The Bottom Line on Business Slang - http://stupaul.net/aeo/now-slang.htm
Great job – so far. You’ve prepared well for your first business trip to the U.S. (You even
had a look at your American English business dictionary on the flight over!) Then, as you
arrive at your new partner’s offices in Chicago, you hear some English that doesn’t sound
like the audio cassettes back home. What’s going on here?
Welcome to Officespeak
What you are about to discover is that your new American business associates speak a
blend of slang words and jargon that is defined as officespeak. Let’s walk you through a
visit to your partner’s office to see some examples of this form of English.
When you arrive at the front desk, you introduce yourself and ask the receptionist, "Is
Mr. Johnson in?" "Yes," she replies. "Welcome to Chicago! Mr. Johnson’s expecting
you, but he’s not in his office right now. He’s huddling with his staff. He’s been looking
forward to your visit. Let me page him and let him know you’re here."
"In the meantime," she continues, "help yourself to some fresh Starbucks." She motions
down the hall to a coffee station. You thank her and wonder just what "Starbucks" is as
you walk toward the coffee. You pass the open door of a meeting room and hear loud
voices. "What we’ve got here," an excited voice says, "is a big glitch. This is a mega
account and it’s my gut feeling that we need to do something quick or heads will roll."
You’re perplexed. "What are they saying?" you think to yourself. "I don’t remember
those expressions from my English books." As you pour yourself some coffee, you hear
more people talking down the hall. "Jessica, can you come over to my cubicle?" says one
person to another. "My computer just crashed!" "I don’t mean to sound like a geek," says
the co-worker who comes to the rescue of her colleague, "but I think you need to run one
of those anti-virus programs."
Learning the Lingo
As this brief office scene illustrates, the language of American business is a colorful but
sometimes unusual mix of slang and jargon. What's more, it is a language that changes
constantly as speakers add new terms and phrases from many areas—including
technology, science, sports and even off the streets. Yet, this is what makes the language
a fascinating and rich form of communication.
There are many ways to keep up with all the latest American slang and jargon. As you
discover new words, there are several Web sites (including American English Online)
that provide you with online help:

The American Slanguages page presents itself as the Hick-to-Hip Translation
Guide. Give it a try and learn how the locals speak in a variety of U.S. and other
cities of the world. http://www.slanguage.com

The Common American Slang page features more than 250 common American
slang terms that you can quiz yourself on and get your answers right away.
http://www.aitech.ac.jp/~itesls/slang/slang1.html

And don’t forget American English Online’s own Slang Cafe, filled with the
latest American English slang, jargon, and expressions.
http://www.aeo-now.com/slangcafe.html
So what’s the bottom line on learning new American slang? Be sure to read very current
publications—in print and on the Web—and when you come across words or expressions
you don’t know, keep your cool.
Dallas Slang: Source: http://www.slanguage.com/dallas.html
Central Distressway
Tenny Runners
Wow Boys
Howdy Do
All Y'All
Hogged Up
Fixin'
Barbed War
Tarred
Awes Tin
Yankee
Hank Rin
Texas Cadillac
Big D
Hah, Har U?
High Doo
Far Aints
All
San Tone
Chivvy
Tray
Howdy Y'all
Whore Show
Jogger Fee
Coal Bare
Scrimps
Far Piece
Ort
What we call 75 central expressway
A pair of athletic shoes
Our football team.
Another Dallas greeting
Plural of Y'all
Messed up
Preparing to do something
Surrounds a prison
Exhausted
A nearby city
Anyone north of the causeway
Urge to do something
Pickup truck
What we call Dallas
Another Dallas greeting
The hair that tells you you're in Dallas
Fire ants
Oil
Nearby City
A car company
Tree to most
Dallas Greeting
The horror show
Study of the Earth's surface
Cold beer please
Shrimp to most people
Distance to your house
It's on the museum walls
Commonly-Used American Slang - http://www.manythings.org/slang/slang3.html
By Charles I. Kelly & Lawrence E. Kelly
ace
He's an ace reporter.
very good
action
Do you know where the action is in this town?
excitement
airhead
My sister's boyfriend is a real airhead.
stupid person
all wet
completely w rong
Your ideas about politics are all wet.
all-nighter
I almost fell asleep during the test after an all-nighter.
after studying all night.
antifreeze
I really need some antifreeze in me on cold days like this.
liquor
armpit
This town is really an armpit.
undesirable place
bad
Wow, that was really a bad movie.
intense
bashed
The boat was bashed beyond recognition.
crushed
beat
After working all day I am really beat.
exhausted
beemer
He just bought a new beemer to drive to work in.
B.M.W. car
bench
He was benched during the basketball playoffs.
taken out of the game
bent
It's OK. Don't get so bent.
angry
bent out of shape
Don't get so bent out of shape.
become upset
big gun
The president brought two big guns to the meeting.
pow erful people
big mouth
Shut up! You really have a big mouth.
talk too much
big stink
The citizens made a big stink about the new nuclear power station.
big issue
blimp
I always seem to have a blimp sitting next to me when I travel.
very fat person
blow
I'm going to blow out of here now.
leave
blow
He blew all his money gambling.
lost
blow a fuse
Hey, don't blow a fuse.
lose your temper.
blow one's cool
Calm down. Don't blow your cool.
become angry
blown away
I was blown away by his donation of a million dollars.
greatly impressed
bomb
The movie was a bomb.
Meaning
bombed
The driver of the car was bombed.
intoxicated
boo-boo
mistake
If you make another boo-boo like that, you won't have a job.
bread
I need some bread to pay for my car.
money
break
A lucky break helped him get the job.
opportunity
break it up
Break it up, or I will call the police.
stop
bring-down
The news of the airplane crash was a bring-down.
depressing
buck
Do you have a buck I can borrow?
dollar
bummed
I was really bummed after I heard the news.
depressed
bummer
My trip to New York was a bummer.
bad experience
bust
The whole idea was a bust.
failure
call
The weatherman made a good call about when the storm would
prediction
can
Do you know where the can is?
bathroom
carb
My motorcycle's carb is out of adjustment.
carburetor
catch some rays
I'm going to lie on the beach and catch some rays.
get some sunshine.
catch some Z's
I need to catch some Z's before I go on my trip.
get some sleep
cheesy
That is really a cheesy looking outfit.
cheap
chicken
Don't be a chicken.
cow ard
chintzy
That really was a chintzy present you got him.
cheap
chow down
I need to find a place to chow down.
eat a lot
clip
Watch out or they will clip you at that bar.
cheat
clunker
I can't go on a date in that clunker.
old car
cold fish
My date for the dance was a cold fish.
dull
come up for air
He has to come up for air or he will die from exhaustion.
take a break
con
deceive
Don't try to con me.
cool
This is a really cool place to work.
good
cool down
Things should cool down in a day or two.
calm dow n
couch potato
He is a couch potato.
lazy person
cram
I need more time to cram for the test.
study hard
cream
Our team creamed them badly.
beat
croak
I feel like I am going to croak.
die
cruise
The skier was cruising down the hill
going very fast
cushy
He has a really cushy job.
easy
cut out
It is late. I have to cut out.
leave
damage
Lets get the bill and find out the damage.
cost
dead
This disco is really dead tonight.
quiet
deck
He was decked in the fight.
knocked dow n
deep pockets
Her boyfriend has deep pockets.
is a good source of money
dicey
Since the weather is a little dicey, I won't go today.
chancy
ditch
I'll ditch my younger brother with my grandmother.
leave
do a snow job on
Don't try to do a snow job on me.
deceive
dope
He is such a dope.
stupid person
dork
He is such a dork.
strange person
dough
I need some dough before I can go Christmas shopping.
money
down
Let's go to a bar and down a few beers.
drink quickly
drag
Doing homework on the weekend is a drag.
boring
earful
a lot of gossip
My grandmother gave me an earful about the neighborhood.
eat
The problem is really eating away at me.
bothering
face-off
The two sides were headed for a nasty face-off.
confrontation
far-out
This music is really far-out.
great
flaky
He is too flaky to do the work.
unreliable
flashback
At the wedding he had a flashback of his old girlfriend.
remembered
flick
I haven't seen a flick in a long time.
movie
flip out
He flipped out when he heard that his mother had been killed.
lost control
flip side
What kind of music do you have on the flip side of the tape?
other side
fox
His older sister is a fox.
very attractive
freebie
The pillow was a freebie
free
get into something
I got into gardening in high school.
became seriously interested in
get it
I listened to the joke twice, but I still don't get it.
understand
get with it
If you don't get with it, we will never finish this work.
hurry up
gig
I have a gig on Saturday night from 7:00 to 10:00.
job
glitch
This computer program has a glitch.
defect
glitzy
This is a pretty glitzy hotel to be staying in.
fashionable
go
Let me have a go at solving the problem.
try
go bananas
I am going to go bananas if I don't have a vacation soon.
go crazy
go down
What is going down?
happening
goof
I am really a goof at times.
fool
goof up
I really goofed up when I painted my room green.
made a serious mistake
goofy
silly
You are always acting goofy these days.