"G" Slang

gulliver

General

In Nadsat, the gulliver is the head. Source word: Russian 'golova' (голова), literally 'head'; Burgess reshaped it into the familiar-looking name 'Gulliver'.

gully

General

Rough in a respectable way. Street-tough, hard, not soft. Used as praise for someone who handles themselves, or a tune that hits with proper grit.

gully washer

General

A brief but intensely heavy rainstorm strong enough to send water rushing through gullies and ditches.

gumball machine

General

A police car, usually a marked one with the lightbar lit up. Classic CB warning to other truckers that there's a cop ahead — "bear in a gumball machine" means a cruiser running lights.

gumbo ya-ya

Street

When a whole room is talking simultaneously and nobody's really listening — the verbal equivalent of gumbo, everything mixed together. Affectionate, not a complaint. It's a feature of a good kitchen, a good porch, a good wake.

gumboots

General

Waterproof rubber boots worn on farms and in wet weather; a rural Kiwi staple.

gumshoe

General

A detective, especially a private one. Comes from the soft rubber-soled 'gum' shoes worn for sneaking around tailing suspects without a sound. The mac, the hat, the cigarette — that gumshoe.

gun

Street

In older underworld cant 'gun' means a thief or pickpocket. It derives from Yiddish 'gonif' rather than the weapon.

gun bunny

General

An artilleryman, often specifically a cannon crewman. Sometimes used dismissively to imply the job is simple — 'pull string, gun goes boom.'

gun moll

Street

Originally a female pickpocket ('gun' = thief), 'gun moll' later came to mean a gangster's girlfriend or armed female accomplice.

gundeck

General

To fake or falsify records — writing up official reports as though requirements were met without actually performing the procedures.

gunfingers

Music

The 'reload' or 'pull up' culture is tied to it — gunfingers demand the DJ spins it back.

gung-ho

General

Wildly enthusiastic, all-in, charging at it. Started as a sincere teamwork ethos under Carlson's Raiders — work together, fight together. Civilian English flipped it slightly: now it usually means a little too keen, a little too ready to volunteer.

gunner

General

Someone who takes an excessive number of shots, firing away without hesitation.

gunny

General

An affectionate nickname for a Marine Gunnery Sergeant (E-7). It is improper to call a Master Gunnery Sergeant 'gunny.'

guns

General

Nickname for well-developed arm muscles, particularly the biceps.

gunslinger

General

A quarterback who plays boldly and fearlessly, taking chances on deep and difficult throws like a quick-draw gunfighter.

gurrier

General

Dublin term for an unruly young fella — somewhere between cheeky chancer and full-blown delinquent. Tracksuit, attitude, up to no good. Closer to 'hooligan' than 'criminal' — it's the swagger and the trouble, not necessarily the crime.

gussied up

General

Dressed smartly or ornamented, sometimes excessively.

gut truck

General

The mobile food truck that does the rounds of construction sites and industrial yards. Named for what eating off it will do to your gut. Used interchangeably with roach coach — regional preference mostly.

gutsy

General

In the Valleys 'gutsy' means greedy for food rather than brave, describing someone who eats more than their share.

gutties

General

Sandshoes, plimsolls or trainers with rubber soles.

guvnor

Street

A boss or person in charge; also a friendly or respectful way of addressing a man. A variant of 'governor'.

gwaan

Street

Literally 'go on' or 'go along'; frequently used in the greeting 'wa gwaan' and in phrases like 'gwaan good' (go well).

gwaan bad

General

To perform brilliantly or thrive — 'him gwaan bad' means he's doing amazingly ('bad' = good).

gwaan good

General

A parting phrase wishing someone well, or telling them to behave.

gwap

Street

Money, whether cash outside or its equivalents inside.

gweh

General

An exclamation meaning 'go away' or 'get outta here', used dismissively or playfully in disbelief.

gwei

Internet

A denomination of Ether equal to one billionth of an ETH, the standard unit for quoting gas prices on Ethereum.

gwenny

General

A Welsh term for something out of style or frumpy.

gwinnett

Street

Gwinnett County, the big suburban sprawl northeast of Atlanta (Lawrenceville, Norcross, Duluth). In ATL rap it gets claimed as part of the Nawf — connected to Migos, Lil Baby's orbit, and the broader north-of-Atlanta scene.

gwiyeopda

Internet

Means cute/adorable; fans say it constantly about idols' aegyo, pets, and candid moments.

gwop

Street

Used loosely as a flex for wealth or status, the lifestyle that money buys.

gyal

Street

A girl or woman; a staple of dancehall lyrics, often in phrases like 'gyal dem' (the girls).

gyaldem

Street

A group of girls or women, the female equivalent of 'mandem.' It blends 'gyal' (girl) with 'dem' (them) from Patois.

gyalis

General

A man popular with and skilled at attracting many women; a player. Also spelled gallis; literally 'girl-list'.

gyallis

Street

A ladies' man; a man who is known for chatting up and getting women.

gyaru

Internet

A character in the flashy Japanese 'gal' street-fashion style — tanned skin, dyed or bleached hair, dramatic makeup and trendy clothes, often with a bubbly, brash personality.

gyatt

Internet

Used as a noun to refer to the backside itself.

gyetsheed

General

The town of Gateshead, across the Tyne from Newcastle; also 'Gyetsid'.

gyezend

General

Extremely thirsty, or (of wood) dried and cracked from thirst for water.

gym bro

Internet

A person who spends significant time in the gym and is heavily focused on training and physique; often used affectionately.

gym crush

General

A person you are attracted to and regularly see at the gym, typically without ever actually speaking to them.

gym rat

Internet

A person who spends a great deal of time at the gym, often obsessed with improving their physique.

gym shoes

General

The local word for sneakers or tennis shoes, used almost exclusively by Chicagoans.

gymcel

Internet

More neutrally, an extremely gym-obsessed person whose whole identity is training.

gymmaxxing

Internet

Treating your workout routine as an all-consuming optimization project — every set, meal, and rest day engineered for maximum results.

gymtimidation

General

The anxiety or self-consciousness someone feels about training in front of others at the gym, especially as a beginner.