tease someone

Ride:

A car, a vehicle.

Right on:

Statement of approval

Rip off:

(verb) to over-charge; (noun) a poorly made item that costs too much

Screw up:

To not do well on something

Shady or Sketchy:

Strange, not entirely safe

Shut up:

A command to be quiet or to stop talking

Smashed:

Extremely intoxicated or under the influence of drugs

Straight:

Someone who is ultra conservative; heterosexual

Sucks:

Is very bad. "I’m going to miss the party. That sucks."

Sweet:

Generic positive: great, awesome, wonderful, terrific, nice.

Take for granted:

To assume

The Bomb, Da Bomb:

Generic positive: great, awesome: That new movie is ‘da bomb."

Tight:

Generic positive: great, awesome, wonderful, terrific, nice.

Time-honored:

Respected because of long-continuance "It was a time-honored tradition"

Trip, trippin:

To overreact. To become excessively worried or stressed out.

Uptight:

Worried, tense

Wassup, What’s Up, What up:

Greeting; hi

Wasted:

Extremely intoxicated or under the influence of drugs

With flying colors:

With victory or success

Word:

A greeting or a sign of agreement.

Yo:

General greeting or just a filler

*parts of this list are from the College Slang Research Project at Cal Poly Pomona. For more information, see