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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

Asking to alternate use of a piece of equipment with someone during their rest periods.

In dealing slang 'work' refers to a batch of drugs to be sold. To 'put in work' can also mean to commit violence for the gang.

A procedure word meaning "communication is difficult; transmit each phrase twice." It can be a request to the sender or a statement of how the speaker will proceed.

Used as a greeting or acknowledgment between friends.

A phrase used to swear sincerity, as in 'word to my mother' — equivalent to 'I swear to God.'

A statement of personal honor and trustworthiness within the community.

An expression of agreement or affirmation; 'I agree' or 'that's true.'

A self-adhesive thermoplastic sheet that becomes pliable when heated and holds shape when cool, popular for wrapping foam and creating detailed cosplay armor.

My girlfriend, missus, or wife. 'Wor' is Geordie for 'our' (used possessively for family), 'lass' is the partner. Said affectionately, never sneeringly — she's the one running the show at home.

My younger brother or sister — literally 'our kid'. The default way a North-Easterner refers to a sibling without naming them. Also used across the wider North (Manchester famously).

Originally 'our', now versatile, meaning our, me or us, often affectionately as in 'wor lass'.

A remote, isolated location far from anywhere; the back of beyond. Also spelled 'wops'.

An imaginary or real place far from anywhere; the back of beyond.

Boston shorthand for somewhere unreasonably far. If a party is 'in the woop' or 'out in the woop-woop,' you're driving 40 minutes and parking in grass. Probably borrowed from the Australian 'woop-woop' (middle of nowhere) and clipped down — Bostonians use the singular too.

Derogatory Scouse term for anyone from the Merseyside fringe — St Helens, Widnes, Warrington, the Wirral. Means you talk a bit Scouse, dress a bit Scouse, but you're not from town and everyone knows it.

woolworth's test

British anaesthetists' gut-check before putting a patient under: if you can imagine them shuffling round Woolworth's picking up a kettle, they're robust enough for a general. If the mental image is a stretcher and an oxygen mask, rethink. Pure vibes-based medicine — and surprisingly reliable. The US equivalent swaps in Wal-Mart now that Woolies is dead.

A person from the areas surrounding Liverpool rather than the city proper. The longer form of 'wool'.

Warm wool garments, layered up against the cold.

Someone from the Merseyside outskirts — St Helens, Warrington, Widnes, Wirral on a bad day — who isn't quite a Scouser but lives close enough to claim it. Mild piss-take, sometimes sharper.

The vintage word for what's now mostly called stealth: blending into the world so completely that nobody, not coworkers, not neighbours, sometimes not even a partner, knows you're trans. Straight from 'fade into the woodwork', meaning to vanish into the background. Heritage trans slang you'll mostly meet in older writing.

The frame of the goal; a shot 'off the woodwork' hits a post or the bar despite it no longer being wooden.

A uniformed police constable, as called by plain-clothes detectives. Implies thick-headed, by-the-book, all helmet and no brain.

A joking, mildly derogatory BMX nickname for skateboarders, referencing their wooden decks. It reflects the friendly rivalry between the two scenes.

The wood-grain steering wheel — and often matching dash trim and shift knob — fitted as standard inside a proper Houston slab. Paired with the candy paint outside and the swangas under it, the wood grain is the interior tell. UGK's 'Wood Wheel' is basically a love song to it.