American Slang: A Very Easy Way That Works For Everyone
New American slang words confuse lots of English students, especially the older ones.
You may see a new haircut on your English friend.
so you want to compliment it by saying that the curls look amazing!
Minutes later, an American friend emerges, notices the haircut, and says “Girl!
These curls are dope!” leaving you in full confusion.
American slang is not just confusing once you get to learn it.
On the contrary, it’s fun to use and understand.
Studio English is here for you to stop the confusion and tell you all.
that you need to know about the most popular American slang words and meanings. Keep reading to start!
What Are American Slang Words?
You must have heard that expression before.
What do we mean by American slang?
Slang is described as a humorous or trendy informal language.
American slang terms typically emerge from an attempt to find new and exciting, vibrant, pungent, or hilarious phrases that fit in a cultural context.
Funny American slang words include both newly invented words.
so phrases as well as new or expanded meanings tied to existing terms.
It is mostly used by specific groups of people to linguistically distinguish themselves from other groups.
These groups include:
- Teen slang
- Internet slang
- Prison slang
- Army slang
- Hip-hop slang
- slang used by different ethnic groups
An example of American slang conversation
To get a grip of what American slang means, you need to see an example of real-life conversations that use common American phrases.
Let’s see some of them:
Person Aa: “Hey! Haven’t seen you yesterday at the party. It was sick, wasn’t it?”
Person Ba: “I wouldn’t know, I had to take a raincheck yesterday,
my roommate has been pigging out on fast food all week till she got good poisoning last night,
and I had to pull an all-nighter to stay with her”
Person Aaa: bummer! Sorry I didn’t call to see where you at”
Person Baa: Oh it’s no biggie, I’m sure you were really vibing.
Person Aaaa: and how’s your roommate?
Person Baa: meh, she’s gonna be fine.
The doctor told her not to screw herself up every time she gets dumped or else she’ll check out on the double.
Person A: Woah! What a sassy doctor!
Were you able to understand what was going on? Let me explain:
- Sick: is something really awesome
- Take a raincheck: dismissing something
- Pigging out: eating uncontrollably
- Bummer: something disappointing or bad
- No biggie: not something to worry about (it’s not that big!)
- Meh: expressing lack of enthusiasm into something
- Pull an all-nighter: stay up all night
- Screw up: mess something or ruin it
- Dump: break up with someone you had a romantic relationship with
- Check out: die
- On the double: twice as fast as expected.
- Sassy: bold, witty
Why Slang Words Were Necessary For Early American Society?
As fun as it is to use American slang words, people can’t help but wonder, where did it come from? and why?
American slang is not a modern invention, it may surprise you that it originated in the 1750s by early American society.
It wasn’t included in the dictionary until the 1800s describing it as the informal language of “low” or “disreputable” people.
Early American society needed slang to communicate together without letting other people know what they’re saying.
They used it to pass internal important messages and confuse outsiders.
also used it to make fun of people without them knowing.
Slang was created according to specific groups, like teens, rappers, and different ethnic groups.
Did they use it to linguistically distinguish themselves from other groups, which is still going till today?
The 35 Most Common American Slang Words Used Daily
In order to understand some of the daily conversations.
You need to familiarize yourself with American slang conversation that is used daily.
Here are some of them to learn:-
-
What’s up?: How are you doing?
- Hang out: to gather casually and have fun.
- Lowkey: something you don’t want to announce.
- Blown away: amazed or impressed.
- Chill: something that is relaxed, easy, and fun.
- Dope: something really amazing.
- Looker: if someone told you you’re a looker, that means you look good.
- Beat: to win something.
- I hear ya: I empathize with what you said0
- Have a blast: enjoying something so much, usually said after a party.
- Say that again: it means the person agrees with what you said.
- Score: to get something you really want
- Have a crush: liking someone, being attracted to someone.
- Drive up the wall: saying that you’re friend is driving you up the wall is saying, that they’re driving you crazy.
- Feeling hooked: being addicted to something and can’t stop
- Hit the road: to leave.
- Busted: catching someone doing something they shouldn’t be doing.
- Once in a blue moon: the chances of something occurring are really infrequent.
- Spell the beans: to reveal a secret.
- For real?: true or honest
- Twenty-four seven: (or 24/7) means something happening non-stop.
- Recap: a conclusion of something
- All-ears: when someone tells you, that means they’re listening with undivided attention
- Hyped: feeling really excited about something
- Hang tight: to wait patiently for something.
- Put up a front: act tough
- Have the blues: feeling sad or depressed.
- Bucks: dollars
- Cop: a police officer
- Cram: to study so well before an exam.
- In no time: really really quickly.
- My bad: my mistake
- You bet: most certainly, of course
- Lit: very fun and exciting
- That’s a wrap-up: that’s the end of things we’re doing.
Found something new you can understand in a conversation that’s not mentioned above?
Search it on Urban Dictionary.
It offers you the newest slang words and expressions used day by day in addition to millions, that uncommon words and their meaning.
Top 2021 American Slang online
The internet is one of the most important American slang online sources,
that can create new American slang.
These could emerge from viral videos, memes,
celebrity interviews, and more. The top used slang change every year, if not every month,
If using the internet has been confusing to you lately,
here’s a list of the top used new American slang words online:
-
Rona: slang for Corona Virus
-
Ex: heard that Josh got that Rona
-
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Yeet!: is used for exclamation
-
Ex: “Yeet! It’s already June?”
-
-
Simp: someone who is subservient to someone else. Most often it’s a male who wants to impress a woman.
-
Ex: “I can’t believe he liked all her tweets, what a simp!”
-
-
Sus: an abbreviation for suspect or suspicious
-
Ex: “have you seen how he hid his laptop when we walked in? How sus!”
-
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Lit: some fresh or exciting.
-
Ex: “I like Josh, he’s so lit” or “the party was lit”
-
-
Cap: lie or saying something untrue.
-
Ex: “she drank only 2 beers and passed out, no cap!”
-
-
Dope: high in quality
-
Ex: “have you seen that music video? The dance moves were dope!”
-
-
Woke: being alert to injustice in society, especially racism.
-
Ex: “he’s using Twitter just to pretend he wakes”
-
-
Dead: to think something is super funny
-
Ex: “saw that TikTok earlier.
-
-
Trippin’: when someone is trippin’, they’re acting crazy.
-
Ex: “stop with that nonsense already, you’re clearly trippin’”
-
How To Learn American Slang Online Courses?
Some may think that American slang is an informal language.
although, they can’t find online English courses for learning American Slang Online Courses.
Well, let me tell you that you can definitely learn American slang online.
With Studio English online courses you get to learn how to speak American slang in no time.
Now, you got a basis of the most popular American slang words and how they work,
make sure to keep discovering new slang and memorizing what they mean.
so, It can also help if you start using them,
that will in your English conversations not to forget them.
Check out our courses right now to learn Slang And English Idioms With Studio English!
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