American slang

About this list

These are slang senses Wiktionary marks as American and not dated. Many are ordinary words in an unexpected meaning, which is exactly where a non-American writer is most likely to slip.

200 words

one-time

The police.

no go

Something which should not or cannot be done.

say that

Used to express enthusiasm, encouragement, or agreement with the speaker.

way-out

out of the mainstream of society

get into it

To fight or argue about something, especially a long-simmering issue; to begin thoroughly attending to a lengthy process or situation.

day one

A close, longtime friend, one who has been around since the beginning.

my man

A term of address for a man, conveying awe or enthusiastic agreement.

money

Cool; excellent.

get under it

To sharply steer the other direction (e.g. to switch from right to left) when backing up in order to align a truck straight on with a loading dock.

way way back

The third row of seats in a station wagon, especially rear-facing.

four one one

information

three-name

The act of vocatively referring to someone (usually a child in one's family) using their full legal name (first, middle, and last) in order to emphasize a scolding.

this guy

Expressing a feeling that the person referenced has done something exceptionally stupid or inappropriate.

T-Day

Thanksgiving Day; Turkey Day.

C-man

A man who works for customs.

on the down-low

In secret or nearly so, on a need-to-know basis.

dead

To kill.

about east

OK; all right; in a proper manner.

white girl

A Caucasian female.

second-story man

A burglar, especially one who performs a legitimate service at a residence and returns later to perform the theft, usually by way of an unconventional access point above ground level that was identified in the initial…

no-no boy

A Japanese man who refused to renounce the Japanese emperor and to serve in the United States armed forces.

blood in

To join a criminal gang by committing an act of violence (often murder) as an initiation.

break it down

To dance, especially in a hip hop style.

Washington

A U.S. one-dollar bill, which features a portrait of George Washington.

blood out

To leave a criminal gang by committing a murder for the organization in order to be given permission to leave, because the departing gangbanger can not snitch without also being charged with the murder.

B-girl

A bargirl.

war baby

An officer owing his position to the need of the time rather than competence.

who-hit-John

Hard liquor; whiskey.

real gone

outrageously cool, wild and carefree

dog around

To treat wrongly, especially in a romantic relationship; to insult or nag.

four oh four

a naive or clueless person.

dead president

A piece of US paper currency.

like a big dog

A lot; a great deal.

big ones

dollars.

G-man

A US government agent fighting organized crime in the interwar years.

green girl

The green sleeping-blanket issued to cadets at a military academy.

d-note

One thousand dollars.

laws

The police.

old lady

One's girlfriend, wife or female significant other.

radio car

Synonym of police car.

friend of mine

A personal friend of the speaker/writer who is not a member of the Mafia.

rock happy

eccentric or crazy as a result of spending a long time on a remote island

boy in blue

A policeman.

ride with

To act as a loyal member of a gang or crew.

Trump country

Rural areas in the United States where the majority of voters lean conservative and support the Republican politician Donald Trump.

no-count

Of no value.

green oil

Petroleum.

take the ride

To concede to be arrested for a crime and be transported to jail.

bag up

Of the police: to arrest or pick up (someone).

fat city

An extremely comfortable situation or condition of life.

B-drink

A drink designed to look like whisky (or some other alcoholic drink) but which is actually cold tea or similar, as drunk by a woman trying to entice men in a club, bar etc to spend more money.

dogs

Feet, from rhyming slang dog's meat.

tree-top

In the four square ball game, a very powerful, high-impact shot where the ball is slammed down with great force, making it difficult for the opponent to retrieve and stay in the game.

George Washington

The one-dollar bill of the United States of America, which features a portrait of President George Washington.

animal house

A rowdy frat house.

boss

Of excellent quality, first-rate.

long drink of water

A tall person.

She-She-She Camp

A camp for unemployed women organized in the United States as a counterpart to the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) programs designed for unemployed men.

la-la

Something unusually good; (occasionally) something unusually bad.

cat around

To wander; to waste time or idle.

jones

An addiction or intense craving.

kick at the can

An attempt or an opportunity.

little mad

Slightly irritated or annoyed.

Ben

A US$100 bill, which bears a portrait of Benjamin Franklin. Often used in the plural form to indicate large sums of money.

big mad

Very angry or irritated.

catch hands

To take a punch; to get hit, especially with the hand or fist.

Grant

A United States fifty-dollar bill.

brown bar

A second lieutenant.

red horse

corned beef

truck

To travel, to proceed.

work the hole

To rob drunks on the subway.

on dead dogs

Used to express that the speaker is telling the truth.

Texas stop sign

The sign of a Dairy Queen fast food restaurant.

fail

A failure (something incapable of success).

lay down on

To fail in a responsibility or duty to (a person); to abandon (a post).

only in Ohio

Said in response to witnessing something violent, cringe-inducing, or absurd.

from jump street

Synonym of from the jump

jump street

The starting point; the very beginning.

valley boy

A young man who lives in the Valley, specifically the San Fernando Valley.

J-cat

A mentally unstable inmate.

Jackson

A U.S. 20-dollar banknote USD (from the portrait of President Andrew Jackson on the bill).

U.S. Grant

Synonym of Ulysses S. Grant.

hang a right

To turn right, to take a right turn.

yellow boy

Synonym of goldback (“kind of gold certificate”).

hang a left

To turn left, to take a left turn.

they hate us 'cause they ain't us

The reason that certain people are disliked is that others are jealous of them.

flag on the play

Used to indicate a problem or issue.

suicide special

Synonym of Saturday-night special (“an easily-obtained handgun”).

balls-out

Extreme; extremely great.

A-gang

Auxiliary division onboard a ship or submarine. Responsible for sanitary, heating/AC, emergency diesels, hydraulics, high pressure air, low pressure air, oxygen generating equipment, potable water, hatch maintenance,…

Texas tea

A mixture of drugs (pancuronium bromide, potassium chloride, and sodium thiopental) used to execute a person by lethal injection.

have it on lock

To have matters under control.

keep it tall

To be real, honest, truthful.

bone out

To leave; to run away.

finger man

Someone who identifies or points out a target for a criminal to rob, harm, or kill.

steel beach party

Synonym of steel beach picnic.

John Q. Law

A generic police officer.

flash

Occurring very rapidly, almost instantaneously.

wet boy

A contractor assassin or hit man

Friday night lights

high school football.

T-bone

To collide perpendicularly with the side of another vehicle.

one-arm joint

Synonym of one-arm lunchroom.

quick-and-dirty

An inexpensive, inelegant eatery; a greasy spoon.

balls to the wall

With maximum effort or commitment.

one-arm restaurant

Synonym of one-arm lunchroom.

cricket

In the form crickets: absolute silence; no communication.

heritage American

Someone whose family has been part of European Christian American culture for many generations; a white American.

high cotton

The best of times; a time of well being.

track pizza

A person hit by a train after jumping or falling in front of it.

war daddy

A player with extraordinary ability and exceptional toughness.

cake and wine

A restricted diet of bread and water, imposed as a disciplinary measure.

mountain motor

A large-displacement engine of the kind often used in hot rods and drag racers.

Vietnam

A place that is very dangerous, especially if afflicted by violence.

baby daddy

The biological father of a child in common, particularly one who did not marry the mother and provides little or no support for the mother and child.

roll coal

To emit sooty exhaust fumes from a modified (diesel) engine (fad among anti-environmentalist American truck drivers).

butter bar

An ensign.

beat cop

A police officer who patrols the streets on foot (walks the beat).

candy man

A drug dealer.

Andrew Jackson

A United States twenty-dollar bill.

big-ticket item

An expensive item.

jack-of-the-dust

The storekeeper in charge of dry foodstuffs.

crap artist

A habitual liar.

fish cop

An officer of a fish and wildlife conservation commission.

have got someone's six

Synonym of have someone's back.

lost in the sauce

Out of it, lost, e.g. due to intoxication, aimlessness, or being bewildered or distracted.

nope out

To leave a place or abandon a situation or activity, usually quickly, because of feelings of fear or disgust.

ugly stick

A notional stick with which unattractive people are said to have been hit, causing them to become ugly.

cheap Charlie

A cheapskate, a miser.

fifty six

Among policemen, "time off from work."

fight the tiger

To gamble against professional gamblers.

Johnny-on-the-spot

A person who is conveniently in the right place when needed.

clean teen

An adolescent who abstains from the use of drugs, alcohol, tobacco, and other harmful substances.

lock and load

A command to prepare a weapon for battle.

screw-off

Someone who often fails to do his or her work; someone known to goof off.

beef trust

A group of overweight or obese people.

G-rated

In a more family-friendly manner.

bull-mobile

A policeman's car, especially the kind used by policemen employed in railroad yards.

liquid sky

Heroin.

white-shoe

A stereotypical male Ivy League college student.

yellow sheet

A criminal record.

French fits

Delirium tremens.

Andy Jackson

Synonym of Andrew Jackson.

bird colonel

A member of the United States armed forces having the rank of full colonel, as distinct from a lieutenant colonel.

forty

A bottle (of beer) containing forty fluid ounces.

juice loan

A loan at usurious interest rates, normally made by members of organized crime.

sea lion

A steamer transporting cattle from the ports of Texas.

birth control glasses

The brown-framed prescription eyeglasses issued to new recruits in the U.S. military, or similar glasses issued to inmates at certain state or federal prisons, and perceived as notoriously unattractive.

full bird colonel

Synonym of bird colonel.

two bits

Twenty-five cents, or a quarter.

bless out

To vehemently insult or verbally attack (someone); to curse out (someone).

jake

Jamaica ginger.

Benjamin

A $100 bill, which bears a portrait of Benjamin Franklin.

bug boy

An apprentice jockey.

water rat

A petty thief or waterfront ruffian.

Alex Hamilton

Synonym of Alexander Hamilton.

gas station weed

Any preparation of kratom.

lean

A recreational drug composed of codeine-promethazine cough syrup mixed with usually soda and associated with the hip-hop culture of the Southern United States.

fitted

A fitted cap.

friend of ours

A member of the Mafia in another town or district, but not a direct rival.

never-sweat

An idle or lazy person.

white boy wasted

Extremely intoxicated from drugs or alcohol.

cop-killer

A Teflon-coated bullet.

eleven

An exceptional specimen, (particularly) a physically attractive person.

Mexican car wash

The "washing" of a motor vehicle by a rainstorm.

eat someone's lunch

To best or defeat someone thoroughly; to make short work of.

full eagle

Synonym of bird colonel.

rap down

To rappel down a mountain.

Ben Franklin

Synonym of Benjamin Franklin

Jane Wayne

A female of masculine appearance or behavior.

hill rat

A prospector.

put the bee on

To finish off; to beat.

see the elephant

To witness or participate in a battle.

carpet joint

An attractive casino with decorative carpets, etc.

victory lap

One or more years of study beyond the traditional four taken to complete one's undergraduate degree.

Alexander Hamilton

A United States ten-dollar bill.

four corners

A major intersection and/or economic center in a town.

jake leg

Paralysis of the feet and ankles caused by the consumption of TOCP (tri-ortho-cresyl phosphate) or methyl alcohol, found in adulterated moonshine or Jamaica ginger extract.

lamp

To hang out or chill; to do nothing in particular.

stuck like Chuck

stuck; immobilized or unable to proceed

bust on

To hit or attack (someone); to insult (someone); to snitch on (someone).

cherry-bomb

In the four square ball game, the act of spiking the ball or slamming it down with a great force to make it difficult for a person to retrieve it in order to stay in the game.

nut out

To become crazy, especially with rage.

split the sheets

To divorce.

under hack

under arrest

zoo plane

An airplane used during a political campaign to transport cameramen, technicians, members of lesser press publications, etc., separate from the primary plane that carries the candidate and major reporters.

bucket of blood

A rough, crudely furnished bar where fights may be expected.

locked and loaded

Of a weapon, ready and prepared.

stack talk

The sound made by the exhaust of a steam locomotive.

give someone Jesse

To give someone a scolding or a beating.

Jefferson

A two-dollar bill.

Nevada gas

Hydrogen cyanide, used in the gas chamber.

buck general

A brigadier general.

hand cannon

A very large handgun, often impractically so.

keep it a buck

To be real, honest, truthful.

wave the bloody shirt

To mention the fallen and wars (especially the American Civil War) in an effort to draw empathy.

catch a buzz

To become slightly inebriated, but not yet quite drunk.

buck private

A private soldier keen ("bucking") for promotion; an ambitious private.

hang a Ralph

To make a right turn while driving a vehicle (→).

junk gun

Synonym of Saturday-night special.

lip-lock

To kiss for an extended period of time.