American
slang
slang
(To) ace (v.) (a test, exam, etc.): To pass a test, exam, etc. really easily. ex: "Robert aced his physics exam."
A dime a dozen (*to be a dime a dozen*): Very
common; Said of something that is so easy to find that it doesn't have much
value. ex: "Girls like her are a dime a
dozen" (There are lots of girls like her)
All: Used to mean "very" in phrases such
as "He was all nervous" (He was very nervous), "He was all
happy" (He was very happy), or "so" in phrases such as
"Don't get all emotional."
All-ears: When someone says "I'm all
ears", they are telling you that they are listening to you, that they are
giving you their undivided attention.
All-nighter (n.): A period of work or study that
lasts all night. Most often used with the verb "pull" (To pull an
all-nighter) - ex: "We pulled an all-nighter in order to
finish the project."
Ammo (n.): Short form for "ammunition". ex: "I ran out of ammo."
Angle (n.): A devious plan; a scheme. Often used
with the verb "to work". ex: "He claims to be on the level,
but I'm sure he's working some angle."
Around-the-clock: 24/7, all day and night, non-stop;
ex: "The house was being watched around the clock."
As if!: On its own, this phrase is used to
suggest/emphasize that something is not likely/ not going happen. ex: "He thinks I'll go out with him. As if!"
Awesome (adj.): Great; Fantastic; Super: ex: "That was an awesome movie."
Bachelor pad: An apartment where a single man lives alone.
Back in the day: Many years ago; a long time ago.
"Back in the day we used to pay much more for plasma TVs."
Back on one's feet (To be back on one's feet):
Recovered (from an illness). ex: "You'll be back on your feet in
no time
Back to the drawing board: A phrase that is said
when you have to start some process from the beginning (usually after having
failed in the previous attempt). ex: "Well, that didn't work... Looks
like it's back to the drawing board."
Backhanded compliment: An insult disguised as a
compliment. ex: "Hey, don't feel bad! You're not as
fat as you used to be!
Backstabber (n.): A person who says bad things about
you behind your back.
Badmouth/Bad-mouth (v.): To verbally criticize; to
knock; to talk badly of. ex: "She's such a negative person -
All she does is badmouth people all day."
Baggage (n.): Short for "emotional
baggage", which is a collection of painful memories, experiences,
mistrust, etc. carried around as a result of negative past
experiences/relationships. ex: "I wouldn't get involved with
her. She's got a lot of baggage."
Ballpark figure: Rough estimate ex: "Can you give me a ball-park figure of what the final cost
will be?"
Bash (n.): Party.
Beat (adj.): Tired. ex:
"Man, I'm beat. I'm going to bed."
Be the case: To be a reality. ex: "I wish I had a million dollars, but that's not the
case."
Beemer (n.): BMW (car).
Behind bars: In jail. ex:
"The robbers were caught, and are now behind bars."
That's behind me: That's n the past, therefore no
longer important. Related to phrases such as "i've put it behind me",
"it's behind me now", etc.
To be (or to get) behind (someone/something): To
support (someone/something). ex: "I'm behind you on this."
Bent out of shape: Upset/agitated. ex: "Don't get all bent out of shape over that."
(To give someone a) big hand: To applaud (for
someone) energetically. To give (someone) a big round of applause. ex: "Let's give our performers a big hand!"
Blow (v.): To lose is a wasteful way/ to waste. ex: "Sarah blew all her money on gambling."
Blow (someone) away (v.): To really impress
(someone). ex: "We were all blown away by her
performance."
Blow (someone) out (v.): In SPORTS - to win by a big
margin, by a lot of points. ex: "How did the Lakers do? They
were blown out by the Celtics."
Blow (something) out of proportion: To make
(something) seem much more important than it actually is. ex: "Of course his reaction was extreme! He always blows things
out of proportion."
B.O.: Short for "body odor" - the foul
smell one secretes from one's armpits, especially when one doesn't shower/wash.
ex:"The woman sitting beside me had really bad B.O."
Bolt (for): Run (towards). ex: "As soon as I turned around, he bolted for the door."
Booze: Alcohol.
Boss (someone) around: To be bossy towards
(someone); to constantly tell (someone) what to do. ex:
"She bosses him around all the time"
Break (n.): Stroke of luck. ex: "We got a big break in the case today!"
Break it up (v.): To end a fight. ex: "All right - break it up, you two!"
Broke (adj.): Having no money. ex: "He should really get a job - He's always broke!"
Bum (n.): Mendicant; Homeless person.
Bummed (adj.): Disappointed; Dejected ex: "He was really bummed about having lost the game."
'Burbs: Short for "suburbs"; ex: "Tina lives in the 'burbs with her folks."
It really burns me up: It really upsets me. ex: "It really burns me up when he talks to me in that tone of
voice."
Burnt out: Exhausted from doing something too much
and too intensely (especially used when speaking about work, etc.) ex: "He was completely burnt out after working for three weeks
straight."
Bust (b.): To Nail; To Catch; ex: "He got busted for driving drunk."
Call (n.):
1) Prediction: ex: "That was a good call on the weather.
It rained just like you said that It would.". 2) Decision: ex: "Where do you want to eat. Person 2: It's your call."
Call it a day: To stop some kind of activity
*usually used when talking about work* ex: "We've been working for 12 hours
- Let's call it a day."
Call the shots: To make decisions, to be in charge ex: "I call the shots around here!"
Cash (n.): Money. ex: "You got any cash on you?"
Cash in (v.): To profit. ex:
"He cashed in on his popularity by opening up a restaurant."
Catch some rays (v.): To sunbathe; To go suntanning.
Check out (v.): 1) To see ("Let's check out
that new movie") 2) To take a look at ("Check out this cool
website", "Check out that girl")
Cheesy (adj.): Cheap, tacky. ex: "A cheesy pick-up line", "A cheesy song",
etc.
Chick (n.): Young woman, girl, etc. *this term is
considered derogatory (offensive) by some, so if you're not sure - don't use it
* Chill out (v.): To relax. "Chill out! Why are
you getting so worked up over this?"
Class-act (n.): A distinctive person; someone with a
lot of class.
Cool down (v.) : Relax, calm down after an argument,
etc. ex: "Give him a couple of days to cool
down before you call him."
Cool (adj.): nice, great, impressive ex: "a cool dress", "a cool guy", "a cool
bar"
Cool down (v.) : Relax, calm down after an argument,
etc. ex: "Give him a couple of days to cool
down before you call him."
Cop (n.): Police officer. ex: "My brother is a cop."
Creep: An unpleasantly weird/strange person. ex: "I don't like Tom. He seems like a creep."
Couch potato : Someone who spends most of his/her
time sitting on the couch, watching TV. *Homer Simpson is a couch potato*
Crack open (v.): In this phrase, the
"crack" is only used to emphasize the process of opening. ex: "Crack open a bottle of champagne - It's time to
celebrate!" (Open a bottle of champagne - It's time to celebrate!)
Crank up (v.): To crank something up means to
increase it's volume (significantly) ex: "Crank it up, man! I love that
song!"
Crash (v.): To sleep. ex:
"Can I crash here tonight?"
Creep (n.): An unpleasantly weird/strange person. ex: "I don't like Tom. He seems like a creep."
Crummy (adj.): Bad.
Cushy (adj.): Comfortably easy. ex: "A cushy job."
Cut (a deal) (v.): To negotiate a deal; To
compromise; ex: "Let's cut a deal - I'll let you use
the car if you help around the house."
(To not) cut it: To not be enough; to be
insufficient. ex: "In this case, saying 'sorry' just
doesn't cut it." (Saying 'sorry' is not enough)
Dead:
Empty; quiet (said of bars, clubs, restaurants, etc.) ex: "It's really dead in here tonight" (It's empty in
here tonight/there are very few people here tonight)
Dead: Extremely, totally, very ex: "I'm dead tired." (I'm extremely tired.);
"You're dead wrong." (You're totally wrong.)
Decent (adj.): Pretty good.
Dirty:Overtly/openly sexual; obscene. ex: "those lyrics are really dirty."
Dig (v.) : To like. *this word is somewhat
outdated/passé*
Dis (v.) : Short for "to disrespect" - To
talk about someone in a disrespectful manner.
Ditch (v.) : to leave, get rid of (usually said of
something that is "slowing you down" or is "unnecessary"). ex: "The thieves ditched the car and got on a bus.";
"He ditched her at the altar."
Do an about face (v.): To radically change one's
opinion/position. ex: "He said he would support the
bill, so everyone was surprised when he did an about face and voted against
it."
Dough (n.): Money.
Dork (n.): Strange person; someone without
"social graces"; weirdo.
Down (v.): To eat/drink quickly. ex: "We downed a couple of beers and left for the club."
Doze off (v.): To fall asleep. ex: "I dozed off during the movie."
Drag (n.): Disappointment. ex: "What a drag!" (That's very disappointing)
Drama queen: Someone who gets overly
emotional/sentimental about things. Someone who thrives on the dramatic.ex: "Betty is such a drama queen
