slang

‘She is gonna poppa your dom’

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‘She is gonna poppa your dom’ It’s from Shortland Street E6739 at 10:10. I googled word by word. I find nothing about ‘poppa’ used as a verb on google. What does it mean? Answer Nonsensical phrases in this form are fairly common. The form is to take a word or phrase where each part sounds … Read more

What are the constraints on replacements of the phrase “Holy S—t”?

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When my friend found out that the new season of Rick and Morty is going to be released this year, he yelled in excitement: Holy fucking Rick! This is not a valid (ie. grammatically correct) replacement for the phrase “Holy Shit.” It made me think: What words could replace “shit” in this slang, without changing … Read more

When and where did “clam” come to mean a missed note in a musical performance?

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Someone just asked me in chat what a missed note in music is called. Without hesitation, I replied, “A clam.” It’s what I’ve always heard in academic and professional settings since forever. Only now, having to explain its usage and origin, I went looking and found only informal origins and folk-etymology explanations. One such was … Read more

A word whose suffix is the prefix for another word, so you can combine them?

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I’m trying to think of words to be used for usernames and I noticed people sometimes take a word whose suffix matches the prefix of another word and combine them. Noteworthy examples: disarmpit bartenderizer cobwebsite Is there a word for this type of made up words? Answer On game shows like NPR’s Ask Me Another, … Read more

What is the word for reserving something for yourself before others do?

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In English-speaking TV shows, characters sometimes say something similar to dips to say to other people they are taking something for themselves before others do. Neither Google, Wiktionary or Urban Dictionary give positive results for this so the word may be misspelled. What is the word and what is its origin? Answer The word you’re … Read more

What was required to accept “troll”?

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At what point did the concept of internet troll become incorporated into an English dictionary? Answer Its earliest attestation appears to be from the early ‘90s, but its usage probably dates earlier: Troll: The internet sense (everyone seems to have his own definition of it) seems to date to the late 1980s or early 1990s … Read more

What is the word to describe “annoying but commonly accepted”?

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For example: You’re searching for your wedding location. You google, called, email – go through all the process of finding the perfect location. It’s super annoying but at the same time you accept it because it’s such a common pain that people tend to “accept” it because “That’s just the way it is”. How would … Read more

Does “that’s fair” indicate disagreement in a conversation?

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If I argued with my friends and he texted me, “I got you. Yeah, that’s fair.” Does he mean he actually disagrees with me? Answer Depending on context it might mean Agree to Disagree Technically and to the specific question, they would still disagree with your point, but tolerate it. AttributionSource : Link , Question … Read more

What’s the etymology of the military slang word “jippo” meaning gravy?

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My late grandfather who served in WWII always used to refer to gravy as jippo and it has passed down into common usage by the family, while there are sources which confirm this meaning, I cannot find any information on how the word came about. Wikipedia lists it on the page RAF slang claiming it … Read more