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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Latest slang terms

Cold; the shortened form of 'potatoes in the mould'.

A folksy nickname for a home run, sometimes rendered 'long tater' for an especially deep shot.

Vertical shmups were built for arcade screens turned on their side, so you got the full tall playfield. Tate mode rotates the display 90 degrees to recreate that at home, no squished borders, full resolution. Purists insist on it.

A device that replays a tool-assisted run's exact button presses on genuine console hardware, frame by frame. It's how a TAS made on an emulator gets proven on the real thing.

A run assembled with emulator tools, slowdown, frame advance, save states, so every input is optimal. Not a human performance; it is the theoretical ceiling of a game.

A euphemistic curse used for emphasis, as in "what in tarnation."

A large, physically dominant centre-forward who wins headers, holds the ball up and brings others into play.

Goodbye for now — literally 'ta-ra a bit', i.e. bye for a bit. 'Ta-ra' is the standard Midlands/Northern bye, and tacking 'a bit' on the end softens it to 'see you in a while'. Said quick, it lands as one word: tararabit.

A farewell meaning 'goodbye for now'. 'Tara' alone also means bye across the Midlands and North West.

Goodbye. The everyday way half of South Wales and most of Merseyside sign off a phone call or wave you out the door. Warmer than 'bye', less formal than 'cheerio'.

Head over heels, upside-down or in complete disarray.

Literally 'tops off'; used to mark the (rare) hot, sunny weather when Scots strip to the waist.

Making an unauthorised approach to a player who is under contract at another club, without permission.

The standard Puerto Rican word for a traffic jam; literally a 'plug' or 'cork' stopping the flow.

The trade that turns hung sheetrock into a smooth wall. Tapers apply paper or mesh tape over the joints, embed it in joint compound (mud), then float multiple coats and sand it flat. Specialist gig — good tapers earn well because bad mudwork shows under every coat of paint.

A surprise news headline that hits the wires and immediately jerks prices around. Named after the old ticker tape, the term survived into the Bloomberg era to describe any unscheduled, market-moving story, a leaked memo, a sudden resignation, a geopolitical flash.

An easy finish from a yard or two out, requiring only a simple touch to roll the ball over the line.

To approach someone to borrow money or ask a favour. Common Northern usage.

An Apex Legends movement trick where you tap forward (usually bound to the scroll wheel) mid-air to redirect your momentum almost 90 degrees while keeping speed. Makes you a nightmare to track.

Short for a diagnostic or therapeutic puncture that draws off fluid, most often a lumbar puncture (spinal tap) but also chest or abdominal taps.

An affectionate term for an aunt, or by extension any older woman one respects.

An affectionate and respectful term for an aunt or older woman, a variant of 'tanty'.

To tease, taunt, or provoke someone, often persistently and irritatingly.

British slang for the pre-decimal sixpence coin.