Common Slang Terms

As in every part of the world, Americans have developed certain oddities or slang terms in their everyday language. Regardless of how long you have studied English, you will hear and see word with which you are not familiar.

- It's going to be a blast! (It's going to be a lot of fun)

- Bomb (to be unsuccessful)

- Blue or have the blues (feel depressed)

- Born again (to hold strong, fundamentalist, Christian beliefs)

- Buddy (friend)

- Dude (a fashion man)

- Couch potato (a lazy person who spends a large amount of time, perhaps on a couch, watching television)

- Cram (to study frantically the night before the test)

- Crash (to stay overnight in someone ele's dwelling, usually without notice or formal arrangement; to go to sleep after becoming extremely tired)

- Cut it out! (stop it!)

- Down in the dumps (depressed)

- Fire up (to get excited about something; to motivate)

- Go bananas (to be so excited than one loses control of oneself)

- Jerk (person who cannot do things correctly; a midly derogatory term)

- Jock (an athlete or athletic person, or one who is not very intelligent)

- John (another name for the toilet or bathroom facilities; head)

- Loosen up! (relax)

- Don't mess with me! (leave me alone)

- On the house (free, no cost)

- See eye-to-eye (having the same opinion)

- Shush! (be quiet, don't make so much noise)

- Slam (insult a person)

- Take a hike! (go away and leave me alone)

- Zero in on (to focus or concentrate on)

- Zonked or zonkered (completely exhausted)