1. Bro
(n.) A certain type of college male, especially one who likes to play sports video games and drink.
“My lab partner is such a bro.”
(n.) Also used between college males to refer to one another.
“Can you give me a ride home, bro?”
The first definition is based on how my boyfriend and his friends refer to bros, but it is used non-pejoratively between males. In fact, it is almost exclusively used by males; it is rare for girls to refer to other girls as bro. Furthermore, only friends or peers are referred to as bros; a professor or police officer, for example, should not be referred to as one's “bro”.
2. Douchebag
(n.) A jerk; a rude, mean or otherwise bad person.
"Your boyfriend cheated on you again? What a douchebag!"
(n.) Any acts or behaviors that are characteristic of douchebags.
"There was a whole lot of douchebaggery going on at that staff meeting."
I overhead these phrases in the Writing Center, where I work. It is a pejorative term typically used for men, but can also be used for women. People do not consider the actual meaning of a “douche” when using this word. It is used mostly by college-age students (maximum age: mid- to late-twenties), and of course, younger students as well. Older persons would not use this term, as it is considered to be vulgar and generally, in bad taste.
3. Drama
(noun) Events in a person's life (typically social or work related) that create complications and provoke complex, intense emotional reactions.
“My life hasn't been free of drama since the seventh grade.”
This term, overheard at the MU but extremely common, seems to be used almost exclusively by young people, but of all ages, races, and economic classes. However, it is most often used by women, who seem to be unable to live without drama. As a result, the use of this slang word often involves romantic relationships (or non-relationships).
4. Epic
(adj.) Amazing, legendary.
“Yesterday's baseball game was epic.”
This term was previously used exclusively by the Internet (specifically and non-pejoratively, by the nerds on the Internet), but has somehow leaked into everyday language among college students. I have heard it most often from white students, but from both males and females.
See also: Fail
5. Facebook Official
(n.) To have a confirmed relationship status as validated on Facebook.
“They broke up, it's totally Facebook Official.”
This is an example of the profound influence of popular culture on everyday language. This terminology would likely only be used by Facebook users, which is upwards of 400 million users and includes all races, ages, genders, and socioeconomic classes.
6. (To) Fail
(int.) Used at the end of a statement to emphasize the lack of success or achievement at something, especially life.
“I forgot I had an eight-page essay due today. Fail.”
(v.) To be bad at a particular task or action.
“I fail at MarioKart.”
Like epic, this word began on the Internet, but has seeped into everyday use. Notably, the two words can be combined to emphasize a particular awful “fail”: an epic fail. Again, use of this word is not limited to gender but since it is fairly new, is unlikely to be heard from anyone above college-age.
7. Five-O
(n.) Police officer or officers, especially on patrol in a car.
“You smoke [marijuana] in your car during your lunch? You're crazy, man, the five-oh is everywhere!”
I apologize for the mention of drugs in the example sentence, but this is really what I overheard in the dining hall during dinner one night. This slang word is used by college-age students or younger, even though it is unlikely that they have viewed the show to which this slang word refers, Hawaii Five-O. I hope that my mention of this show has put the theme song in your head for the rest of the day.
8. Flow
(n.) Money, income
"I would buy a PlayStation 3 but I just don't have the flow right now, man."
I overheard this exchange between my boyfriend and his roommate. This word is typically used in younger demographics, usually by those who do not have a particularly high income. For instance, people with a very high amount of “flow” are not likely to refer to it as such.
9. In a minute
(n.) A very long time.
“I haven't seen you in a minute! What are you up to?”
This is one of those interesting cases in which a common enough word is used to signify the complete opposite of what it has traditionally signified. I have heard this phrase many times on campus, but mostly among African American students.
10. Laters!
(Interjection) A parting sentiment equivalent to “Goodbye” or “See you later”.
“I'm gonna be late for class, dude. Laters!”
This is an interjection definitely used by young people in a casual setting among friends or peers. It is very non-professional and informal, and is a shortened form of “see you later”. It was overheard at a Starbucks on the West campus.
11. Mad
(n.) Extremely good or impressive.
“You want to come over and play Modern Warfare 2? I have mad skills.”
This was overheard at the Memorial Union around lunchtime. It is a common adjective used among college students, but I have heard it the most from minority (non-white) students – although it is used and accepted by students of various ethnic backgrounds.
12. No worries
(v.) The shortened form of have no worries; another form of you're welcome
“Thanks for letting me borrow your notes from last week.”
“No worries!”
It did not occur to me that this was slang until I overheard it while completing this assignment – it is a phrase I use all the time. It seems to convey a carefree, cheerful attitude toward the performance of some favor and is used in casual conversation in regards to light favors. In other words, you wouldn't say “No worries” after someone thanked you for donating your kidney to them.
13. Prolly
(v.) A shortened form of probably; most likely.
“I'm prolly going to leave class early because I'm so tired.”
The elimination of an entire syllable from the word probably can either be explained by a need for effective speech... or just laziness. Either way, this word is used most often among younger students at ASU, and in my experience, typically by white or Asian-American students.
14. Skype
(v.) To video and instant message using the program Skype.
"I Skyped with my brother last night and he showed me his new puppy."
People of all ages and ethnicities can use this term because of the high use of Skype in general. It is akin to using “Google” as a verb meaning “search the web”: an Internet-related proper noun is “verb-ified” to replace an actual verb in a sentence. For the purposes of this assignment, I decided to capitalize Skype, but in the future, like “google”, it will probably drop its capitalization.
15. Solid
(adj.) Good, positive, adequate, sufficient.
“I had, like, five sources. My works cited was solid!”
I overheard this outside the COOR building between two students who were most likely freshmen (but who am I to judge?). It is clearly used in casual settings, among friends or peers. It is interesting to note that it can be used to describe both academic things (such as works cited pages, assignments, etc) and non-academic things (video game performance, sports, etc).
16. Tool
(n.) A jerk; a rude, mean or otherwise bad person.
"John Mayer is such a tool!"
This was overhead and noted in class! However, it is a common enough word among all students of all ethnicities, not only here at ASU, but in California as well. Tool is generally used as a pejorative term for men, but in special circumstances, could be used for women as well.
17. To be pissed
(v.) To be angry about something
“She was so pissed when she found out about her boyfriend.”
This is an extremely common slang word definitely used outside of ASU and by many age demographics, including persons of an older age. I am quite sure, for example, that I have heard my own mother use it at some point. However, it is a slang word and is not used in professional settings, or in front of people one wishes to impress.
18. To be psyched
(v.) To be excited about something.
“Did you hear that she's going to let us all retake the quiz? I'm totally pysched!”
This phrase was overheard in an exchange between two students at the ASU West Library, right near closing time. Younger demographics (I would say no older than age thirty) would be more inclined to use this phrase, but it would be unsurprising to hear it from an older person. This phrase is common in both California and Arizona.
19. To get some
(v.) To engage in some sort of sexual activity.
(int.) A phrase used to emphasize the achievement some degree of success or accomplishment.
“My first semester GPA was a 4.0! Get some!”
I heard a freshman girl say this in reference to her high GPA last semester, but I do know that it can also be used to refer to sexual activities, so I included that in the definition as well. It is unlikely that this phrase would be heard from anyone above the age of thirty, but it is common especially among college students.
20. To go greek
(v) To rush (join) a fraternity or sorority.
This phrase seems obvious enough here on campus, but anyone not familiar with a college environment might have to guess at its meaning. In honesty, I did not actually hear this phrase being used, but it can be seen on signs and fliers all over campus. Therefore, it is a term limited almost exclusively to college students, but can be used by both males and females.
