Slang Dictionary — Modern Slang, Decoded

Calling a man 'she' — not as an insult and not (necessarily) about gender, but as in-group warmth, teasing, or a sly little jab. In Polari and the gay scenes that followed, swapping a man's pronoun was affection, camp, or shade depending on tone. It signals you're family, and it can flip from a hug to a slap depending on how you say it. The practice carries straight through into modern drag and ballroom culture.

Anyone you're addressing — friend, stranger, the guy at the counter. In Atlanta it's a comma, not a description. No actual shortness required.

An inexperienced second lieutenant in the Army.

A translucent, amber, glass-like cannabis extract that snaps and shatters into dab-sized pieces.

A coach. Specifically the old-school works-outing kind — what a charabanc became when Brummie tongues got hold of it. Still heard from older speakers booking a 'sharra' to Blackpool.

The shout you give before moving through BOH with a knife, mandoline blade, or anything else that'll open someone up if they pivot the wrong way. Pairs with 'behind' or 'atras' — the location warning plus the threat warning, in two syllables.

A reduplicated Pidgin intensifier meaning something is done immediately or very quickly.

Called when you're walking through the line with a knife in your hand. Same family as 'behind' and 'hot' — a one-word heads-up that stops anyone from turning into the blade.

A shark hunter is a thief who seeks out intoxicated men in order to rob them while they are vulnerable.

A show-off; someone who swaggers or struts to impress. 'Throwing shapes' is showing off.

The reprieve. After a lip sync for your life, RuPaul tells the queen who survives 'shantay, you stay', the verdict that she lives to compete another week. 'Shantay' is borrowed flair (a nod to 'enchanté' / French chic) that softens the blade. The relief half of the show's most famous coin-flip.

To shank is to stab a person with a knife or improvised blade, in both prison and street slang.

A knife, particularly a blade carried as a weapon. Core MLE street vocab — used across UK drill, road rap and everyday London slang. Originally prison slang for an improvised blade, it migrated into the ends decades ago and stuck.

A Scots word (especially the North East and Traveller cant) meaning a pity, unfair, or of poor quality.

A shamus is a private eye or detective, a staple of hardboiled crime fiction.

A nickname for the US Army Specialist rank device, joking that a Specialist can now get privates to do the work while dodging real accountability.

A friend, mate or lad; a form of address. Regional (Waterford, Connacht).

A street dance combining leg-shuffling and shoulder movement, born in Lagos's Agege area; exact origin details are disputed but it reached international fame via Mr Real's street anthem 'Legbegbe.'

A thorough search of a cell, dorm, or person for prohibited items. Also called a search party.

A celebratory call to enjoy yourself through dance.

The small broken-off pieces of cannabis that collect at the bottom of a bag or container.

Describes exaggerated posturing to impress or maintain distance — from flashy dressing to romantic coyness. 'Do shakara' means to act pretentious or aloof.

A hand sign made with the thumb and little finger extended and the middle fingers curled, signaling 'hang loose', thanks, or all-around good vibes.

Describes an obstacle, spot, or situation that feels unsafe, unsettling, or intimidating to ride. Close in meaning to 'sketchy'.