Slang in English speaking countries.

Boy   Wednesday, June 25, 2003, 15:48 GMT
Nifty, Evil, rad ( I think these are American slang terms for "great".)
"Zany" means "crazy" or "nutty". It does mean great at all.
Boy   Wednesday, June 25, 2003, 15:49 GMT
Correction: It does not mean great at all.
Kabam   Wednesday, June 25, 2003, 15:52 GMT
Thanks "." for your comprehensive answer.
Note that I haven't described them to be from here or there, my dictionaries have, and I wan't to check their accuracy (which seems to be not very good).
American people, what about the words listed as being American slang?
Jim, what about the Australian slang for great?
Kabam   Wednesday, June 25, 2003, 15:55 GMT
Oh, I didn't see you post, Boy. Thanks for these additional precisions. :)
.   Wednesday, June 25, 2003, 19:17 GMT
.
Kabam   Friday, June 27, 2003, 18:51 GMT
Any American people can tell me which slangy word for "great" are old, which are still used and which are missing? (I listed them on the previous page).
Kabam   Sunday, June 29, 2003, 00:03 GMT
I don't know if that's correct in English, but in French we would say that my question is making a "flop". :( ;)
Julian   Wednesday, July 02, 2003, 04:07 GMT
American Slang for "great"
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Zany – this actually means crazy, wacky, nutty, and is not too frequently used unless your a film critic

Wild – this doesn’t really mean great, more like outrageous (in a good way)

Sweet – used to describe something that pleases you, e.g. “You gave me a present??? Sweet!” I still hear this a lot.

Mint – unless you’re describing something that is brand new, I wouldn’t use this word.

Hot – still in use, but not among the young generation

Stoked – still in use (infrequently), but used when you are extremely pleased, e.g. “I aced my test. I am stoked!”

Jazzed – not currently in vogue; used to describe excitement about something.

Pumped – archaic

Crazy – not used to describe something great

Off-the-wall – see “zany”

Wicked – this was popular in the early ‘80s; unless you live in the New England states, “wicked” is pretty antiquated

Bad – this was popular fifteen years ago. I don’t hear this too often anymore.

Tough – not used to describe something great

Awesome – still very much in use

Brutal – only used to describe something extremely tough, e.g. “That exam was brutal!” or “I have Mr. Fisher for Physics. He is brutal!”

Rad, Radical, Way rad – not unless you’re stuck in the ‘80s. If you use this word, you risk sounding so uncool.

Cool, Way cool, Ultra cool – “cool” and “way cool” are still in use. “Ultra cool” is awkward.

Insane, crazy – re “insane”, see “wild”

Trippin' – used in a negative way, e.g. “You’re trippin’”, synonymous with “Are you high?” or “What’ve you been smoking?”

Bitchin' – I still hear people who grew up in the ‘70s use this word. I would recommend not using it or you risk sounding really uncool.

Top-notch – not slang, more like a coined term; used primarily in advertising or selling product

A real Kick – old

Weird, Kinky, Bizarre – “weird” and “bizarre” are used to describe something strange and unusual. “Kinky” describes sexual "deviancy", e.g. "Wow, you're into bondage? How kinky."

Bad ass – I still hear this (infrequently though)

Terrific – still in use, but this isn’t slang

Neat – old; see “bitchin’”

Sharp – not used to describe something great

Rowdy – not used to describe something great

Laid-back, Easy-going, Mellow – all synonyms to describe a calm, serene demeanor

A helluva (= a hell of a) – a helluva what? There’s “hella” which means “very,” as in “That’s hella cool.” But this was back in the ‘80s.

Cream of the crop – cliché

That turns me on! – usually used to describe something or someone that elicits sexual excitement, e.g. “Listening to Barry White sing really turns me on.”

That's a blast! – still in use, e.g. “That party was a blast!”

That blows my mind/that's a mind blower – I don’t hear this too often.

That's a classic! – not used as slang; used to describe something timeless, e.g. a car, a movie, a song, etc.

That's something else! – not slang

We're having a helluva time! – still used, e.g. “That was a helluva party I went to last night.”

That blew me away! – still used, but is this slang?; “That concert performance blew me away!”

This is a riot! - not used to describe something great; used to describe something funny: “That movie was a riot!”

How about:

Da Bomb – “That movie was da BOMB!”; usage is falling out of favor, if not already; hip-hop vernacular: “drop bombs” – make great rhymes.

Shit – “That concert last night was the SHIT!”, also used as a noun: “That’s some good shit (marijuana).”

Dope – “Those shoes are dope.”

Phat – “I just heard Ludacris’ new song. It was phat!”

Sick – “That move (play) Kobe just made was sick!”

Ill – “That DJ plays the illest tunes.”

Slammin’ – “That was a slammin’ party last night.”

Tight – “Oh man, that MC’s rhymes are tight!”

Kick-ass – “You did a kick-ass job on that account.” “That band kicks ass!”

Butter, gravy - "Her perfomance last night was like butter."
Kabam   Wednesday, July 02, 2003, 10:55 GMT
Thanks for all this precisions, Julian. I won't learn the words which aren't that used thanks to you.
Kabam   Wednesday, July 02, 2003, 12:43 GMT
oops "...all THESE precisions..."
Boy   Saturday, July 05, 2003, 03:28 GMT
Julian, Correct me If I ain't wrong, Are yo from California?

I learned some slang expressions a couple of months ago. Would you please tell me which of them are "in" or "out"?

1) Dead presidents.
2) Franken food.
3) Peace out Dawg.
4) Homey
5) Amigo
6) Crib
7) Chilling
8) Take a chill pill!
9) leech
10) geek
11) What's dirt on them?
12) dipshit
13) sleepy-bye
14) cover someone ass
15) Oh, nothin' much, same old days, same old days.
16) Chicks
17) mumbo-jumbo
18) copycats (Is this a slang term?)
19) Rock on ( I never really understand how to use it).
20) You Betcha!
Julian to Boy   Saturday, July 05, 2003, 08:44 GMT
>>> Julian, Correct me If I ain't wrong, Are yo from California? <<<

Yes I am. And if I may correct you -- "Correct me if I'M wrong..."

>>> I learned some slang expressions a couple of months ago. Would you please tell me which of them are "in" or "out"? <<<

I'd be happy to help:

1) Dead presidents - this is old-time black slang that hadn't reached white American culture until 1995 when the movie "Dead Presidents" came out. Whether this expression is "in" or "out" depends on where and to whom you use it. I, myself, haven't heard it used for some time.
2) Franken food - I've probably only heard this expression used once, and that was while watching a news special on genetically engineered food.
3) Peace out Dawg - urban street slang; old when used in its entirety. Better to just say "Peace" (pronounced like "pace"); absolutely ridiculous when white Americans say it.
4) Homey - urban street slang; very old, better to use its shortened form "homes", but if you're white and you use it around blacks, they might snicker.
5) Amigo - still in use, but usually when referring to your Latino friends ("Hey, que paso, amigo?")
6) Crib - in; urban street slang
7) Chilling - in
8) Take a chill pill! - better to say "Chill out!"
9) leech - in; an old slang word that has become part of the American English lexicon.
10) geek - an old slang word that has become part of the American English lexicon. However, in my opinion it's passé.
11) What's the dirt on them? - Sounds like an old episode of "Dragnet"
12) dipshit - old
13) sleepy-bye - never heard of this one
14) cover someone ass - hunh? Do you mean like this, "Joe was late to work again, I had to cover his ass"? I guess it's still in.
15) Oh, nothin' much, same old days, same old days. - I don't think this qualifies as slang. I've heard (Q: "What's going on?") "Oh, nuthin' much, same old shit, different day."
16) Chicks - see "geek"
17) mumbo-jumbo - old
18) copycats (Is this a slang term?) - not slang
19) Rock on (I never really understand how to use it) - old; sample dialogue:

Person A: "Got any plans for tomorrow?"
Person B: "Oh, I'm gonna shoot some hoops with my buddies, then we'll pop open some beer and watch the game."
Person A: "Rock on."

20) You Betcha! - very old, unless you're Minnesotan
Ryan   Saturday, July 05, 2003, 15:13 GMT
Speaking of movie slang, why is it that when the British say "cinemas" it sounds like "cinemars?" Is this another example of the intrusive R, or is it really spelled this way in Britain.

In the USA, the word cinema is known and used by many companies to describe their movie facilities, but the more general word is "theater." If you say "I'm going to the cinema" in the US, people will look at you funny. Of course, most people just say "I'm going to see a movie."

Ryan
Lana   Saturday, July 05, 2003, 18:40 GMT
I'm white and I knew the term dead presidents long before 1995. It means money--all american bills have the picture of a dead president.

Frankenfood is new and it does mean genetically engineered food. The Franken part comes from the Frankenstein monster which was made out of parts of different bodies spliced together.
Julian to Lana   Saturday, July 05, 2003, 19:56 GMT
You're right. I was speaking from my perspective. "Dead presidents" is definitely old slang, but I think the term was fairly obscure among the general populace. (I probably shouldn't said that in my original post, rather than refer to white American culture) Once the flick came out though, everyone in my neck of the woods started using it like it was the new word du jour.