airhead: a person who is a little stupid or unable to concentrate.

I'm such an airhead today. I forgot to bring my lunch to work.

a.k.a.: also known as (pronounce each letter a - k - a). Used for someone or something
with two names.

His name is James Bond--a.k.a. Agent 007

(007 = double O 7)

all about ___: This recently became popular. Use it before an interest or something that
you desire.

He's all about his job these days. He never stops talking about what he does at work.

all-out: used as an adjective to mean a person or a group works very hard at something.

The employees at that company are making an all-out effort to survive the recession.

anal: easily upset over small problems; in total control.

Rosie is a little anal when it comes to her garden. It doesn't have a single weed in it.

artsy or artsy-fartsy: A person or thing that tries to hard to show off artistic qualities.

There were all these artsy-fartsy people at the party, so we left.

asap (ASAP) = as soon as possible

I have to get this letter mailed asap.

ass: 1. a mean person; someone who doesn't cooperate. 2. someone's but or rear
end(caution: a little vulgar, but it's not a swear word if you choose to use it.)

Don't be such an ass. Just let me borrow your car for a couple of hours.

baby: 1. a person who complains all the time, or someone who always gets what he or
she wants.

1. hate playing baseball with that guy. He's such a big baby when he loses.

2. a person that you like, love, or are attracted to.

Hey, baby, let's go out to dinner tonight.

3. something that's valuable to you.

Take a look at these babies. (apples) I bought them at the grocery store today.

bad: good or tough (African-American slang)

He thinks he's so bad now that he got those new shoes.

badmouth: to say someone bad about someone.

She was heard badmouthing her boss and that's why she got fired.

bail: to leave someone without helping; to abandon

Don't bail on me man. I really need you to help me.

bail out: help or financial assistance.

I need $100. Can you bail me out?

baloney: nonsense; something stupid

She wants me to work this weekend?! That's a bunch of baloney.

barf: throw up, vomit; to have a negative reaction

I almost barfed when I saw the accident. There was blood and guts everywhere.

barfly: a person who is always at a bar, usually someone who drinks a lot of alcohol at a
bar.

• A:You've been a real barfly lately. What's up?

 • B: Well, I don't start work until the afternoon now, so I can stay up late.

beat the hell out of: to win easily in competition or a game. ("heck" is a good substitute
for "hell." Some conservative religious people really don't like to hear the word--ever.)

Did you see the Twins play last night? They really got the hell beat out of them.

beats me: I don't know

• A: Who was the 36th President of the United States?

• B: Beats me. Why don't you look it up online?

beer belly: a big stomach from drinking too much beer.

If you party a lot, you have to start worrying about developing a beer belly after the age
of 40.

be good: good-bye, usually when the absence is long.

• A: Bye. See you later.

• B: Okay. Be good. I'll call you see next year.

better half: a husband or wife.

Before I buy this car, I'm going to have to talk to my better half.

Big Brother: the government. This is a reference to the George Orwell novel, 1984,
critical of authoritarian government.

Big Brother does his best to keep people from doing drugs, but he can't completely
prevent this behavior.
big deal: a big problem; something serious

She came in late to work today, but her boss told her it was no big deal because the
restaurant wasn't busy.

big guy: often used when saying hello to a friend. Usually used by men.

Hey, big guy! What's going on?

big of ____: good; admirable.

It was big of him to apologize for his mistake.

big money: a lot of money

It's going to cost big money to get our car fixed.

bite the bullet: do something that's difficult but important.

Next year I'll have to bite the bullet and start looking for another job.

blast: a good time; something fun

This new video game is such a blast!

blah blah blah: used when someone talks too much or used in place of a lot of words.

The teacher went on an on, blah blah blah, about how important it is to study.

blow away: to make a big impression

The band was so awesome, they blew everyone away.

blow one's mind: to make an impression on an intellectual level; something is
interesting.

It blew my mind to see how many people came to my website.

bomb: to do a bad job, especially on a test.

After she bombed the test, the teacher let her take it over again and she got a better
grade.

boobs: a woman's breasts (use with caution. It's not bad but in mixed company it might
be better to say "breasts")

Wow! She has big boobs.

booger: the stuff that's inside your nose. (caution)

When the little girl sneezed, a big booger flew out of her nose.

book: 1. to make a reservation; 2. to leave a place quickly.

1. I booked a flight for Las Vegas next weekend.

2. The police are here! Let's book!

buzz: a little high from drugs, alcohol, or caffeine.

Jerry got a big caffeine buzz off of his espresso. Does drinking coffee give you a buzz?

brain(s): intelligence; a smart person

The brain of the class always gets the best grades.

breeze: something that is very easy.

Although it might look hard, it's a breeze to learn how to drive a car.

brownie points: credit for having done something good.

He'll get brownie points from his wife if he cleans the bathroom.

B.S.: (abbreviation) Use with caution. Although you only use the initials, everyone
knows what they stand for.

That's a bunch of B.S. You're lying to me!

bummer: a bad situation; something depressing or sad

I'm sorry you lost your job. That's a bummer.

bum (one) out: (verb) to make someone feel sad.

Let's not see a movie that bums us out. I want to see something funny.

burnout: to feel overworked or stressed. This results from working too much

Todd is starting to feel a little burned out from his job as a lawyer

call it quits: stop working and, maybe, leave the place where you work. Also, call it a
day.

We called it quits after a 10-hour day and went out for a few beers.

can do: completely possible. Also used in the negative--no can do.

This company needs a can-do attitude if it wants to be successful.

catch-22: an impossible situation with no easy solution; a contradiction; illogical
reasoning. This is a reference to a book, Catch-22, written by Joseph Heller about a
bureaucratic military during World War II. This is hard to use, and it's often misused, but
it remains popular.

The harder I work, the more money I pay in taxes. It seems like a catch-22.

check it out: look at this; this is interesting; listen to me.

Check it out! I got the new Google phone!

cheesy: something kind of cheap; an appeal to popular taste in decorating and

entertainment; not of high quality--sometimes regarded as an insult.

Where did she find that cheesy old coat? It looks like something from the 60s.

chick: a beautiful woman; a young woman. (some women don't like the use of this
word--it's a little sexist.)

There were tons of hot chicks at the place we went to last night.

chicken: scared; afraid. (This is a very popular adjective)

If you're too chicken to ask her out, I'll do it for you.

chip in: to share the expenses; to contribute money.

Someone at the office is getting married so we're all chipping in for a gift.

choke: to suddenly lose the ability to do something or win; to go from winning to losing.

The Cubs have a good baseball team, but they always choke at the end of the season.
chug: drink fast, usually beer.

Let's chug these beers and get going.

clean: innocent of wrongdoing; not carrying a weapon. (You hear this used a lot on TV
cop shows.)

The public thought he was guilty of murder at first, but then it turned out he was clean.

closet: secret (adjective); also in the closet, and out of the closet, usually used for
someone who is hiding the fact that he or she is gay.

When he came out of the closet, he lost his job with the military.

cold: not friendly; unemotional.

Ali tried talking to Sara, but she was so cold towards him, he walked away.

come off: to appear; to make an impression.

She came off as a nice person at first, but then after we all got to know her, it turned out
she was really mean.

come on: to show some romantic interest in someone.

She was coming on to my friend at the club, but he didn't notice.

comp: (complimentary); free; payback.

We're getting out tickets comp because we won a contest.

cool: great; interesting; good. (very popular)

This is a very cool song! What's it called?

cool off: calm down; try not to be upset

You'd better cool off before you speak to him. You're too angry right now.

cop: police officer (very popular)

The cops came when a shot was fired in the restaurant.

couch potato: a person who stays on the couch, watches TV, and usually eats.

She'd rather be a coach potato today than go to school on her day off.

corny: something that appeals to simple emotions; lacking in sophistication.

A lot of people say that movie is so powerful that it made them cry, but I thought it was
corny and boring.

cough up: to give; to give with reluctance.

Tom's sister couldn't cough up enough money to pay her rent this month, so he helped
her out.

crap: something bad; junk.

They have a bunch of crap in their backyard that needs to be thrown out.

crib: house or apartment. (African-American usage)

Let's go back to the crib and get something to eat.

crush: 1. (noun) a fondness; deep romantic love, often one that can't be fullfilled; 2.
(verb, often used in the passive voice) to experience disappointment.

1. She has a crush on her teacher.

2. He was crushed to find out that he didn't get that job.

cut it out: stop immediately.

My kids were fighting so I told them to cut it out.

cut the cheese: fart; expell gas (a little vulgar); a bad smell.

It stinks in here. Who just cut the cheese

dang: darn; wow; used to express frustration or surprise.

Dang! That's a big building!

date: to have a romantic relationship; to go out with someone, usually to a restaurant or a

movie or both.

They've been dating for the last year, and they might get married.

deadbeat: a person who doesn't pay his debts or someone who doesn't work and is
always asking for money.

Those deadbeats who hang out on the corner every day are begging for money again.

dead duck: a person who is in big trouble.

His company went broke and now he's a dead duck.

deck: hit; knock over with a punch.

Two angry drivers got out of their cars after an accident and then one decked the other.

DJ or deejay: a person who plays music at a nightclub or who plays music at a radio
station. (noun or verb)

She's going to deejay at a big party this weekend.

deep pockets: something you have if you are rich; a supply of money.

Although they lost a lot of money in the stock market, they've got pretty deep pockets and
should be okay.

demo: a product that sits on a store shelf but isn't for sale. Usually a TV, a computer, or
some other big appliance.

Kumar got thirty percent off on his digital camera because it was a demo.

dibs, to have dibs on ____: to say that something belongs to you before someone else
gets it; to make an early claim of ownership.

I've got dibs on that last donut. Don't anyone touch it.

die: 1. to laugh uncontrollably; 2. to slowly fade away or become much less.

1. The audience was dying with laughter.

2. Business died out in that section of town and now most of the stores are closed.

ding-dong: a stupid person; someone you don't like.

The ding-dong who sold me my shoes forgot to put one of them in the box. Now I have to
go back to the store.
dish it out: to give someone a hard time or to say mean things to another person.

Roger really dishes it out to his employees when they make a mistake.

dog: a woman who isn't attractive; a bad product.

The microwave that she bought at the store turned out be a dog, so she took it back.

doggy bag: a bag for taking home food leftover at a restaurant.

I can't finish all this kung pao chicken. Let's ask the waitress for a doggie bag.

do it: have a sexual relationship.

Do you think they're doing it yet? They've only been going out for two weeks.

do (one's) own thing: to do something that you enjoy; a hobby.

It's important to be able to do your own thing on the weekends.

double-dip: to get more money from a job than a person has earned; to dip a single
tortilla chip or potato chip twice.

When I saw Jane douple-dipping her chips at the party, I stopped eating the salsa
because she has a cold.

double take: to look quickly look at something twice out of suprise; to be surprised.

The police officer did a double take when he saw what looked like a dog driving a car. It
turned out to be a man with really long hair.
double up: to have to go from individual ownership to two people sharing something.

We'll have to double up some of the students on the computers because there aren't
enough for everyone.

down: to be sad or depressed. (this word has many different meanings and variations,
most of them related to sadness: down in the dumps, down on one's luck, etc.)

• A: Why does she look so down?

• B: She just found out her cat died.

drag: a negative situation; something bad.

Going to this class is such a drag. The teacher is really boring.

DQ: Dairy Queen, a very popular place to get ice cream and other fast food.

Let's go to DQ and get some ice cream cones.

drive crazy: to make someone crazy; to cause intense frustration.

My neighbor's TV set is so loud, I can't get to sleep at night and it's driving me crazy.

dude: 1. a person; 2. a friend; 3. an exclamation of surprise or concern. (This is a very

popular word among young people and it can have many different meanings depending
on how it's used.)

1. Go ask that dude over there if he knows what time the show starts.

2. Hey, dude! What are you doing today?

3. Dude! Be careful!

dump: 1. a messy or unclean house or apartment; 2. to put something down

1. Geraldo didn't want to take Maria back to his apartment because it's such a dump.

2. Go ahead and dump your laundry on the floor, and then we'll put it in the machines.

eager beaver: a person who keeps busy and likes to work; a good volunteer.

All the people who stayed to clean up after the picnic were such eager beavers we
finished in 15 minutes.

early bird: a person who arrives early, usually for some benefit.

When it comes to waking up on the weekend, I'm a real early bird. I get up at 5:00 in the
morning.

easy: to say "yes" to something; to agree without objection.

When it comes to grading students, she's really easy.

eat it or eat the loss: to take a loss; to accept some failure.

Our company will have to eat some big losses this year when we sell some of our assets.

ego trip: a person who has a very high opinion of himself or herself; to think highly of
one's abilities.

Since she won the skating competition, she's been on a huge ego trip.

eighteen wheeler: a big truck with 18 wheels.

There's an eighteen wheeler sitting on the side of the road with its lights on and engine
running.

elbow grease: hard work; effort from using muscles.

You've got to put a little elbow grease into cleaning those pots and pans. They're still
dirty.

elbow room: space; enough room to feel comfortable.

Please! You're sitting too close ! I need a little elbow room here in order to write.

empty nester: a person whose children have grown and left the hose.

A lot of empty nesters in the U.S. are now buying condominiums in lively downtown
areas.

enough: stop.

Enough! I'm tired of hearing you kids argue. Enough is enough.

even-steven: to break even; not to lose money.

Because you paid for parking, I'll pay for the tickets and then we'll be even-steven.

eye-opener: a strong alcoholic drink; a dramatic experience.

Seeing so many people lose their jobs at work has been a real eye-opener.