"W" Slang

watcha

General

A command to look or watch; also spelled 'wacha/güacha'.

watchale

Street

Heads up — watch out. The hey-be-careful warning shout when something's about to go wrong or somebody's about to walk into a pole.

waterfall bong

Street

A type of gravity bong made from a bottle filled with water; as the water drains out through a hole, it pulls smoke up into the bottle to be inhaled. Also called a reverse bucket bong.

watermelon

Internet

Australian slang for the green $100 banknote.

watter

General

Water; 'ower the watter' means across the river.

wave

Music

A song, beat, or vibe that's a vibe — 'this is a wave' means it slaps and has momentum.

wave clear

Gaming

A champion's ability to delete an entire minion wave quickly, normally with area-of-effect damage. Good wave clear means you push the lane, shove the enemy off CS, and free yourself up to roam or recall.

waveclear

Gaming

A character's ability to delete an incoming minion wave quickly, usually with abilities. Good waveclear means you control the lane and free yourself up to roam.

wavedash

Gaming

Three or more crouchdashes cancelled back to back, giving Mishima characters smooth, threatening forward movement that lets them dash up and launch.

wavedash (smash)

Gaming

Jump, then air-dodge at a low diagonal into the ground. You slide along the floor but stay fully actionable, so you can wavedash into a grab, a tilt, whatever. It's the backbone of Melee's slippery ground movement.

wavey

General

Intoxicated. Could be drunk, could be high, could be both — the point is you're riding a wave and not driving the boat. The state, not the substance.

wavy

General

Smooth and impressive in style or vibe; someone or something with effortless cool.

wax

Street

A soft, opaque, sticky cannabis extract with a wax-like consistency, used in dab rigs or pens.

wax play

General

Sensation play with hot wax. A candle is dripped onto the body for the sharp hit of heat as it lands and the slow cool as it sets. The temperature is everything: soy and paraffin burn cooler, beeswax runs hotter, and height of the drip changes the sting. Smart players test on themselves first and keep it off the face and sensitive bits.

wax up

General

To apply surf wax to the deck of a board in a pattern that gives your feet grip and traction.

waxhead

General

Someone who surfs every day and lives for it, so devoted that surf wax is practically part of them.

wayo

Street

Describes cheating, scheming, or deceptive trickery in a deal or situation.

wbk

Internet

A reply affirming that something stated is already well known and obvious.

wbu

Internet

Short for 'what about you?' Returns a question after you've answered it.

wdym

Internet

Stands for "what do you mean?", used to request clarification.

we is we

General

An expression of solidarity meaning we belong to one another/we look out for each other.

we like the stock

Internet

A minimalist, tongue-in-cheek rationale for holding a position that ignores all analysis: the only reason needed is that they simply like the stock.

we move

Internet

A declaration that you're moving past a setback or disappointment without letting it stop you.

we're a' jock tamson's bairns

General

A saying expressing common humanity and equality — everyone is equal, part of one family.

we're all gonna make it

General

An encouraging aesthetics-culture catchphrase (often 'WAGMI, brah') affirming that everyone who keeps training will succeed and transform.

weak

Internet

Reacting to something hysterical, as if you've lost all your strength laughing.

weak hands

Internet

Traders who lack conviction and dump their holdings at the first sign of fear or a price drop, similar to paper hands.

wean

General

A child or young one. Chiefly used in Glasgow and west-central Scotland where 'bairn' gives way to 'wean'.

weapon

Street

Someone causing chaos or acting out of control.

weaponized incompetence

Internet

Loosely, any strategic helplessness used to offload work.

weapons check

Internet

A checkpoint where convention security inspects prop weapons to ensure they meet the event's safety rules before the attendee can carry them on the floor.

weapons free

General

An air-defense/fire-control order permitting engagement of any target not positively identified as friendly — the most permissive weapons-control status.

weapons hold

General

An air-defense/fire-control order prohibiting engagement except in self-defense or on a direct order — the most restrictive weapons-control status.

weapons tight

General

An air-defense/fire-control order restricting engagement to targets positively identified as hostile — a restrictive weapons-control status.

wearable

Internet

An NFT representing clothing, accessories or gear that can be equipped on an avatar in a metaverse platform like Decentraland or The Sandbox.

weasel

Street

A coat — the everyday clip of 'weasel and stoat'.

weasel and stoat

General

A coat. Weasel and stoat rhymes with coat, and the rhyme gets clipped to 'weasel'. Cult moment for non-Cockneys: Del Boy and Rodney throwing on their weasels before heading out the flat in Only Fools and Horses.

web gem

General

A spectacular fielding play, named for the webbing of the glove that snares the ball.

webs

General

Another Scouse word for trainers, especially fashionable ones.

webtoon

Internet

A digital comic published online in a long, vertical-scroll format (especially Korean), now a major source of characters and cosplay at conventions.

wedge

General

A wave created when two waves converge (often off a jetty or headland), stacking into a steeper, more powerful peak than either alone.

wedge up

General

UK prison move. You jam the door of your cell — usually with the bed, locker, anything not bolted down — so screws can't open it. Done as protest, to avoid a kicking, or to buy time. Ends with a control-and-restraint team taking the door off.

weeaboo

Internet

A derogatory term for a Western fan who fetishizes Japan and Japanese pop culture, often preferring it over their own culture and peppering their speech with Japanese words. Frequently shortened to 'weeb'.

weeb

Internet

A Western anime fan whose obsession with Japan spills into their whole personality — sprinkling Japanese words into English, fawning over the culture, the works. Originally an insult, now often worn with pride.

weed

Street

A widespread everyday term for cannabis, the smokable plant material.

weed puller

General

Jokey slang for an obstetrician, playing on the imagery of 'pulling' deliveries.

weeded

General

Same thing as 'in the weeds' — buried, drowning, behind on every ticket. Just shorter, which is the point when you're this busy.

weegie

General

Short for Glaswegian — anyone from Glasgow. Worn as a badge by Glaswegians themselves, slung with affectionate eye-rolling by Edinburghers, and used neutrally by everyone else. Like 'scouser' or 'cockney': the city's people in one syllable.