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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A patient with no permanent home who sleeps on others' sofas; relevant to discharge planning.

An alt account someone runs to pretend they're a different person — usually to upvote their own posts, agree with themselves in the comments, or dogpile someone they're already fighting with on their main. The whole point is the deception; if you're open about the alt, it's not a sockpuppet.

To share a proposal with people ahead of a formal decision to build support and gather reactions.

social admission

An admission where the patient has no acute medical problem but cannot safely be at home — often an elderly person lacking support.

Shorthand for Southern California, spanning roughly LA to San Diego.

Signals agreement or readiness, like 'alright, let's do it'.

A charting abbreviation for the sensation of not being able to breathe adequately, i.e. dyspnea.

In Heroes of the Storm the team levels together, so just being near minions when they die banks experience for everyone. You don't even need the kill, you 'soak' it.

One of the great brain-melters of New England English. Means the exact opposite of what it sounds like: 'so don't I' = 'so do I.' Used to enthusiastically agree. Linguists have written papers on it; Bostonians have been doing it since the Pilgrims and don't see what the fuss is about.

A two-word demolition for someone declaring a brave hot take that's actually the most popular opinion in the room. Tone is dry as bone — the whole point is the gap between the poster's self-image and reality.

A whisper-quiet way of asking if a man is gay back when saying it outright could get you arrested. 'Is he so?' meant 'is he one of us?' The beauty of it: 'so' is the most innocent word in English, so the question slid right past anyone not in the know. Pure coded survival slang.

A Sensitive Needs Yard houses prisoners who would be targeted on a mainline yard, such as informants, sex offenders, or dropouts. Also called a sensitive needs yard.

Describes a patient so loaded with sedatives or opioids that they are barely rousable. To 'snow' someone is to sedate them heavily.

RAF Police, called this since WWII because of the distinctive white cover worn over the peaked cap. Same logic as the US Army's MPs being called the same thing in some theatres. Affectionate to neutral when said by other RAF personnel; mildly contemptuous when said by someone who's just been nicked at the gate.

When a position's movement accelerates and compounds — losses (or gains) piling up faster and faster as momentum or forced trades feed on themselves.

Get ahead early, use that advantage to get further ahead, and keep rolling. One kill funds an item, the item gets you the next kill, and suddenly you're uncatchable. The lead snowballs.

A catch made high in the webbing so the ball protrudes from the top of the glove like a scoop of ice on a cone.

A vanilla slice; a custard-filled pastry, jocularly named for its gooey filling.

Slang for the endotracheal tube used to ventilate a patient, resembling a snorkel.

Cold and biting, of the weather. A Yorkshire/Northern dialect word.

Any extra clothing or equipment meant to keep a service member warm and comfortable, named for the sniveling of those who want it.

A person who reports the activities of other inmates to guards or investigators.

Rapidly buying newly listed, mispriced or rare NFTs — often via bots — before other buyers can, usually to resell higher.

Mean, tight, underhanded — the kind of person who'd shortchange you and smile while doing it. In Manc usage it carries a sneaky, two-faced edge, not just stingy with cash but stingy with decency.