Well, ‘selfie’ has indeed made it to the hallowed pages of the Oxford Dictionary, which is a definite indication of the changing times. Penlighten brings you a definitive list of American slang terms and phrases, all for your amusement and pleasure.
Behold some really ‘rad’ vintage American slang …
- Cool (awesome)
- Scram (get out)
- Swell (excellent)
- Neat (cool)
- Funky (stylish)
Purists may squirm as much as they want to, but there’s no denying the fact that the informal tongue has indeed taken over our lives in ways that were imperceptible, until now. Everywhere you look, you’re bound to find people instagramming one selfie after another, YOLO-ing like there’s no tomorrow.
While every region’s idiosyncrasies do have a bearing upon the local slang spoken there, we’ve got to admit that no one can channel the informal tongue as well as the Americans do. Which is precisely why we’ve brought you the very best of American slang―read and learn.
List of American Slang Words and Phrases
A – D
All-nighter | Studying/working all night. |
Adorbs | Short for ‘adorable’ |
Awesome | Very good, exciting, enjoyable |
Blow | To fail at something |
Booty | Rear/butt |
Benjamins | USD 100 bills |
Being broke | To have no money |
Being busted | Getting caught |
Cheap shot | Hitting someone suddenly |
Chick* | Girl/woman |
Cold fish | Dull |
Crash | Attend a party uninvited |
Cut a rug | To dance |
Dead | Empty/quiet |
Deep pockets | Good source of money |
Diss someone | Offend someone |
Do a snow job on | Deceive |
Dough | Money |
Dork | Strange person |
Dope | Marijuana |
Drag | Very boring |
Dynamite | Powerful |
*Considered derogatory and/or offensive
E – H
Easy mark | Likely victim |
Eating away at | Bothering |
Eying someone | Staring at someone |
Far out | Excellent |
Flaky | Unreliable |
Flip out | Lose control |
Freaking out | Becoming very anxious |
Fly | Very attractive/looks nice |
Glitch | Hindrance, defect |
Greens | Money |
Goofy | Silly, stupid |
A Grand | A thousand (dollars) |
Grass | Marijuana |
Groovy | Pleasant |
Gross | Filthy |
Grub | Food |
Grungy | Dirty |
Guts | Courage |
Hardware | Weapons |
Hick* | Rural person |
High | Intoxicated |
Hang ups | Inhibitions |
*Considered derogatory and/or offensive
I – L
In the bag | Settled |
In the doghouse | In trouble |
In | Trendy |
Jerk* | Idiot |
Jock | Athlete |
John | Bathroom |
Joint | A bar/Marijuana cigarette |
Junkie | Drug addict |
Klutz | Clumsy person |
Knocked up | Pregnant |
Knockout | Gorgeous person |
Legit | Legitimate |
Loser | Useless person |
Loosen up | Relax |
*Considered derogatory and/or offensive
M – Q
Maxed out | Exhausted |
Megabucks | Lots of money |
Mooch off | Steal something |
Nerd | Socially inept |
No way! | Definitely not!/Really? |
(To be) off the grid | Disappear |
Oops! | Exclaimed after making a mistake |
Photobomb | A photo ruined by someone in the background |
Pig out | Overeat |
Psyched | Enthusiastic |
Player | A man with several girlfriends |
Pop quiz | A surprise examination |
Psycho | Mentally unstable person |
Punk (someone) | Trick someone |
Pop/Soda | Carbonated beverage |
Quarterback | Lead |
R – T
Ream someone out | Scold severely |
Riot | Funny |
Rip off | Overcharge or steal |
Ride | Car/Taxi |
Rinky-dink | Inferior |
Rug rats | Children |
Rocks | Ice cubes |
Scarf down | Eat voraciously |
Schmuck | Stupid person |
Selfie | A picture of yourself |
Slammer | Prison |
Shot down | Disagreed with |
Square | Old-fashioned |
Sucker | Be fooled |
Tacky | In poor taste |
Trash (something) | Destroy/spoil |
U – Z
Uptight | Tense |
Up for grabs | On sale/available |
Veg out | Relax/do nothing |
Whacko | Weird person |
(Set of) Wheels | Car |
Wuss | Physically weak person |
Yuck | Disgusting |
YOLO | You only live once |
Zonked | Exhausted |
Zip | Nothing |
A Few American Expressions
American Expressions | What it means? |
---|---|
“I’m feeling blue.” | “I’m feeling sad.” |
“He’s driving me up the wall!” | “He is irritating me.” |
“She’s been getting under my skin lately.” | “She’s been bothering me lately.” |
“You wanna hang out sometime?” | “You want to meet up socially?” |
“I’ll be there in no time.” | “I’ll be there soon.” |
“Math? It’s a piece of cake.” | “I find math very easy.” |
“It just hit the spot.” | “It was very good.” |
“You’d better watch your back!” | “Be careful!” (used as a threat) |
“What’s up?” | “How are you?” |
“You bet!” | “Of course!” |
“Tell me about it!” | “I agree with what you’re saying.” |
“Way to go!” | “That’s very good!” |
“Go take a hike!” | “Just leave me alone.” |
“I’m really into (something) at the moment.” | “I’m really interested (in something) at the moment.” |
“Gimme a break” | “I don’t believe it!” |
“Cut it out!” | “Stop doing that!” |
“We’ll have a blast!” | “We’ll have lots of fun!” |
“Suck it up.” | “Bear with it.” |