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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Latest slang terms

Your best friend. Shortened from 'best' with the classic Scouse '-ie' diminutive. Often doubled up as 'bezzie mate' for emphasis. Warm, unironic — this is the person you'd ring at 3am.

In Nadsat, bezoomny means mad, crazy, or insane. Source word: Russian 'bezumny' (безумный), literally 'mad' or 'senseless'.

beyond the black stump

An imaginary point beyond which the country is remote and uncivilised.

Angry or annoyed; short, punchy form of 'vexed'.

An exclamation of approval, a rendering of 'beauty'.

As a verb or in 'on the bevvy', to go drinking.

Drunk — comfortably tanked up rather than absolutely steaming. From 'bevvy', Scouse and wider Northern slang for an alcoholic drink (shortened from 'beverage'). 'Going for a bevvy' is the standard way to suggest a pint.

Any drink, often clipped in casual NYC speech.

An affectionate or mocking word for an idiot. Also spelled 'beaut'.

The feminine form is 'beurette', though that word has been heavily appropriated and degraded online, so it carries baggage the masculine 'beur' does not.

One of the oldest and best-known pieces of surf slang for a surfer girl or an attractive woman around the surf scene.

'Betsy' (or 'Old Betsy') is an affectionate nickname for a gun, treating a favored weapon as a companion; in some usage it also meant a fist.

In the set phrase 'laisse beton', 'beton' is verlan for 'tomber' (to drop/fall), reshaped from tom-ber to be-ton. The whole phrase means 'drop it' or 'forget it'.

beta-alanine tingles

The itchy, tingling sensation (paresthesia) many people feel 10-20 minutes after taking beta-alanine, a common pre-workout ingredient; harmless and often taken as a sign the pre is 'kicking in'.

A volunteer who reads a draft of fan fiction to catch errors and give feedback before it is published.

Sometimes sarcastic, aimed at someone you're not actually close to.

Describing a product or solution regarded as the top performer in its specific class.

The female anime character a fan rates above all others in a given series, especially in shows with a love-triangle or harem setup. Declaring your best girl is a fandom rite.

The male counterpart to best girl: the male character a fan considers the best in a series. As with best girl, the character's sex is largely aesthetic and it functions as 'best overall'.

A term for a woman or girl, ranging from affectionately cheeky to disparaging.

An embankment built up on the outside of a track corner to create a banked wall riders can rail around at speed. Berms let you carry more speed through turns than a flat corner.

To boil. Used about water, crawfish, shrimp, crabs — anything getting dropped in a pot with cayenne and corn. The noun works too: a crawfish berl is a whole afternoon, not just a meal.

To go berserk or become uncontrollably angry.

A mild insult meaning a fool or idiot, derived from the vulgar rhyming slang 'Berkshire/Berkeley Hunt'.