h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

There are some missing slang words from the American Slang Dictonary thing the researchers got going here and I feel it's my job as a hip American teenager to rectify the situation as best I can. Also, there's a simple way to make your very own American Slang word, and I'll guide you through the process. But first, the slang words.

1. Dude - The defination of "dude" in the H2G2 American Slang page, although correct for the most part (a dude doesn't have to be cool, just a guy. "Who broke your nose, Bob?" "Some dude, Tim.") doesn't really show the full range this word. Dude has many meanings, depending on the infliction and time it's said. Example:

Dan: "BOO!"

Brian: "DUDE!"

In that example, dude was used to replace the sentence "PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!" Here's another example:

Jason: "Oh man, that guy got hit by a car."

Alex: "Dude..."

In that example, dude was used to replace the phrase "I know..."

Basically, if you can't figure out what you want to say, or don't want to take the time to say it, and you're in California, just say "Dude." People will figure it out.

2. Hella - (Northern California) This is an all purpose word, much like "Dude." In Northern California, nothing is cold, nothing is good, nothing is stupid, it's HELLA cold, HELLA good, or HELLA stupid. Also, it can be used to agree on something:

Donald: "Dude, that movie rocked!"

Allen: "Hella."

(NOTE: Many people have been spelling hella, "helluva", which is not only incorrect spelling, but "helluva" means something easy entirely. Use it like this: "That was one helluva movie!")

3. Shin-Dig - This word has slightly different meanings, depending on where you are. For instence, in California, if you say you're going to a shin-dig, it means you're on your way to a party. But in Oregon, if you say "Me, Tom and Bill got a shin-dig Friday night," then people will look at you oddly, for shin-dig means "date" to them. Of course, depending on where you say this in Oregon, people might actually be interested in joining you, Tom and Bill.

4. Zot - means, "What the hell?"

Frank: "Dude, I just heard something weird. Apparently Todd's dad is really his mother, and his mother never actually exsisted but was only a holographic construct made by higher apes."

Brain: "Zot?!"

5. Fudgenucker - replaces most vulger excalmations.

Zack hits drags a welding torch across his palm.

Zack: "FUDGENUCKER!!! AHHHHHHH!!!!!"

6. Killer - see "Dope"

7. Dope - see "Rad"

8. Rad - see "Bitchin'"

9. Bitchin' - something that's cool.

"That car is bitchin'! (or killer, or dope, or rad, or cool).

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Okay, now it's time to learn how to make up a slang word for use in the United States.

Step 1: Get phrase that most people use. In this example, we'll use "Scoot over."

Step 2: Say the phrase over and over till it just becomes a scrambling of sounds. "Scoot over, scoot over, scoo over, scoo over, sc' over, scover."

Step 3: Take that last scruncing of the phrase and use it in a situation that is appropreite. You want to tell your friend to make room for you on the coutch. Tell him "Scover." Sit down.

It's basically abbreveating the phrase, but man I've heard some weird ones:

Shwanna - she wants to.

'Sgo! - let's go.

'Sup? - What's up?

'Sweird - that's weird.

As you can see, if you come across a phrase that has an apostrophed "S" after the first word, it's easy to make a new word, just take away the first word and attach the "'S" to the second word.

Well, I just wanted to say that I'm from Oregon, and I know what a shin dig is, but we usually don't use it . . . I've never heard it as a date . . .

This post has been removed.

1) This posting violates one of the very few rules on H2G2:

"You agree not to use the forum to transmit material that promotes bigotry, racism, hatred, or harm of any kind against any group or individual."

2) Despite what the French think, nobody "owns" a language.

3) America is in the process of inventing its own language, as this article shows.

"Britain and the United States are a common people seperated by a common language." - misquoted badly from somebody pretty famous, no doubt.

I got myself into no end of trouble (as an American) while presenting a seminar in the Thames Valley some 15 years ago by using an Baseball term frequently used in business to mean "make sure it happens". To emphasize that those present should make good on their contractural arrangements, I suggested that they "shag those deposits". One slang word to confuse another.....

In your list of Dope, Rad, Bitchin', etc., you left out "hype" and "krump." Of course, American slang evolves on an hourly basis, so who can keep up? Oh, someone else on this list of replies noticed that the dictionary was missing the word "youse." For those of you who aren't familiar with it, it's the northeastern equivalent of "y'all," though it can also be used in the phrase "youse guys." It's generally associated with areas like New Jersey and Brooklyn.

Can anyone explain where the expression 'bought the farm' meaning 'is dead' came from?

Probably based on the fact that farms are a poor investment, always requiring new capital, which means restructuring the mortgage. Therefore, you won't have been able to own the farm outright anytime during your own life.

I'm probably the billionth person to point this out, but phat stands for "pretty, hot and tempting", not... whatever it is you've got up there.

From what I've heard, it originated in WWII, when soldiers would dream about going back home and getting a farm, working at something worthwhile, and not staying in a mudhole shooting at Germans. Then, if such a dreamer was killed in combat, his fellow soldiers would remember his wish and say he "bought the farm" he wanted in the afterlife.

Missing slang - I've been led to believe that there's an old expression in Alabama (?) 'heavier than a dead minister'. What the hell?

Okay, that one I don't know. Maybe ministers got the more ornate, thicker, and therefore heavier coffins?

Clergymen are people who do absolutely no phystical labor, and have a higher standard of living than normal folks, and have thus been portrayed throughout history more than a bit overweight. A dead one won't help you bear him along.

It originated during the American Civil War, when the soldiers would escape the horrors of battle by sitting around the campfire at night dreaming of better days. The war would be over, all would be sweet, the country was expanding. and they would be able to settle down on a nice idyllic farm. When he was killed, he therefore went to a better place...the dreamt-of farm.

Yeah, yeah, so I got the war wrong. Same concept, though.

Bought the farm actually comes from the lavish compensation payments made to farmers when land was damaged by the military.

Thus if a pilot crashed he was said to have "bought the farm" ie the land into which the poor beggar plummeted.

I believe a source for this can be found in Tom Wolfe's "The Right Stuff"

Far out. I had no idea Wolf (sp?) influenced Crane when he wrote Red Badge of Courage (published 1894).

Well, there's been no Guatamalan slang yet...

Oh, hang on... I see, you egocentric yanks are ignoring EVERYTHING from Mexico south.
Maybe the Forum should be re-named "Slang from the United States of America (not any of those other insignificant other places)"

Hey everyone, I'm new to this whole h2g2 thing; so bear with me; but I think that no one put the word, "tight" I think tight means something along the lines of cool. Oh, and "diggit" (dig it) as in "do ya dig it?" are you cool with it, I have only heard that second one mostly in the Washington DC metropolitan area, since my friends back in NY (moved a bit ago from there to where I am now) have no clue what I mean.
okay, the end,
the entity :o)

Nisting! (Nice Listing)