Colloquialisms are distinct from slang or jargon.

Slang refers to words used only by specific

social groups, such as teenagers or soldiers. Colloquial language may include slang, but
consists mostly of contractions or other informal words andphrases known to most native
speakers of the language.

ear slang spoken more often than youll see it in writing, though emails and texts often
contain many conversational slang terms. Though slang sometimes gets a bad rap for being
inappropriate or incorrect, its also highly creative and shows that the English language is
constantly evolving over time.

Why Do People Use Slang?

Because slang terms are often only understood by people in a certain group, using slang is,
above all, a way to show that you belong. You show that youre one of the crowd by using
terms that others dont understand, and you can connect with like-minded people who
understand just what you mean by using the latest slang terms.
For this reason, slang is often a mark of being cool, or at least in the know about
something. People who are in with a group know the slang, and people who arent do not.
Slang is, therefore, a way to use language to separate yourself from others. The best
example of this is the way each generation of teens uses new slang to separate themselves
from their tragically uncool parents.
Over time, slang terms either die out from lack of use as groups move on to new
terminology, or they may become so popular that they are absorbed into the common
language. In this case, everyone understands the terms, and they arent likely to be
considered inappropriate or poor grammar any longer. This is how language grows and
evolves over time, as new words are added to the dictionary while old ones fall into disuse
and disappear.

Examples of Old-Fashioned Slang

Some words that were once fashionable are no longer used. For example:
The cats pajamas: This term was used by flappers in the 1920s to mean that something
was exciting, new, or excellent. Though it doesnt make much sense, it does use vivid
imagery. That new phonograph is the cats pajamas.
Wallflower: This term describes a shy person. It was used for decades in the twentieth
century to describe a person typically a girl who preferred to stand along the wall
instead of participating in a dance. Youll have more fun at the dance if you arent such a
wallflower.
Dont have a cow: This term is used to try to calm someone down. It was popularized by
The Simpsons in the 1980s, and though you might still hear Bart say it in reruns, its no
longer very common to hear in conversation. Dont have a cow, mom! I didnt eat all the
ice cream.

Examples of Evolving Slang

 Some slang words change their meaning over time, usually across generations. This keeps
the word in usage, but can lead to some miscommunication between older and younger
speakers. For example:
Busted: To your grandparents, busted probably meant that something was broken. To
your parents, it means getting caught doing something wrong. The latest use? As an
adjective to mean ugly. No, I wont go out with your little sister. Shes busted.
Ride: Originally a verb for the act of being a passenger in a vehicle, this word also evolved
into a noun to describe a car. Most recently, my rides can mean sneakers. I got new
rides to match my favorite shirt.
Hip: Originally hip or hep meant someone very fashionable in the first half of the
twentieth century. It evolved to mean someone into jazz and beatnik culture in the 1940s
and 50s, and changed further still into hippie to describe flower children of the 60s. Today
its changed again to hipster, meaning a self-aware artsy person. My hip grandfather
plays the sax, but my hipster brother just makes homemade pickles.

Examples of Portmanteau Slang

Some slang terms are created by combining two words into one that has a new meaning. A
new word created by combining portions of two existing words is called a portmanteau, and
they are very popular as a way to give a new name to a celebrity couple. For example, Brad
Pitt and Angelina Jolie were known as Brangelina when they were married. Other
examples of portmanteaus:
Frenemy: This combination of friend and enemy describes a person who is a little bit of
both, perhaps a friend with whom one experiences regular conflict. Youd be a lot
happier if you stopped hanging out with your frenemy.
Bromance: This combination of brother and romance describes an intense friendship
between two straight men. I havent seen Michael since he started hanging out with
Jeremy. Their bromance is epic.
Ginormous: This combination of gigantic and enormous means something very large.
You could find a parking space more easily is your car wasnt so ginormous.

Examples of Modern Slang

Slang is changing all the time, but heres a list of words that are in use today:
Goat: Current usage is actually a compliment, as this is now an acronym that stands for
greatest of all time. I dont care what you say, because Tom Brady is the goat.
Woke: Slang for awakened, as in being made aware of social injustices. If youre so
woke, why didnt you vote?
Basic: A put-down describing someone or something thats not very interesting or highly
evolved. Those boys are so basic. Why do they all want to dress the same?
Bye Felicia: A fast way to tell someone to go away. This term comes from the 1995 movie
Friday. No, I will not go out with you. Bye Felicia.
Bae: A term of endearment, usually for romantic partners, but possibly for close friends as
well. Bae, youre the best.
On point: Outstanding, perfectly executed. Her accessories are on point. She looks
great.
Dead: Overwhelmed, unable to keep up. I have two finals and a full work day tomorrow.
Im dead.
 Sips tea: Minds ones own business, as opposed to making a comment or giving an
opinion. Should I do something about that? No way. Sips tea.
Salty: Angry or bitter about something. Why you so salty? I said I would share if I win
the lottery.
Fam: A group of close friends. Im going to hang with the fam tonight at the tailgate
party.
Throw shade: To insult or say something unkind about someone. I cant believe he said
that. He just threw some serious shade.

__________________________________________________________

Difference between Colloquialism and Slang

Posted on January 31, 2010 by thewritecorner

People often use the word colloquialism for slang, and slang for colloquialism. The reason for this is that quite often
people take them to mean the same thing. Colloquialism and slang do overlap to a certain extent, but they are
actually two distinct forms of language.
How do colloquialism and slang overlap? In other words, how are they alike? The answer to this is they are both
informal, and they are both spoken forms of language. Now one may ask if they are both informal and both spoken
forms of the language, then how can they be different? Well, the difference is this
Colloquial language is the informal language used by people in every day speech. Its form is distinct to certain people
and lends them their identity. Colloquialism may be words, phrases, or complete aphorisms. For example:
Word gonna
Phrase whats up?
Aphorism the rich get richer and the poor get poorer
Slang, on the other hand, is more informal than colloquialism. It is used only by certain groups like teenagers or
people of certain professions. For example:
Stinks for is bad
Buzz off for go away
Salad dodger an obese person
Other differences are:
* Colloquialism is considered standard language, but slang is not
* Colloquialism is geographically restricted, whereas slang may be used in any culture or class of society
* Colloquialism enriches a language, while slang waters it down.
Do you know of any other difference between colloquialism and slang?

image: http://www.yourdictionary.com/index.php/image/articles/19286.ThinkstockPhotos-
78036354.jpg
 Have you ever wanted to look at proper English versus slang to compare the two? A good
place to start is to explore what makes a word a slang word and compare the English word
with its slang equivalent.

Slang Is Not Proper English

Slang words are not part of standard English.
They are considered informal and are used in various groups and certain situations.
Many times slang words are vulgar and not appropriate in certain social situations.
So when you are defining English versus slang, you would say that:
Slang is informal
Proper English is formal
Proper Standard English is understood by most English speaking people
Slang expressions may be understood by only a small fraction of the population.

Slang Dictionaries
OnlineSlangDictionary
There is actually an online slang dictionary at OnlineSlangDictionary.com. It has a
thesaurus that groups words by words that mean:
cool
insults
women
boyfriend/girlfriend
gangster words
good qualities
exclamations
For example: under the category good qualities there are 369 words. So, if you are
wondering about the meaning of a particular slang word, this is one place to go.

AlphaDictionary
There is another slang dictionary at Alpha Dictionary.com. It is very user friendly and has
over 2200 slang words. It also tells you what decade the word first appeared. You can also
choose to only see clean words and you can browse by years.
 Here are some examples of slang words and expressions from this site for the years 2000 -
2010:
blingy shiny or sparkly
bouya! expression of happiness or triumph
bromance - friendship between males
buttery bad or ugly
buzz - shave your head
clean - alright
cougar - an older woman dating a younger man
digits - telephone number
flex - to show off
ghost gone or disappeared
green - ecologically responsible
grip - lot of money
hottie - an attractive female
jump the couch - to lose control, go crazy
mail - money
maul - to hug and kiss
peep person
punk - to embarrass
scooby doos - good shoes
shorty - girlfriend
surreal - unusual
tat - tattoo
there liking something

Common Slang Expressions

Some slang expressions are known to a small group of people while others are used by
many. To compare English to slang, we will look at some common slang expressions and
their English counterpart. The slang expression is used first and underlined, followed by a
proper English sentence.
People like that are a dime a dozen. There are lots of people like that.
Soon you will be back on your feet. Soon you will be recovered from your illness.
Lets call it a day. Lets stop working.
She is a drama queen. She is so overly emotional.
My efforts fell short. My efforts were not enough.
Bob just goes with the flow. Bob just accepts thing as they are.
Hes in the doghouse now. Hes in trouble now.
I could hardly keep a straight face. I could hardly keep from laughing.
You need to lighten up a bit. You need to relax a bit.
They made a beeline for the bathroom. They went quickly straight towards the bathroom.
Your team does not have a prayer. Your team does not have a chance.
That test was a piece of cake. That test was very easy.
Come in and take a load off. Come in and relax.
The job is still up for grabs. The job is still available.
We will wrap this up now. We will finish this now.
I think he is on the level. I think he is honest.
 You have to hang in there. You have to keep trying.
He rubs me the wrong way. He bothers me.

Proper / Slang

If the word "buzz" is used to imply shaving one's

head, is it informal or formal?
Is the word "flex" an example of proper English or
slang?
If someone is being teased "mercilessly" the word
is.....
When "ghost" is being used to describe someone
who has disappeared it is.....
If someone is acting "suave," then sauve is being
used as....
If you're going "green" then you are using the
word as....
The sentence: "People like that are a dime a
dozen" is an example of proper English or slang?
True or false: The phrase "in the doghouse" is an
example of proper English.
If someone uses the word "beeline" to refer to
moving quickly, they are using....
If you're using the word "cool" to refer to
something that is cold, you are using...