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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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Latest slang terms

An inexpensive café, especially a traditional 'greasy spoon'.

caer el chahuistle

Said when something spoils the moment or an unwelcome person shows up unexpectedly.

A prison job seen as easy, well-positioned, or privileged compared to hard labor assignments.

Instant coffee prepared with creamer and sweetener as a small luxury. 'Cadillac' also denotes a prized work assignment or the best bunk.

To get something off someone by asking — politely or otherwise. A cadged tab, a cadged lift, a cadged tenner till Friday. Not quite begging, not quite borrowing; it's the grey area in between. Wider than Geordie but heavily used across the North East.

The set pattern or frequency at which something recurs, like meetings or releases.

cadbury's flake

Cockney rhyming slang for 'mistake'. Often shortened to 'Cadbury's' or just 'Flake'. Named after the crumbly British chocolate bar.

Jocular term for strong or rough alcoholic drink.

Junk. Random stuff. The miscellaneous pile of crap that lives in your garage, your glove box, the drawer in the kitchen. Affectionate-dismissive — not actually trash, just clutter you can't be bothered to sort.

Portmanteau of canoeing and brewing. The Michigan summer pastime of loading a cooler into a canoe, pushing off down a lazy river (Au Sable, Manistee, Rifle), and drinking your way downstream. Often a whole-day affair with a flotilla of friends, lashed-together vessels, and a designated sober driver waiting at the takeout.

Surgery that reroutes blood around blocked coronary arteries using grafted vessels. Pronounced 'cabbage.'

Mentally gone. Either from too much booze, too many drugs, or just a brutal shift that's hollowed you out. The lights are on but no one's running the desk.

Used casually and often with a vintage or playful feel.

A vert and transition trick consisting of a 360-degree ollie performed while riding fakie, rotating backside. Commonly shortened to 'cab' or 'full cab.'

Doesn't actually ask anyone to come anywhere. It's a verbal nudge meaning 'listen' or 'tell me this' — used to flag that a question or bit of gossip is coming. Stretched out as 'c'mere to me now' for emphasis. Pure Hiberno-English filler with rhythm.

The standard term inmates and staff use for a uniformed prison guard.

Refers to the seven cervical vertebrae; in the ED, 'clearing the C-spine' means confirming there is no neck fracture or instability after trauma.

A C-note is a hundred-dollar bill, 'C' being the Roman numeral for 100.

A stiff brace applied around the neck to limit movement of the cervical spine after suspected trauma until injury is ruled out.

Stands for "bring your own bottle/booze," instructing guests to bring their own drinks.

Bring Your Own; especially of a restaurant where you supply your own alcohol, or a party.

South Wales way of saying 'over there' or 'in that place'. Pairs with 'by here' for 'right here'. Direct calque from Welsh fan hyn / fan 'na ('place here' / 'place there'). Sounds redundant in standard English but does precise locating work in Wenglish.

In New Orleans, 'by' takes the place of 'at' when talking about somebody's home — 'come by my house,' 'we ate by my mama's.' It's a direct translation from the French 'chez,' baked into local English by generations of bilingual NOLA families. Outside Louisiana it sounds wrong; inside, it's the only way.

Welsh English for 'right here, in this spot.' Pairs with 'by there' for 'over there.' Comes from a direct lift of Welsh syntax ('fan hyn' / 'fan yna' — the place here / the place there). Sounds redundant to outsiders, sounds completely normal in Cardiff, Swansea, or anywhere west of the Severn.