American Slang Part 1
"wassup"
greeting, can use in place of "what's up"
"fam"
short for "family", but used for anyone you know informally
"break a leg"
same as "good luck", especially common for performances (anything in theater, or going on stage)
Ex: "Jane, I'm excited to watch you in the play tonight. Break a leg!"
"piece of cake"
saying something is very easy/ will be no big deal
Ex: "I'm not worried, this exam will be a piece of cake." / "It was a piece of cake, I'm sure I will pass."
"feel under the weather"
same as feeling sick, unwell, just not your best self
Ex: "She's not at school today because she's feeling under the weather. She'll come back in a few days when she feels better."
"sick"
similar to saying cool, alright, sounds good, etc.
"iight"
another way of saying alright/ all right, cool, okay, etc
"the ball is in your court"
what you say when you're waiting for someone, it's their turn, etc.
Ex: "I finished all my parts of the group project, so now the ball is in your court to get it done. Please don't let me down like you did last time."
"beat around the bush"
When someone isn't really saying what they want to say, avoiding the question, talking about unrelated things and not really answering the actual question, etc.
Ex: "Stop beating around the bush and answer my question: did you forget to email the teacher our presentation or not?"
"cutting corners"
not finishing a project entirely, forgetting important details, taking shortcuts
Ex: "I need to clean my room, but in the next 3 minutes before my parents get home. I'm going to cut corners by stuffing everything into drawers and under the bed, so no one can see."
"fosho"
short for "for sure", you use it when you're very "down" for something
"chicken"
can be used in many ways (as a verb, adjective, etc.) say someone is scared, nervous, etc.
("he's chicken" or "don't chicken out")
"bite the bullet"
doing something that sucks a little
Ex: "Flights are really expensive in March, but that's the only time the kids have off of school so we're just gonna have to bite the bullet and buy them. Maybe we can save money for the next month by cooking at home rather than eating at restaurants."
"the elephant in the room"
some obvious/ difficult topic that everyone (in the room) knows they need to talk about, but no one wants to bring it up/ be the first to talk about it
Ex: "Both of them sat there in silence for 30 minutes, ignoring the elephant in the room, until finally he started talking. Many hours later, they were able to come to a compromise that felt good to both of them"
"kill two birds with one stone"
getting two things done by only doing one thing
Ex: "If I go to the history museum with my friend, I can kill two birds with one stone because the two of us can talk while looking at the dinosaur exhibit I need to write about for my biology homework."
"whippin'"
similar to saying you're driving
(* Note: based on the context, also means driving dangerously or super fast)
"jacked"
describing someone as muscular
"speak of the devil"
when the person you were just talking about appears/ shows up in some way (traditionally used when talking about something negative, but people use it in a good way too)
Ex: "Did you see Mary's new haircut? I love it so much, it looks great on her"
"Oh hey Mary! Speak of the devil, we were just talking about how much we like your haircut."
"hit the nail on the head"
saying something is exactly correct
Ex: "This is the exact burger order I like! With ketchup on one half and mustard on the other. Most people get it wrong. Thanks so much, you hit the nail on the head."
"stealing (someone's) thunder"
Taking away someone's spotlight/ moment/ their chance to shine
Ex: "Why did you tell everyone about that new job I just got? I was really excited to tell everyone and see the look on their faces. You really stole my thunder."
"I see you"
showing you like/approve of something someone did, is wearing, etc.
to hobnob
to socialize/ network/ meet people, usually who are of a higher social class than you
"any old person"
Describing someone generic, not special, common
Ex: "You're not just any old person to me. You mean a lot to me and I want to see you every week."
(* Note: this can used to be describe any object in addition to people, ex: "Just grab any old apron and help me cook dinner. No one is going to see you in the kitchen.")
"for all intents and purposes"
same as saying "essentially", "basically", "in effect"
Ex: "For all intents and purposes, my old iPhone is useless. It's slow and dies in 10 minutes."
"when pigs fly"
stating something that will obviously never happen
Ex:
Person 1: "Mom, you buy me this very expensive, 18k gold chain that we definitely can't afford?".
Person 2: "Yea sure, when pigs fly"