"S" Slang

sickie

General

A day taken off work sick; 'chuck a sickie' means to take one while not actually ill.

siddon

Street

A blend of "sit" and "down," used for the everyday action of sitting, and also forming the basis of expressions like being told to stay quiet and "siddon."

side eye

Internet

A sidelong glance expressing suspicion, skepticism, or disapproval. To give someone the side eye is to silently judge them.

side hustle

Internet

A small business or freelance project run in spare time.

side quest

Gaming

An unexpected detour or spontaneous mini-adventure that takes you away from what you were supposed to be doing. From gaming, where side quests are optional missions outside the main story.

side ting

General

Someone you're sleeping with who isn't your main partner. The MLE/Jamaican-flavoured version of 'side piece' — 'ting' being the all-purpose patois-derived word for a person or thing. Often used about a woman, sometimes a man, always with the understanding that there's a main relationship being kept separate.

siden

General

Off-kilter, leaning, not level. Used for pictures hung wonky on the wall, hats sat at an angle, or anything that should be straight and isn't.

sideshow

Street

Unsanctioned car gathering that spills out of an Oakland intersection or empty lot — drivers cutting donuts, spinning figure-eights, ghost-riding whips while hundreds film and cheer. The cultural engine the whole hyphy movement formed around.

sieve

General

An admitting doctor who lets almost every referral through, the opposite of a 'wall.'

sig alert

General

An official traffic advisory for an unplanned event that closes a lane for 30 minutes or more; used broadly for a bad LA traffic snarl.

sigint

General

'Signals Intelligence' — intelligence derived from intercepting and analyzing electronic signals and communications, including radio, radar, and data links.

sigma

Gen Z

A self-reliant, quietly confident person who does their own thing outside the usual social pecking order. Now used mostly ironically, especially about teenage boys.

significant other

Internet

A gender-neutral, relationship-neutral term for a person's spouse or romantic partner.

sigogglin

General

Describes something built or hung askew, out of alignment.

silent disco

Music

Often features multiple channels, with color-coded headphones letting people switch DJs or genres on the fly.

silent killer

General

A condition (classically hypertension) that progresses and damages the body before producing noticeable symptoms.

silky

General

Describes a player or piece of skill executed with effortless smoothness and control.

simkung

Internet

The feeling of your heart skipping from something adorable or attractive an idol does; roughly 'heart attack (from cuteness)'.

simón

Street

Yes, for sure, hell yeah. A Caló embellishment of 'sí' that turns a plain agreement into something with swagger. You'll hear it everywhere from SoCal backyards to Cypress Hill records.

simón que sí

General

Not a distinct headword; folded into 'simón'. Retained inadvertently.

simp

Internet

Used as a light insult for being thirsty or doing too much for a crush.

simping (fictional)

Internet

Going full bad-bitch obsessed over a fictional man (or woman, or fae prince) the way you'd normally embarrass yourself over a real person. BookTok runs on it — entire accounts dedicated to one morally questionable book boyfriend. The 'fictional' qualifier exists because everyone already knows what regular simping is.

simulcast

Internet

The practice of legally streaming a new anime episode to overseas audiences at the same time as, or shortly after, its Japanese broadcast — now the standard way most fans watch seasonal anime.

since jesus was a corporal

General

A humorous expression meaning something has been the case for ages.

singing hinnie

General

A traditional Northumbrian griddle cake — flour, lard, butter, currants — cooked on a hot bakestone where the fat sizzles and sings as it hits the heat. Hinnie is the Geordie/Northumbrian term of endearment (honey). Served split, buttered, with tea.

single jack

General

A short-handled sledge — typically 2 to 4 pounds — designed to be swung one-handed while the other hand holds a chisel, star drill, or spike. Originates in hardrock mining where a single jack miner drilled holes solo. Still standard in masonry, demo, and anywhere you need controlled heavy hits.

singles

Internet

Slang for $1 bills, especially a wad of small denominations.

singlet

General

A sleeveless undershirt or tank top; the black woollen 'Swanndri'-style bush singlet is a rural icon.

sink

Internet

When canon makes a pairing impossible or clearly refuses it; a 'sunk ship'.

sinsemilla

Street

Cannabis grown from unpollinated female plants, so it produces no seeds and higher potency.

siphon

Gaming

Down a kill, get a chunk of health or shield back on the spot. It rewards aggression and saves you from getting third-partied the second a fight ends. No healing animation, no downtime.

sippin' on some syrup

Street

Three 6 Mafia x UGK collaboration from 2000's 'When the Smoke Clears: Sixty 6, Sixty 1' — the record that took Houston's codeine-promethazine cough-syrup cocktail (lean, purple drank) out of the SUC tapes and into mainstream rap consciousness. Hook is a whole subculture in one line.

sir

General

In leather and BDSM circles, 'Sir' is a title with weight — used to address a dominant or a respected, experienced leatherman. It's part of the protocol the Old Guard borrowed from military culture, where honorifics were mandatory and rank meant something. You don't hand it out casually; it's a mark of dominance, experience or earned respect. A submissive addresses their Top as Sir, but so does the wider community honour a senior leatherman.

sis

Pop

An affectionate way to address a friend, short for 'sister,' used across genders in queer and Black vernacular.

sisi

Street

Used for a fashionable, put-together young lady, or informally as a casual, friendly address to a girl or woman, similar to 'miss' or 'sis.'

sisi eko

Street

Combines 'sisi' (young lady) with 'Eko,' the Yoruba name for Lagos; used to describe a fashionable, city-savvy young woman from Lagos.

sissy bounce

Street

The wing of New Orleans bounce led by openly queer, trans, and drag performers — Big Freedia, Katey Red, Sissy Nobby, Vockah Redu. Sonically identical to standard bounce (Triggerman, chants, twerk-ready BPMs); the 'sissy' label is journalistic shorthand the scene itself has mixed feelings about, with Big Freedia preferring just 'bounce'.

sissy that walk

General

Command to own the runway. To 'sissy that walk' is to strut with full feminine swagger, hips, attitude and all, reclaiming 'sissy' as power rather than insult. Title of RuPaul's 2014 single and a rallying cry every queen knows.

sistren

General

A close female friend or sister; the female counterpart to 'bredren', used among women and within the Rastafarian community.

sit down

General

A trash-talk line thrown at a defender who's been embarrassed by a move, telling them to sit down.

sithee

General

A contraction of 'see thee', used as a farewell or to draw attention. Broad Yorkshire.

sitrep

General

'Situation Report' — a concise, formatted report giving a snapshot of the current tactical situation, including friendly and enemy status, logistics, and key developments passed up the chain of command.

sitter

General

A goalscoring opportunity so simple that any player ought to convert it; missing one is a cardinal sin.

sittin' sideways

Street

Driving a slab so it sways across the lane — a slow, deliberate weave that lets the swangas (those elbow wire wheels) catch light from every angle. Equal parts driving technique and peacock display. The Cadillac is doing a runway walk.

situationship

Gen Z

A romantic or sexual relationship that has no clear label or commitment — more than friends, but not officially dating.

situationship anxiety

Internet

The stress and insecurity that comes from dating someone without clarity about where you stand, exclusivity, or the future. A hallmark strain of modern app dating.

situationship exit

Internet

Deliberately ending a dead-end situationship rather than letting it drift on.

situationship fatigue

Internet

The weariness that builds after a series of situationships that never progress, leaving a person tired of ambiguity and craving clarity or commitment.