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McGraw-Hill's
Dictionary
of
American Slang
and
ColloquialExpressions
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This page intentionally left blank
McGraw-Hill's
Dictionary
of
American Slang
and
ColloquialExpressions
Richard A. Spears, Ph.D.
New York Chicago San Francisco Lisbon London Madrid Mexico City Milan New Delhi San Juan Seoul Singapore Sydney Toronto
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Spears, Richard A.
[McGraw-Hill's dictionary of American slang and colloquial expressions] American slang dictionary / the ultimate reference to nonstandard usage, colloquialisms, popular jargon, and vulgarisms / Richard A. Spears - 4th ed. p. cm. Previously published: McGraw-Hill's dictionary of American slang and colloquial expressions, 4th hc ed., 2006.
ISBN 0-07-146108-6 (pbk.)
1. English language - United States - Slang - Dictionaries. 2. Figures of speech -
Dictionaries. 3. Americanisms - Dictionaries. I. Title.
PE2846.S639 2007
427?.973 - dc22 2007061181
Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of
1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any
means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. A hardcover version of this book was published asMcGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American
Slang and Colloquial Expressions.
1234567891011121314151617FGR/FGR0 9 8 (0-07-146108-6)
1234567891011121314151617FGR/FGR0 9 8 (0-07-146107-8)
ISBN 978-0-07-146108-5 (American Slang Dictionary)
MHID 0-07-146108-6 (American Slang Dictionary)
ISBN 978-0-07-146107-8 (McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial
Expressions, Fourth Edition)
MHID 0-07-146107-8 (McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial
Expressions, Fourth Edition)
Interior design by Terry Stone
McGraw-Hill books are available at special quantity discounts to use as premiums and sales promotions or for use in corporate training programs. To contact a representative, please visit the Contact Us pages at www.mhprofessional.com.
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
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Contents
How to Use This Dictionaryvii
Introductionix
Terms, Symbols, and Abbreviationsxxv
Pronunciation Guidexxviii
Dictionary1
Index of Hidden Key Words415
Thematic Index459
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vii
How to Use This Dictionary
• The dictionary is alphabetized word by word, rather than letter by letter. • The entry words or phrases are not altered from their normal state. That is, you will find have an ace up oneÕs sleeve, and not ace up oneÕs sleeve, have an. • When looking up a phrase, try to find it first in the body of the dic- tionary. If it is not found, look for a key word in the phrase in the
Index of Hidden Key Words.
• Definitions of the terms and abbreviations used can be found on page xxiii. • A key to the International Phonetic Alphabet symbols used in the pro- nunciations can be found on page xxvi. • Each entry has at least one example sentence. Most of the examples show the entry word in a slang context. Some examples show the entry words in quotation marks, indicating that they are being used in a Standard English context. Both types are considered accurate portrayals of the use of individual slang terms. • When looking for a slang word with a particular meaning, use the Thematic Index. It serves as a reverse index for slang and colloquial expressions. • For a list of all the phrases containing a specific slang word, look up that word in the Index of Hidden Key Words. • Because most racial matters in American slang relate to skin color, the vague terms blackand whiteare used here. Only a very small num- ber of terms relate to descendants of pre-Colombian native Ameri- cans, and the traditional term American Indianis used. East Asian, though inexact for the Pacific Rim peoples, is used in preference to
Asian, which is far too broad.
• Slang words that appear in standard dictionaries can be considered to have standard spelling. There are many variations in the way that slang is spelled and hyphenated. There is no authority in this matter.
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ix
Introduction
WhatZIsZSlang?
The word slangis not a technical term. Although it is defined in dic- tionaries, it really does not have a definition that always makes it pos- sible to distinguish a slang expression from other types of expressions. It is, in fact, an umbrella term that covers many kinds of informal expressions that people employ when they are not involved in produc- ing edited writing in the world of formal communication. Slangis used in dictionary entries as a convenient label covering many kinds of words that one might not wish to include in the most serious and for- mal English, spoken or written. Other such labels, with other mean- ings, include dialect, obsolete, substandard, vernacular, and vulgar. Words bearing these labels, and others, are thought not to be as widely known or understood as the standard vocabulary being taught in schools. These labels are included in dictionaries of Standard English and are there to help people with dictionor word choice. The term slanghas been used to refer to specialized vocabularies (cant, jargon, or patter) used among criminals, drug users, students, street people, hip-hoppers, video game players, surfboarders, body- builders, gamblers, journalists, aviators, food service workers, medical workers, military personnel, and on and on. Some of the expressions used by these groups get carried out of the group into wider use into what is called general or popular slang. These "escaped" expressions may broaden in meaning and become the basis for further development of even more general slang terms. For instance, going cold turkeyin early drug slang referred to suddenly and totally stopping drugs. The term is now used in general slang with the broader meaning of stop- ping any habit or practice suddenly. By the way, it should not be assumed that slang and Standard English are complete opposites. There are many slang terms that are as widely known and as long lasting as words in the standard vocabulary.
Slang terms like
chicken(coward), beaucoup(many), breadbasket (belly), cabbage(money), canary(informer), mouthpiece(lawyer),
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and smashed(drunk) are widely known slang terms, each of which has substantially the same meaning nationwide. All of them are at least half a century old, and each appears in Merriam-WebsterÕs Collegiate Dic- tionary, Tenth Edition. In choosing vocabulary for use in formal Stan- dard English, except for effect, slang is rarely the first choice.
CharacteristicsZof SlangZMeaningZandZFunction
There are a number of observations that can be made about the types of words that have been called slang. Rather than being squeezed into a single long and complex definition, they appear in the following list. These observations have been made by dictionary compilers, teachers, writers, and scholars. These are the kinds of expressions found under the umbrella ofgeneral slang. • Much of the general slang vocabulary is viewed as fun to hear and fun to use. • Many slang expressions are synonyms of, or nicknames for, widely known, standard words and expressions. For instance, crockeryfor teethor magpiefor chatterer. • Many of the slang and colloquial expressions for sexual and scato- logical matters are euphemistic for more direct terms. For instance, poopis less offensive than shitor dung. Many of the cute names for sexual parts, such as blouse bunniesand melons= breasts, are euphemistic in the sense that they can be used to lighten the men- tion of these parts. • Other slang expressions are called dysphemisms. A neutral or good term is replaced by one with some degree of negativity. For example, frog slicingreplaces biology class. "Food dirtying," such as shit on a shingle, represents another class of dysphemisms. • Many slang terms are conundrums in that they can be understood by a clever person using context, setting, and native intelligence. Like riddles or word puzzles, they often contain enough information to allow a clever person to figure them out. For instance, when you hear "This coffee is bitter. Pass me the sand, will you?" you will probably
Introduction
x
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pass the sugar because it looks more like sand than anything else in the vicinity and will counteract bitterness. You will be right, sand= sugar. • Some slang terms, often called cant, were not intended to be under- stood by the general public. Some in-group jargon and patter, such as with drug users, pickpockets, carnival workers, and middle school students, is meant to disguise what is being said so outsiders cannot understand it. A few examples are merchandise= contraband, away = in prison, big fish= crime boss. • Many general slang terms are simply paraphrases of other slang terms with the same meaning. Typical of these thematic groupings are cop, gaffle, glom, nick, pinch. The words in the set each have the same (two in this case) meanings, here stealand arrest. Similar cases are bacon, pig, pork, lard, which are related in their standard meaning and also share the same single slang meaning, police officer. • Many slang expressions involve some kind of word play and seem to entertain people, at least on first hearing. Some people enjoy seeing and hearing new slang just for fun, whether they ever intend to use it or not. • Some slang is ephemeral within some of the groups that originate it (such as youth slang) but tends to live longer if it "escapes" and becomes general slang. Many terms for marijuana were originally devious terms of this type.
Grass, pot, ganjah, broc(coli), herb,
hemp, and many others fall into this category. • Slang, informal sexual terms, and scatology all seem to obey the same exclusionary rules, that is, they tend to be avoided in polite and formal English to the same extent. • Some slang can be described as verbal weaponsbecause it is meant to insult or demean people. • Slang appearing in a major newspaper is often in quotes and explained to the reader. Much general slang first meets the public eye showcased in this manner. For instance, The youth described his car as Òthe bomb,Ó meaning it is the best. • Slang is avoided in formal writing, academic writing, and writing intended to appear serious of purpose and reflect intellectual author-
Introduction
xi
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ity. It is less likely to be spoken on the speaker's platform (pulpit, etc.) than on the streets and in classroom hallways. • Many slang expressions are typically used with an "attitude" and are created to raise eyebrows and provoke censure. They act as a foil to both the standard language and standards of behavior.
CharacteristicsZof SlangZFormationZandZOrigins
In general slang there are often clues that help the hearer figure out what is being said. Understanding the patterns of slang formation can allow the pleasurable "figuring out" of slang terms. Given information about the setting, context, and cultural details, many slang and colloquial expressions can be understood even on first hearing. Here are some of the types of slang formation. • Raw coinages, such as moolah(money). A completely new word is made up without reference to any part of an existing word. It is dif- ficult to guess the meaning of a raw coinage. • Rhyming compounds, such as anchor-clanker(sailor). The first and second words rhyme. • Alliterative compounds, such as bed-bunny(easy woman). The ini- tial letters of the two words are the same. • Front clippings, such as roni. The front part or first syllable of a word is left off, in this case, pepper. • Reinterpretations, such as bumper sticker. The existing term (mean- ing an adhesive sign for a car bumper) is applied to a new situation where it fits just as well, in this case to a tailgater= someone who follows a car too closely. • Back clippings, such as hydro. The back part of a word is left off, in this case, ponic. • Initialisms, such as AWHFY. The letters constitute an abbreviation that is not pronounced as one word but sounded out one by one. This one is an abbreviation ofAre we having fun yet? • Acronyms, such as
FISHMO. The letters constitute an abbreviation
that is pronounced as if it were an English word. This one is an
Introduction
xii
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abbreviation ofFuck it, shit happens, move on!Most acronyms are not slang, however. • Elaborations, such as
Kentucky fried. The well-known brand of fried
chicken is used as an elaboration offried, meaning drunk or drug intoxicated. • Suffixations, as with tunage. The suffix, age, is attached to the end of a word that retains its basic meaning, in this case tune+ age. • Spelling disguises, such as phat. An alternative spelling of a word is used. The respellings follow the English spelling patterns and are very easy to decode when seen in print. This is an unusual phenomenon for a spoken expression. • Numerals and letters as words, such as
L8, CU, and CU2. Letters or
numbers that sound like words are used as words or parts of words: late, see you, see you too. • Borrowings from a foreign word, such as plonk. This is from French [vin] blanc. • Phonetic alphabets, such as
Adam Henry. The words of the NATO
"Phonetic Alphabet" are used to stand for an initialism that has a slang meaning. Adam Henry> A.H.> asshole. This is a word alpha- bet, not a phonetic alphabet. •Izzle-words, such as shizzle, hizzle, mizzle. The initial letter of a stan- dard word has the suffix izzleadded. The process is attributed to
Snoop Dogg, a hip-hop performer.
• Borrowings from Standard English, such as heinous. The entire stan- dard term is used with the same meaning in a slang context. Its over- use and misuse make it seem like slang. • Blends, such as fantabulous. Parts of two words are combined to make a new one. • Extensions and exaggerations, such as bambi, annihilated, animal. The basic standard meaning is extended or exaggerated for effect. These examples mean any deer, devastatingly drunk, and a crude and rude male. Many of us enjoy "presenting" a new slang term to a listener by slip- ping it into conversation. As listeners, many of us enjoy hearing a new
Introduction
xiii
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slang term and figuring out what it means, using context, setting, and our own brain power. This element of social word play is primarily what attracts word-wise people to slang and what makes a dictionary of this type interesting reading as well as a reference work.quotesdbs_dbs48.pdfusesText_48
AMERICAN SLANG WORDS AND PHRASES