Since arriving at Washington University in St. Louis, I have heard a slew of different slang terms. Being from Connecticut, my slang derives mostly from New York, New Jersey and sometimes even Long Island. Given this far-reaching influence, I’ve grown familiar with a multitude of phrases. However, there are definitely a few terms that were jarring and confusing. Still, after asking around I believe I currently have a pretty good handle on the most commonly used colloquialisms.

I’m Hip v. Same

‘I’m hip’ is perhaps the most egregious term I have heard. It comes from the D.C. area, and, from what I can gather, is used as an assurance of agreement or understanding. Basically, it’s just another term for ‘same,’ but at least now you know.

Twisted v. Crossed

While I believe the entire term for being drunk and high at the same time is ‘cross-faded,’ most people I know simply use the word ‘crossed.’ However, there are a select group of people, mostly from Colorado, who have dubbed this state-of-being ‘twisted.’

Booted v. Yakked

There are probably millions of terms that our generation has created to replace the words ‘throwing up,’ but ‘booted’ is what people from my area say. I have also heard a few people from Long Island use the word. However, when asking around, I discovered that very few people actually knew what ‘booted’ meant. Instead, several people informed me that the term ‘yakked’ was most common in their area. There were also quite a few people who had no other term than ‘throwing up’ or ‘vomiting.’

Obnr v. squared

You may simply just say someone left you on read, but, in case you were wondering, ‘obnr’ (open but not responded) generally refers to the action of opening a Snapchat without responding to it—yes, it’s very self-explanatory. While I have rarely ever used this term, a girl from Atlanta told me she and her friends called this action ‘squaring’ someone. Again, this makes sense given the open square that pops up every time you open a Snapchat.

Darty v. Dager

I’m fairly sure that most people say ‘darty’–I know I do—however, I have met many people from the Bay Area, and apparently their correct term for a party that occurs in the day time is ‘dager,’ as in a ‘day rager’ instead of a ‘day party.’ This one was alarming to hear at first, but after hearing the word over and over again, I’ve realized it’s kind of fun to say.

Brick

I’ve never actually heard anyone say this before attending Wash. U., but apparently quite a few New Yorkers use this word to describe incredibly cold weather.  

Fully v. Hella

These ones are pretty easy to understand; however, I simply find it interesting that people still say ‘hella.’ Everyone from my area says ‘fully’ as a replacement for very, as in, “I’m fully done.” Apparently, though, there is a concentrated population in the Bay Area, as well as people scattered around the country, who use the term ‘hella’ instead.

Bet

OK, I have talked to so many people who are incredibly confused by this word. While I personally don’t use this term, I definitely know people in Connecticut who do. Essentially, ‘Bet’ means ‘OK’ or ‘for sure.’ It is, in essence, a shortened term for ‘you bet.’