Hi everybody, this is Mr Duncan in England.
How are you today?
Are you OK?
I hope so.
Are you happy?
I hope so.
In this lesson, we're going to talk about a very fascinating part of the English language.
Give me an S. Give me an L. Give me an A. Give me an N. Give me a G. Yes, today we're going to talk all about slang.
So the first question must be, what exactly is slang?
Using slang means replacing a common word or sentence with a totally new one.
The use of slang has been around for many years.
It is often associated with younger people, mainly due to the fact that each new generation wants its own identity.
So in many ways, it would be true to say that slang defines a generation.
Let's take a look at a simple example of slang.
Can you see what I've got in my hand?
Look, I have some money.
There are many slang words that can mean money.
For example, we can say cash, dosh, dough, foldable stuff, moolah, notes,
readies, smackers.
We can also use slang to express certain currencies.
For example, the English pound could be described as quid or nicker.
So in my hand I have twenty quid.
The US dollar, on the other hand, can be called buck or greenback.
So I could say, in my pocket I have 20 bucks.
Another word that has had many slang terms given to it is the word great.
For example, instead of saying great, we could say, that's ace, that's awesome, that's bad, that's boner, cool, excellent,
far out, intense, radical, wicked.
These days, the most commonly used slang word for good or great is awesome and cool.
Between you and me, I think that's pretty awesome.
Did you know that the word cool has been around as a slang term for over 50 years?
So as you can see, there are many slang words around.
Although, it's worth remembering that some slang terms from years ago are no longer used today.
For example, in the past, we may have described a woman as a bird or a chick.
Nowadays, these two terms are considered very offensive.
So if you used it today, you may
Get a slap in the face!
Let's take a look at some more slang words.
Common examples of modern slang.
Aggro means to fight violently with someone or use aggressive behaviour.
Babe.
A young attractive woman.
Barbie.
A slang word from Australia, meaning barbeque.
Bourke A stupid or foolish person.
Cabbage A person who is brain dead from an injury or on a life support machine.
Cancer stick A cigarette.
Chav
A poorly educated person.
Often used nowadays in the UK to describe young antisocial people.
Cheerio.
This means goodbye.
Chill out.
Relax.
Choppers.
Your teeth.
Dead, meaning extremely.
For example, it is dead hot in here.
Diamond, this is used to mean wonderful or great, originally used in London.
Diddle, to cheat someone or lie to them.
Dish, a good looking and attractive man.
Egghead, a clever and intelligent person.
Emo – a shy, emotional young person.
Irk – an unimportant and worthless person.
Fag – a cigarette.
Fancy – to be attracted to someone.
I really fancy you.
Fisticuffs – a fight using the clenched hands.
Fit, meaning an attractive person.
She is really fit.
He is really fit.
Fuddy-duddy, an old fussy person.
Gay, unfashionable or useless.
This t-shirt is so gay.
Get a life.
Do something useful.
Sort yourself out.
Gogglebox for television.
Graveyard hours to work through the night.
Examples of slang from the USA.
Airhead, a stupid person.
Bad, this means good.
Bath, to be sick or vomit.
Cruise, to drive or move fast.
Dough, this means money.
Dynamite, something that is impressive or exciting.
Far out.
Something that is unbelievable.
Gutful.
This means enough of.
I've had a gutful of you.
Hang five.
Wait a moment.
Pad.
Your apartment or home.
Screw up.
Make a big mistake.
In the UK we say cock up.
Split Leave It's time to split Time out Take a break Take it easy Be careful Out there Perform well Wheels Your car Can I borrow your wheels?
Zip
nothing or zero.
So as you can see, the world of slang is an awesome and far out place.
Part of the fun of learning English is discovering these new expressions and widening your use of the language to fit into your everyday life.
This is Mr Duncan, in England, saying, hang tight, until next time.
Bye-zee-bye, cheerio, later, ta-ra, see ya, wouldn't wanna be ya.
Goodbye.