Regional: Northeast / NYC

American slang from New York City and the Northeastern United States

Introduction

New York City and the Northeast have contributed some of the most recognisable American slang. "Deadass", "bodega", using "mad" as an intensifier — these terms reflect the fast-paced, no-nonsense attitude of the region.

This chapter covers slang from New York, New Jersey, Boston, and the broader Northeast — the language of the streets, subways, and corner delis.

Themes

All American Slang & Idioms in This Chapter (93)

• Deadass Completely serious; used to emphasize that you are not joking or exaggerating.
• Bodega A small convenience store or corner shop, typically found in New York City ne...
• Brick Extremely cold, used to describe freezing weather.
• Mad (intensifier) Very; extremely — used as an intensifier before adjectives and adverbs in NYC...
• Yerr A greeting or exclamation used to get someone's attention, equivalent to 'hey...
• OD / Odee Excessively; doing too much; a lot. Short for 'overdoing.'
• Good looks Thank you; thanks for looking out. An expression of gratitude for a favor or ...
• Dumb (intensifier) Very; extremely — used as an intensifier similar to 'mad' in NYC speech.
• Stoopid Extremely good; impressively skillful — an emphatic term of praise.
• Gully Tough, rugged, or from the streets; authentically hard and unrefined.
• Buggin' Acting crazy, being irrational, or tripping over something unnecessarily.
• Wylin' Acting wild, crazy, or out of control; doing something bold or reckless.
• Stoop The front steps or small porch of a building, especially a brownstone or apar...
• The city Manhattan — used by people in the outer boroughs, suburbs, and surrounding ar...
• Bridge and tunnel People who commute into Manhattan from the outer boroughs or suburbs, often u...
• Fuggedaboutit Forget about it — a multi-purpose expression that can mean 'don't worry about...
• Schlep To carry something heavy or cumbersome; to make a tedious journey.
• Schmuck A foolish, stupid, or contemptible person.
• Chutzpah Extreme self-confidence, audacity, or nerve — can be admired or criticized de...
• Mensch A person of integrity and honor; a genuinely good, decent human being.
• Klutz A clumsy, awkward person who is prone to accidents and dropping things.
• Oy vey An exclamation of dismay, frustration, or exasperation — similar to 'oh no' o...
• Nosh To snack or eat a small amount of food between meals; also the snack itself.
• Kibitz To chat casually; to offer unwanted advice or commentary, especially while wa...
• Schmaltz Excessive sentimentality or cheesiness; also literally rendered chicken fat u...
• Schmear A spread of cream cheese on a bagel; also used broadly to mean 'the whole thi...
• Schvitz To sweat profusely; also a steam bath or sauna.
• Schmooze To chat in a friendly, persuasive way; to network or make small talk with an ...
• Gabagool Italian-American pronunciation of capicola, a type of cured meat.
• Marone An Italian-American exclamation of surprise, frustration, or dismay — equival...
• Goombah A close friend or companion; in Italian-American culture, a trusted associate...
• Wiseguy A smart aleck who makes sarcastic remarks; also slang for a member of the Mafia.
• Pie (pizza) A whole pizza — in NYC, ordering a 'pie' means a full pizza, not a dessert.
• Slice A single piece of pizza, sold individually at NYC pizza shops.
• Dollar slice A cheap, no-frills slice of pizza sold for around one dollar, a staple of NYC...
• Regular coffee In NYC, coffee with cream (or milk) and sugar — not black coffee, which is th...
• Egg cream A classic NYC fountain drink made with chocolate syrup, milk, and seltzer — d...
• Hero A long sandwich on Italian bread — what other regions call a sub, hoagie, or ...
• Knish A baked or fried filled pastry, typically stuffed with mashed potato, meat, o...
• Waiting on line Standing in a queue — New Yorkers say 'on line' where the rest of America say...
• Straphanger A subway rider; someone who commutes by subway, especially standing and holdi...
• The train The subway — New Yorkers call the subway 'the train,' not 'the subway' in cas...
• Walk-up An apartment building without an elevator, requiring tenants to walk up the s...
• Brownstone A row house built with brown sandstone, iconic to Brooklyn and other NYC neig...
• Uptown The northern part of Manhattan; also used as a direction meaning 'going north...
• Downtown The southern part of Manhattan; going south in the city; also associated with...
• Crosstown Going east-west across Manhattan, perpendicular to the uptown-downtown axis.
• Outer boroughs Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island — the four NYC boroughs that a...
• The Village Greenwich Village — the iconic bohemian neighborhood in lower Manhattan.
• The tristate The New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut metropolitan area — the three state...
• Down the shore Going to the beach — specifically the New Jersey Shore beaches.
• Pork roll A processed meat product unique to New Jersey, served on breakfast sandwiches...
• Taylor ham The North Jersey name for pork roll — a processed meat staple of NJ breakfast...
• Jug handle A special ramp or loop road in New Jersey used to make left turns from a righ...
• Benny A tourist or out-of-towner visiting the Jersey Shore beaches, typically from ...
• Wicked Very; extremely — a quintessential New England intensifier, especially associ...
• Pissah Great, awesome, excellent — a strong term of approval in Boston slang.
• Packie A liquor store — short for 'package store,' the New England term for a shop s...
• Bubbler A water fountain or drinking fountain — the New England term for the public w...
• Dunks Dunkin' Donuts — the beloved coffee and donut chain that's practically a reli...
• Grinder A long sandwich on a roll — the Connecticut and parts of New England term for...
• Nor'easter A powerful winter storm that moves along the East Coast, bringing heavy snow,...
• Snowbird A person who migrates from the cold Northeast to warmer southern states (espe...
• Youse You all; the plural form of 'you' used in NYC, New Jersey, and Philadelphia.
• Spaz out To freak out, lose control, or overreact dramatically about something.
• On the arm Free of charge; given as a gift or favor, especially food or drinks.
• Take a hike Go away; get lost — a blunt dismissal telling someone to leave.
• Get outta here An exclamation of disbelief or amazement — equivalent to 'no way!' or 'you're...
• Cawfee A phonetic spelling of how New Yorkers stereotypically pronounce 'coffee,' re...
• Whack Bad, messed up, unfair, or out of line — something that is wrong or unaccepta...
• Ice grill To stare at someone with a cold, hard, unfriendly expression; a mean mug or d...
• Mean mug To give someone a hostile, aggressive facial expression; an angry or threaten...
• Bid A prison sentence; also used loosely to mean a long, tedious stretch of time.
• The bing Prison or jail — NYC slang for being locked up.
• Catch the fade To fight someone; to receive or dish out a beating.
• Son A term of address for a friend, similar to 'bro' or 'dude' — not referring to...
• B A casual term of address, short for 'bro,' 'baby,' or 'boss' — used like 'dud...
• Mad tight Very close (friendship); also can mean very angry or very good, depending on ...
• Mad nice Really good; very skilled or talented — using the NYC intensifier 'mad' befor...
• Ock A friendly term of address, especially used with or by bodega workers and Mid...
• Chopped cheese A bodega sandwich made with chopped ground beef, melted cheese, lettuce, toma...
• Bacon egg and cheese The iconic NYC breakfast sandwich — bacon, egg, and cheese on a roll, the cit...
• SPK Salt, pepper, ketchup — the standard condiment combo on NYC breakfast sandwic...
• Schmatta A rag or worn-out garment; also used to describe cheap or unfashionable cloth...
• Stoop sale A yard sale or garage sale held on the front steps (stoop) of an NYC building...
• Schmaltz it up To make something excessively sentimental or emotionally over the top.
• Schlub A slovenly, lazy, or unremarkable person; a slob or loser.
• Standing room only So crowded that all seats are taken and people must stand; extremely packed.
• The Island Long Island — referred to simply as 'the Island' by New Yorkers and Long Isla...
• The Parkway The Garden State Parkway — New Jersey's main north-south highway, referred to...
• What exit? The classic question New Jerseyans ask to determine where someone is from, re...
• Not for nothing A conversational lead-in meaning 'I have something important to say' or 'not ...
• How you doin'? A casual NYC greeting that doesn't expect a real answer — more of a nod than ...