Ghetto

I was at a local restaurant a few nights ago and went in to the women's restroom. As I looked at it I thought about how "ghetto" the bathroom was. The seat enamel was worn off, the mirror was Plexiglas and sitting on a chair, and the sink was in bad shape as well.

I had to laugh at myself when I realized that the bathroom WAS ghetto! I was in the middle of LA!

Slang- Part 6

I didn't get this one until some one "cut the cheese."

California barking spider: Noun- a fart. "Oh man, did you hear that California Barking Spider?"

*Shakes head in defeat*

Slang- Part 5

This one had me dumbfounded. Usually I can figure out the gest of what a person was saying but I had absolutely no clue what my friends were saying.

A grip: adjective- a large amount. Most commonly used when referring to a large amount of individual objects. For example: We had a grip of papers due. Less often referring to a large amount of a collective object. For example: There was a grip of rain last night.

I even challenged a friend about his usage of this slang word. Duh, that was dumb to say the least. Who's the native speaker? Not me, that's for sure.

Slang- part 4

Dank- adjective. Meaning something is cool (not in the temperature sense). "That was some dank food, yo!" Yes, I've actually heard this sentence come from one of my 24 year old friends.

I can't get over this one. At all. Every time I hear it I think of the basement I used to live in with moldy carpet. That's what dank means to me. I really will never use this slang. It just doesn't mean "cool" in my mind and it never will.

Slang- Part 3

I've heard so many people use this word, even one of my middle-aged teachers!

Thrash: Verb meaning to ruin; to tear to shreds; to take a beating. Usually referring to clothing but also to getting torn/beat up especially when surfing. "I totally thrashed my new jeans this weekend."

I just asked some friends to use it in a sentence. They're from Florida, Massachusetts and Nebraska. I got thrashed used as "tossed and turned," "drunk" and something about a farm machine. :D

Slang- Part 2

I heard my co-worker use this beauty while talking about her brother's football team just the other day.

Juiced- adjective. Synonyms: pumped, pumped up, excited. Example: My little brother's team was so juiced that they won the game!

I personally would stay away from using this one especially when talking about sports teams. This slang leaves one with the connotation of steroid use if you've never heard it used before.

Slang- Part 1

I never thought I'd have to ask a friend what he was saying while speaking unaccented English. However I have indeed found myself saying "What?" many times since moving to SoCal.

My choice of slang today is the verb "to pound." When used in a sentence "Man, I'm going to go home and pound a burrito!" The verb "to pound" means to eat, often with connotations of eating quickly and without mercy; to eat in large bites; or to force one's face onto one's own food.

When this one came up in conversation and I asked "What?" I was given the exact same answer. I then had to explain that I understood that we were talking about eating but I wanted to know if there was a specific way "pounding" is done. I did not get an explanation but rather a demonstration!

Note to readers: Pounding is not particularly conducive to tasting and often can lead to choking. Do not try this at home!