Sign up for the daily CJR newsletter. When we talked about “bizarro” words last week, we promised to talk this week about the difference between “colloquial ...

Before we look at your book selection, could you tell us what slang is? Slang is difficult because everything about it defies simple classification. Nobody knows the etymology of the word slang. If ...

I know that when I begin talking about slang, I enter dangerous territory. Slang is a touchy subject. Often, the slang of a younger generation is considered an atrocity by the older generation.

Until a few years ago, I couldn’t speak Spanish without sounding about half a century older—and much more religious—than I am. The language is the first one I learned, but I was taught it primarily by ...

Slang is probably as old as human language, though the first slang dictionaries only started popping up in the 16th century. But nothing has been a boon for slang lexicography like the digital age, as ...

Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook “That’s literally me af.” “The party is gonna be turnt!” “Sarah Jessica Parker is bae.” “I’m so ...

Language in 2025 is increasingly being shaped by TikTok, Instagram, and Gen Z online culture. Google search data from Jan-Sept 2025 highlights popular slang like “Gaslighting” (28 000 searches) and ...

Colloquial language does not entirely match up with formal language. This means that some colloquial phrases can mean something entirely different from their formal meaning. Take the following couple ...

Colloquial language does not entirely match up with formal language. This means that some colloquial phrases can mean something entirely different from their formal meaning. Take the following couple ...