American English Slang Words/Phrases

1. Roll the dice / Leap of faith - To take a chance, risk. To take a risk with the hope of gaining something positive from it. Roll the dice = gamble. "It’s easier for most people to choose something they are familiar with rather than rolling the dice with something totally new to them."

2. Put your cards on the table - To be open and honest, used to show conversations need to take place in an honest way without holding information back from the other party without fear or intimidation. "When Daniel visited his therapist, he put his cards on the table so that he could get help."

3. Sweep under the rug - To try to hide a problem or keep a problem secret instead of dealing with it. "My father has helped me deal with things instead of sweeping them under the rug."

4. Leaps and bounds - To progress very quickly. "After adding our new cosmetic line, our sales are growing by leaps and bounds."
Leap = jump, to move quickly and suddenly
Bound = a leaping movement towards or over something.

5. Back is against the wall - To be in a difficult situation. "They have him with his back against the wall and now he has no more options but to pay back the debtors or go to jail for fraud."
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List of some common idioms - An idiom is a phrase, saying, or a group of words with a metaphorical (not literal) meaning, which has become accepted in common usage.
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Spin the wheel!

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1. Salty - If someone seems irritated or angry they might be described as being salty.

2. No biggie - Not a big deal (no sweat, no big deal, no problem)

3. Sweet - Fantastic!

4. Lame - The opposite of cool or fantastic. “That’s so lame that you can’t go out tonight.”

5. Bummer - A disappointment. “That’s such a bummer. I’m sorry that happened.”


Quiz!

1.  Lit - Meaning cool or awesome. What millennials use when describing that is 'fire' or 'dope'. When something is turned up or popping. "Wow, this party is so lit!"
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2.  I'm done with it - I'm over it, I'm not going to continue doing that anymore. "I hate my job, I'm done with it." "Our relationship is over, I'm done with it."

3.  Woke - Aware. Shortened past tense of awake. A little bit smarter, can see above the lies. “I have awoken” in this context has become “I am now woke.” Used to demonstrate enlightenment on a topic. Mostly for socially charged issues.
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4.  Ghost (verb) - To disappear on someone, to quit replying to their messages, unfollow them, stop all contact. "After our first date I haven't heard from her, she ghosted me."
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5.  Trippin' - Behaving in an irrational or crazy way. To make a big deal get upset over nothing. "The cops are going to catch us!" "Relax dude, you're trippin'."

6.  Loaded - Very rich, has a lot of money. "My neighbor just rolled up (drove up) in a new Mercedes AMG, he must be loaded."
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Loaded - Very drunk, intoxicated (hammered, trashed, plastered, smashed)

7.  Down - Willing to, want to do something. "Hey, can you help me move (change apartments) tomorrow?" "Yeah, I'm totally down." Can also say "Yeah, I'm up for that." Down/Up

8.  Sus - Suspicious, questionable or dishonest, shady. Usually a person. "This guy on the phone says he's from Microsoft and I need to send him $500 in Apple gift cards, that guy is totally sus."

9.  Sketch - Sketchy, suspicious, seemingly dangerous. Usually a place. "It is dark outside, we are lost, this neighborhood is totally sketch."
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10.  Raining cats & dogs - Very heavy rain, it is raining a lot. "It is raining cats and dogs out there."


Quiz

1.  Bail - To leave quickly. "Hey guys, I haven't finished my homework yet, I have to bail."
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2.  Creep or Creeper - A strange, weird, and unpleasant person. "I don't even know this guy, he has been giving me 'likes' on all of my Facebook posts, I think he is stalking me. He is a total creep." "This guy has been looking at me for 15 minutes, he's a creeper."

3.  Couch Potato - Someone who sits on the sofa/ couch and does nothing all day. "Sorry, I can't come out with you today, I'm just going to stay home and watch TV." <- Couch potato
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4.  Down to Earth (adjective) - Someone who is very simple, does not try to impress everyone, a normal person.
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5.  For Real - Honestly? Seriously? To agree with someone. "Wow, that movie was the bomb!"
"For real!"

6.  The cold shoulder - It means you are ignoring someone on purpose. "I went on a date with this girl, but now she is giving me the cold shoulder."

7.  Plead the fifth - To refuse to answer a question, in regard to the Fifth Amendment of the United States.

8.  Trash - To destroy something. "He was driving drunk and trashed his car."

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Trash - To insult a person or thing because it is not good. "You still play Fortnite? That game is trash." 

9.  Wrap up or Wrap it up - To finish something. "Ok guys, we are out of time, let's wrap up this meeting" "Ok, time to go home, let's wrap it up."
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10.  Busted - To get caught doing something. "The police busted the gang for stealing cars."

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Busted - To look not nice. "That girl has a nice body, but her face is busted."
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Quiz
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1.  All-ears - When someone says "I'm all ears", they are telling you that they are listening to you, that they are giving you their undivided attention.
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2.  All-nighter - A period of work or study that lasts all night. Most often used with the verb "pull" (To pull an all-nighter)- “We pulled an all-nighter in order to finish the project."

3.  ASAP - As soon as possible. "We have a deadline for the new product. We need get this product out ASAP."
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4.  Blow or Bomb (old, before 1997) - To fail or to be unsuccessful. "I bombed that exam yesterday, I was completely unprepared." "We can't blow this trade show next week, we need to increase sales."
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Bomb (after 1997) - Something incredible, excellent. "That pizza was so good last night, it was the BOMB!"
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5.  By the skin of your teeth - Just barely, succeed in doing something but almost fail. "I escaped that disaster by the skin of my teeth."

6.  Cheesy (adjective) - Cheap, tacky. "A cheesy pick-up line", "A cheesy song", etc.

7.  Chill - To relax, or be a very relaxed person or place. "Hey, don't get mad, chill." "I like this new bar, it's totally chill." Slightly different from Netflix and chill.

8.  Come on - Used to express frustration. Youtube Clip

9.  Dead - Empty; quiet (said of bars, clubs, restaurants, etc.) "It's really dead in here tonight" (It's empty in here tonight/there are very few people here tonight).
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*Dead* - When you are past the point of something being hilariously funny; when you have laughed as hard as you possibly can, always *dead*.
Youtube Clip - start at 1:53
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10.  Drive up the wall - To irritate; “Stop yelling and screaming, you kids are driving me up the wall.”

Restaurant Slang

1. Sweet tooth - A person who has a "sweet tooth" is someone who loves candy, cookies, cake, chocolate, and other sweet foods. "My dentist says I have a sweet tooth because I get too many cavities."

2. Grab a bite to eat - To get something to eat. "Let's grab a bite to eat after work."

3. Lay off - To lay off something means to stop eating so much of a food. "I am getting fat, I need to lay off McDonalds/ fast food."

4. Booze - Alcohol. "That guy is drunk, he smells like booze."

5. Grub - Another word for food. "Hey I'm hungry, let's order some grub."

Quiz for last week
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1.  You Bet - Yes, of course! "Would you like this free pizza? You bet!"
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2.  You're telling me - Of course, I know that. used to say that you strongly agree with what someone has just said: "Stephen's in such a bad mood today." "You're telling me!"

3.  Chick flick - A movie that is made for or is appealing to girls. Usually has a happy ending, has romance, features girls bonding, and/or is a funny comedy.
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4.  A bunch of - A lot of. "I have a bunch of friends that live in Los Angeles."
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5.  Hit the spot - To be exactly what is required or needed. Your friend says "I just came from Starbucks and brought you a coffee" you would say "Oh wow! That just hits the spot!"

6.  Heads up - To give someone an advanced warning, to warn someone in advance. "The next time you need some time off of work, try to give them a heads up."

7.  My bad - To recognize your mistake or accept that you are wrong or that something is your fault. "I'm sorry, I forgot to bring back the shirt I borrowed, my bad."

8.  Play it by ear - To rely on the circumstances at that time, or future time. "We can't make a decision yet. Let's just play it by ear."

9.  Quality time - To do something with someone without distractions. Time that you spend with someone, giving them your full attention because you value the relationship. "He spends quality time with his children every day."

10.  Top notch - Excellent, of best quality. "That 5-star restaurant is really top notch!"

Restaurant Slang

1. Settle up - To pay. "We would like to settle up, if that's ok."

2. Go Dutch - To split the bill. "Let's go Dutch."

3. Doggie Bag - A container or bag to go at a restaurant. "I am full, can I get a doggie bag?"

4. Hammered, Wasted, Plastered - Very drunk. "He has been drinking all day, he is hammered."

5. Yummy / Yucky - Yummy = Delicious, Yucky = Disgusting
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1.  Pushover - A person who is easily controlled by someone else. "You are a pushover for not telling your boss how you really feel."
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2.  Showoff - A person that is trying to impress others all of the time.

3.  Full of crap - "Do not trust him, he is full of crap." Not to be believed, saying things that are not true, lies all of the time, does not check the facts.
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4.  Train wreck - something that fails completely or goes extremely badly. The movie was a train wreck. "Covid-19 turned the economy into a train wreck."

5.  Squeaky Clean - Means very clean, super clean. Squeaky-clean means completely clean—as clean as possible. Can also mean someone has a wholesome personality, very moral and honest person.

6.  Hotshot - A very valuable person, is very talented. "I just hired a fantastic employee, she is a real hotshot."

7.  A-game - To perform at the top level of performance, to be your best self. "This team is very good, if we want to beat them, we need to bring our A-game."

8.  Rip-off - When something is overpriced or extremely overvalued. "This Gucci tee-shirt is $300, what a rip-off!"

9.  Loose-cannon - Unpredictable or uncontrolled person, someone who can not be trusted, unreliable, will do something that is unexpected. "I never knew what our last president would say, he was such a loose cannon."

10.  Wicked / Sick - Wicked = really, very. Sick = Really good, cool, impressive. If you see something that is really amazing. "Wow, I love that shirt, it's wicked!" or "Did you see that car stunt in the new Fast and Furious movie, it was sick!"

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1.  Drop dead gorgeous - Very beautiful, very nice looking, very attractive

2.  Off the record - Not for publication; not to be quoted: a candidate's off-the-record remarks to reporters. confidential: off-the-record information.  Not made as an official

3.  Don't quote me on that - It means something like "Don't believe what I'm saying blindly." It is used when you say something or give some information you're not entierly sure about and you don't want people to take it as a fact.

4.  Jonesing - To want something badly - "I'm jonesing for Taco Bell right now."

5.  Uptight - Opposite of relaxed.  Imagine UP = standing up in a straight line, and TIGHT = stiff

6.  Pig out - To eat so much that you can not move and are feeling sick.

7.  Pass the buck - When you do not want to do something, pass responsibility to someone else.

8.  Hyped - Excited about something.  "I am hyped about our new cosmetic product coming out this month."

9.  Take your time - When you do not want someone to rush, hurry, or do something quickly.  Acting slowly in a very relaxed manner.  

10.  To go cold turkey - To suddenly quit something that is bad for your health or dangerous. "I decided to quit smoking cigarettes cold turkey."

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1. Bail/ ditch - Bail and ditch both mean to have to break or cancel the plans with someone. For instance, you have to cancel the plans with your friends due to unfinished school work.

2. Balling/Ballin’ - You may have heard of this term in many American pop songs, such as White Iverson by Post Malone when he said: "When I started Ballin' I was young." In casual conversation, ballin' means having a wealthy and luxurious lifestyle.

3. Chill/chill out - Meaning "calm down" on casual occasions.

4. Down to earth -  Referring to someone when they are humble, genuine, and easy to get along with.

5. GOAT - Not the cute animal, but the acronym for "Greatest of All Time." Pronounced exactly like the animal, but GOAT should only be used to talk about someone who truly is the Greatest of All Time.

6. Slay - It is an informal way of saying being greatly impressed by someone from performing or just doing something well.

7. Stan - The word was first found in the song "Stan," from American rapper EMINEM's album in 2000. Nowadays, it refers to die-hard fans of celebrities.

8. Tea/Here is the tea - It is slang for gossip or hot news circulating the situation. It is often used in terms such as "What's the Tea?" (What's the new gossip), "Spill the Tea" (tell someone about gossip), or just use it as one word referring to the hot news.

9. Wack - Different than the traditional definition, "Wack" refers to "boring" or "worse than expectations" in the U.S. popular culture.

10. What’s good - Equal to "what's up?" or "how are you doing", often used as a casual greeting between friends. When an English speaker asks you that question, you can respond with "what are you doing?" or "how are you feeling at the moment?"