American slang, or How not to get into an awkward situation with foreigners?

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:42

In today's world, meeting a foreigner can be very difficult if you don't know American slang with translation. Such words have long been merged into our daily lives and we cannot do without them. Especially in countries like America. How not to get into an uncomfortable situation, even if you know English? Let's figure it out.

What is slang?

Don't confuse slang with swear words. Basically, these are ordinary words that are used in an unusual sense. There are also such in Russian. Moreover, American slang also includes so-called idioms, small phrases that are never taken literally. In this article, you can get acquainted with some examples of such phrases.

Don't forget that American English slang can also include classic British words.

How to feel welcome at a party?

Of course, although the older generation toooften uses American slang, yet young people use it much more. You will probably hear the following words at one of the parties:

Hang out - the Russian equivalent of "hanging out", that is, just walking at some party or ordinary meeting.

Pig out - that's what we often do at these events, right?

Hyped (adj.) - states of great excitement or excitement.

Bail - leave abruptly, that is, if someone suddenly decides to leave the party.

Lighten up - "cheer up!", no one likes to see sour faces when everyone is having fun. After all, you came to the party to party, right?

Give a ring - "call". Someone didn't show up to the party when they should have? So he definitely needs to call!

Cram - Desperately preparing for an exam, usually after neglecting studying for an entire semester. Good if you want to explain why someone couldn't come.

Crash - in the case of a party, it means that someone broke in without an invitation. It can also mean suddenly "passing out" into sleep.

Knock - speak negatively, or even throw mud at someone.

Trash - used as a verb and means "turn something into trash", i.e. "break/destroy/spoil".

The cold shoulder - used to describe a situation where one person ignores another.

Couch Potato - may refer to those who did not come to the party,because he prefers to lie down on the couch.

Drive up the wall - to bring someone to the edge, that is, to annoy.

For real - can be used both as a statement and as a question. "Really?/Seriously?"

Sweet - in the slang version it has nothing to do with sweets, it can rather be translated as "chic" or "class". The party was a success? You can use this word when describing her!

Expression of joy

Happiness is one of the main human emotions, so there are a lot of idioms in the English language to display it. Here are the most basic ones. Here is a translation to understand the meaning of the phrase. True, usually American slang is replaced either by one word or by the corresponding phrase, which may be completely different, but displays the meaning completely.

On cloud nine - we usually say "to be in seventh heaven", and Americans are more pleasant in the ninth.

Like a dog with two tails - like a dog with two tails. After all, dogs vigorously wag their tails during joy!

Fool's paradise - if you translate directly "fool's paradise", then little will be clear. This expression describes a state of joy that cannot last long, because this happiness is caused by some kind of illusion and false hope.

Full of the joys of spring - if you are full of the joys of spring, then of course you are happy, full of enthusiasm and energy.

Grin from ear to ear is the equivalent of ourexpression "smile from ear to ear". That is, someone is very pleased with something.

Grin like a Cheshire cat - did you watch Alice in Wonderland or the new Alice in Wonderland? Have you seen the smile of the Cheshire Cat? That's exactly the kind of facial expression that this phrase describes.

Happy camper - "happy camper", that is, a person who is satisfied with everything at this stage of his life. He has nothing to complain about.

Happy as a flea in a doghouse - of course, "a flea in a doghouse" feels extremely happy. Therefore, if someone lives in prosperity and complete joy, then they use this expression.

Happy-go-lucky - if you translate this phrase into Russian as it is, it will be completely meaningless. But it is this phrase that describes a person who is cheerful and carefree.

Jump for joy is another phrase for which in Russian there is an exact equivalent of "jump for joy".

Expression of sadness

Sadness is also one of the basic emotions, without which we would not know joy. American slang with a sad meaning includes the following phrases:

Cry one's eyes out - if someone "cries out his eyes", then this person has been crying for a very long time.

Down in the dumps - Do you feel like you are sitting "at the bottom of the dump"? Of course, you are not having fun there, but very bad.

Down in the mouth - if "the corners of your mouth are down" and you look like a sad emoticon, then your life is probably not going smoothly.

Face like a wet weekend - when you are sad and lonely, your "face looks like a rainy weekend".

Your heart sinks - and although it translates roughly as one of the phraseological units in Russian, in fact, in English, "the heart sinks" when you are sad.

Conclusions and tips

It's hard to fit all the American slang in one article. Phrases can be completely equivalent to ours. I won’t mention each one here, but you can remember a few basic rules. If we are talking about idioms, then they basically need to be looked up in a special dictionary. Just remember that, just like in Russian, there are also phrases in English that should not be taken literally. It is not necessary to know all the American slang, it is enough just to understand the essence of the sentence, where it is used, then the expressions themselves will be clear to you.