slang means language outside of conventional usage and in the informal register. It carries an Arena rating of 1588, earned across 4 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, slang ranks #679 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #4,162 of 17,163 for Funniest Words, #6,308 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #6,657 of 17,142 for Most Ingenious Words.
slang is pronounced /ˈslæŋ/.
Why “slang” is a great word
Informal, vivid, nonstandard language used within a particular group to cement identity and expressive flair, first attested c. 1756 in the sense of 'special vocabulary of tramps or thieves' and possibly derived from a North Germanic source, related to Norwegian 'slengja' (to sling, throw) and Swedish 'slängnamn' (nickname, literally 'sling-name'). Unlike jargon, which serves precision in professional domains, or cant, which veils meaning through deliberate secrecy, slang is the spontaneous tongue of kinship and attitude. It is the sharp crackle of teenagers twisting meaning like clay, the coded shorthand barked across a kitchen line, the defiant flourish of a subculture naming itself before the world can intercede—language shaped not by rule but by the heat of shared experience, passed hand to hand until it frays or falls out of fashion entirely.
Etymology
First use appears c. 1756, meaning "special vocabulary of tramps or thieves", origin unknown. Not believed to be connected with language or lingo. Possibly derived from a North Germanic source, then possibly related to Nordic language: Danish slænge, Icelandic and Norwegian Nynorsk slengja, Norwegian slenge, Swedish slänga (“to (carelessly) sling, throw, hurl; throw away, to dispose of; to flail”), with derivational nouns such as slæng, sleng, släng etc. Compare the compound: Danish slængenavn, Norwegian slengenavn, Norwegian Nynorsk slengenamn, Swedish slängnamn (“nickname, byname, informal name”, literally “sling-name”), and the phrases: Norwegian Nynorsk slengja kjeften, Swedish slänga käften (“to abuse verbally”, literally “to sling one's jowl”), Swedish slänga ur sig (“to say somethin
noun
- Language outside of conventional usage and in the informal register.e.g.“She was amused by his talk, which was simple, straightforward, rather humorous and keen, and interspersed with homely expressions of a style which is sometimes called slang.” — 1848 November – 1850 December, William Makepeace Thackeray, chapter 26, in The History of Pendennis. […], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1849–1850,
- Language that is unique to a particular profession or subject; jargon.
- The specialized language of a social group, sometimes used to conceal one's meaning from outsiders; cant.
- A particular variety of slang; the slang used by a particular group.e.g.“[F]or a detailed analysis see Liberman (2008 157ff) who sees it as one of a number of terms found in pan-European slangs meaning concealment and/or cheating.” — 2023, Jonathon Green, Green’s Dictionary of Slang:
- An item of slang; a slang word or expression.e.g.“Anyway, I have learned many slangs while I am in New York, and one of them, a remarkable slang, is sheister.” — 1921, Horace Fish, The Great Way: A Story of the Joyful, the Sorrowful, the Glorious, New York: Mitchell Kennerley:
- A curse word.e.g.“Such attempts were made even more aggressive by the fact that these local women were known for picking fights easily and using slangs to verbally abuse their neighbours.” — 2021, Sadan Jha, Dev Nath Pathak, Amiya Kumar Das, Neighbourhoods in Urban India: In Between Home and the City, page 82:
- Any long, narrow piece of land; a promontory.e.g.“There runneth forth into the sea a certaine shelfe or slang, like unto an out~thrust tongue.” — 1610, William Camden, translated by Philémon Holland, Britain, or A Chorographicall Description of the Most Flourishing Kingdomes, England, Scotland, and Ireland, […], London: […] [Eliot’s Court Press
- A fetter worn on the leg by a convict.
- A counterfeit weight or measure.
- A travelling show, or one of its performances.
- A hawker's license.
- A watchchain.
verb
- To vocally abuse, or shout at.e.g.“Also, he had to keep his temper when he was slanged in the theatre porch by a policeman.” — 1888, Rudyard Kipling, “Miss Youghal's Sais”, in Plain Tales from the Hills, Folio Society, published 2007, page 26:
- To sell (something, especially illegal drugs).e.g.“Everyday I wake up gotta get back to the gwop
Just another fuckin day in that gangway slangin rocks” — 2014, “Bail Out”, Cdai (lyrics), performed by RondoNumbaNine ft. Cdai:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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