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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Used more loosely as a term of respect for a dependable, down associate.

The stun period after a hit lands, during which the victim can't act. As long as the next attack connects before hitstun ends, the combo keeps going. No hitstun, no combos.

If your crosshair is on them when you fire, you hit them. Full stop. The game traces a line from your gun to the target with zero travel time, so there's nothing to lead and nothing to dodge. The opposite of projectile weapons.

Implies a special, hard-to-explain extra quality.

Those few frames where everything stops dead on impact to sell the hit. Both attacker and defender freeze together, which is what gives big moves that satisfying crunch.

You throw out a starter, watch to see if it actually connected, and only commit to the full combo if it hit. If it got blocked, you bail into something safe instead of eating a punish. Reactions and discipline rolled into one.

hitch in my giddy-up

A stiffness, limp, or pain that hampers movement.

The actual area the game tests for getting hit. In bullet hell it's usually a single pixel-ish dot near the centre of your sprite, which is why you can graze bullets that look like they're touching you.

To go out and have fun energetically, painting the night red.

hit the ground running

To start a new role or project and be effective right away with no ramp-up.

Most commonly, to walk out of prison on release. In some usages it also means going into protective custody through the gate.

Said of a song, food, memory or moment that affects you noticeably harder than the same thing normally would — usually because of timing, mood, nostalgia or context. The whole point is the unexplainable extra: cold water hits different after a hangover; a song hits different at 2am after a breakup. AAVE in origin, weaponised by Twitter and then TikTok around 2019–2020.

A scripted run of autos where the starter, middle and finisher swings differ in animation, damage and swing time. Land the whole chain and the last hit usually slaps hardest.

To 'hit a lick' is to carry out a robbery or otherwise obtain a large sum of money quickly through illegal means.

One draw or inhalation from a joint, pipe, bong or vaporizer; also a verb, to 'hit' a piece.

An angry, over-the-top emotional display; a grown-up temper tantrum. Southerners traditionally "pitch" or "throw" one.

High-Intensity Resistance Training: combining weightlifting with high-volume, minimal-rest work to build muscle and burn fat.

Walking with a limp, hobbling, moving awkwardly because something hurts. Distinctly Scots — has no neat English equivalent that captures the same slow, pained shuffle.

The tendency for decisions to follow the most senior person's view rather than the data.

hippie speedball

The pairing of marijuana with coffee or another stimulant to feel relaxed yet energized at once.

A ramp feature formed where two banks or quarterpipes meet at an angle, allowing skaters to air and transfer over the corner.

Honey, love, dear. A warm Tyneside term of affection used to friends, family, kids, customers — pretty much anyone you're being nice to. The Geordie equivalent of 'pet' or 'love', and famously paired in the old greeting 'why aye, hinny'.

Male counterpart to 'bimbo': beautiful, big-hearted, not the sharpest. The defining trait isn't the stupidity — it's the sincerity. A real himbo respects women, loves his friends, and has no idea what a tax return is. Kronk, Thor in Ragnarok, Jason Mendoza.

hillbilly armor

Makeshift, often crude vehicle armor field-fabricated from scrap metal and sandbags, famously bolted onto Humvees early in the Iraq War.