English dictionary, thesaurus, translations & etymology

Slang Dictionary — Modern Slang, Decoded

What does that word actually mean? Our slang dictionary explains modern slang clearly — Gen Z, internet, British and street slang — with real definitions, examples and where each term came from.

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Gen Z Slangrizz, delulu, slay Internet Slangbrainrot, based, mid British Slangpeng, bare, peak AAVEbussin, finna, cap

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Latest slang terms

Court records, plea agreements, pre-sentence investigation reports. On the inside, other inmates may demand to see your paperwork to verify your charge and that you didn't cooperate. 'Bad paperwork' means sex offences or snitch history — both get you hurt.

Thin sheets of paper, often rice, hemp or wood pulp, used to roll cannabis into joints; short for 'rolling papers'.

The repeating, cyclical nature of the behavior, named after Clippy the Microsoft Word assistant who kept popping up uninvited.

Describes a trader who sells at the slightest downturn or on weak nerves, the opposite of diamond hands.

Used to frame work and hustle in terms of the money it brings in.

Male counterpart to mamasan — the guy running a parlor or bar, handling money and muscle. Same Japanese honorific roots, same military-slang pipeline into English. Less common than mamasan because the trade skews to female front-of-house, but still standard when the boss is a man.

A protective woodland spirit, part-man part-beast, who guards animals and punishes hunters. Also Maître Bois.

A male police officer — sometimes specifically a supervisor or senior trooper. Less common than 'mama bear' because male is the default assumption when someone just says 'bear.'

A popular Korean community platform where netizens post gossip, opinions, and hot takes about idols, often the origin of translated fan discourse abroad. Its posts frequently spark international fan debates.

A traditional layered dish of potatoes, onions and cheese (sometimes with meat).

A penalty technique where the taker gently chips the ball straight down the centre as the keeper dives away.

A programmed session at a convention where a lineup of speakers discusses a topic, answers audience questions, or premieres content, often one of the biggest draws of an event.

A British neighbourhood patrol car in two-tone livery. Originally Ford Anglias and Minis with contrasting doors; the name outlived the paint job.

A butch who lets herself get flipped — i.e. switches from the top role to the bottom. Old-school Black lesbian slang from the 50s, when butch identity carried a strong expectation of being the top, so a butch who bottomed got the joke name. Closest modern equivalent is 'switch'.

A cup of tea (or coffee — context decides). Shortened from Welsh 'paned,' itself from 'cwpanaid' (a cupful). Slotted seamlessly into English-speaking Wales as the default offer the second anyone walks through the door. Everything stops for a panad.

A very common Caribbean term for a close friend or pal, used across Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and beyond.

An internationally recognized urgency signal indicating a situation that is serious but does not pose immediate, grave danger to life or vessel — one level below Mayday.

A deliberately misspelled, hype version of 'pump it,' shouted in chats to will a coin's price upward. The broken spelling is the joke.

An intentional misspelling of 'pump', used to celebrate or will a price surge, as in 'pamp it'. The counterpart is 'dump'.

A lesbian, in the old coded language of British gay men. It's the word order flipped from 'omi-palone' (an effeminate or gay man): here 'palone' (woman) comes first, 'omi' (man) second — a woman with masculine qualities. Polari built whole identities out of two stock words and a switch of order, which tells you everything about how economical and sly the language was.

Used affectionately or descriptively for any woman in the scene.

A naive, gullible person who gets taken advantage of; a soft touch. Literally 'young pigeon'.

Refers to a disagreement, serious trouble, or a drawn-out discussion/argument about a problem.

A troublesome fuss or heated wrangle. From 'palaver'. Also palaver.