Popular slang

 

Do you use a lot of slang (俚語) when you speak? What is your favorite slang expression? Do you think knowing slang in English is important?

admire : to respect and approve of someone or their behavior, or to find someone or something attractive and pleasant to look at  • advanced : highly developed  • beat : in music, a regular emphasis, or a place in the music where such an emphasis is expected  • beneath your dignity : If something is beneath your dignity, you feel that you are too important to do it  • booty : ass  • bounce : to (cause to) move up or away after hitting a surface  • certain : having no doubt or knowing exactly that something is true, or known to be true, correct, exact or effective  • confused : unable to think clearly or to understand something  • cut the crap : a rude way of telling someone to stop saying things that are not true or not important  • decorate : to add something to an object or place, especially in order to make it more attractive  • device : an object or machine which has been invented to fulfill a particular purpose  • disturbing : making you feel worried or upset  • embarrass : to cause someone to feel anxious or uncomfortable  • enemy : a person who hates or opposes another person and tries to harm them or stop them from doing something  • envy : to wish that you had something that another person has  • façade : a false appearance that is more pleasant than the reality  • figure out : to finally understand something or someone, or find the solution to a problem after a lot of thought  • gravy : a sauce made from meat juices, liquid and flour, and served with meat and vegetables  • high-tech : sing the most advanced and developed machines and methods  • imitate : to behave in a similar way to someone or something else, or to copy the speech or behavior, etc. of someone or something  • impatient : easily annoyed by someone’s mistakes or because you have to wait  • impress : to cause someone to admire or respect you because of something that you have done or said  • interest : something that bring advantages to or affects someone or something  • involved : being in a close relationship with someone  • lick : to move the tongue across the surface of something  • luxury : something expensive which is pleasant to have but is not necessary  • lyrics : the words of a song, especially a pop song  • make the first move : to start a romantic or sexual relationship with someone  • momentum : the force that keeps an object moving or keeps an event developing after it has started  • outdated : old-fashioned and therefore not as good or as fashionable as something modern  • overrated : When something is overrated people think it is better than it really is  • overreact : to react in an extreme, especially an angry or frightened, way  • persuade : to make someone do or believe something by giving them a good reason to do it or by talking to them and making them believe it  • pimp : a man who controls prostitutes, especially by finding customers for them, and takes some of the money that they earn  • poetry : a style of writing in which the words are arranged in separate lines, often ending in rhyme, and are chosen for their sound and for the images and ideas they suggest  • project : a piece of planned work or an activity which is completed over a period of time and intended to achieve a particular aim  • protect : to keep someone or something safe from injury, damage or loss:  • pushy : behaving in an unpleasant way by trying too much to get something or to make someone do something  • refuse : to say that you will not do or accept something  • respect : to feel or show admiration for someone or something that you believe has good ideas or qualities  • show somebody up : beat someone or show your superiority over them in a way that makes them look bad or feel embarrassed :   • stable : firmly fixed or not likely to move or change  • stand by somebody : to continue to support or help someone who is in a difficult situation  • support : to help someone emotionally or in a practical way  • value : how useful or important something is

 

 

 

 

01 down with

A expresses respect or admiration for something: “I’m down with old rockabilly.”  •  What type of music do you most admire? Do you tend to openly express your respect or admiration for something? Can you respect or admire anything that you don’t actually enjoy—for example, classical music or poetry?

B be enemies with someone you were once friends with: “I’m down with that a-hole after he slept with my girlfriend.”   •  Do you have any enemies now who were once friends with? How about the opposite situation—becoming friends with someone who was once an enemy?

C extremely good at something: “I’m down with GTA 4 after I played for three days straight.”  •  What is something you consider yourself extremely good at? How often do you play games? Have you played Grand Theft Auto 4? What is your favorite game of all time?

D hungry for something in particular: “I’m down with a hamburger right about now.”  • How hungry are you right now? What are you hungry for? Do you often get cravings for particular kinds of food?

02 sick

A to do nothing: “I’m just going to sick all weekend.”  • Do you ever spend a whole day doing nothing? Would you feel bad about it if you did?

B sexy: “Whoa! Check her out. That’s a sick body!”  • Which guy in the class do you think is sexiest? Which girl? For you, what makes a person sexy?

C cool: “Take a listen to this song. Talk about a sick beat!”  •  Is the beat one of the things you pay the most attention to in a song? Can you think of a song with an especially good or interesting beat? How much attention do you pay to a song lyrics?

D smart: “She is one sick girl. Graduated from university when she was just 12!”  •  Who is the smartest person you know? In what ways is she or he smart? How smart do you think you are?

 

 

 

 

03 pwn3d

A confused: “What the hell are you talking about? I’m seriously pwn3d here.”  •  What confuses you most about English? When something confuses you, do you try to figure it out on your own, or do you ask someone for help?

B very envious: “Did you see his new Porsche! Man, I’m pwn3d!”  •  Do you especially like Porsches? What is your “dream car”? What kinds of things or people make you feel most envious? Do you think you are often envied by other people?

C to get shown up publicly: “Haha. He thought he was hot shit at basketball, but then he got pwn3d by a twelve-year-old!”  •  How often do you play basketball? What sport are you best at? Do you play this sport competitively?

D unfamiliar with something: “I just installed this new piece of software, so basically I’m pwn3d.”  •  What software do you use most often on your computer? Do you know how to use any unusual or less common software?

 

 

 

 

04 gay

A unexpected: “That was so gay! I thought everyone had forgotten my birthday, when all along they were just planning a surprise party for me.”  •  Have you ever gotten a surprise party? How important is your birthday to you? How did you celebrate your most recent birthday?

B stupid or unfortunate: “The last U2 CD was so gay. That’s what happens when a bunch of 50-year-olds try to be hip.”  •  Do you know U2’s music? What do you think of it? What groups or singer do you know that used to be good, but aren’t anymore? What do you think happened to them?

C outdated: “You still listen to cassette tapes? No way! That’s so gay! Get an iPod, girl.”  •  What do you use to listen to most of your music? What music have you been listening to recently?

D difficult to understand: “That movie was so gay. I still don’t know what it was about.”  •  Have you ever seen a movie or read a book that you couldn’t really understand? Did you still enjoy it?

 

 

 

 

05 bounce

A to have a party: “I’ve got a case of beer, and a couple of girls are coming over. Let’s bounce, dude!”  •  How much do you enjoy parties? What type of party do you think is most fun?

B to have sex: “I know you want me, baby. So cut the ‘it’s too soon’ crap and let’s bounce!”  •  The first time you have sex with someone, do you usually make the first move?

C to leave: “This club is just not happening. Time to bounce, people.”  •  What clubs in Taipei have you been to? Which is your favorite? Besides going to clubs, what other types of night life do you enjoy?

D to get overly excited: “What are you bouncing about, dude? She only said hi not that she’d marry you.”  •  Are you the type of person who easily gets excited? What kinds of things get you excited easily?

06 pimp

A to modify something to make it cool and eye-catching: “She’s pimped everything from her bag to her booty with little pink hearts.”  •  Do you like to decorate your mobile phone and other personal accessories? Why or why not?

B to help someone with something: “If you pimp my homework, I’ll treat you to lunch, I promise!”  •  Do you probably more often ask someone for help, or give someone else help? What kind of help are you most often asked to give? In what situations do you refuse to help someone?

C to force someone to do something embarrassing or beneath their dignity: “When I lost the bet, she pimped me bad. I had to get down and lick her shoes.”  •  Have you ever forced someone to do something embarrassing or beneath their dignity? Would you enjoy doing this to someone you disliked?

D to try to persuade someone of something’s value: “She keeps pimping LV bags, but I don’t care how much they cost. I still think their butt-ugly.”  •  What luxury-brand goods do you own? What are some of your favorite luxury brands? What are some that you think are overrated?

 

 

 

 

07 frontin

A be pushy: “Stop frontin me and give me time to decide on my own, will you?”  •  Do you know anybody who is very pushy? How do you respond when someone is very pushy towards you? Are you ever pushy?

B be the leader of a group: “He’s frontin tonight. I’m just going along for the ride.”  •  Do you like to be the leader in any situation? Who is the leader in your group of closest friends? Why do you think this person became the leader?

C very new or advanced: “The iPhone’s totally frontin! Makes my Nokia look like a toy.”  •  When you use high-tech device, how important to you is it that they be the newest or most advanced?

D to put on a façade to impress someone or seem better than you really are: “She’s just frontin. Buys all those fancy clothes, but eats instant noodles every day.”  •  How often do you put on a façade? Why do you generally do it?

 

 

 

 

08 have someone’s back

A to support and stand by someone: “Just remember: no matter what happens, I’ve got your back.”  •  Do you have a friend that you can count on to always support you? What is the best thing that a friend has ever done for you?

B to imitate someone you admire: “I love the way she dances and just totally have her back.”  •  Have you ever tried to imitate somebody? What about them did you imitate? What celebrity do you most admire? What do you admire most about them? Which of your classmates do you most admire?

C to know someone extremely well: “We’ve known each other since we were babies, almost. I totally have her back.”  •  What person in the world, besides yourself, do you know best? Has this person ever done something that surprised you because you didn’t expect they would do such a thing?

D to be secretly involved with someone: “Nobody knew it at the time, but I had her back when we were both working at that tea shop.”  •  Have you ever had a love affair or friendship that most or all of the people around you didn’t know about? Why did you keep it secret? In what situations would you keep a relationship secret?

09 gravy

A a disturbing situation: “After my three bitches found about each other, I was in for some serious gravy.”  •  Have you ever been dating more than one person at a time when they found about each other? Have you ever found out your lover was dating another person at the same time as they were dating you?

B something that seems better than it really is: “I bought this phone because it looks so hot, but turns out it’s just gravy!”  •  Have you bought anything or done anything recently that turned out to be much less good than you thought it would be?

C a lie: “You two are just friends? That’s gravy!”  •  Have you ever lied about the type of relationship you had with someone? Why did you, or why would, you lie about this? How often and in what situations do you lie? Would you say that you lie more often to protect your own interests, or to avoid hurting someone else?

D a state of stable happiness: “Ever since we started going out, it’s all gravy.”  •  Would you describe your life now as being in a state of stable happiness? What do you need to be happy?

 

 

 

 

10 poppin’

A in an excited state: “Ever since you got here, the party’s really been poppin’.”  •  Have you been in a very excited state recently? When you are very excited, how do you show it?

B working or studying hard: “Unless you want to fail Max’s class, you’d better do some poppin’ on your homework, girl.”  •  How hard do you work or study? How do you compare to your coworkers or classmates? Do you tend to put more effort into your job or schoolwork, or into personal projects? What is your biggest personal project currently?

C in love: “From the moment he set eyes on her, he was poppin’.”  •  Have you experienced “love at first sight”? How easily do you think this can happen to you?

D losing momentum: “After they kicked ass in the first quarter, the team just started poppin’ and ended up losing the game.”  •  What sports teams do you like best? Have you ever been a member of a sports team? Would you like be a member of a pro sports team if you could? Which sport would you choose?

 

 

 

 

11 trippin’

A talk in a boring way or about a boring subject: “Will you stop your trippin’? I’m about to fall asleep over here.”  •  What do you do when the person you’re having a conversation with continues to talk about a subject that you find very boring? How often do you do the same thing?

B feel extremely happy: “What are you trippin’ about? Are you on X or something?”  •  When was the last time you felt extremely happy? Have you ever been so happy that you cried?

C making a bad situation worse: “Stop try to help with your stupid ideas. You’re just trippin’.”  •  Have you ever made a situation worse even though you were trying to help?

D overreact: “What are you trippin’ about? It’s only a cheap phone that you lost, dumbass!”  •  Do you have any tendency to overreact? Have you ever gotten into trouble because you have overreacted in some situation?

 

12 like ass

A unpleasant: “Compared to your other shoes, those look like ass.”  •  How much attention do you pay to people’s shoes? Do you think the shoes someone wears can tell you very much about that person? Where did you get the shoes you are wearing today? How many pairs of shoes do you own? 

B very interesting: “That TV show’s like ass.”  •  What are some of your favorite TV shows? What popular TV shows do you dislike? Why do you dislike them?

C very drunk: “After just three beers, he was like ass.”  •  How often do you get drunk? How much alcohol does it take for you to get drunk? How do you act when you get drunk? 

D slow to understand: “I told him it was over, but he didn’t believe me until I got married. He’s totally like ass.”  •  Do you know anybody who is a little “slow”? Do you get impatient when someone is slow to understand you?