Slang Dictionary — Modern Slang, Decoded

A 'crazy dude', often referring to a wild barrio street character or gang-style youth.

A dude, a guy, a man. Neutral by default — the qualifier does the work. A 'vato firme' is a solid dude; a 'vato loco' is a crazy one you don't cross.

The degree to which veins are visible across the muscles; increased vascularity is highly prized and signals low body fat and good blood flow.

Having prominent, visible veins as a result of low body fat and muscular development, often enhanced by a workout pump.

Same word as 'barrio', different spelling — and that spelling does work. 'Varrio' is the claimed, defended version: your neighbourhood as turf, the version you spray on a wall. Standard in SoCal Chicano gang naming.

A peso or unit of money; often pluralized as 'varos' to count cash.

Nearly, almost. Drops into a sentence where most people would say 'pretty much' or 'just about'. Old-school Manc — you're more likely to hear it from your nan than your mate.

A nuisance creature—raccoon, possum, coyote, or the like; sometimes applied to a disagreeable person.

A television entertainment program featuring games, talk, and challenges where idols show personality and gain fans. Key promotion outside of music.

A flip trick combining a heelflip with a frontside shove-it, the heelflip counterpart to a varial kickflip.

A flip trick that combines a kickflip with a (usually backside 180) shove-it, so the board both flips and rotates at the same time. Also called a varial kickflip.

An abrupt mood or urge to do something on the spur of the moment. 'On a vaps' = acting on impulse.

A coin or project hyped on promises that never materialise, fading in value 'like vapor'. Often lacks a working product behind the marketing.

A slim, battery-powered vaporizer that heats cannabis oil, distillate or flower into inhalable vapor without combustion.

To consume cannabis by heating it into vapor rather than burning it, using a vaporizer or vape pen.

In kink, 'vanilla' means conventional, non-BDSM sex — and, by extension, a person who isn't into kink at all. It's not an insult by default; it's just the baseline flavour, the default setting. You'll hear it as an adjective ('vanilla sex,' 'a vanilla relationship') and as a noun for the person ('he's vanilla'). Plenty of people are happily vanilla, and plenty of kinksters enjoy vanilla play too. The word only gets a sting when it's used to mean 'boring.'

A brevity code warning of a hostile air- or surface-launched anti-ship missile inbound — a critical alert for naval air-defense.

Something that increases worth or provides additional benefit to a customer or process.

A value trap is a stock that looks like a bargain on metrics like a low P/E or high dividend yield but is actually a declining business whose price keeps sinking. The apparent value is illusory.

A clear statement of the unique value a product or service delivers to customers.

A person from the Rio Grande Valley. Worn like a badge — equal parts where-you're-from and how-you-carry-yourself. Carries echoes of pachuco swagger.

A young man from the South Wales Valleys — the old coal-mining belt running from Carmarthenshire across to Monmouthshire. Carries connotations of tight-knit community, rugby, choirs and a very specific lilting accent. Worn with pride by those who are one, sometimes used patronisingly by those who aren't.

A trusted friend or buddy, someone who has your back; often shortened to 'vale'.

The ultimate Dominican all-purpose word: it can mean any object, situation, or abstract thing, and shifts meaning with tone — from neutral 'thing' to an expression of anger or surprise.