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Slang in English speaking countries.
I have bought two short dictionaries of English Slang. One is about American slang, the other one is about British slang.
I'd like to know which words or idioms are currently used, which are a bit old and if some are missing...
I would like to know if they are different slangy word in some other English speaking country.
For a start, I'd like to show you the vocabulary about cinema given by both of my books. I'm sure there must be far more words in British than those given. The American dictionary seems to be more comprehensive.
Some words don't seem to belong to slang to me but to jargon (Preview, Trailer, Matinee, Late Show, ...)
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BRITISH SLANG ABOUT CINEMA
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Pictures, Flicks, Pickies, Movies.
Preview
Trailer
Matinee
PG = Parental Guidance
U = Universal
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AMERICAN SLANG ABOUT CINEMA
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Movie Theater, Cinema
Movie
A Bomb, a Flop
Matinee
Double-Feature
Held Over
Sold Out
Preview
To catch a flick / To catch a movie
Porn-flick, Skin-flick
G = General Audience
PG = Parental Guidance
PG 13 = Parental Guidance for under 13 children
R = Restricted. Parental Guidance for the under 17.
X = Fobidden to the under 18.
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Thanks by advance for your replies.
I forgot to mention: "Late Show" in British English.
Kabam,
Is it a French-English dictionary that you are using or an English-English idctionary ? Because I don't have much confidence in the accuracy of the former one.
Are you sure "matinée" or "matinee" is a slang word ? I am not sure it is.
For American English "matinée" is an afternoon performance at a theatre or a movie theatre. They pronounce it like "mat-I-nay".
Can you make example for the words you mentioned please.
I heard that 'pictures' meaning cinema is dated. Does your dictionary confirm that ? British, please confirm.
So we can say :
I go to the "pictures" once a week.
Well, as I said, I think some words in this dictionary are jargon and not slang. That's why I'm not too sure of its accuracy and I would like some natives to tell me what's wrong or missing.
You guessed right, Chantal, It's a French-English Dictionary: "L'Anglais sans Interdit, British Slang" Ed. Assimil.
The other one is "L'Americain sans Interdit, American Slang" Ed. Assimil.
The only ones you could call slang would be "flicks", "pickies", "a bomb", "a flop", "to catch a flick" & "to catch a movie", the rest are pretty standard English.
I couldn't tell you for certain what's currently used and what's not in the UK and the USA but here's what we wouldn't say in Australia:
Pictures (maybe you'll hear it from the older generation),
Flicks (maybe you'll hear this from the older generation too),
Pickies (I'd think photographs if you said this to me),
U = Universal (haven't heard this one)
Movie Theater (this is just a matter of spelling it's "theatre" in Aussie), Cinema (maybe you'll hear this one from the older generation also),
A Bomb, a Flop (not Aussie slang, you'd be more likely to hear "It was crap.")
Held Over (haven't heard this one)
To catch a flick, Porn-flick, Skin-flick (this is to do with the "flick" word)
Late Show (I'd think of a TV show)
you'll rarely hear "cinema" used in the US, even by the older generation. everyone just says "the movies" refering to the actual theater building. "bomb" and "flop" are more often used by critics, not so much by the average person, as these words tend to refer to how poorly a movie did financially. like jim said, most people will just say that the film was garbage, a piece of sh*t, you know, be creative.
i've also never heard the term "held over," but everything else seems ok in the US part.
Thank you very much, hp20 and Jim. Can any British check what I posted now?
If there is any one from another English speaking country, I'd like to know what you'd say too.
American Movie Theater
G = General Audience
PG = Parental Guidance
PG 13 = Parental Guidance for under 13 children
R = Restricted. Parental Guidance for the under 17.
X = Fobidden to the under 18.
British Cinema
U = Universal (for all ages)
PG = Parental Guidance
15 = Forbidden to under 15
18 = Forbidden to under 18
also used in England
Movie
a Flop
Sold Out
Preview
film is used instead of "flick"
and you don't say "to catch a movie" you say "to see a movie" or "to see a film".
Thank you McNight.
Is there a specific slang or vocabulary about cinema in Scotland, Ireland or New-Zealand?
Chick flick, a movie only appeals for a female audience.
Lame, you can use it when you think the movie is not very good.
There're many slang and informal terms which are normally spoken in the USA.
all that Jazz, the skinny, skin-flick, cut a deal, cut to the chase, all that,
crap, crappy, chessy, bail on, behind bars, catch some z's, hit to the sack,
chew out, chew the fat, sofa slug, couch potato, copycats, check it out,
come to think of it, catch on, canary, corny, cutting-edge, corporate raider, call the shots, pull no punches, creep, cool, crash, crappy, chic, crush, bounce, cut and dry, cabin fever, chill out, hang out, close your head, croak, cat out of the bag, click, behind the eight ball, blow chunks, burned out, bread, bitch out, bootleg, bite someone, baked, bust digits, bloody, breaks, brainwash, buddy, pal, amigo, dude, pinhead, bonehead, bro, geeky, bite the bullet, butts, cover someone ass, asshole, loser, jerk, prick, jackass, ass-kisser, big shot, blow off steam, AWOl, dead presidents, bucks.
These are the terms that I can recall right now. See you later, Alligator.
Are you the same "boy" who spoke about his cousins from Virginia in another thread ?
Thanks all. I think there will be no more reply about cinema, so let's continue with something for which many slang exist: slang for "great"!
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British Slang for "great"
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Ace
Fab = Fabulous
Brill = Brillant
Okay
Shit Hot
A beauty, Stunning, Groovy.
Mind Blowing
Hunky Dory
Okey Dokey
Super, Superb
Smashing
Great, Wicked, Splendid
Amazing
Sound
Gobsmacking
A killer
A knock-out (adj.), sensational
Super dooper
Bloody Marvellous
To have a laugh/a whale of a time
A sight for sore eyes
It was a classic!
It's a scream!
It's the best thing since sliced bread.
It's the cat whiskers
It's all the rage
We had a hell of a good time
It's just what the doctor ordered
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______________________
American Slang for "great"
______________________
Zany
Wild
Sweet
Mint
Hot
Stoked
Jazzed
Pumped
Crazy
Off-the-wall
Wicked
Bad
Tough
Awesome
Brutal
Rad, Radical, Way rad
Cool, Way cool, Ultra cool
Insane, crazy
Trippin'
Bitchin'
Top-notch
A real Kick
Weird, Kinky, Bizarre
Bas ass
Terrific
Neat
Sharp
Rowdy
Laid-back
Easy-going
Mellow
A helluva (= a hell of a)
Cream of the crop
That turns me on!
That's a blast!
That blows my mind/that's a mind blower
That's a classic!
That's something else!
We're having a helluva time!
That blew me away!
This is a riot!
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So, same questions:
Which are old? Which are used in some other part of the world? Is there some slangy british or american word missing? Is there some others slangy words used in some other part of the world (Australia, Ireland, New-Zealand, ...)?
In England these words and status
old, means used by older generation.
Ace (old)
Fab = Fabulous (old)
Brill = Brillant (old)
Okay (never heard this for great)
Shit Hot (heard a lot)
A beauty, (very old)
Stunning, (very old, hardly ever used)
Groovy. (very old, hardly ever used)
Mind Blowing (very old, hardly ever used)
Hunky Dory (very very old, never used)
Okey Dokey (very old, never used)
Super, (old)
Superb (old)
Smashing (very old, hardly ever used)
Great, (still used)
Wicked, (used a lot)
Splendid (still used)
Amazing (old)
Sound (still used, especially in Manchester, Liverpool area)
Gobsmacking (very old, never used)
A killer (not heard of this)
A knock-out (adj.), (never heard this used)
sensational (old)
Super dooper (only used by people who want to be laughed at)
Bloody Marvellous (used by old people in the south of England)
There are loads of regional words for "Great" It depends on where you live. Some would use words in different areas? There are lot more, for example in North East I've heard *Boss* used.
The one you've listed as American...........
Insane, (not used to describe "great")
crazy (not used to describe "great")
Trippin' (used by Rap wannabes)
Bitchin' (you look stupid if you said this)
Top-notch (old, I thought this was British saying?)
A real Kick (not used to describe "great")
Weird, (never to describe as great)
Kinky, (very old in England, hardly used)
Bizarre (never to describe as great)
Bad ass (never to describe as great, too American)
Terrific (old)
Neat (old)
Sharp (Heard used but rarely)
Rowdy (not used to describe "great")
Laid-back (not used to describe "great")
Easy-going (not used to describe "great")
Mellow (not used to describe "great")
A helluva (more like Hellova in England, that's just dialect by people who say "hell of a" fast.)
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