English Slang and Idioms – Part I
I have a confession – sometimes I change the way I speak when I am in different environments. Now, this isn’t such a terrible thing if the environment is my English Language classroom; it makes listening and understanding easier for elementary ESL students if I choose simpler words and speak slower than normal. However, when I don’t want someone to understand me (maybe because I’m playing some sort of game), then I will say something like this:
Deez peeps ain’t followin’ nuttin’ I’s spittin’.
Roughly, I might translate this as:
These people do not understand anything I am saying.
English slang is something that varies from place to place – some English speakers might even find it impossible to understand one another with such huge differences in Conversational English. In order to help you navigate these difficult waters, here is a list of some common slangs and idioms from American English:
Verbs English Slang and Idioms – Part I
| English Word | Meaning |
| (get a) kick out of | enjoy |
| barf, puke | vomit |
| bash | crush, beat |
| blow | spend, waste |
| break it up | stop |
| call | predict |
| con | deceive |
| cool down | calm down |
| crack open | open, start |
| cram | study a lot |
| cruise | go fast |
| ditch | leave |
| eat(ing away) | bother, erode |
| get into something | become seriously interested in |
| get with it | hurry up |
| go(ing) down | happen(ing) |
| hang up | quit |
| have a big mouth | talk too much |
| hustle | hurry up |
| keep one’s cool | remain calm |
| knock up | to make pregnant |
| mellow out | calm down, relax |
| pig out | eat a lot |
| rules | dominates |
| run out of gas | lose interest, momentum |
| screw around | waste time |
| spook | scare |
| take a hike | leave |
English Slang and Idioms.
Adjectives English Slang and Idioms – Part I
| English Word | Meaning |
| (he is) history | gone, finished |
| awesome | great |
| beat | tired |
| blown away | totally amazed |
| bummed | sad |
| cool | good |
| dead | boring, quiet |
| dicey | unsure, not definite |
| dirty | obscene |
| foxy | sexy |
| goofy | silly |
| groovy | fun, nice |
| gross | disgusting |
| grungy | dirty |
| hairy | dangerous |
| high | intoxicated (drugs) |
| hot | stolen |
| in | fashionable |
| laid-back | calm, relaxed |
| lame | pathetic, inadequate |
| neat | good, interesting |
| no sweat | no problem |
| nuts | crazy |
| pooped (out) | very tired |
| straight (answer) | honest |
| stressed | anxious |
| totaled | wrecked |
| up | awake |
| wired | alert |
English Slang and Idioms.
Nouns English Slang and Idioms – Part I
| (it was a) hit | successful |
| a riot | very funny |
| ace | very good |
| action | excitement |
| all-nighter | when you stay up all night |
| ammo | ammunition |
| big stink | big issue |
| booze | alcohol |
| break | opportunity |
| buck | money |
| chow | food |
| cop | police officer |
| damage | cost |
| dork | stupid or boring person |
| dough | money |
| fix | dose of drugs (addict) |
| flashback | memory |
| flick | movie |
| gig | performance, job |
| glitch | defect, error |
| gut | stomach |
| guts | courage |
| hype | excitement |
| I.D. | identification (card) |
| meltdown | total collapse |
| pain in the neck | annoying |
| piece of cake | easy |
| pit stop | quick stop |
| pro | professional |
| psycho | crazy person |
| shot | try |
English Slang and Idioms.