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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An acronym thrown at the Black Disciples by their enemies — most famously by GD-affiliated drill artists. Saying BDK in a Chicago track isn't decoration; it's a target. The mirror image of GDK ('Gangster Disciple Killer') used by BDs.

The aura of someone so secure in themselves they don't perform it. Not arrogance, not swagger — the opposite. Calm, low-volume, nothing to prove. Anyone of any gender can have it; in fact the joke is often that the people with the most BDE are the ones you'd never expect.

'Birth Control Glasses,' the thick-framed, unflattering standard-issue eyeglasses once given to recruits, so ugly they supposedly guaranteed the wearer no romance.

'Branched-chain amino acids' (leucine, isoleucine, valine) sold as a supplement claimed to support muscle building and recovery.

An abbreviation of "because," used to shorten explanations. Also spelled B/C or cuz.

Stands for "be back soon," indicating a short absence from the conversation. Common in chat and gaming.

Stands for "be back later," telling others you'll return after some time away. Longer absence than BRB.

Expresses sharp irritation or frustration, roughly 'this is so annoying / I'm losing it'.

In a confused, giddy or bewildered state, sometimes from being smitten. Also spelt bazoodie.

Houston's oldest civic nickname. The Allen brothers founded the city on Buffalo Bayou in 1836 and built outward along the slow brown waterways that still snake through every neighbourhood. When it floods — and it floods — the name explains itself.

Cigarettes, especially ready-rolled or manufactured ones.

Battling is the direct duel. Two performers, same category, going at each other until the judges (or the crowd) decide who took it. No teamwork, no hiding — it's you against them, move for move. The tension is half the show.

Someone who works hard and perseveres despite limited means; the 'Aussie battler' is admired.

The complete set of combat equipment a service member wears, including helmet, body armor, ammunition and weapon, named for the rattling sound it makes on the move.

Cockney rhyming slang meaning a boozer, i.e. a pub.

A head-to-head in the ballroom — two performers go at it in the same category, trading runs until the judges (or the crowd) decide who served harder. It's competitive, theatrical and personal: you're not just dancing, you're proving you're better than the body standing across from you.

The pitcher-and-catcher combination; the two are called batterymates.

A cannabis extract with a thick, pliable consistency similar to cake batter, closely related to budder.

The high-visibility checkered pattern (usually yellow and blue for police, yellow and green for ambulance, yellow and red for fire) plastered down the sides of UK emergency vehicles.

A swimming costume; the usual word in Victoria and South Australia.

Hiberno-English spelling of 'beat', reflecting how it's actually said. Means to physically beat someone up, or as an adjective ('I'm bate') to be exhausted, defeated, wrecked. Works both for the fight and the aftermath.

A slim, cigarette-shaped one-hit pipe, usually stored in a dugout, that is dipped into ground cannabis and smoked in a single draw.

A fortified farmhouse of the Border country, built for defence against raiders.

A confused fight or loud disagreement. Reduplicative for disorder.