Whether something is the cat’s meow or all that and a bag a chips, slang serves the purpose – splitting “those in the know” from “the others.” But how is your grasp on various slang throughout the years?
Results
Your knowledge of slang is bodacious!
Only the Queen’s English for you!
#1. hoosegow
It’s a fine old American slang term for a jail, still widely known today. Most people would connect it with the nineteenth-century cowboys of the Wild West.
Otis ended the evening in the Mayberry hoosegow.
#2. gnarley
Gnarly means “treacherous.” An acceptable synonym is “hairy.” Surf punks use gnarly to refer to any wave over two feet
Wow, man! That’s totally gnarly!
#3. grody
The term possibly derives from the word “grotesque.” Popularized in the song “Valley Girl” in 1982.
Ugh, that smell is seriously grody—I’m practically gagging.
#4. 23 skidoo
23 skidoo is an American slang phrase generally referring to leaving quickly, being forced to leave quickly by someone else, or taking advantage of a propitious opportunity to leave.
It isn’t certain how ’23-skidoo’ (or skiddoo) originated. Whatever the source, the term was much in vogue in the USA during 1906.
The police threatened to imprison everyone in the crowd that did not 23 skidoo from the park
#5. peeps
Cassell’s Dictionary of Slang (2d ed.) defines “peeps” as a slang term originating in the 1980s on college campuses and in the black community. It’s derived from “people” and it means parents, friends, people in general,
She showed up with her peeps for support.
#6. goldbricker
Goldbricking in the modern sense of malingering developed around the time of World War II, in the U.S. Army. The term was extended to refer to anybody not pulling his weight—a loafer who gives the appearance of working without actually accomplishing much
Jim’s group had to work extra hours because Jim was such a goldbricker.
#7. don’t @ me
Expression: Similar to “No offence” or “back off”, “Don’t @ me” literally means don’t mention my name in a tweet, comment, etc., but is usually used in pretext of something predicted by the presenter to be offensive to a social audience of a specific type.
Donald Trump is the best president ever. Don’t @ me.
#8. shake a leg
The phrase is sometimes used to mean ‘get going’ or ‘hurry up’. It was explicitly defined that way in the New York Magazine in 1904. “Shake a leg … meaning to ‘hurry up’.”
Let’s shake a leg, you guys. We gotta be there in twenty minutes.
#9. cheugy
According to an April 2021 article in The New York Times written by Taylor Lorenz, the term cheugy was coined in 2013 by Gaby Rasson, a Beverly Hills High School student, who used it to describe “people who were slightly off trend”; an Urban Dictionary definition appeared in 2018.[1] Subsequently, it was mentioned in a TikTok video by Hallie Cain in March 2021,[3] inspiring explainers from various media outlets (including Lorenz’ own article).[1] The American Dialect Society voted cheugy its 2021 “informal word of the year“.[11]
She is so cheugy: she’s doing last week’s TikTok trend.
#10. fresh
Fresh is another way to say that something is “cool” or “great.” It is commonly used in reference to how someone appears, including his threads and kicks.
Many people recognize the term from, “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air,” a popular sitcom from the 90s starring Will Smith. The term is often heard in rap songs to brag about luxurious lifestyles.
For an old man he’s really fly. I’ve never ever seen him not looking fresh!
