slang

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North Korea Has a Weird New Crackdown

Pyongyang has a problem with citizens using South Korean slang

(Newser) - In the wake of a new law banning skinny jeans , mullets , and other trends from Western culture, North Korea on Sunday warned citizens against using slang from South Korea. Along with the fashions, hairstyles, and music of South Korea, slang from the country is banned under the new law, violations...

Karen Is Going to Want to Speak to the Manager About This

Baby name Karen is reportedly at its least popular since 1932, with just 325 new Karens in 2020

(Newser) - You may be hearing "Karen" thrown around a lot lately, but it's becoming less common as an actual name. Fewer newborn babies were named Karen in the US in 2020 than in any year since 1932, the Huffington Post reports based on Social Security Administration data. Karen, the...

The Term 'Cheugy' Is Having a Moment
The Term 'Cheugy' 
Is Having a Moment
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
May 15, 2021 7:00 AM CDT

The Term 'Cheugy' Is Having a Moment

Generally, it refers to a trend that's somewhat out of date

(Newser) - Do you use cheesy hashtags on your social media posts? Are you an adult Disney fan? You just might be "cheugy," a term that's gone viral on TikTok and is slowly seeping its way into Gen Z vernacular—often as a jab against members of older generations....

Here Are the Latest Additions to Oxford English Dictionary

'Yolo' made the cut

(Newser) - The latest slang to be added to the Oxford English Dictionary: "yolo," which, as all the youngsters know, stands for "you only live once." The new crop of more than 1,000 words and terms added to the OED also includes "gender-fluid," "yogalates"...

Philly Noun 'Jawn' Is Unlike Any Word on the Planet

A linguist traces its roots, explains its meaning

(Newser) - If you've ever spent much time in Philadelphia, you've probably heard the word "jawn." But what does it mean? Local news station CBS 3 asked just that in February, and Atlas Obscura digs even deeper with local linguist Taylor Jones to get to the bottom of...

Facebook to Learn New Slang Before the Cool Kids

It filed a patent for a 'social glossary' last month

(Newser) - Facebook just patented something that could help all the parents on Facebook finally understand what their kids are saying, Business Insider reports. The social media company was granted a patent for a "social glossary" in February, and the patent filing was published by the US Patent and Trademark Office...

In Norway, If It's Crazy, It's 'Texas'

It's not quite as derogatory as it sounds

(Newser) - In Norway, the idea of Texas isn't exactly nuanced. "Texas = land of the cowboys," one Norwegian Tumblr user wrote last May. "And rodeos. And the wild west. A Western movie? Probably from Texas." So it should come as no surprise that Norwegians use the...

8 Canadian Words You Won't Understand

Pass the mickey, please

(Newser) - Business Insider celebrates Canada Day with a list of Canadian phrases that would likely confuse Americans. A sample:
  • Keener: Someone who is "extremely eager or keen." As in, a brownnoser.
  • Mickey: A 375 ml bottle of booze.
  • Hang a Larry: Turn left.
  • Two-four: A case of beer
...

Now in Oxford Dictionaries: 'Amazeballs,' 'YOLO,' 'Cray'

Oxford Dictionaries, which focuses on current English, adds words this week

(Newser) - Bro, ICYMI, you should totally live-tweet this hyperconnected hot mess of a listicle. It's cray amazeballs. It's so adorbs I want to do an air punch. Don't have any idea what any of this means? Check out the latest edition of Oxford Dictionaries, which—unlike its more...

Unlikely Presence in Court: the Racy 'Urban Dictionary'

Site launched as a joke cited in dozens of cases

(Newser) - Your average court may not be able to define "nut" as a verb; it may struggle to figure out why a pair of thieves called themselves "jack boys." That's where the Urban Dictionary comes in. In the former case, its definition of "to nut"—...

Stop Saying 'Hashtag' Right Now

 Stop Saying 
 'Hashtag' 
 Right Now 
OPINION
Aug 2, 2012 3:14 PM CDT

Stop Saying 'Hashtag' Right Now

Twitter-inspired descriptor just sounds awkward

(Newser) - The hashtag (#) has made its way from Twitter into normal speech, and it just doesn't sound cool, writes Eric Mack at CNET . Example: The "Twitter-dicted" say things like, "Hashtag are you kidding me?" Sure, sometimes you have an observation that begs to be tweeted, but "...

Feds Use Urban Dictionary to Press 'Murk' Charges

Facebook poster accused of making threat online

(Newser) - An Indiana man who threatened to "murk' the manager of a gun shop is in hot water thanks to UrbanDictionary.com . After the 27-year-old posted the threat on Facebook, ATF agents consulted the online slang guide and found that it means to beat someone to death, reports the Smoking...

3 Gamer Phrases We All Should Use

'It's on like Donkey Kong' has become liability

(Newser) - Nintendo’s trying to trademark “It’s on like Donkey Kong”—so we need a new video-game based catchphrase. Contenders from Unplggd :
  • I Got Mario Karted: Someone’s beaten you at the last minute, which often happens in Mario Kart. Example: “I almost got with this girl/guy,
...

Physics Wiz: Dudes, Use 'Hella' for Waaay Cool Big Number

1, 2, 3 ... hella!

(Newser) - How many California teens does it take to screw in a light bulb? Hella! Now a young physics wiz in the state wants that same term to apply to the mammoth figure of 10 to the 27th power. Austin Sendek, 20, has petitioned an international scientific body to make "...

5 Options to Replace 'Hipster'
 5 Options to Replace 'Hipster' 
NEW SLANG DEPT.
Mar 22, 2010 8:11 PM CDT

5 Options to Replace 'Hipster'

Gawker narrows your choices in search for new term

(Newser) - The search for a term to replace “hipster” in lexicons official and otherwise has come down to a final five, at least per Gawker, which has been behind the effort. Vote here for one of these options:
  • Doucheoisie Won 25% of the vote in early round, and, Hamilton Nolan
...

'Like' Is, Like, Not Going Anywhere... Um, OK?
 'Like' Is, Like, Not Going 
 Anywhere... Um, OK? 
CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS
Jan 13, 2010 1:02 PM CST

'Like' Is, Like, Not Going Anywhere... Um, OK?

Yes, it's an annoying verbal tic—but it can also be useful

(Newser) - “Like” is, like, the biggest filler word since, um, “you know,” and it, basically, gets on Christopher Hitchens’ nerves. But though “it’s true that in some cases the term has become simultaneously a crutch and a tic, driving out the rest of the vocabulary as...

Polish Meaning of New Name Embarrasses 'Syfy'

Slang for VD probably not what network had in mind for rebranding

(Newser) - The much-maligned rebranding of the channel formerly known as Sci-Fi has yielded another embarrassment for the network. “Syfy”—the new name—is Polish slang for syphilis, Broadcasting & Cable reports. Native Poles, however, may be less offended by the name change than hard-core fans: Polish embassy officials say...

Royal Family in Another Flap Over Nickname

Princes call Indian friend 'Sooty,' deny charges of racism

(Newser) - Another mini-scandal is brewing over a royal nickname. It seems that Prince Charles and his two sons call an Indian member of their polo club by the moniker of "Sooty," an apparent reference to his dark skin. The object of the nickname, however, says he takes no offense,...

'Green' Tops 2008's Most Annoying Terms

'Maverick,' 'staycation,' and 'game-changer' also make appearances

(Newser) - Did you get your fill of mavericks this year? Or companies claiming to go green? Those words made Lake Superior State University’s list of the most overused words and phrases of 2008, the AP reports. Other annoying winners:
  • Carbon footprint
  • First dude
  • Bailout
  • Wall Street, in comparison with Main
...

Doobly? Fipper? What Do You Call the Remote?

Nearly family, remote deserves a nickname

(Newser) - The English Project is looking for unique words used among friends and families, and it's found a particularly rich vein in alternative terms for the TV remote control, the Guardian of London reports. Favorites include:
  • doobly, podger, blipper
  • melly, didge, clicker

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