slang
Part of speech: noun
Morphological type: simple
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 something hastily, carelessly, thoughtlessly”, literally “to throw out of oneself”), also Swedish (regional) slänga (“careless, nonchalant girl”, literally “sling + feminine suffix -a”).
Inflected forms:
form: slangs
pos: noun
tags: plural
Senses:
gloss: Language outside of conventional usage and in the informal register.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
examples: 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.
English-speaking Australians have always had a love affair with slang.
After years when I met a friend inside the aircraft and could sense stiffness in the conversation, a whiff of mild slang was the ice breaker, followed by loads of campus nostalgia.
gloss: Language that is unique to a particular profession or subject; jargon.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
gloss: The specialized language of a social group, sometimes used to conceal one's meaning from outsiders; cant.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
examples: "Oh, there are so many superior teas and sugars now. Superior is getting to be shopkeepers' slang. / "Are you beginning to dislike slang, then?" said Rosamond, with mild gravity. / "Only the wrong sort. All choice of words is slang. It marks a class." / "There is correct English: that is not slang." / "I beg your pardon: correct English is the slang of prigs who write history and essays. And the strongest slang of all is the slang of poets."
gloss: A particular variety of slang; the slang used by a particular group.
pos: noun
tags: countable
examples: [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.
gloss: An item of slang; a slang word or expression.
pos: noun
tags: countable
examples: Anyway, I have learned many slangs while I am in New York, and one of them, a remarkable slang, is sheister.
The internet comes up with so many slangs used by people to survive in the online world. Many of those slangs are in the form of abbreviations, for instance, the word "u" which refers to "you"[.]
More importantly and closer to life, slangs help build an instant intimacy and informality.
gloss: A curse word.
pos: noun
tags: India
countable
examples: 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.
Synonyms: vernacular
jargon
lingo
cant
Derived words: antislang
anti-slang
backslang
centre slang
cyberslang
medial slang
netslang
outslang
rhyming slang
slangdom
slanger
slangery
slangese
slangfest
slangful
slangfully
slangification
slangify
slanginess
slanging match
slangish
slangishly
slangishness
slangism
slangist
slangitis
slangland
slangless
slang-like
slangly
slangness
slangologist
slangology
slangonym
slangous
slangster
slanguage
slanguist
slangular
slangville
slangwhanger
slangwise
slangy
Translations: