"C" Slang

coping

General

The rounded metal pipe or concrete edging fitted along the top lip of a ramp, bowl, or pool, used for grinds, slides, and lip tricks.

copium

Internet

The imaginary "drug" you're on when you cope with a disappointment through denial or wishful thinking. To "huff copium" is to refuse to accept a bad result.

coppish

General

The fly of a pair of trousers — the zip-or-button bit at the front. South Wales dialect word descended from 'codpiece'. Most often heard in the grand tradition of telling someone their coppish is undone.

copy

General

On the CB, 'copy' means the message came through and you got it. Acknowledgment, plain and simple. Borrowed straight from military and amateur radio, where 'copy' has always meant successfully receiving a transmission. Truckers shortened the whole exchange into one word — say 'copy' and the other driver knows you're tracking.

copypasta

Internet

A chunk of text — sometimes a story, sometimes a rant, sometimes just nonsense — that people copy and paste into chats again and again as a running gag. The humour is in the repetition and the inappropriate context.

coquette

Pop

From the original French sense — a flirt, a woman who charms playfully.

cor

Street

A Cockney exclamation of surprise, admiration or astonishment.

cor blimey

Street

An exclamation of surprise, shock or annoyance, characteristic of Cockney speech.

corbeaux

General

The black vulture (Coragyps atratus), a common scavenger bird. Also spelled 'cobo'.

corbie

General

A raven or carrion crow; also 'corbie craa'.

cordial

General

A sweet fruit-flavoured syrup diluted with water to make a drink; squash.

core

Gen Z

A suffix used to name a specific aesthetic or vibe — "cottagecore", "gymcore" — built around a recognisable mood or style.

core competency

General

A defining strength or specialised capability central to a business's advantage.

corfam

General

The mirror-shined poromeric dress shoes worn with the dress uniform, named after the DuPont material Corfam.

corillo

General

Your tight circle or crew — a small group of friends who hang out together. Heavily used in reggaeton.

corito sano

General

A relaxed, wholesome little get-together — the calm cousin of a full 'coro' party.

cork

General

A rotation performed off-axis so the rider tilts and spins on a diagonal, corkscrewing rather than staying flat or purely vertical. Corked spins are staples of modern slopestyle and snowboard tricks.

corked

General

Describes a spin performed off-axis, with the body tilted so the rotation corkscrews rather than staying flat. Corked spins are central to modern slopestyle snowboarding and skiing.

corn (money)

Street

Money. Note that 'corn' separately means ammunition in drill contexts.

cornbinder

General

Slang for any International Harvester tractor, from the company's deep roots in farm equipment — they built corn-binding machines and combines for decades before becoming a major heavy-truck manufacturer. Used affectionately by IH loyalists and slightly mockingly by everyone else. The brand became Navistar International in 1986, but the nickname lives on for the older iron.

corner

General

Shouted as you approach a blind turn in the kitchen — walk-in entrance, pass between stations, corridor to the dish pit. The other cook coming the opposite way calls back and nobody wears a tray of sauce.

corner the bowl

Street

To burn only a corner of a shared bowl so others get fresh, unburnt cannabis on their turn.

cornering the bowl

Street

Politely burning just a corner of a packed bowl so each person gets fresh green rather than ash.

cornhusker

General

A native of Nebraska, the Cornhusker State, and the name of the University of Nebraska's athletic teams.

coro

General

A party or lively hangout; 'estar de coro' is to be out having a good time.

corporate baddie

Internet

A polished professional who brings serious style to corporate life.

corporate girlie

General

A social-media persona and self-label of a young professional, often a woman, who posts relatable content about the daily realities of a white-collar corporate job.

correction

General

A procedure word meaning "an error has been made in this transmission; transmission will continue with the last word correctly sent," followed by the corrected text.

corridor of uncertainty

General

The area of a cross or through-ball that neither the goalkeeper nor the defenders can comfortably deal with.

coser

Internet

A cosplayer; a clipped form used casually within the community, especially online.

cosfam

Internet

A 'cosplay family'; the tight circle of friends a cosplayer regularly attends cons and coordinates group costumes with.

cosfamous

Internet

Describes a cosplayer who has become a recognizable figure or influencer within the community, drawing crowds and photo requests at cons.

cosmaker

Internet

A cosplayer who focuses on constructing costumes, sometimes selling or commissioning builds for other people.

cosplague

Internet

A jokey blend used for the illness cosplayers and attendees catch after a convention; equivalent to con crud or con plague.

cosplans

Internet

A cosplayer's schedule of which characters they intend to wear on each day of an event, usually with reference images. A blend of 'cosplay' and 'plans.'

cosplay

Internet

The hobby of creating and wearing costumes to portray a specific character, often paired with adopting their poses and mannerisms at conventions.

cosplay burnout

Internet

A state of fatigue, dread, or loss of enthusiasm for cosplay caused by overcommitting to builds, deadlines, and back-to-back conventions.

cosplay handle

Internet

A pseudonym or nickname a cosplayer uses on social media and at conventions instead of their legal name.

cosplay is not consent

Internet

An anti-harassment rallying phrase asserting that wearing a costume, however revealing, does not give anyone permission to grope, grab, photograph, or make advances on the cosplayer without consent. Often shortened to 'cosplay ≠ consent.'

cosplay medic

Internet

A person (sometimes an official station) equipped with glue, safety pins, thread, and tools to patch up cosplayers whose costumes break during an event. Also called a cosplay repair station.

cosplay repair station

Internet

A designated area at a convention supplied with tools, adhesives, and materials so cosplayers can mend wardrobe malfunctions during the event.

cosplayer

Internet

Someone who creates or wears a costume to represent a character from a fandom, often at conventions. Also shortened to 'coser.'

costermonger

Street

A traditional London street trader selling fruit and vegetables from a handcart or barrow — the original spreaders of rhyming slang.

cotch

Street

To rest, lean, perch or stay somewhere temporarily; to squeeze in for support.

cotorrear

General

To chat and hang out, joking around; the vibe of easy conversation.

cottagecore

Pop

An aesthetic idealizing pastoral life: gardens, baking, florals, prairie dresses, and a soft countryside fantasy.

cotton mouth

Street

The uncomfortable dry, cottony sensation in the mouth caused by cannabis reducing saliva.

cottonmouth

Street

The dry, sticky mouth sensation caused when THC affects the salivary glands.