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

"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

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What's the deal with Sarcastic Caps? You know The Kind I Mean. [more inside]
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What is the origin of the phrase "[you] damn kids get off my lawn!" [more inside]
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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

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

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

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

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

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

Explain to me the popularity of "moonbat." [more inside]
posted by Astro Zombie on May 24, 2006 - 20 answers

I've noticed when reading European books translated into English, the turn of phrase "Do sex" or "sex each other" etc. Is this an accurate translation, or is it a watered down translation for the tradionial f-word in American English? British books sometimes feature it as well. Are both phrases used in Europe? Is there a difference in meaning?
posted by rainbaby on Feb 16, 2006 - 19 answers

My grandfather was from the Deep South, and his speech was very colorful. He used the word "epizootics" to describe any kind of flu-like illness. I realize this is a real word, used to describe epidemics in the animal world. But he pronounced it differently, "eppa-zoo-tiks." Or sometimes he said "eppa-zoo-ti-kus." Has anyone else heard this before? Would this be considered slang, or an idiom, etc? [more inside]
posted by shifafa on Jan 12, 2006 - 12 answers

What's the etymology of "gully" (as in "street", "badass")? Thanks.
posted by matteo on Dec 4, 2005 - 11 answers

Is "Starlight" some form of British slang for "Medic"? [more inside]
posted by disillusioned on Nov 29, 2005 - 15 answers

My friend DJ just got a snowboard with a pretty girl painted on it, and she's named it "Betty" after the surfer slang for a good-looking woman. What's the equivalent to "Betty" in surfer lingo to describe a good-looking man?
posted by Mozai on Nov 7, 2005 - 16 answers

Is there a good online dictionary of idioms and phrases? I know there are online thesauri, but they don't have the colorful expressions from the original Roget's I.
posted by inksyndicate on Dec 16, 2004 - 6 answers

LanguageFilter: Any Arabic speakers here? I'm trying to decipher an Arabic phrase: "Baashake ya halo." I might have spelled it wrong, but I know it's not a common Arabic phrase so much as it is slang. Any ideas?
posted by symphonik on Dec 12, 2004 - 9 answers

I'm listening to some Public Enemy MP3s and it has ocurred to me that I don't know, nor have I ever known, what "cold lampin'" means or refers to. Anyone?
posted by archimago on Jul 15, 2004 - 12 answers

Could someone please explain what the phrase "bleeding deacons" means ?
posted by sgt.serenity on Apr 14, 2004 - 13 answers

anyone speak polish? my grandmother used to have a word (most likely not a nice one) for what my irish grandfather referred to as "chippies"--young women, tight pants, high heels, bright lipstick. not *bad* girls, per se, but not nice ones either. i'm thinking it might have been "cichodjka" (more or less pronounced: tsyhodyeh'kah) but my aunt says no, that doesn't sound right to her.
posted by crush-onastick on Jan 20, 2004 - 7 answers