"N" Slang

nose

General

The front end of the skateboard deck, typically slightly longer and more upturned than the tail; used for nose tricks and manuals.

nose manual

General

A balance trick like a manual but rolling on only the front two wheels with the tail lifted; also called a nose wheelie.

nosegrind

General

A grind performed on the front truck alone while the tail of the board is lifted, the reverse balance of a 5-0.

noseriding

General

The art of walking up to the nose of a longboard and riding there, the pinnacle of traditional longboard style.

noseslide

General

A slide trick in which the rider slides along a ledge or coping on the underside of the nose of the board.

nosuh

General

A drawn-together, emphatic denial or disbelief — 'no way!' Also heard as 'no suh.'

not being funny

General

Pre-rude disclaimer. Whatever follows 'not being funny' is going to be exactly that — funny, rude, or both. The verbal equivalent of 'no offence, but…'. Used across the North but a Manc staple.

not even

General

A denial or expression of disbelief; 'not even, ow' is an emphatic version.

not me

Internet

An ironic opener used to call yourself out for something silly or embarrassing you did.

not the full quid

General

Lacking in intelligence or common sense.

not today, satan

General

A theatrical 'absolutely not.' You say it when something's trying it — drama, temptation, your own bad luck — and you're shutting it down with a finger-wag and zero patience. It frames whatever's bothering you as the devil himself, which makes the rejection that much more fun. Camp, defiant, quotable.

nothing

General

An air trick where the rider removes both hands and both feet from the bike at the same time while airborne, then grabs back on to land. It is one of the most nerve-racking commitment tricks.

nothing but net

General

A perfectly made shot that goes through without contacting the rim or backboard.

notions

General

Pretensions or airs; behaving as though one is better than one's background warrants. To 'have notions' is to be pretentious.

notlikethis

Gaming

A global Twitch emote for dismay as something goes wrong in slow motion.

notp

Internet

A ship a fan strongly dislikes or refuses to support; the opposite of an OTP.

novelty account

Internet

An account that exists to do one specific bit and only that bit — replying in haiku, posting as Shakespeare, correcting 'could of' to 'could have' anywhere it appears. The fun is in the consistency: whenever they show up, you know exactly what you're getting.

november golf

General

Phonetic-alphabet slang for 'No Go' (N and G), meaning something is not acceptable, not authorized, or not happening.

novice

Internet

The beginner tier in a masquerade or craftsmanship contest, for those who have not previously won awards; winning at this level typically bumps a competitor up.

now in a minute

General

The classic Welsh time-fudge. Means 'I'll do it shortly', except 'shortly' is doing a lot of heavy lifting — it might be right this second, it might be after the kettle's on, it might be in an hour. Sits somewhere between a promise and a stalling tactic. Universally understood in Wales, baffling everywhere else.

nowhere

General

Describing a person who is a dead loss, a 'nowhere' type.

nowt

General

Paired with 'summat' to contrast nothing and something.

nowty

General

Grumpy, short-tempered or moody. A Lancashire/Manchester dialect word.

np

Internet

Stands for "no problem," used to reply to thanks or to indicate willingness. A relaxed acknowledgment.

npc

Gen Z

Someone who seems to move through life without independent thought, repeating the same scripted opinions or actions — as if they were a background character in a video game.

npc cosplay

Internet

A cosplay of a minor, easily overlooked character (a 'non-player character'), prized by fans for its deep-cut obscurity.

npc energy

Gen Z

Behaving in a robotic, unoriginal or scripted way, as if following the same set of stock responses everyone else uses.

npo

General

An order that the patient must not eat or drink anything, commonly used before surgery or anesthesia to reduce the risk of aspiration.

nrb

General

An oxygen mask with a reservoir bag and one-way valves that delivers a high concentration of oxygen to a spontaneously breathing patient.

ns

General

An isotonic salt-water solution used for IV fluid replacement and to keep venous lines open.

nsa

General

Shorthand from personals and hookup apps meaning the encounter ends when it ends — no dating, no follow-up, no feelings filed. Standard vocabulary in escort ads, Craigslist's old personals era, and dating-app bios.

nsfl

Internet

Stands for "not safe for life," a stronger warning than NSFW for graphic or disturbing content.

nsfw

Internet

A content warning meaning 'not safe for work,' flagging material you shouldn't open around colleagues or your boss.

nsr

General

The normal, regular heart rhythm originating from the sinus node, seen on the monitor or ECG.

nta

Internet

Verdict comment on r/AmItheAsshole meaning the poster did nothing wrong and the other person in the story is the actual asshole. The most-given verdict by a mile because posters tend to frame stories in their own favour.

nubber

General

A feebly hit ground ball that dribbles only a short distance.

nuff

General

Plenty, many or a lot; can also describe someone as pushy/over-familiar ('too nuff').

nug

Street

Short for 'nugget'; a compact, well-trimmed, high-quality piece of cannabis flower.

nugu

Internet

A little-known group with a small fanbase and low public recognition. Sometimes used dismissively, sometimes affectionately by underground-group fans.

nuh

General

Negation ('mi nuh know' = I don't know); also a softening tag at sentence end ('come nuh' = come on).

nuh true

General

A tag question meaning 'isn't it so?' / 'right?', inviting agreement.

nui

Internet

Short for a plush toy or stuffed character doll, especially official merch that fans tote around, pose and photograph as part of their fandom.

nuke

Internet

To crash hard and fast. When a chart 'gets nuked', the price collapses steeply in a short span.

nuke it

General

Put it in the microwave. Said with varying levels of shame depending on the restaurant — a chef-driven spot will mutter it, a chain will yell it. Mostly used for reheating mash, melting butter fast, or salvaging something that came back cold.

number go up

Internet

Crypto's most honest slogan. Forget the whitepaper, the tech, the decentralisation philosophy — what actually matters is the chart pointing up and to the right. Used unironically by maxis and ironically by everyone laughing at maxis. Often shortened to NGU, sometimes weaponised as 'number go up technology.'

numpty

Street

A silly, incompetent, or clueless person.

nurslings

General

Affectionate slang for nursing students on placement.

nut up

Street

To lose control and lash out, whether from stress, mental strain, or rage. Related to being called a J-cat.