Regional: California

American slang from California and West Coast culture

Introduction

California slang is laid-back, sun-soaked, and globally influential. From NorCal's "hella" to SoCal's surf and skate culture, Californian expressions have spread far beyond the Golden State.

This chapter covers slang from California — the language of beaches, tech startups, Hollywood, and the famously chill West Coast lifestyle.

Themes

All American Slang & Idioms in This Chapter (88)

• Hella Very; a lot; extremely. The signature intensifier of Northern California.
• Hecka A milder, family-friendly version of 'hella,' meaning very or a lot.
• The Bay The San Francisco Bay Area, including San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, and s...
• The Town Oakland, California — a proud nickname used by locals and Bay Area residents.
• Hyphy Wild, energetic, and unrestrained — a Bay Area term for getting crazy and hav...
• Ghost ride the whip To exit a slowly moving car and dance alongside or on top of it while it roll...
• Go dumb To let loose and act wild, especially while dancing or partying — a Bay Area ...
• Sideshow An illegal street gathering where drivers perform stunts like donuts, burnout...
• Scraper A large, older American-made car customized with oversized rims, often a Buic...
• Yadadamean A Bay Area way of saying 'you know what I mean?' — used as a conversational f...
• Thizz face A scrunched-up facial expression associated with Bay Area hyphy culture, orig...
• Cutty A hidden, secluded, or shady spot; also used to describe something sketchy or...
• Mob To go somewhere, move quickly, or roll out — Bay Area slang for heading to a ...
• Frisco A nickname for San Francisco — beloved by some locals but controversial among...
• Karl the Fog The personified name for San Francisco's famous fog — a beloved local charact...
• Yee A Bay Area exclamation expressing excitement, agreement, or greeting — simila...
• The 405 Refers to the I-405 freeway in Los Angeles, but more broadly represents Calif...
• SigAlert A traffic alert indicating a major highway incident that will block lanes for...
• June Gloom The overcast, cloudy weather that blankets the Southern California coast in l...
• The industry The entertainment industry — film, television, and music — centered in Hollyw...
• Angeleno A resident of Los Angeles — the official demonym for people from LA.
• The Valley The San Fernando Valley — a large suburban area north of central Los Angeles,...
• Surface streets Regular city streets as opposed to freeways — used when choosing to avoid hig...
• Marine layer A blanket of low clouds and fog that rolls in from the Pacific Ocean, coverin...
• Earthquake weather Unusually hot, still, and humid weather that Californians superstitiously bel...
• The Westside The affluent western neighborhoods of Los Angeles, including Santa Monica, Br...
• In-N-Out A beloved California fast-food burger chain that has achieved cult status and...
• Animal style A secret menu option at In-N-Out Burger with extra toppings including grilled...
• The PCH The Pacific Coast Highway — California's iconic coastal road, officially Stat...
• The Grapevine The mountain pass on Interstate 5 between Los Angeles and the Central Valley ...
• Pilot season The period in early spring when TV networks film pilot episodes in Los Angele...
• Shred To perform exceptionally well at surfing, skateboarding, snowboarding, or any...
• Grom A young surfer, typically a kid or teenager — short for 'grommet.'
• Kook An inexperienced, clueless, or disrespectful surfer who doesn't follow surf e...
• Dawn patrol Surfing at first light, before the crowds arrive — the most prized session of...
• Hang ten A classic longboard surfing move where the surfer walks to the nose of the bo...
• Wipeout Falling off a surfboard, and more broadly, any spectacular failure or crash.
• Steezy A combination of 'style' and 'ease' — performing a trick or action with effor...
• The lineup The area in the ocean where surfers sit on their boards and wait for waves, t...
• Dropping in Catching a wave that another surfer already has priority on — a serious breac...
• Shaka The 'hang loose' hand gesture — extending the thumb and pinky while folding t...
• Glassy Smooth, windless ocean conditions where the water surface looks like glass — ...
• Party wave A wave ridden by multiple surfers at once, either intentionally for fun or ac...
• Hang loose To relax, take it easy, and go with the flow — the fundamental philosophy of ...
• Bitchin' Awesome, excellent, or incredibly cool — classic California surf and skate sl...
• Tubular Awesome or excellent — originally describing a perfectly hollow, tube-shaped ...
• Bodacious Bold, impressive, or attractively audacious — used to describe something rema...
• Grody Gross, disgusting, or revolting — classic Valley Girl slang from the 1980s.
• Gag me with a spoon An expression of disgust or disbelief — the quintessential Valley Girl phrase...
• As if! An emphatic rejection or expression of disbelief — meaning 'no way' or 'that'...
• Valley girl A stereotypical young woman from the San Fernando Valley known for a distinct...
• Cowabunga An exclamation of excitement or triumph, especially before doing something bo...
• Fer sure A California-accented version of 'for sure,' meaning definitely, absolutely, ...
• Brah A laid-back variation of 'bro' influenced by Hawaiian surf culture — used as ...
• No yeah / Yeah no California's distinctive way of expressing nuanced agreement or disagreement ...
• Chillax A blend of 'chill' and 'relax' — to calm down and take it easy.
• Mellow out To calm down, relax, and become less tense or agitated.
• 420 A code term for cannabis culture — referring to marijuana consumption, cannab...
• Edibles Cannabis-infused food products like gummies, brownies, and chocolates — a maj...
• Cali An informal, affectionate nickname for California — used widely but debated a...
• NorCal Northern California — the region north of the Tehachapi Mountains, centered o...
• SoCal Southern California — the region south of the Tehachapi Mountains, centered o...
• West coast, best coast A tongue-in-cheek declaration that the West Coast (especially California) is ...
• Left Coast A nickname for the West Coast, playing on its geographic position and progres...
• Beach bum Someone who spends most of their time at the beach, either by lifestyle choic...
• Tech bro A stereotypical young man working in Silicon Valley tech, known for hoodies, ...
• Silicon Valley The global tech industry hub in the San Francisco Bay Area, and by extension,...
• Unicorn A privately held startup company valued at over $1 billion — a rare and covet...
• Ship it To release, launch, or send out a product or project — Silicon Valley slang f...
• California burrito A burrito filled with carne asada, French fries, cheese, and other toppings —...
• Fish taco A taco filled with battered or grilled fish, cabbage, and creamy sauce — a si...
• Açaí bowl A thick smoothie bowl made from frozen açaí berries topped with granola, frui...
• Boba Bubble tea — a Taiwanese tea drink with chewy tapioca pearls, hugely popular ...
• Mission burrito A massive, overstuffed foil-wrapped burrito originating from San Francisco's ...
• Taqueria A Mexican restaurant or stand specializing in tacos and burritos — an essenti...
• Tri-tip A cut of beef from the bottom sirloin that's a Central California barbecue sp...
• Bomb Really excellent or delicious — used as an adjective to describe something ou...
• Dank Extremely good or high quality — originally describing premium cannabis but n...
• Wine country The Napa Valley and Sonoma County wine-producing regions north of San Francis...
• Fosho A California slang contraction of 'for sure' — meaning definitely, absolutely...
• Valet A parking service where someone parks your car for you — so common in LA that...
• Take the freeway To drive on the highway — a phrase Californians use constantly because of the...
• The IE The Inland Empire — the sprawling region east of Los Angeles including Rivers...
• Going to Tahoe Heading to Lake Tahoe for skiing, snowboarding, or summer recreation — a Cali...
• Beach day A day spent entirely at the beach — a regular occurrence and almost a sacred ...
• Trippy Strange, mind-bending, or surreal — describing something that feels like a ps...
• The Golden State California's official nickname, referencing the Gold Rush, golden poppies, go...
• Charging Aggressively going for big, dangerous waves — showing fearlessness in heavy s...