"A" Slang

aren't you precious

General

A compliment for something adorable, but frequently a sweetly delivered put-down.

arigatou

Internet

The Japanese word for 'thanks', one of the most recognisable phrases picked up by anime fans.

aristotle

General

Classic Cockney rhyming slang for 'bottle'. Usually clipped to 'Aris'. In Cockney, 'bottle' itself also means nerve or courage ('he's got bottle'), so Aristotle can carry that sense too.

arka you

General

South Walian for 'hark at you', delivered when someone's putting on airs, talking posh, or generally acting like they're better than they are. The dropped H is doing the heavy lifting. It's the verbal equivalent of a raised eyebrow — playful, but it lands.

arl arse

General

Cruel, sly or mean-spirited. Used in Liverpool for someone behaving unfairly or kicking off about nothing. 'Arl' is Scouse for 'old' — calling someone arl arse is calling them a miserable old git, regardless of age.

arl fella

General

Your father. 'Arl' is the Scouse pronunciation of 'old', so it's literally 'old fella'. Affectionate, never disrespectful when used about your own dad. Can also be applied to any older bloke in a slightly cheekier way.

arm day

General

A workout session dedicated to arm training, popular in body-part split routines.

armarse

General

For a plan or party to come together; '¿se va a armar?' means 'is it happening?'.

armor envy

Internet

The mix of inspiration and intimidation a cosplayer feels looking at someone else's superior armor work.

armored heifer

General

By extension, any tinned dairy product served in a mess hall or field kitchen.

arms control

General

The art of moving the arms and hands with total precision and fluidity — illusions, tricks, clean lines that look effortless and snap to the beat. It's one of the elements judges actually score in voguing, separating someone waving their arms around from someone telling a story with them. Sister concept to hand performance, which leans into the narrative side of the same skill.

army

Internet

The name of BTS's fanbase, backronymed as 'Adorable Representative M.C. for Youth.' One of the largest and most organized fandoms in the world.

aroha

General

Love, affection or compassion; carries a sense of care and empathy beyond romantic love.

arr ay

General

An exclamation of frustration, disappointment or disbelief.

arrangement

General

The deal itself. How much allowance, how many meets per month, overnights or not, travel or not, exclusive or not, sex on the table or not. Sometimes loosely agreed over text, sometimes spelled out almost like a contract. The whole sugar industry, including the app SeekingArrangement, is built on this one word doing the heavy lifting so nobody has to call it what it actually is.

arre

General

An affirmation or encouragement meaning 'okay' or 'let's go'.

artist alley

Internet

A section of a convention set aside for individual artists and small creators to sell prints, charms, comics, and commissions directly to fans, distinct from the commercial dealer's hall.

arvo

General

The afternoon; also 's'arvo' meaning 'this afternoon'.

arvo tea

General

A light meal or snack taken in the afternoon.

as

General

A distinctive New Zealand construction where 'as' follows an adjective to intensify it, with the comparison left unstated. 'Cheap as' means very cheap.

as all get out

General

An intensifier tacked onto adjectives to mean "as much as possible."

as helpful as a bump on a log

General

Describes someone doing nothing helpful, just sitting there.

as if

Pop

Used to mock someone for thinking too highly of themselves or their chances.

as old as methuselah

General

Very aged; Methuselah is the longest-lived figure in the Bible.

as the crow flies

General

Measured by the most direct route rather than by roads.

as you were

General

A command to resume the previous activity, canceling an interruption or a mistaken order.

asa

Street

A term for a good-looking woman, or a man's girlfriend. Nkamigbo and Eme's 2011 academic study of Otu-Onitsha market slang records 'asa' (literally 'a kind of fish, catfish') being used specifically for 'a man's girlfriend'; wider Nigerian slang usage has since broadened it simply to 'fine girl.'

asap

Internet

Stands for "as soon as possible," used to request that something be done quickly.

ascot races

Street

Cockney rhyming slang for 'braces' (trouser suspenders).

asere

General

The classic Cuban word for a friend or buddy, roughly equal to 'amigo' or 'dude'. Famously paired with '¿qué bolá?'.

ash cash

General

British medical slang for the cash payment a doctor gets from the undertaker for completing a cremation certificate. Two doctors sign each form, two fees get paid, and the relatives foot the bill via the funeral director. Macabre by design — the rhyme is the joke. Periodically controversial enough to make the papers.

ash catcher

Street

An accessory that sits between the bowl and the downstem to catch ash and debris, keeping the bong's water and main chamber cleaner for longer.

ashet

General

A large flat plate or dish for serving meat; an 'ashet pie' is baked in one.

asker

General

A newt. Ancient dialect word, from Middle English 'aske' (newt/lizard), kept alive in Welsh English and the West Midlands long after the rest of the country forgot it. If a Welsh kid pulls something wriggly out of a pond, odds are they'll call it an asker.

asl

Internet

In Gen-Z texting, "asl" is shorthand for "as hell," used to intensify an adjective. "Bored asl" means "bored as hell."

aspirin tablet

General

A fastball moving so quickly that to the batter it appears as small as an aspirin pill.

assigned

Internet

When an option seller is required to honor the contract — delivering or buying shares — because the buyer exercised it. A key risk for theta gang.

assist

General

The final pass or touch by a teammate that leads directly to a goal being scored.

associate

Street

An associate works with an organized-crime family and shares in its business but has not been formally inducted as a made member.

association

Street

The period when prisoners are unlocked to socialise, use the phone, shower or play pool, often shortened to 'assoc'.

asthore

General

An affectionate term of endearment, literally 'treasure', used to address a loved one.

at the end of the day

General

A filler phrase introducing the most important point after everything else.

ate

Gen Z

Did something exceptionally well, especially with style. Often extended to "ate and left no crumbs" — performed flawlessly, holding nothing back.

ate and left no crumbs

Internet

Shortened to just 'ate' for any impressive, complete win.

ate that up

Internet

Nailed a performance, look, or task flawlessly.

ate up

General

Describes a service member who is a mess and lacks military bearing, or conversely one so obsessed with following every regulation that they lose sight of the situation. Often extended as 'ate up with the dumbass.'

ath

Internet

Acronym for the highest price point an asset has traded at in its history. A break to a new ATH is a bullish milestone.

atl

Internet

Acronym for the lowest price an asset has traded at over its entire history, the bearish counterpart to ATH.