Slang Dictionary — Modern Slang, Decoded

The Friday tradition on the 1980s Salomon Brothers mortgage desk where traders ordered absurd quantities of food — hundreds of dollars of Mexican, pizza, deli — and ate themselves comatose at their turrets. Documented in Liar's Poker as a status display dressed up as lunch: the bigger the order, the bigger the swinging dick.

A meal, especially a satisfying one; 'a feed' means something to eat.

A grind where the back truck slides on the obstacle while the front truck and nose hang down over the opposite (front) side, the mirror of a smith grind.

Beef. From 'beef' reversed to 'feeb', a core word of East End butchers' back-slang, the trade that gave the whole craft its name 'rechtub kelp' (butcher talk).

Used as a warning or to describe police presence.

Short for federal agent. In chats, an accusation that someone is an undercover cop or fed trying to entrap the group. Often deployed the second anyone suggests anything spicy — sometimes serious, mostly a joke.

As 'feck it', a casual way to express resignation or 'who cares'.

A coffee break or quick stop at a cafe, by extension of the drink itself.

'Forward Edge of the Battle Area' — the foremost limit of the area where ground combat units are deployed, used to orient defensive operations and coordinate supporting fires.

A white woman inside — usually one running with the white-power car or attached to a peckerwood on the men's side. Built off 'peckerwood' with a feminine swap; the ADL tracks it as a hate-movement identifier when worn as a tattoo or patch.

Afraid, scared, frightened. One of the most-used Scots words still going strong in everyday speech across Scotland — not just Doric. Often used to call someone out: 'are ye feart?' = 'are you bottling it?'

Jokey shorthand for a patient, often elderly, who has fallen and hit the ground.

Fly Boy Gang — the rap-side label for the STL/EBT Black Disciple crew. One of the longest-running drill collectives in the city and a central player in the war with O Block. Most members are dead, jailed, or both.

G Herbo's home turf on South King Drive in East Garfield Park, renamed in tribute to his murdered friend Fazon. The mixtape Welcome to Fazoland turned a personal memorial into a piece of Chicago drill geography that fans still cite.

A Detroit soda company founded in 1907 by Russian-immigrant bakers, famous for cheap, brightly coloured pops in flavours like Rock & Rye, Redpop and Moon Mist. Genuine civic icon — and forever tied to Insane Clown Posse, whose live shows famously involve spraying the crowd with two-litres of it.

Fauci-ing is declining to meet someone because they aren't taking public-health precautions seriously enough.

French for 'suburb' (literally 'false town' — outside the old walls), and in New Orleans it's the prefix slapped on the historic neighbourhoods that grew up around the original French Quarter — Faubourg Marigny, Faubourg Tremé, Faubourg St. John, Faubourg Bouligny. Locals usually drop the 'Faubourg' in conversation ('the Marigny', 'Tremé') but it's there on every street sign and real-estate listing.

A generously packed, thick joint or blunt.

The everyday work or field uniform, as opposed to dress uniforms.

In ballroom culture, the father is the head of a house — usually a butch queen or butch with the most trophies and the longest time on the scene. It's a chosen-family role, not a biological one. The father coaches children on their categories, helps build costumes, and doubles as a real source of emotional and sometimes financial support for kids who've been pushed out by their families of origin. Sits alongside the house mother as co-parent of the family.

The father of a house is the other head of the family, sharing leadership with the mother. He mentors and protects the children, reps the house, and helps run the show. Same respect, same responsibility — a different seat at the head of the table. Some houses have both a mother and a father; others lean on one.

A staple of paranormal romance — werewolves, vampires, dragons — where two characters recognise each other as soul-bonded partners on sight. Fate did the swiping. Everything after is just them catching up to what their wolf already knows.

A keying mistake by a trader, hitting the wrong digit or an extra zero and accidentally sending an order for the wrong amount, price or instrument. Fat-finger trades have triggered flash crashes and cost banks hundreds of millions in seconds.

A condition of wealth, ease, and success.