Complete living index

Every local meaning,
in one place.

Search across 6 regional dictionaries, compare usage, or narrow the index by place. Every result leads back to the region that gives the word its meaning.

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347 entries
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

A minute

/uh MIN-it/

A noticeably long or indefinite amount of time, especially in phrases such as it’s been a minute.

  • Plans & social life
  • Classic New York English
  • noun phrase
Irelandireland.localmean.com

acting the maggot

/ACK-ting the MAG-ut/

Behaving foolishly, messing around, causing trouble, or refusing to take something seriously.

  • Behaviour
  • Humour
  • Warnings
Irelandireland.localmean.com

after doing

/AF-ter DOO-ing/

A construction meaning that an action has just happened or has recently been completed.

  • Grammar
  • Recent events
  • Irish-language influence
Londonlondon.localmean.com

ahlie

/uh-LIE · /əˈlaɪ//

Right?; isn’t that true?; an expression of agreement or a request for confirmation.

  • Grammar tags
  • Reactions
  • Current London usage
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

AirTrain JFK

/AIR-trayn JAY-EF-KAY/

The automated airport rail system linking JFK terminals with airport facilities and public-transit connections at Jamaica and Howard Beach.

  • Subway & street
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Classic New York English
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Alcove studio

/AL-kohv STOO-dee-oh/

A studio apartment with a recessed or partly separated area that can hold a bed, dining table, desk, or another distinct use.

  • Classic New York English
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • noun; real-estate term
Londonlondon.localmean.com

allow it

/uh-LOW it · /əˈlaʊ ɪt//

Stop it, leave it alone, or do not continue.

  • Boundaries
  • Reactions
  • Current London usage
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Alphabet City

/AL-fuh-bet SIT-ee/

A Manhattan neighborhood name referring to the eastern part of the East Village around Avenues A, B, C, and D.

  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Classic New York English
  • proper place name
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Alternate-side parking

/AWL-ter-nit SIDE PAR-king/

New York’s posted street-cleaning parking rule requiring vehicles to move from one side of a street during specified days and times.

  • Subway & street
  • Classic New York English
  • noun phrase
Irelandireland.localmean.com

amn’t I?

/AM-ent eye/

The Irish English first-person negative question corresponding to standard “aren’t I?”

  • Grammar
  • Questions
  • Irish English
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Appetizing store

/AP-uh-ty-zing STOR/

A Jewish food shop specializing traditionally in foods eaten with dairy, such as smoked fish, cream cheese, salads, bagels, and related items.

  • Food & bodegas
  • Classic New York English
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
Londonlondon.localmean.com

apples and pears

/AP-uhlz and PAIRZ · /ˌæp.əlz ən ˈpeəz//

Stairs.

  • Rhyming slang
  • Cockney heritage
  • Place
Irelandireland.localmean.com

arseways

/ARSE-ways/

Wrongly arranged, badly handled, reversed, confused, or in a complete mess.

  • Problems
  • Directions
  • Mild vulgarity
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Atlantic Terminal

/at-LAN-tik TER-mih-nul/

The Long Island Rail Road terminal in Downtown Brooklyn, connected with the Atlantic Avenue–Barclays Center subway complex.

  • Subway & street
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Classic New York English
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

B

/BEE/

A compact familiar way to address a friend, peer, or another person, often understood as brother or bro.

  • Friendship & address
  • Greetings & call-outs
  • Hip-hop & media
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Bacon, egg and cheese

/BAY-kən EG ən CHEEZ/

A hot breakfast sandwich—often ordered on a roll, bagel, or hero—that is a staple of New York bodegas, delis, and carts.

  • Food & bodegas
  • Classic New York English
  • noun phrase
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Bagel

/BAY-gul/

A ring-shaped bread roll traditionally boiled before baking, producing a glossy crust and dense, chewy interior.

  • Food & bodegas
  • Classic New York English
  • noun
Londonlondon.localmean.com

bait

/BAYT · /beɪt//

Too obvious, easily noticed, exposed, or likely to attract unwanted attention.

  • Warnings
  • Everyday speech
  • Current London usage
Jamaicajamaica.localmean.com

bally

/BAL-ee/

A casual local term that may refer to a balaclava or face covering, with meaning depending strongly on context and community usage.

  • Noun
  • Jamaican Usage
  • Context-Dependent
Bostonboston.localmean.com

bang a uey

/ˌbæŋ ə ˈjuː.i/

To make a U-turn, especially in casual driving directions.

  • Verb Phrase
  • Driving
  • Everyday Slang
Irelandireland.localmean.com

banjaxed

//ˈbændʒækst//

Broken, ruined, exhausted, or no longer functioning properly.

  • Problems
  • Objects
  • Exhaustion
Londonlondon.localmean.com

bare

/BAIR · /beə//

Very; a lot; many.

  • Intensity
  • Quantity
  • Current London usage
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Beef patty

/BEEF PAT-ee/

A Jamaican baked pastry with a flaky yellow crust and seasoned beef filling, widely available through New York Caribbean bakeries, restaurants, and shops.

  • Food & bodegas
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • noun
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Belt Parkway

/BELT PARK-way/

A parkway running through southern Brooklyn and Queens, commonly shortened in conversation and traffic reports to the Belt.

  • Subway & street
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • proper road name
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Bet

/BET/

Okay, agreed, understood, or challenge accepted.

  • Agreement & confirmation
  • Plans & social life
  • interjection
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Bialy

/bee-AH-lee/

A round Jewish bread roll with a depressed center, usually baked with onion or another savory topping rather than boiled like a bagel.

  • Food & bodegas
  • Classic New York English
  • noun
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Big Apple

/BIG AP-ul/

A long-established nickname for New York City whose modern popularity grew through horse racing, jazz culture, and a major 1970s tourism campaign.

  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Classic New York English
  • Hip-hop & media
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

BK

/bee-KAY/

A common informal abbreviation for Brooklyn, used in conversation, business names, music, event listings, clothing, and online location labels.

  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Plans & social life
  • abbreviation; place label
Irelandireland.localmean.com

blaa

/BLAH/

A soft, floury white bread roll strongly associated with Waterford.

  • Food and drink
  • Waterford
  • Regional identity
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Black-and-white cookie

/BLACK-and-WHITE cookie/

A cake-like round cookie topped with two halves of vanilla and chocolate fondant or icing.

  • Food & bodegas
  • Classic New York English
  • noun phrase
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Block party

/BLOK PAR-tee/

A neighborhood event held on a temporarily closed street, commonly featuring food, music, games, tables, family activities, and local organizations.

  • Plans & social life
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Subway & street
Londonlondon.localmean.com

bloke

/BLOHK · /bləʊk//

An informal British word for a man, often an ordinary or typical man.

  • People
  • Forms of address
  • Wider British English
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Bodega

/boh-DAY-guh/

A small neighborhood grocery or convenience store, often independently operated and woven into daily city life.

  • Food & bodegas
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • noun
Irelandireland.localmean.com

bold

/BOLD/

Naughty, badly behaved, or disobedient, especially of a child.

  • Children
  • Family
  • Behaviour
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Boogie Down

/BOO-gee DOWN/

A proud nickname for the Bronx, especially when emphasizing the borough’s hip-hop, dance, music, and cultural identity.

  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Hip-hop & media
  • proper nickname; noun phrase
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

BQE

/BEE-cue-EE/

The common abbreviation for the Brooklyn–Queens Expressway, a major limited-access roadway carrying local, regional, and truck traffic through parts of Brooklyn and Queens.

  • Subway & street
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Classic New York English
Scotlandscotland.localmean.com

braw

/BRAH/

Fine, excellent, attractive, or pleasing. The word can describe a person, an object, the weather, or a general situation.

  • Adjective
  • Scots
  • Everyday Speech
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Brick

/BRIK/

Extremely cold, especially when describing the weather outside.

  • Weather
  • Intensifiers
  • adjective
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Bridge-and-tunnel

/BRIJ-and-TUN-ul/

A class-coded and often dismissive New York label for people traveling into Manhattan from outer boroughs, New Jersey, Long Island, or surrounding suburbs.

  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Sensitive or insulting
  • adjective; noun phrase
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Brolic

/BRAH-lik/

Extremely muscular, powerfully built, or visibly strong; sometimes extended to anything unusually sturdy or forceful.

  • Hip-hop & media
  • Reactions & judgment
  • adjective
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Bronx-bound

/BRONKS BOWND/

A transit direction label indicating that a train or bus is traveling toward the Bronx or farther into the borough.

  • Subway & street
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Classic New York English
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Brooklyn-bound

/BROOK-lin BOWND/

A transit direction label indicating that a train or bus is traveling toward Brooklyn or farther into Brooklyn.

  • Subway & street
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Classic New York English
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Brownstone

/BROWN-stohn/

A row house or townhouse associated with a brown sandstone façade, often used more broadly for a familiar New York residential building type.

  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Classic New York English
  • noun; adjective
Londonlondon.localmean.com

bruv

/BRUV · /brʌv//

Brother, friend, or a familiar way to address a man.

  • Forms of address
  • Reactions
  • Current London usage
Bostonboston.localmean.com

bubbler

/ˈbʌb.ləɹ/

A public drinking-water fountain.

  • Noun
  • Everyday Object
  • Regional Divide
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Bugging

/BUG-ing/

Acting irrationally, overreacting, misunderstanding, or saying something unreasonable.

  • Reactions & judgment
  • Sensitive or insulting
  • verb; adjective-like participle
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Bus bunching

/BUS BUN-ching/

A service pattern in which two or more buses on the same route arrive close together after delays disrupt their planned spacing.

  • Subway & street
  • Classic New York English
  • noun phrase
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Bus lane

/BUS LAYN/

A marked street lane reserved primarily for buses during posted hours so they can bypass general traffic.

  • Subway & street
  • Classic New York English
  • noun
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Busway

/BUS-way/

A street corridor designed to give through-priority to buses and certain permitted vehicles while restricting ordinary private-car travel.

  • Subway & street
  • Classic New York English
  • noun
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Buttered roll

/BUT-erd ROHL/

A simple hard roll or kaiser-style roll split and spread with butter, commonly bought as an inexpensive New York breakfast with coffee.

  • Food & bodegas
  • Classic New York English
  • noun phrase
Londonlondon.localmean.com

butters

/BUT-uhz · /ˈbʌt.əz//

Unattractive or unpleasant to look at, usually as a blunt and potentially hurtful judgement.

  • Appearance
  • Insults
  • Current London usage
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

BX

/bee-EKS/

A compact written or spoken abbreviation for the Bronx, frequently used in addresses, local branding, music, conversation, and social posts.

  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Hip-hop & media
  • abbreviation; place label
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Cannoli

/kuh-NOH-lee/

Crisp tube-shaped fried pastry shells filled most commonly with sweetened ricotta-based cream.

  • Food & bodegas
  • Classic New York English
  • Plans & social life
Londonlondon.localmean.com

cheeky

/CHEE-kee · /ˈtʃiː.ki//

Slightly rude or disrespectful, often in a playful, bold, or amusing way.

  • Banter
  • Behaviour
  • Wider British English
Londonlondon.localmean.com

cheers

/CHEERZ · /tʃɪəz//

Thank you, goodbye, or a toast before drinking.

  • Thanks
  • Farewells
  • Wider British English
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Chicken over rice

/CHIK-en over RICE/

A halal-cart platter of seasoned chicken served over rice, commonly with salad and a choice of sauces.

  • Food & bodegas
  • Plans & social life
  • noun phrase
Londonlondon.localmean.com

chirpse

/CHURPS · /tʃɜːps//

To flirt with or chat up someone; also the act of flirting or a person someone is casually pursuing.

  • Dating
  • Relationships
  • Current London usage
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Chopped cheese

/CHOPT CHEEZ/

A hot sandwich of chopped ground beef and melted cheese, commonly served on a hero with toppings and strongly associated with New York bodegas.

  • Food & bodegas
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • noun
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Chopped liver

/CHOPT LIV-er/

A seasoned spread traditionally made from chopped cooked liver, onions, fat, and often egg; the words also appear in a humorous expression about being ignored.

  • Food & bodegas
  • Classic New York English
  • Reactions & judgment
Londonlondon.localmean.com

chuffed

/CHUFT · /tʃʌft//

Pleased, happy, or proud about something.

  • Happiness
  • Approval
  • Wider British English
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Chutzpah

/KHOOT-spuh or HOOT-spuh/

Bold nerve, audacity, gall, or striking self-confidence, with the judgment ranging from admiration to disapproval.

  • Reactions & judgment
  • Intensifiers
  • Classic New York English
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Citi Bike

/SIT-ee BIKE/

New York City’s large bike-share system, whose bicycles and e-bikes can be checked out from stations or designated parking locations.

  • Subway & street
  • Plans & social life
  • proper noun; service name
Londonlondon.localmean.com

clapped

/KLAPT · /klæpt//

Extremely unattractive; in broader slang use, also badly worn, ruined, or in visibly poor condition.

  • Appearance
  • Condition
  • Current London usage
Irelandireland.localmean.com

class

//klɑːs//

Excellent, very good, stylish, or impressive.

  • Praise
  • Youth speech
  • Sport
Bostonboston.localmean.com

clicker

/ˈklɪk.əɹ/

A television remote control.

  • Noun
  • Household
  • Generational Slang
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Co-op

/KOH-op/

An apartment in a corporation-owned building where the resident buys shares and receives a proprietary lease rather than owning the unit as separate real property.

  • Classic New York English
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • noun; real-estate term
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Coco bread

/KOH-koh BRED/

A soft, slightly sweet Jamaican bread made with coconut milk or coconut-derived ingredients, often folded around a patty or used for sandwiches.

  • Food & bodegas
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • noun
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Coffee cart

/KAW-fee KART/

A licensed mobile food cart selling quick breakfast items such as coffee, tea, rolls, pastries, bagels, and egg sandwiches, especially near offices and transit stops.

  • Food & bodegas
  • Subway & street
  • Classic New York English
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Condo

/KON-doh/

An apartment owned as an individual real-property unit together with a shared interest in the building’s common elements.

  • Classic New York English
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • noun; real-estate term
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Condop

/KON-dop/

A New York building structure that combines condominium ownership for part of the property with a cooperative corporation owning another portion, often the residential apartments.

  • Classic New York English
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • noun; real-estate term
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Cop

/KOP/

To get, obtain, or buy something, as in copping tickets, food, clothing, or another wanted item.

  • Plans & social life
  • Hip-hop & media
  • verb
Irelandireland.localmean.com

craic

//kræk//

Fun, enjoyable conversation, social atmosphere, or news about what is happening.

  • Greetings
  • Social life
  • Conversation
Londonlondon.localmean.com

creps

/KREPS · /krɛps//

Trainers or athletic-style shoes.

  • Clothing
  • Footwear
  • Current London usage
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Cross Bronx Expressway

/KROSS BRONKS ex-PRESS-way/

A heavily traveled expressway crossing the Bronx and carrying I-95 traffic between major bridges, highways, and regional routes.

  • Subway & street
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Classic New York English
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Cross-platform transfer

/KRAWS PLAT-form TRANS-fer/

A transfer between trains that stop on opposite sides of the same platform, avoiding stairs or a long walk through the station.

  • Subway & street
  • Classic New York English
  • noun phrase
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Crosstown

/CROSS-town/

Across Manhattan or another part of the city from east to west, rather than mainly uptown or downtown.

  • Subway & street
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Classic New York English
Irelandireland.localmean.com

culchie

//ˈkʌltʃi//

A person from rural Ireland or from outside Dublin, often framed through a city-versus-country stereotype.

  • Regional identity
  • Rural Ireland
  • Sensitive labels
Londonlondon.localmean.com

cuppa

/KUP-uh · /ˈkʌp.ə//

A cup of tea, or less commonly another hot drink understood from context.

  • Food and drink
  • Hospitality
  • Wider British English
Irelandireland.localmean.com

cute hoor

/cute HOOR/

A shrewd, crafty, or politically slippery person who gets results through charm, calculation, or manipulation.

  • Politics
  • People
  • Mild vulgarity
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Deadass

/DEHD-ass/

Seriously, truthfully, or completely; also used to show that a person is not joking.

  • Intensifiers
  • Agreement & confirmation
  • adverb; adjective
Irelandireland.localmean.com

deadly

//ˈdɛdli//

Excellent, impressive, exciting, or highly enjoyable.

  • Praise
  • Youth speech
  • Music
Irelandireland.localmean.com

debs

/DEBZ/

A formal social event or dance for students near the end of secondary school.

  • School
  • Youth culture
  • Events
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Dirty-water dog

/DUR-tee WAW-ter DAWG/

An affectionate nickname for a New York street-cart hot dog kept hot in seasoned water before being placed in a soft bun.

  • Food & bodegas
  • Classic New York English
  • noun
Irelandireland.localmean.com

do be

/DOO bee/

A habitual construction describing what regularly or characteristically happens.

  • Grammar
  • Habitual action
  • Irish-language influence
Londonlondon.localmean.com

dodgy

/DOJ-ee · /ˈdɒdʒ.i//

Dishonest, suspicious, unreliable, unsafe, faulty, or likely to cause problems.

  • Warnings
  • Reliability
  • Wider British English
Londonlondon.localmean.com

dog and bone

/DOG and BONE · /ˌdɒɡ ən ˈbəʊn//

Phone.

  • Rhyming slang
  • Cockney heritage
  • Communication
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Dollar slice

/DOL-er SLYSS/

A basic New York cheese pizza slice sold through a low-price, high-volume counter model historically centered on a one-dollar price point.

  • Food & bodegas
  • Classic New York English
  • noun
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Dollar van

/DOL-er VAN/

A small commuter van serving recurring neighborhood routes, especially where riders want an alternative or supplement to buses and subways.

  • Subway & street
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • noun
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Doorman building

/DOR-man BIL-ding/

An apartment building with staff stationed near the entrance to receive visitors, manage access, assist residents, and often accept deliveries.

  • Classic New York English
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • noun phrase
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Dope

/DOHP/

As an adjective, excellent, impressive, stylish, or exciting; as a noun, it can carry several unrelated meanings.

  • Reactions & judgment
  • Hip-hop & media
  • adjective; noun
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Double-park

/DUB-ul PARK/

To stop or leave a vehicle in the traffic lane beside a vehicle already parked at the curb, blocking part of the roadway.

  • Subway & street
  • Classic New York English
  • verb; adjective
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Downtown

/DOWN-town/

Toward the southern or lower-numbered-street direction in Manhattan; it can also refer to Lower Manhattan or other context-specific central areas.

  • Subway & street
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • adverb; adjective; noun
Scotlandscotland.localmean.com

dreich

/DREEKH/

Dull, bleak, wet, or persistently gloomy, especially when describing weather.

  • Adjective
  • Weather
  • Scots
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Dub

/DUB/

A rejection, refusal, failed plan, or person or situation being dismissed; as a verb, to ignore, turn down, or reject.

  • Reactions & judgment
  • Plans & social life
  • noun; verb
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Dumb

/DUM/

Very or extremely when placed before an adjective, as in dumb nice, dumb far, or dumb expensive.

  • Intensifiers
  • Reactions & judgment
  • adverb; adjective
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

DUMBO

/DUM-boh/

A Brooklyn waterfront neighborhood name meaning “Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass,” situated between and around the Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges.

  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Classic New York English
  • acronym; neighborhood name
Bostonboston.localmean.com

Dunks

/dʌŋks/

An informal local nickname for Dunkin’, the Massachusetts-founded coffee and doughnut chain.

  • Proper Noun
  • Brand Nickname
  • Everyday Shorthand
Irelandireland.localmean.com

eejit

//ˈiːdʒɪt//

A foolish person; a humorous or mildly insulting form of idiot.

  • Insults
  • Humour
  • People
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Egg cream

/EG KREEM/

A New York fountain drink traditionally made with milk, flavored syrup, and seltzer, despite containing neither egg nor cream.

  • Food & bodegas
  • Classic New York English
  • noun
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Empty subway car

/EMP-tee SUB-way KAR/

A subway car with noticeably fewer riders than the surrounding cars, often treated by experienced riders as a reason to pause before boarding.

  • Subway & street
  • Classic New York English
  • noun phrase; local advice
Londonlondon.localmean.com

ends

/ENDZ · /ɛndz//

One’s neighbourhood, local area, estate, or home territory.

  • Place
  • Neighbourhoods
  • Current London usage
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Express bus

/ek-SPRESS BUS/

A premium commuter bus service connecting outer-borough or regional neighborhoods with major Manhattan destinations using fewer stops and longer-distance routing.

  • Subway & street
  • Classic New York English
  • noun phrase
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Express train

/ex-PRESS train/

A subway train that skips selected local stations to serve a smaller set of major stops more quickly.

  • Subway & street
  • Classic New York English
  • noun phrase
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Facts

/FAKTS/

Strong agreement that a statement is true or accurate.

  • Agreement & confirmation
  • Intensifiers
  • interjection; plural noun
Londonlondon.localmean.com

faff

/FAF · /fæf//

To spend time on unnecessary, disorganised, or overcomplicated activity; also the activity itself.

  • Effort
  • Organisation
  • Wider British English
Irelandireland.localmean.com

fáilte

/FAWL-cha/

Welcome; an Irish-language word seen in greetings, signs, institutions, and hospitality.

  • Irish language
  • Greetings
  • Hospitality
Londonlondon.localmean.com

fam

/FAM · /fæm//

A close friend, trusted person, or group treated like family.

  • Forms of address
  • Relationships
  • Current London usage
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

FDR Drive

/EF-dee-AR DRYVE/

A limited-access roadway along Manhattan’s East Side, commonly shortened in speech and traffic reports to the FDR.

  • Subway & street
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • proper road name
Irelandireland.localmean.com

feck

//fɛk//

A mild-to-strong exclamation or verb used in place of a more explicit swear word.

  • Swearing
  • Exclamations
  • Sensitive language
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

FiDi

/FYE-dye/

A shortened name for Manhattan’s Financial District, usually pronounced like “fye-dye” rather than as separate letters.

  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Classic New York English
  • nickname; neighborhood abbreviation
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Fire escape

/FY-er uh-SKAYP/

An exterior emergency egress structure attached to some older apartment buildings, usually made of metal platforms, ladders, and stairs.

  • Classic New York English
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • noun
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Fitted

/FIT-id/

In New York streetwear and baseball-cap talk, a fitted is a structured cap sold by exact head size rather than adjusted with a strap or snaps.

  • Hip-hop & media
  • Classic New York English
  • noun; adjective
Londonlondon.localmean.com

fiver

/FY-vuh · /ˈfaɪ.və//

Five pounds, or a banknote worth five pounds.

  • Money
  • Prices
  • Wider British English
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Floor-through

/FLOR-throo/

An apartment that occupies an entire building floor or extends from the front of the building to the back.

  • Classic New York English
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • noun; adjective
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Fly

/FLY/

Stylish, attractive, polished, or impressively put together, especially when evaluating clothing or presentation.

  • Reactions & judgment
  • Hip-hop & media
  • adjective
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Food shopping

/FOOD SHOP-ing/

Buying groceries, a regional expression many New Yorkers use where speakers elsewhere might say grocery shopping.

  • Classic New York English
  • Food & bodegas
  • noun phrase
Bostonboston.localmean.com

frappe

/fræp/

A New England milkshake made with ice cream, milk, and flavoring.

  • Noun
  • Food and Drink
  • Diner Culture
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Frontin’

/FRUN-tin/

Pretending, exaggerating, acting tougher or more successful than reality, or presenting an image the speaker believes is false.

  • Reactions & judgment
  • Hip-hop & media
  • Sensitive or insulting
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Fuhgeddaboudit

/fuh-GED-uh-BOW-dit/

A stylized spelling of forget about it that can dismiss an idea, close a subject, express disbelief, or intensify praise.

  • Classic New York English
  • Hip-hop & media
  • Reactions & judgment
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Garden apartment

/GAR-dun uh-PART-munt/

An apartment at or partly below street level, often in a townhouse or brownstone, with direct access to a rear yard or garden.

  • Classic New York English
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • noun phrase
Londonlondon.localmean.com

garms

/GAHMZ · /ɡɑːmz//

Clothes or garments, especially when discussing style or an outfit.

  • Clothing
  • Appearance
  • Wider British English
Irelandireland.localmean.com

gas

//ɡæs//

Funny, amusing, ridiculous in an entertaining way, or full of comic energy.

  • Humour
  • People
  • Reactions
Londonlondon.localmean.com

gassed

/GAST · /ɡæst//

Very excited, hyped, pleased, or—in some contexts—overconfident.

  • Excitement
  • Reactions
  • Current London usage
Londonlondon.localmean.com

geezer

/GEE-zuh · /ˈɡiː.zə//

A man; sometimes a distinctive, older, confident, or streetwise man.

  • People
  • Wider British English
  • Cockney influence
Irelandireland.localmean.com

giving out

/GIV-ing OUT/

Complaining, scolding, criticizing, or telling someone off.

  • Complaints
  • Family
  • Work
Irelandireland.localmean.com

gob

//ɡɒb//

Mouth; also speech, chatter, or the act of speaking too much.

  • Body words
  • Insults
  • Conversation
Irelandireland.localmean.com

gobshite

//ˈɡɒbʃaɪt//

A stupid, unpleasant, boastful, or irritating person.

  • Insults
  • Vulgar language
  • People
Londonlondon.localmean.com

gobsmacked

/GOB-smakt · /ˈɡɒb.smækt//

So surprised or astonished that it is difficult to speak.

  • Surprise
  • Reactions
  • Wider British English
Irelandireland.localmean.com

gombeen

//ˈɡɒmbiːn//

A self-serving, exploitative dealer or local operator; historically linked with usury and unfair profiteering.

  • Politics
  • History
  • Insults
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Good looks

/GOOD looks/

A compact way to thank someone, acknowledge a favor, or show appreciation for useful help.

  • Agreement & confirmation
  • Friendship & address
  • interjection; phrase
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Gotham

/GOTH-um/

A literary nickname for New York City popularized by Washington Irving in the early nineteenth century and later reinforced by noir imagery and Batman.

  • Classic New York English
  • Hip-hop & media
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
Irelandireland.localmean.com

grand

//ɡrænd//

Fine, okay, acceptable, settled, or not worth making a fuss about.

  • Responses
  • Understatement
  • Conversation
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Grand Central Madison

/GRAND SEN-trul MAD-ih-sun/

The Long Island Rail Road terminal and concourse built beneath the Grand Central complex in Midtown Manhattan.

  • Subway & street
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Classic New York English
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Grand Central Terminal

/GRAND SEN-trul TER-mih-nul/

The landmark Midtown Manhattan terminal used primarily by Metro-North Railroad and connected to subway service.

  • Subway & street
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Classic New York English
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Grandma slice

/GRAN-ma SLYCE/

A square or rectangular slice of relatively thin, crisp pan pizza associated with New York and Long Island Italian-American cooking.

  • Food & bodegas
  • Classic New York English
  • noun phrase
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Green cab

/GREEN CAB/

A green-painted borough taxi authorized for street hails in northern Manhattan and the outer boroughs, with specific pickup restrictions.

  • Subway & street
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • noun
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Gridlock

/GRID-lok/

Severe traffic congestion in which vehicles block one another and movement becomes extremely slow or stops.

  • Subway & street
  • Classic New York English
  • noun
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Grill

/GRIL/

To question someone intensely, scrutinize them, or stare at them in a challenging way.

  • Reactions & judgment
  • Sensitive or insulting
  • verb; noun
Bostonboston.localmean.com

grinder

/ˈɡraɪn.dəɹ/

A long filled sandwich similar to a sub, hoagie, or hero; usage is stronger in some parts of New England than in Boston itself.

  • Noun
  • Food and Drink
  • Regional Divide
Londonlondon.localmean.com

gutted

/GUT-id · /ˈɡʌt.ɪd//

Extremely disappointed, upset, or emotionally crushed by an outcome.

  • Disappointment
  • Reactions
  • Wider British English
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

GWB

/GEE-DUB-yuh-BEE/

Common shorthand for the George Washington Bridge, the Hudson River crossing between Upper Manhattan and Fort Lee, New Jersey.

  • Subway & street
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Classic New York English
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Halal cart

/huh-LAHL cart/

A street-food cart serving food prepared to meet halal requirements, often including rice platters, gyros, and sandwiches.

  • Food & bodegas
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • noun phrase
Londonlondon.localmean.com

have a butcher’s

/hav uh BUTCH-uhz · /hæv ə ˈbʊtʃ.əz//

Have a look.

  • Rhyming slang
  • Cockney heritage
  • Requests
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

HDFC co-op

/AYCH-dee-EF-see KOH-op/

A limited-equity cooperative organized through a Housing Development Fund Corporation, often with income, resale, occupancy, or governance restrictions.

  • Classic New York English
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • noun phrase
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Heard

/HERD/

Understood, acknowledged, or message received.

  • Agreement & confirmation
  • Subway & street
  • interjection
Londonlondon.localmean.com

hench

/HENCH · /hentʃ//

Big, muscular, strong-looking, and well built, usually as the apparent result of exercise.

  • Appearance
  • Strength
  • Wider British English
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Hero

/HEER-oh/

A long sandwich made on a split roll, the common New York label for what other regions may call a sub, hoagie, or grinder.

  • Food & bodegas
  • Classic New York English
  • noun
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Hoboken Terminal

/HOH-boh-kun TER-mih-nul/

A historic New Jersey transportation hub connecting NJ Transit rail, PATH, Hudson-Bergen Light Rail, buses, and ferry services.

  • Subway & street
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Classic New York English
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Holland Tunnel

/HOL-und TUN-ul/

The Hudson River vehicular tunnel connecting Jersey City, New Jersey, with Lower Manhattan.

  • Subway & street
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Classic New York English
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Housing lottery

/HOU-zing LOT-er-ee/

A competitive application process used for certain income-restricted or affordable housing opportunities in New York City.

  • Classic New York English
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • noun phrase
Irelandireland.localmean.com

how’s she cutting?

/how’s she CUT-ing/

How are things going, how is the work progressing, or how is life treating you?

  • Greetings
  • Rural Ireland
  • Work
Irelandireland.localmean.com

I will, yeah

/I WILL, yeah/

Often a sarcastic refusal meaning that the speaker probably will not do the requested thing.

  • Sarcasm
  • Responses
  • Intonation
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Ill

/IL/

Exceptionally good, skillful, striking, or impressive in a positive slang use; ordinarily, ill can still mean sick or harmful.

  • Hip-hop & media
  • Reactions & judgment
  • adjective
Londonlondon.localmean.com

innit

/IN-it · /ˈɪn.ɪt//

A tag meaning roughly “isn’t it?”, “right?”, or adding emphasis.

  • Grammar tags
  • Everyday speech
  • Current London usage
Jamaicajamaica.localmean.com

irie

/EYE-ree/

Good, pleasant, peaceful, or in a positive state of mind.

  • Adjective
  • Positive
  • Jamaican Patois
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Italian hero

/ih-TAL-yun HEER-oh/

A hero sandwich typically layered with Italian-style cured meats, cheese, vegetables, and an oil-and-vinegar-style dressing on a long roll.

  • Food & bodegas
  • Classic New York English
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Italian ice

/ih-TAL-yun EYES/

A smooth frozen dessert made mainly from water, sugar, and fruit flavoring, commonly sold from neighborhood shops, carts, pizzerias, and seasonal stands.

  • Food & bodegas
  • Classic New York English
  • Plans & social life
Irelandireland.localmean.com

jackeen

//dʒæˈkiːn//

A Dubliner, often used from outside Dublin with a teasing or hostile regional stereotype.

  • Regional identity
  • Dublin
  • Sensitive labels
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Jacking

/JAK-ing/

Supporting, believing, claiming, or approving something; in the negative, refusing to endorse or accept it.

  • Agreement & confirmation
  • Reactions & judgment
  • Hip-hop & media
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Jamaica Station

/juh-MAY-kuh STAY-shun/

A major Long Island Rail Road transfer hub in Queens with connections to AirTrain JFK and nearby subway service.

  • Subway & street
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Classic New York English
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Jersey

/JER-zee/

New Jersey, commonly shortened in New York and Tri-State conversation when the state is already clear from context.

  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Classic New York English
  • place noun
Bostonboston.localmean.com

jimmies

/ˈdʒɪm.iz/

Tiny candy sprinkles placed on ice cream, doughnuts, and other desserts; some speakers use the word especially for chocolate sprinkles.

  • Plural Noun
  • Food and Drink
  • Regional Vocabulary
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Johnny pump

/JAH-nee PUMP/

A New York nickname for a fire hydrant, especially in neighborhood memories and summer conversations about cooling off in hydrant spray.

  • Classic New York English
  • Subway & street
  • noun; regional nickname
Londonlondon.localmean.com

jokes

/JOHKS · /dʒəʊks//

Very funny, entertaining, enjoyable, or—in some uses—simply very good.

  • Humour
  • Praise
  • Current London usage
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Junior four

/JOON-yer FOR/

A New York apartment layout with three principal rooms plus a smaller fourth area, often used as a dining room, office, nursery, or compact bedroom.

  • Classic New York English
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • noun; real-estate term
Bostonboston.localmean.com

kid

/kɪd/

A familiar way to address or refer to a friend, peer, acquaintance, or other person, regardless of actual age.

  • Noun
  • Familiar Address
  • Neighborhood Speech
Irelandireland.localmean.com

knackered

//ˈnækəd//

Very tired, worn out, or exhausted.

  • Exhaustion
  • Informal speech
  • Sensitive language
Londonlondon.localmean.com

knackered

/NAK-uhd · /ˈnæk.əd//

Extremely tired; also broken, worn out, or too old to use.

  • Tiredness
  • Condition
  • Wider British English
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Knish

/kuh-NISH/

A baked or fried pastry filled most famously with seasoned potato, though other savory fillings are also used.

  • Food & bodegas
  • Classic New York English
  • noun
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Kvetch

/KVECH/

To complain repeatedly or habitually; also a complaint or a person known for persistent complaining.

  • Reactions & judgment
  • Classic New York English
  • verb; noun
Irelandireland.localmean.com

lash

/LASH/

To rain heavily, move quickly, strike, pour generously, or proceed with energetic force.

  • Weather
  • Actions
  • Travel
Londonlondon.localmean.com

leng

/LENG · /lɛŋ//

Extremely attractive, impressive, or exceptionally good.

  • Praise
  • Appearance
  • Current London usage
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

LES

/el-ee-ESS/

The standard local initialism for Manhattan’s Lower East Side neighborhood, pronounced as separate letters.

  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Plans & social life
  • initialism; place label
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

LIE

/EL-EYE-EE/

The common abbreviation for the Long Island Expressway, the I-495 corridor connecting Queens with communities across Long Island.

  • Subway & street
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • proper abbreviation
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Light and sweet

/LYTE-and-SWEET/

A deli, bodega, diner, or coffee-cart order asking for coffee with a generous amount of milk or cream and sugar.

  • Food & bodegas
  • Classic New York English
  • ordering phrase; adjective phrase
Jamaicajamaica.localmean.com

likkle

/LIK-ul/

Little or small; also heard in familiar expressions such as “likkle more,” meaning see you later.

  • Adjective
  • Jamaican Patois
  • Everyday Speech
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Limited-stop bus

/LIM-it-id STOP BUS/

A bus service that skips selected local stops to provide faster travel along part or all of a route.

  • Subway & street
  • Classic New York English
  • noun phrase
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Lincoln Tunnel

/LING-kun TUN-ul/

The Hudson River vehicular tunnel connecting Weehawken, New Jersey, with Midtown Manhattan.

  • Subway & street
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Classic New York English
Londonlondon.localmean.com

link up

/LINK up · /ˌlɪŋk ˈʌp//

To meet, join, or connect with someone, usually by arrangement.

  • Plans
  • Groups
  • Current London usage
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

LIRR

/EL-EYE-double-AR/

The common abbreviation for the Long Island Rail Road, the MTA commuter railroad serving Long Island, Queens, Brooklyn, and Manhattan terminals.

  • Subway & street
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Classic New York English
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Livery cab

/LIV-er-ee CAB/

A for-hire vehicle connected to a licensed car-service base and generally arranged in advance rather than hailed like a yellow taxi.

  • Subway & street
  • Classic New York English
  • noun
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Local train

/LOH-kul train/

A subway train that stops at the local stations along its route rather than skipping them for faster service.

  • Subway & street
  • Classic New York English
  • noun phrase
Londonlondon.localmean.com

long

/LONG · /lɒŋ//

Time-consuming, tedious, annoying, difficult, or not worth the effort required.

  • Effort
  • Reactions
  • Current London usage
Londonlondon.localmean.com

loo

/LOO · /luː//

A toilet, or the room containing a toilet.

  • Home and daily life
  • Travel basics
  • Wider British English
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Lox

/LOKS/

Salt-cured salmon traditionally served in thin slices, especially with bagels, cream cheese, onions, tomatoes, capers, or other appetizing-store foods.

  • Food & bodegas
  • Classic New York English
  • noun
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Mad

/MAD/

Very, extremely, or a lot of; in other contexts it can still mean angry.

  • Intensifiers
  • Reactions & judgment
  • adverb; adjective
Londonlondon.localmean.com

man

/MAN · /mæn//

A pronoun-like form that can refer to the speaker or another person; in some MLE contexts, “man” means “I” or “me”.

  • Pronouns
  • Grammar tags
  • Current London usage
Londonlondon.localmean.com

mandem

/MAN-dem · /ˈmæn.dəm//

A group of close male friends or associates; one’s crew.

  • Groups
  • Relationships
  • Current London usage
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Manhattan-bound

/man-HAT-un BOWND/

A transit direction label indicating that a train or bus is traveling toward Manhattan or farther into Manhattan from another borough.

  • Subway & street
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Classic New York English
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Manhattanhenge

/man-HAT-un-henj/

A twice-yearly visual effect in which the setting sun aligns closely with Manhattan’s east-west street grid and appears framed by buildings.

  • Subway & street
  • Classic New York English
  • Plans & social life
Bostonboston.localmean.com

Masshole

/ˈmæs.hoʊl/

A coarse insult or self-deprecating nickname for a Massachusetts resident, often associated with aggressive driving, blunt behavior, or exaggerated state pride.

  • Noun
  • Coarse Slang
  • Identity Label
Londonlondon.localmean.com

mate

/MAYT · /meɪt//

A friend or a common informal way to address someone.

  • Forms of address
  • Wider British English
  • Noun / address term
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Matzo ball soup

/MAT-zoh BALL SOOP/

A chicken-based soup served with dumplings made primarily from matzo meal, eggs, fat, and seasonings.

  • Food & bodegas
  • Classic New York English
  • noun phrase
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Mensch

/MENSH/

A person regarded as decent, honorable, responsible, and trustworthy.

  • Reactions & judgment
  • Classic New York English
  • noun
Irelandireland.localmean.com

messages

/MESS-ij-iz/

Groceries, shopping, or small errands to be collected.

  • Shopping
  • Home
  • Family
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Metro-North

/MET-roh NORTH/

The MTA commuter railroad linking New York City with communities north of the city and into Connecticut, with additional west-of-Hudson service.

  • Subway & street
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Classic New York English
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

MetroCard

/MEH-troh-kard/

The magnetic-stripe fare card introduced for New York City subways and buses in the 1990s and long associated with swiping through a turnstile.

  • Subway & street
  • Classic New York English
  • proper noun; fare card
Irelandireland.localmean.com

mineral

/MIN-er-ul/

A soft drink or fizzy drink, especially in older, regional, or hospitality-related usage.

  • Food and drink
  • Regional vocabulary
  • Hospitality
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Mitchell-Lama

/MITCH-ul LAH-muh/

A New York affordable-housing program providing regulated rental and cooperative opportunities for qualifying moderate- and middle-income households.

  • Classic New York English
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • proper program name
Irelandireland.localmean.com

morto

/MOR-toh/

Extremely embarrassed; shortened from mortified.

  • Embarrassment
  • Youth speech
  • Social media
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Moynihan Train Hall

/MOYN-ih-han TRAYN HAWL/

The modern train hall in the Farley building across Eighth Avenue from the older Penn Station concourses.

  • Subway & street
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Classic New York English
Londonlondon.localmean.com

mug

/MUG · /mʌɡ//

A foolish, gullible, or easily deceived person; also an informal word for a face.

  • People
  • Negative judgement
  • Wider British English
Londonlondon.localmean.com

mug off

/MUG off · /mʌɡ ɒf//

To make someone look foolish, disrespect them, deceive them, or take advantage of them.

  • Deception
  • Disrespect
  • Wider British English
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

My fault

/my FAWLT/

An informal apology that accepts responsibility for a mistake, interruption, collision, or misunderstanding.

  • Agreement & confirmation
  • Subway & street
  • interjection; phrase
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Na’mean

/nah-MEEN/

A compressed form of you know what I mean, used to check understanding or maintain conversational rhythm.

  • Agreement & confirmation
  • Hip-hop & media
  • Friendship & address
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Native New Yorker

/NAY-tiv noo YOR-ker/

A person born in New York City or, in some uses, someone born and raised in the city or state of New York.

  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Sensitive or insulting
  • noun phrase
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

New York minute

/NOO YORK MIN-it/

An extremely short amount of time, suggesting that decisions, reactions, and daily life move unusually fast in New York.

  • Classic New York English
  • Reactions & judgment
  • idiom; noun phrase
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Newark Penn Station

/NOO-ark PEN STAY-shun/

A major Newark, New Jersey rail hub served by NJ Transit, Amtrak, PATH, and Newark light rail connections.

  • Subway & street
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Classic New York English
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

NJ Transit

/EN-JAY TRAN-zit/

New Jersey’s statewide public-transportation provider for commuter rail, bus, and light-rail services.

  • Subway & street
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Classic New York English
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

No parking

/NOH PAR-king/

A curb restriction that prohibits leaving a vehicle parked but still allows brief stops to pick up or drop off passengers and to load or unload property, unless another rule applies.

  • Subway & street
  • Classic New York English
  • regulatory phrase
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

No standing

/NOH STAN-ding/

A curb restriction that prohibits waiting and loading or unloading property but allows a brief stop to pick up or drop off passengers, unless another rule applies.

  • Subway & street
  • Classic New York English
  • regulatory phrase
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

No stopping

/NOH STOP-ing/

The most restrictive common curb rule, prohibiting waiting, passenger pickup or drop-off, and loading or unloading property during the posted time.

  • Subway & street
  • Classic New York English
  • regulatory phrase
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

NoHo

/NOH-hoh/

A Manhattan neighborhood name formed from “North of Houston Street,” located near Greenwich Village, the East Village, and SoHo.

  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Classic New York English
  • proper nickname; neighborhood name
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Nolita

/noh-LEE-tuh/

A downtown Manhattan neighborhood label meaning “North of Little Italy,” generally used for blocks between SoHo, NoHo, the Lower East Side, and Little Italy.

  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Classic New York English
  • proper nickname; neighborhood name
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Nosh

/NAHSH/

A snack, light meal, or the act of eating something casually.

  • Food & bodegas
  • Classic New York English
  • noun; verb
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Not for nothing

/not fer NUTH-ing/

A phrase used before an opinion, warning, or criticism to signal that the point has a reason behind it.

  • Classic New York English
  • Reactions & judgment
  • discourse phrase
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Nova

/NOH-vuh/

New York counter shorthand for Nova-style salmon, a cured and cold-smoked salmon commonly served with bagels and cream cheese.

  • Food & bodegas
  • Classic New York English
  • noun; food shorthand
Irelandireland.localmean.com

now in a minute

/now in a MIN-it/

Very soon, after a brief delay, or once the current task is finished.

  • Time
  • Plans
  • Conversation
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Nuyorican

/noo-YOR-ih-kun/

A term for Puerto Rican identity and culture shaped in New York, especially through migration, community life, literature, music, performance, and political expression.

  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Hip-hop & media
  • Sensitive or insulting
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

NYC Ferry

/EN-WYE-SEE FAIR-ee/

The city-sponsored passenger ferry network connecting waterfront landings in several New York City boroughs.

  • Subway & street
  • Plans & social life
  • proper noun; service name
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

OD

/oh-DEE/

Excessive, extremely, or doing too much; the exact grammar changes with the sentence.

  • Intensifiers
  • Reactions & judgment
  • Sensitive or insulting
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

OMNY

/OHM-nee/

New York’s contactless fare-payment system for tapping into subways and buses with an OMNY card, bank card, phone, or compatible device.

  • Subway & street
  • Classic New York English
  • proper noun; transit-payment system
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

On line

/on LINE/

Waiting in a queue; a well-known New York regional alternative to in line.

  • Subway & street
  • Classic New York English
  • prepositional phrase
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Out-of-system transfer

/out-uhv-SIS-tum TRANS-fur/

A recognized transit connection that requires leaving one fare-controlled station area and entering another separate station.

  • Subway & street
  • Classic New York English
  • noun phrase
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Outer borough

/OW-ter BUR-oh/

A collective Manhattan-centered label for Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island.

  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Classic New York English
  • noun phrase; adjective
Bostonboston.localmean.com

packie

/ˈpæk.i/

An informal New England shortening of “package store,” meaning a liquor store.

  • Noun
  • Local Commerce
  • New England
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Parlor floor

/PAR-ler FLOR/

The elevated main entertaining floor of a townhouse or brownstone, typically reached by the front stoop and known for higher ceilings and formal rooms.

  • Classic New York English
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • noun phrase
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Pastrami on rye

/puh-STRAH-mee on RYE/

A classic Jewish deli sandwich of sliced, seasoned, cured, and smoked pastrami served on rye bread, commonly with mustard.

  • Food & bodegas
  • Classic New York English
  • noun phrase
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

PATH

/PATH/

The Port Authority Trans-Hudson rapid-transit railroad linking Manhattan with Jersey City, Hoboken, Harrison, and Newark.

  • Subway & street
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Classic New York English
Londonlondon.localmean.com

peak

/PEEK · /piːk//

Bad, unfortunate, harsh, embarrassing, or unfair.

  • Reactions
  • Negative judgement
  • Current London usage
Londonlondon.localmean.com

peng

/PENG · /pɛŋ//

Highly attractive, exceptionally good, or especially appealing.

  • Praise
  • Appearance
  • Current London usage
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Penn Station

/PEN STAY-shun/

New York’s major Midtown rail complex serving Amtrak, Long Island Rail Road, NJ Transit, and connecting subway lines.

  • Subway & street
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Classic New York English
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Pie

/PYE/

A whole pizza, especially when contrasted with ordering one or more individual slices.

  • Food & bodegas
  • Classic New York English
  • noun
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Pied-à-terre

/pee-AY-duh-TAIR/

A small or secondary city residence kept for occasional use rather than as the owner’s full-time primary home.

  • Classic New York English
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • noun
Bostonboston.localmean.com

pisser

/ˈpɪs.əɹ/

A person, event, or thing that is especially funny, impressive, memorable, or frustrating; tone and context determine the direction.

  • Noun
  • Context-Dependent
  • Potentially Coarse
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Pop out

/POP out/

To show up, make an appearance, or come outside for an event, gathering, confrontation, or social moment.

  • Plans & social life
  • Hip-hop & media
  • phrasal verb
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Port Authority Bus Terminal

/port aw-THOR-ih-tee BUS TER-mih-nul/

The major Midtown Manhattan bus terminal serving many New Jersey commuter routes and intercity bus services.

  • Subway & street
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Classic New York English
Irelandireland.localmean.com

press

/PRESS/

A cupboard, cabinet, or enclosed storage space.

  • Home
  • Household
  • Nouns
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Prewar

/PREE-wor/

In New York real estate, a building constructed before World War II, often discussed through its age, layout, materials, and architectural details.

  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Classic New York English
  • adjective; noun
Londonlondon.localmean.com

proper

/PROP-uh · /ˈprɒp.ə//

Really, completely, or genuinely; also correct or high quality.

  • Intensity
  • Approval
  • Wider British English
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Protected bike lane

/pruh-TEK-tid BIKE LAYN/

A bicycle lane separated from moving motor traffic by parking, barriers, islands, posts, or another physical buffer.

  • Subway & street
  • Classic New York English
  • noun phrase
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Quarter water

/KWOR-ter WAW-ter/

A small, inexpensive, brightly colored sweet drink sold in plastic barrel-shaped bottles and remembered as a neighborhood-store childhood staple.

  • Food & bodegas
  • Classic New York English
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Queens-bound

/KWEENZ BOWND/

A transit direction label indicating that a train or bus is traveling toward Queens or farther into Queens.

  • Subway & street
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Classic New York English
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Queensboro Bridge

/KWEENZ-bur-oh BRIJ/

The East River bridge connecting Long Island City, Queens, with Manhattan near East 59th Street.

  • Subway & street
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Classic New York English
Londonlondon.localmean.com

quid

/KWID · /kwɪd//

One British pound, used as an informal unit of money.

  • Money
  • Prices
  • Wider British English
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Railroad apartment

/RAIL-rohd apartment/

A long, narrow apartment whose rooms connect in a line, often requiring passage through one room to reach the next.

  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Classic New York English
  • noun phrase
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Rainbow cookie

/RAYN-boh KOOK-ee/

A small layered Italian-American almond cake confection, usually colored red, white or yellow, and green, joined with jam and coated in chocolate.

  • Food & bodegas
  • Classic New York English
  • Plans & social life
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Regular coffee

/REG-yuh-ler KAW-fee/

In traditional New York deli and coffee-cart ordering, brewed coffee prepared with milk or cream and sugar rather than served black.

  • Food & bodegas
  • Classic New York English
  • noun phrase
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Rent-controlled

/RENT kun-TROHLD/

Subject to New York’s rent-control system, a regulated tenancy category with strict historical occupancy and building requirements.

  • Classic New York English
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • adjective
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Rent-stabilized

/RENT stay-buh-lyzd/

Covered by New York rent-stabilization rules that regulate leases, rent increases, and specific tenant protections.

  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Classic New York English
  • adjective
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Roosevelt Island Tram

/ROH-zuh-velt EYE-lund TRAM/

The aerial tramway connecting Roosevelt Island with Manhattan near East 59th Street and Second Avenue.

  • Subway & street
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Plans & social life
Bostonboston.localmean.com

rotary

/ˈroʊ.tə.ri/

A circular road junction, commonly called a traffic circle or roundabout elsewhere.

  • Noun
  • Transportation
  • Regional Navigation
Londonlondon.localmean.com

row

/ROW, rhymes with cow · /raʊ//

A noisy or serious argument; as a verb, to argue angrily.

  • Arguments
  • Relationships
  • Wider British English
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Rush hour

/RUSH OW-er/

The busiest commuting period, especially weekday mornings and late afternoons or evenings when transit and roads carry heavy peak-direction demand.

  • Subway & street
  • Classic New York English
  • noun phrase
Londonlondon.localmean.com

safe

/SAYF · /seɪf//

Good, okay, trustworthy, thanks, or an informal greeting or farewell.

  • Greetings
  • Approval
  • Current London usage
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Salt, pepper, ketchup

/SAWLT PEH-per KEH-chup/

A compact bodega-order phrase requesting salt, black pepper, and ketchup, especially on an egg-and-cheese breakfast sandwich.

  • Food & bodegas
  • Classic New York English
  • condiment phrase
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Say less

/SAY less/

I understand; no further explanation is needed; consider it handled.

  • Agreement & confirmation
  • Plans & social life
  • phrase; interjection
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Scaffolding

/SKAF-uhl-ding/

A temporary elevated framework or platform used to support workers, tools, or materials while construction, repair, or façade work is performed.

  • Subway & street
  • Classic New York English
  • noun
Irelandireland.localmean.com

scarlet

/SCAR-lit/

Extremely embarrassed, ashamed, or red-faced about something.

  • Embarrassment
  • Reactions
  • Youth speech
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Schlep

/SHLEP/

To carry or drag something awkwardly, or to make a tiring, inconvenient trip.

  • Classic New York English
  • Subway & street
  • verb; noun
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Schmear

/SHMEER/

A spread or layer of cream cheese on a bagel; it can also mean a spreadable topping more generally.

  • Food & bodegas
  • Classic New York English
  • noun
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Schmuck

/SHMUCK/

An insulting slang term for a foolish, unlikeable, inconsiderate, or contemptible person.

  • Sensitive or insulting
  • Reactions & judgment
  • Classic New York English
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Schvitz

/SHVITS/

To sweat heavily; as a noun, it can also refer to a steam bath or sauna-like session.

  • Classic New York English
  • Weather
  • Subway & street
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Secaucus Junction

/suh-KAW-kus JUNK-shun/

A major NJ Transit transfer station in New Jersey where several rail lines connect with trains serving Penn Station New York.

  • Subway & street
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Classic New York English
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Select Bus Service

/seh-LEKT BUS SUR-vis/

An MTA bus-service category, commonly shortened to SBS, designed around faster boarding, bus-lane treatments, wider stop spacing, and other route improvements.

  • Subway & street
  • Classic New York English
  • proper service name; noun phrase
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Seltzer

/SELT-ser/

Plain carbonated water, historically delivered in pressurized siphon bottles and deeply associated with New York Jewish food, soda-fountain, and home-delivery traditions.

  • Food & bodegas
  • Classic New York English
  • noun
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Service change

/SUR-vis CHAYNJ/

A temporary alteration to a subway, bus, or rail route, schedule, stop pattern, platform, or operating plan.

  • Subway & street
  • Classic New York English
  • noun phrase
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Shorty

/SHOR-tee/

A familiar term for a girl or woman, sometimes a romantic interest; in other contexts it can address a younger person or close peer.

  • Friendship & address
  • Sensitive or insulting
  • Hip-hop & media
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Showtime

/SHOH-tyme/

A call used by some subway performers to announce an acrobatic dance routine inside a train car, especially routines involving poles, flips, and coordinated movement.

  • Subway & street
  • Hip-hop & media
  • Plans & social life
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Shuttle bus

/SHUT-ul BUS/

A bus used to replace, connect, or supplement train service when part of a subway or rail route is unavailable.

  • Subway & street
  • Classic New York English
  • noun
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Sicilian slice

/sih-SIL-yun SLYCE/

A thick, pan-baked square pizza slice with an airy bread-like crust, widely sold in New York neighborhood pizzerias.

  • Food & bodegas
  • Classic New York English
  • noun phrase
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Sidewalk shed

/SIDE-wawk SHED/

A temporary protective structure built over a sidewalk to shield pedestrians and property from overhead hazards during construction, demolition, or façade work.

  • Subway & street
  • Classic New York English
  • noun phrase
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Signal problems

/SIG-nuhl PROB-lumz/

A broad subway-delay explanation referring to trouble with equipment that detects, separates, routes, or controls train movement.

  • Subway & street
  • Classic New York English
  • plural noun phrase; service explanation
Londonlondon.localmean.com

skint

/SKINT · /skɪnt//

Having little or no money, especially temporarily.

  • Money
  • Everyday speech
  • Wider British English
Irelandireland.localmean.com

sláinte

/SLAWN-cha/

Health; commonly used as a toast meaning roughly “to your health” or “cheers.”

  • Irish language
  • Toasts
  • Hospitality
Irelandireland.localmean.com

slán

/SLAWN/

Safe or well; widely used in Irish farewell expressions.

  • Irish language
  • Farewells
  • Travel
Irelandireland.localmean.com

sleeveen

/slee-VEEN/

A sly, untrustworthy, smooth-talking, or underhand person.

  • Insults
  • Politics
  • People
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Slice

/SLYSS/

One portion of a pizza, commonly ordered by itself at a New York pizzeria rather than by naming the whole pie.

  • Food & bodegas
  • Classic New York English
  • noun
Londonlondon.localmean.com

snog

/SNOG · /snɒɡ//

To kiss someone passionately for a period of time; also an instance of doing so.

  • Dating
  • Relationships
  • Wider British English
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

SoHo

/SOH-hoh/

The Manhattan neighborhood name formed from “South of Houston Street,” associated with cast-iron buildings, loft history, shopping, galleries, and mixed uses.

  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Classic New York English
  • proper nickname; neighborhood name
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Son

/SUN/

A familiar way to address another person, often a male friend or peer, without literally meaning one’s child.

  • Friendship & address
  • Hip-hop & media
  • noun; form of address
Londonlondon.localmean.com

sorted

/SAW-tid · /ˈsɔː.tɪd//

Organised, repaired, arranged, supplied, or successfully dealt with.

  • Plans
  • Organisation
  • Wider British English
Irelandireland.localmean.com

sound

//saʊnd//

Good, decent, trustworthy, kind, or agreeable.

  • Praise
  • People
  • Responses
Londonlondon.localmean.com

sound

/SOWND · /saʊnd//

Good, trustworthy, friendly, acceptable, or okay.

  • Approval
  • Reliability
  • Wider British English
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

South Brooklyn

/SOWTH BROOK-lin/

A flexible Brooklyn regional label whose historic meaning near the old City of Brooklyn differs from modern uses for neighborhoods farther south.

  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Classic New York English
  • proper place phrase
Bostonboston.localmean.com

space saver

/ˈspeɪs ˌseɪ.vəɹ/

An object placed in a shoveled-out curbside parking spot after a declared snow emergency to mark that a resident intends to return, where City rules allow it.

  • Noun
  • Snow
  • Parking Culture
Irelandireland.localmean.com

spice bag

/SPICE bag/

An Irish takeaway dish typically combining chips, seasoned fried chicken, vegetables, chilli, and spice mix.

  • Food and drink
  • Dublin
  • Takeaway culture
Bostonboston.localmean.com

spuckie

/ˈspʌk.i/

An older or neighborhood-specific Boston term for a sub-style sandwich, an Italian sandwich, or in some families the long bread roll used to make one.

  • Noun
  • Food and Drink
  • Contested Usage
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Stand clear of the closing doors

/STAND KLEER uhv thuh KLOH-zing DORZ/

The familiar New York subway warning telling riders to move away from train doors before they close.

  • Subway & street
  • Classic New York English
  • announcement; fixed phrase
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Staten Island Ferry

/STAT-en EYE-lund FAIR-ee/

The city-operated passenger ferry route between Whitehall Terminal in Lower Manhattan and St. George Terminal on Staten Island.

  • Subway & street
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Classic New York English
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Stoop

/STOOP/

The entrance steps and small platform outside a house or apartment building, often treated as a neighborhood social space.

  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Classic New York English
  • noun
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Stoop sale

/STOOP SAYL/

A small secondhand sale arranged on a building’s front steps, sidewalk edge, courtyard entrance, or immediately outside a city residence.

  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Plans & social life
  • Classic New York English
Bostonboston.localmean.com

Storrowed

/ˈstʌr.oʊd/

Describes a truck that strikes or becomes wedged beneath a low bridge, especially after entering Boston’s Storrow Drive despite height restrictions.

  • Verb
  • Transportation
  • Boston-Specific
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Straphanger

/STRAP-hang-er/

A public-transit passenger, especially a regular subway or bus rider who may have to stand.

  • Subway & street
  • Classic New York English
  • noun
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Super

/SOO-per/

The building superintendent or resident maintenance worker who handles repairs, building systems, cleaning, access, and day-to-day property issues.

  • Classic New York English
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • noun
Irelandireland.localmean.com

sure look

/shur LOOK/

A flexible phrase that acknowledges reality, softens a conclusion, or signals that little more can be done.

  • Discourse markers
  • Understatement
  • Conversation
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Swipe in

/SWYPE IN/

To enter the subway by using a fare card at a turnstile; historically, it can also mean using a MetroCard to admit another rider.

  • Subway & street
  • Classic New York English
  • phrasal verb
Londonlondon.localmean.com

taking the mick

/TAY-king thuh MIK · /ˌteɪ.kɪŋ ðə ˈmɪk//

Mocking someone, making them look silly, or behaving as though a situation is not being taken seriously.

  • Teasing
  • Reactions
  • Wider British English
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Tenement

/TEN-uh-munt/

A multi-family rental building, especially one associated with the crowded working-class housing developed during New York’s nineteenth- and early twentieth-century growth.

  • Classic New York English
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • noun
Londonlondon.localmean.com

tenner

/TEN-uh · /ˈten.ə//

Ten pounds, or a banknote worth ten pounds.

  • Money
  • Prices
  • Wider British English
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

The city

/thuh SIT-ee/

Often Manhattan, especially when spoken by people in another borough or the surrounding metro area; in other contexts it can mean New York City as a whole.

  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Subway & street
  • place noun phrase
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

The City That Never Sleeps

/thuh SIT-ee that NEV-er SLEEPS/

A famous nickname presenting New York City as active around the clock, with nightlife, transportation, work, food, and entertainment continuing late into the night.

  • Classic New York English
  • Plans & social life
  • Hip-hop & media
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

The five boroughs

/thuh FIVE BUR-ohz/

The five major administrative and geographic divisions of New York City: the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island.

  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Classic New York English
  • plural noun phrase
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

The Ocky way

/thuh AH-kee way/

A viral request for an unusually elaborate, customized bodega or deli preparation associated with social-video sandwich content.

  • Food & bodegas
  • Hip-hop & media
  • Sensitive or insulting
Bostonboston.localmean.com

the Pike

/ðə ˈpaɪk/

The Massachusetts Turnpike, the east–west toll highway that forms part of Interstate 90.

  • Proper Noun
  • Transportation
  • Local Shorthand
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

The Rockaways

/thuh ROK-uh-wayz/

The communities on the Rockaway Peninsula in Queens, often discussed collectively in relation to beaches, neighborhoods, transit, and coastal life.

  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Subway & street
  • Plans & social life
Bostonboston.localmean.com

the T

/ðə ˈtiː/

The common local nickname for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and especially its subway and light-rail system.

  • Proper Noun
  • Public Transit
  • Local Shorthand
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

The towns

/thuh TOWNZ/

New York City or one’s familiar part of the city, used as a local place label whose exact boundary depends on the speaker.

  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Hip-hop & media
  • place noun phrase
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

The train

/thuh TRAYN/

The subway system or a particular subway service, referred to in ordinary conversation simply as the train.

  • Subway & street
  • Classic New York English
  • noun phrase
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

The Village

/thuh VIL-ij/

A common New York shorthand for Greenwich Village, the Manhattan neighborhood centered around Washington Square and nearby downtown streets.

  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Classic New York English
  • proper nickname
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Thruway

/THROO-way/

The New York State Thruway, or more generally a major limited-access road identified by that regional name.

  • Subway & street
  • Classic New York English
  • noun
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Tight

/TYTE/

Upset, annoyed, or bothered; elsewhere it can also mean close, secure, or excellent.

  • Reactions & judgment
  • Sensitive or insulting
  • adjective
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Timbs

/TIMZ/

A common nickname for Timberland boots, especially the rugged six-inch styles strongly associated with New York hip-hop and winter street fashion.

  • Hip-hop & media
  • Classic New York English
  • plural noun; nickname
Londonlondon.localmean.com

ting

/TING · /tɪŋ//

A thing or person; in some contexts, a romantic interest, attractive woman, partner, or casual connection.

  • People
  • Relationships
  • Jamaican influence
Bostonboston.localmean.com

tonic

/ˈtɑː.nɪk/

A sweet carbonated soft drink; broadly equivalent to soda or pop in this older regional usage.

  • Noun
  • Food and Drink
  • Historical Slang
Bostonboston.localmean.com

townie

/ˈtaʊ.ni/

A long-time local resident strongly identified with a particular town or Boston-area neighborhood.

  • Noun
  • Local Identity
  • Neighborhood
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Train traffic

/TRAYN TRAF-ik/

A transit explanation indicating that trains are closely spaced, queued, or moving slowly because other trains occupy the line ahead.

  • Subway & street
  • Classic New York English
  • noun phrase; service explanation
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Transplant

/TRANS-plant/

A person who moved to New York from another city, state, or country rather than growing up locally.

  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Sensitive or insulting
  • noun
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Tribeca

/try-BEK-uh/

A Lower Manhattan neighborhood name historically formed from “Triangle Below Canal Street,” now normally written as Tribeca.

  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Classic New York English
  • proper nickname; neighborhood name
Londonlondon.localmean.com

trouble and strife

/TRUB-uhl and STRYF · /ˌtrʌb.əl ən ˈstraɪf//

Wife.

  • Rhyming slang
  • Cockney heritage
  • Relationships
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

UES

/you-ee-ESS/

A common written and spoken abbreviation for Manhattan’s Upper East Side.

  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Subway & street
  • initialism; place label
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Upstate

/UP-state/

The part of New York State north of the speaker’s downstate reference point, with a boundary that New Yorkers famously disagree about.

  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Classic New York English
  • adverb; adjective; noun
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Uptown

/UP-town/

Toward the northern or higher-numbered-street direction in Manhattan; it can also name particular northern areas depending on context.

  • Subway & street
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • adverb; adjective; noun
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

UWS

/you-double-you-ESS/

A common written and spoken abbreviation for Manhattan’s Upper West Side.

  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Subway & street
  • initialism; place label
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Valid

/VAL-id/

Good, acceptable, impressive, legitimate, or worth approving.

  • Reactions & judgment
  • Plans & social life
  • adjective
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge

/vair-uh-ZAH-noh NAR-ohz BRIJ/

The suspension bridge connecting Brooklyn and Staten Island across the Narrows.

  • Subway & street
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Classic New York English
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Wack

/WAK/

Bad, low-quality, unappealing, unfair, or lacking skill, depending on what the speaker is judging.

  • Reactions & judgment
  • Hip-hop & media
  • adjective
Londonlondon.localmean.com

wagwan

/WAG-wan · /ˈwɒɡ.wɒn/ (approx.; pronunciation varies)/

What’s going on?; what’s happening?; an informal greeting similar to “what’s up?”.

  • Greetings
  • Jamaican influence
  • Current London usage
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Walk-up

/WAWK-up/

An apartment or building above street level that has no elevator, requiring residents and visitors to use the stairs.

  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • Classic New York English
  • noun; adjective
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

We out

/we OUT/

We are leaving, we are finished here, or the group is moving on to the next place.

  • Plans & social life
  • Agreement & confirmation
  • phrase; interjection
Scotlandscotland.localmean.com

wee

/WEE/

Small or little. It can also make a request or description sound more familiar or affectionate.

  • Adjective
  • Scots
  • Common Usage
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

West Side Highway

/WEST SYDE HY-way/

The common name for Manhattan’s major north–south roadway along the Hudson River side, including Route 9A segments.

  • Subway & street
  • Boroughs & neighborhoods
  • proper road name
Londonlondon.localmean.com

what you saying?

/wot-yuh-SAY-ing · /wɒt jə ˈseɪ.ɪŋ//

How are you?; what is happening?; what are your plans?

  • Greetings
  • Questions
  • Current London usage
Irelandireland.localmean.com

what’s the story?

/what’s the STOR-ee/

What is happening, how are you, or what is the latest news or plan?

  • Greetings
  • Questions
  • Dublin speech
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Whitefish salad

/WHITE-fish SAL-ud/

A creamy spread made from smoked whitefish mixed with mayonnaise or similar binders and seasonings, often served on a bagel or bread.

  • Food & bodegas
  • Classic New York English
  • noun
Bostonboston.localmean.com

wicked

/ˈwɪk.ɪd/

An adverbial intensifier meaning “very” or “extremely.” In Boston and wider New England speech, it commonly appears before an adjective or adverb.

  • Adverb
  • Intensifier
  • Everyday Slang
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Wildin’

/WYLD-in/

Behaving excessively, recklessly, dramatically, or far outside what the speaker considers reasonable.

  • Reactions & judgment
  • Hip-hop & media
  • verb; adjective-like participle
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Word

/WERD/

Really, understood, agreed, or that is true, depending on tone.

  • Agreement & confirmation
  • Hip-hop & media
  • interjection
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Word to

/WERD too/

A forceful statement that what follows is true or serious, often completed with a person or relationship important to the speaker.

  • Agreement & confirmation
  • Intensifiers
  • Hip-hop & media
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Yellow cab

/YEL-oh CAB/

A medallion taxi recognizable by its yellow color and authorized to accept street hails throughout New York City.

  • Subway & street
  • Classic New York English
  • noun
Irelandireland.localmean.com

yer man

/yer MAN/

That man being referred to, whether or not the listener knows his name.

  • People
  • Reference expressions
  • Conversation
Irelandireland.localmean.com

yer one

/yer ONE/

That woman being referred to, whether or not the listener knows her name.

  • People
  • Reference expressions
  • Conversation
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Yerrr

/YERR, often lengthened/

A loud greeting, attention call, or energetic acknowledgment.

  • Greetings & call-outs
  • Friendship & address
  • interjection; greeting
Irelandireland.localmean.com

yoke

/YOHK/

A thing, object, device, or person whose exact name is unknown, forgotten, or unnecessary.

  • Objects
  • Placeholder words
  • Conversation
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

You good?

/you GOOD/

A flexible check-in that can ask whether someone is okay, finished, supplied, or ready to end an interaction.

  • Greetings & call-outs
  • Agreement & confirmation
  • Friendship & address
Londonlondon.localmean.com

yute

/YOOT · /juːt//

A young person, or young people collectively; sometimes used before another noun in phrases about youth culture.

  • People
  • Jamaican influence
  • Current London usage
New Yorknewyork.localmean.com

Zeppole

/ZEP-oh-lay/

Italian fried dough pastries, commonly served warm and dusted heavily with powdered sugar.

  • Food & bodegas
  • Plans & social life
  • Classic New York English