In Chicago the standard term for bags of heroin sold on the street is "blows." I've also heard the word used as a verb, e.g. "You blow?" Does anyone have any clue as to the origin of the term?
posted by generalist on Dec 9, 2009 - 8 answers

I need help with slang for a 17th century tavern wench plague victim! [more inside]
posted by KathyK on Oct 26, 2009 - 8 answers

I've noticed an informal language convention, usually among younger people, but not always. It's a kind of affirmative interjection: "Right?". For example:

Me: I'll be glad when this heat wave ends.
Interlocutor: Right? (variation: "I know, right?")

My question: Does this type of expression have a name? I initially filed it with tag questions like "innit", but it's not really a question, it's more like "totally!" with a high rising terminal. Bonus points for any links to discussion of this particular expression; a casual search at Language Log yielded nothing.
posted by everichon on Sep 1, 2009 - 33 answers

"I Haven't Had So Much Fun Since the Pigs Ate My Brother." Aside from this post, what year and where was the first time you heard this phrase? [more inside]
posted by eccnineten on Aug 23, 2009 - 11 answers

How would this tabloid technique be called in Fleet Street? [more inside]
posted by OctopusRex on Aug 19, 2009 - 3 answers

"Pea green pink Irish Catholic" - what, if anything, does this phrase mean and/or refer to? [more inside]
posted by MaudB on Jun 24, 2009 - 17 answers

I love slang and colloquialisms. Where can I go to pick up more? [more inside]
posted by god particle on Apr 28, 2009 - 9 answers

What the f*ck is a hobknocker? Sounds dirty but was apparently used on a kids show... [more inside]
posted by radioamy on Apr 17, 2009 - 11 answers

What does 'binned' mean in UK slang? [more inside]
posted by coryinabox on Apr 15, 2009 - 25 answers

What were some of the slang terms used for guns on The Wire? From what i remember, bodie and poot (and the other corner kids) had an unusual slang term for the guns they hid in the wheelwells of cars. It wasn't strap, heat, piece, or nine. Any ideas?
posted by Oktober on Jan 7, 2009 - 13 answers

What's the deal with Sarcastic Caps? You know The Kind I Mean. [more inside]
posted by Rhaomi on Dec 2, 2008 - 26 answers

I was just told that in Mexican Spanish slang, "a wilson" means "of course". So, I want to know: a) Is this true? b) If so, what is the etymology of this usage?
posted by everichon on Nov 14, 2008 - 25 answers

Bahasa Indonesia speakers! My late, beloved grandmother was an expert in dreadful multi-lingual puns. Help me remember a silly joke she used to tell about roosters. [more inside]
posted by [ixia] on Nov 13, 2008 - 6 answers

What are some examples of "family jargon"? For example, a friend's father once told a joke to his family that poked fun at the French. He concluded by saying, "Don't tell anyone from France." Now, within their family, "Don't tell anyone from France" means "Let's keep this between us"--and they say it even if the secret has nothing to do with the French. [more inside]
posted by Ms. Informed on Nov 7, 2008 - 112 answers

What adjective is to "wanting to get intoxicated" as "horny" is to "wanting sex?" [more inside]
posted by Forrest Greene on Nov 2, 2008 - 47 answers

What is the origin of the phrase "[you] damn kids get off my lawn!" [more inside]
posted by epersonae on Oct 17, 2008 - 21 answers

Does anyone know - or care to guess at - the origin of the phrase "Yeah, bwee-aayyy!" uttered by teenagers like me in 1970s Northern England to express complete disbelief at a huge lie told by someone else? [more inside]
posted by unSane on Sep 30, 2008 - 17 answers

Two-part slang request. I'm looking for: 1. Colloquial terms for Southern gentlemen types, of the mint julep-sipping variety; and 2. Unique/interesting slang along the lines of, "will have my guts my for garters."
posted by np312 on Jul 22, 2008 - 28 answers

What's the (non-music-theory) significance of "Eight To The Bar"? [more inside]
posted by AmbroseChapel on Jul 20, 2008 - 8 answers

Is or was the word "shonky" antisemitic? [more inside]
posted by Fiasco da Gama on Jul 15, 2008 - 13 answers

To bonzer or not to bonzer, that is the question for our Aussie MeFites. [more inside]
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson on May 13, 2008 - 31 answers

I do this menial task at work at least once, and usually several times a day, which involves running my scripts and then sending out a mass email. The body of my email currently consists of the word 'Done'. I'd like as many ways as possible to say 'the task is completed' and be generally silly. [more inside]
posted by Mach5 on May 12, 2008 - 78 answers

Pippa as a baby name. Does it really mean "blow job" in Greek slang? [more inside]
posted by Stewriffic on May 2, 2008 - 26 answers

Is there an obscene pun on this Spanish-language t-shirt? (photo/nsfw language inside) [more inside]
posted by Bizurke on Apr 12, 2008 - 3 answers

what's the origin / meaning of the phrase "he's shooting [playing?] lights out"? [more inside]
posted by garfy3 on Mar 23, 2008 - 19 answers

Why are cheeseburgers called sliders?
posted by sonofslim on Feb 12, 2008 - 31 answers

I'm helping edit a dictionary, and I just got to the skirt entry, which contains the definition "informal: women regarded as sexually desirable." Now, I'm in my fifties and I think of that sense as "before my time," but before I go and tell them to add "dated" I want to double-check with the hip young MeFi crowd: do you know anybody younger than Grandpa Simpson who talks about "chasing skirt"?
posted by languagehat on Feb 11, 2008 - 91 answers

"He's a dirty jade!" "Go ahead and sleep with him you dirty jade!" This insult was used repeatedly in the Zola book I was reading last night. When I searched for it this morning, Google returned results for other uses in at least three other Zola novels. What does it refer to? (As the more inside explains, I think it's actually an English-language insult, as the original contains something else.) [more inside]
posted by OmieWise on Jan 15, 2008 - 17 answers

Can anyone tell me the etymology of the term "lunch out," meaning 'to freak out'? [more inside]
posted by toomuchkatherine on Jan 9, 2008 - 8 answers

Do you know a derogatory nickname for a town or city? [more inside]
posted by Miko on Dec 17, 2007 - 198 answers

Asking for my son: How and why did web abbreviation and web slang evolve the way it did? Was it just a matter of common acceptance, or was something bigger at work? [more inside]
posted by amyms on Nov 22, 2007 - 11 answers

The $hit... We know that 'the' makes it positive, but why? What is the origin 'the $hit' as a positive thing? [more inside]
posted by Quazie on Nov 15, 2007 - 26 answers

What's the source of "a baby's arm holding an apple"? [more inside]
posted by Rash on Oct 16, 2007 - 9 answers

I need to know everything about marijuana. [more inside]
posted by brina on Sep 4, 2007 - 29 answers

Contemporary pop culture term equivalent, in both meaning and ridiculousness, to "getting jiggy wit it"? [more inside]
posted by Robot Johnny on Aug 13, 2007 - 18 answers

The abbreviation "yr" as a substitute for "your": is this a feminist thing? Where did it come from? [more inside]
posted by Madamina on Jul 23, 2007 - 52 answers

So, how does the Italian phrase "Si fa'icche si vole" translate into English..? [more inside]
posted by angry.polymath on Jul 5, 2007 - 7 answers

please give me, all your Slang, Colloquial, Street terms for theft, shop lifting, pickpocking, general crime, the taking of property/ ownership, conartisty [more inside]
posted by complience on Jun 6, 2007 - 60 answers

What term was used to describe a person with a photographic memory prior photography? [more inside]
posted by brookeb on May 20, 2007 - 18 answers

How to determine which four letters will give the most anagrams, abbrs, slang, and internet/bb/txt slang/abbrs? [more inside]
posted by sailormouth on Apr 28, 2007 - 9 answers

Why do some people say "anyways"? I notice Mayor Bloomberg always says it. He may be the mayor of NYC and a billionaire media mogul, but he sounds like he never opened a book in his life. I know he's from Boston, but I don't believe this is a regional thing.
posted by wfc123 on Feb 9, 2007 - 32 answers

I think telling women to "get some balls" is offensive. Am I too sensitive? [more inside]
posted by Secret Life of Gravy on Jan 21, 2007 - 116 answers

English slang expression that sounds like "CASE OH"? [more inside]
posted by AmbroseChapel on Oct 28, 2006 - 33 answers

Here in the far-flung reaches of the English-speaking world, we're constantly being told our local language is being taken over by "American Slang". But does it go the other way? Are there any British / Australian / New Zealand or wherever phrases and words that have become commonly used by people in North America recently? Do Brooklynites ever exclaim "Crikey!" or "Bloody Hell!"?
posted by Jimbob on Oct 27, 2006 - 50 answers

Was Polari employed by gays in America during the 60's ? If not, what ? [more inside]
posted by lobstah on Sep 17, 2006 - 9 answers

Where does the term "pissed off" come from? Doesn't seem to be related to being angry. You are more likely to piss your pants when you are scared.
posted by zackdog on Aug 3, 2006 - 18 answers

Looking for slang words for a hangover. [more inside]
posted by jon_kill on Jul 19, 2006 - 43 answers

What's a "German Favor"? [more inside]
posted by maryh on Jul 16, 2006 - 13 answers

Slang term for statutory rape laws? [more inside]
posted by Arthur "Two Sheds" Jackson on Jul 5, 2006 - 21 answers

What does "barnacle code" mean to programmers? [more inside]
posted by pax digita on May 31, 2006 - 9 answers