Introduction

There’s a fascinating language construct in English called slangs. For native English speakers, you grew up with them and use them in conversations all the time without even thinking about it. For internationals who are still learning English, you might have heard them and scratched your head a few times. Either way, it’s worth taking a closer look because they are very intriguing and powerful when used appropriately. So I decided to write this article to help you better understand the power of American slangs, and why you should use them in daily conversations.

What Is A Slang?

Some of you might ask: What exactly is a slang? That’s fair question b/c there are so many of them and they are so diverse. So let’s recruit the help of a dictionary.

slang: a type of language that consists of words and phrases that are regarded as very informal, are more common in speech than writing, and are typically restricted to a particular context or group of people.

If that definition still seems vague, here’s an example: off the top of my head.

Do you know what it means? It means “the first thing that comes to my mind without much careful thought or investigation.” Pretty interesting, huh??

My Experience With Slangs

I have to confess I’ve had a love-hate relationship with slangs. My initial experiences with slangs were very frustrating. Years ago when my American friends talked with me using slangs, I could understand individual words used in the slang, but I couldn’t really understand what they meant. So half of the time I just nodded and pretended that I understood. The other half I just sorta guessed. So, A lot of times when I was around my American friends, I felt inadequate and handicapped with my ability to communicate b/c my English seemed unnatural and forceful. Ultimately it made me feel like an outsider.

Years later when I finally could understand and use slangs myself fairly fluently, I love them b/c it helps me verbalize my point naturally and authentically. Sometimes it adds personality and a fun factor to my words. It shows to people that I had an intimate knowledge of the language and culture. It made me feel more at ease with communication, and feel like an insider again.

Benefits of Using Slangs

Make a point quickly and clearly.

Instead of saying “I’m so tired. I am going to bed”, you say “I need to crash”.

Instead of saying “I completed a list of necessary tasks today”, you say “I took care of business today”.

Paint vivid pictures and make your point more memorable.

Instead of saying “don’t bring up that topic which can lead to further arguments and confusion”, you say “don’t open that can of worms”.

Instead of saying “don’t tell anyone about this secret”, you say “don’t spill the beans”.

Show some personality and attitude.

Instead of saying “he is a very frustrating person”, you say “He’s a real pain in the butt”.

Instead of saying “he needs to stand firm on his principles”, you say “he needs to stick to his guns”.

Ultimately, slangs can help make you sound more natural and authentic, which in turn breaks down barriers and gains people’s trust.

A Few Commonly Used Slangs

• hang out/chill out
• what you been up to?
• right off the bat
• off the top of my head
• nerd/geek/dork
• push someone’s buttons/get on someone’s nerves
• hit the nail on the head
• in a nutshell
• down to earth
• icing on the cake/cherry on top
• cut to the chase/don’t beat around the bush
• pitch in/chip in
• could care less
• bite off more than you can chew

There are TONS more! I will have a much more comprehensive list of slangs at the end of this blog post. I will try to keep updating this list. Enjoy!

How to Learn and Use Slangs

If you are an international who is still new to English and slangs, the best way to learn is to hang out with American friends as much as possible and pay close attention to their word choices. I am certain you will start hearing slangs in their sentences immediately. Don’t be afraid to ask them to explain what their slangs mean. Then, start using them in your own conversations. That’s the best and only way to learn!

Use Slangs For Good, Not Evil

Slangs are powerful when used appropriately. But in certain circumstances they can do more harm than good. As we’ve seen, slangs can help break down communication barriers and help you identify with people quickly. But they can also easily alienate people who are unfamiliar with them. Know your audience and use slangs wisely.

Summary

In day to day conversations, you are relaxed and you talk to people very informally. Your guards are down. You are not trying to impress anyone. You are just having a laid-back conversation. You don’t use big fancy words b/c you want to make sure people understand you the first time. In these circumstances is when you build true and lasting relationships through simple, effective, and memorable communication. That’s where the power of American slangs come in.

Hopefully by now you have a better understanding of the power of slangs. I hope I’ve convinced you to pay closer attention to them, learn new slangs, and ultimately use them in your conversations to make you a more effective communicator.

PS: I encourage you to use the comment area to add to my list of slangs.

List of Slangs (will keep updating)

1. hang out/chill out
2. have a blast
3. rip someone off
4. bummer
5. big mouth
6. chicken as in “don’t be a chicken, or chicken out on me”
7. chow down
8. go bananas
9. goofy
10. guts – courage
11. hang tight – wait
12. fresh off the boat
13. keep one’s cool
14. laid-back
15. lame
16. pain in the butt
17. ghetto/rinky-dink
18. taking care of business
19. veg out
20. bringing home the dough/bacon
21. nail biter
22. y’all
23. fixing to
24. bottom line
25. dig something
26. not my cup of tea
27. right off the bat
28. in a nutshell
29. under the weather
30. off the top of my head
31. roll as in “let’s roll”
32. when rubber meats the road
33. we will cross that bridge when we come to it
34. deep pockets/loaded
35. put your money where your mouth is
36. bail as in “i need to bail”
37. by the skin of my teeth
38. flying by the seat of your pants
39. a creep
40. cheesy
41. nerd/dork/geek
42. icing on the cake
43. couch potato
44. crash as in “he was so tired, he crashed as soon as he got home”
45. down to earth
46. push someone’s buttons
47. get on my nerves
48. going dutch
49. give someone the cold shoulder
50. lighten up
51. pass the buck
52. pig out
53. screw up
54. uptight
55. take a raincheck
56. spill the beans
57. open a can of worms
58. ride shotgun
59. kick butt/kick ass
60. pansy/sissy/chicken
61. on edge/edgy
62. sitting on the fence
63. don’t be a hater
64. look what the cat dragged in
65. sell someone out
66. short change someone
67. cut someone some slack
68. get with the program
69. get your act together
70. photobomb
71. miss the boat
72. skipped town/ran away/outta here
73. different strokes for different folks
74. marching to the beat of a different drum
75. I’m tickled pink
76. goody two shoes/teacher’s pet
77. blew someone away
78. cried wolf
79. right on the money/your best bet
80. crash/hit the sack
81. full of hot air
82. don’t cry over spilled milk
83. cut to the chase/don’t beat around the bush
84. window shopping
85. have my eye on that
86. going commando
87. flaky/fair weather friend
88. birds of a feather flock together
89. he kicked the bucket/he croaked
90. take the red eye
91. drop in a bucket
92. look like a million bucks
93. don’t spill the beans/don’t let the cat out of the bag
94. stabbed in the back/backstabber
95. cost an arm and leg
96. twist his arm
97. running on fumes
98. a stone’s throw
99. apple of his eye
100. stick to your guns
101. shape up or ship out
102. bent out of shape/got out of hand
103. blew me off/gave me the cold shoulder
104. put it on the shelf
105. keep your chin up/feeling down/pull yourself together
106. get over it/move on
107. moron/nincompoop/sissy/chicken
108. cheesy/nerdy/dorky/goofy/dweeb
109. apple doesn’t fall far from the tree
110. snail mail
111. hit the books/crunch time/buckle down
112. go the extra mile/step up your game/go to the next level
113. dirtbag/scumbag/sleazy/greaseball
114. rabbit trail
115. went down in flames/went up in smoke
116. give me a break/cut me some slack
117. sink or swim
118. push my buttons/get on my nerves
119. riding shotgun/call shotgun
120. settle down – 2 meanings
121. put down roots
122. face the music
123. on the ball/on top of things/keeping pace
124. that went over like a lead balloon
125. I’m not cut out for that
126. take it with a grain of salt
127. she’s a real catch
128. get off on the right/wrong foot
129. woke up on the wrong side of the bed
130. open a can of worms
131. icing on the cake/cherry on top
132. under the weather
133. as a rule of thumb
134. ring a bell with you
135. road kill
136. don’t sweat the small stuff
137. stick in the mud/he’s such a square
138. smooth sailing
139. out of the blue/at the drop of hat
140. deep pockets/loaded
141. by the skin of your teeth/barely squeaked by
142. brick and mortar
143. bread and butter/staple
144. don’t judge a book by its cover
145. bite off more than you can chew
146. flying high/on cloud 9/living it up
147. stop and smell and roses
148. chip on his shoulder
149. couldn’t care less
150. leave no stone unturned
151. my plans are up in the air right now
152. hit the road
153. hit me like a ton of bricks
154. lost my touch
155. midas touch
156. needle in a haystack
157. walking on eggshells
158. doesn’t have a shot
159. litmus test
160. two peas in a pot
161. roll out the red carpet
162. sit tight/hang tight/hold on
163. baker’s dozen
164. let the chips fall where they may
165. pitch in/chip in
166. in your dreams/when pigs fly
167. that rocks
168. pouring cats & dogs
169. hit the nail on the head
170. smoke and mirror
171. hear it through the grapevine
172. go through the eye of a needle
173. hit a home run
174. what you been up to?
175. read my mind/took the words right out of my mouth
176. on the tip of my tongue
177. more than meets the eye
178. right on the money