Regional: Northeast / NYC

American slang from New York City and the Northeastern United States

Introducción

Nueva York y el noreste han contribuido con algunas de las expresiones más reconocibles del slang americano. "Deadass", "bodega", usar "mad" como intensificador — estos términos reflejan la actitud rápida y directa de la región.

Este capítulo cubre slang de Nueva York, Nueva Jersey, Boston y el noreste en general — el lenguaje de las calles, los metros y las delis de esquina.

Temas

Todos los Argot americano en este capítulo (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 ...