By Charlie Jackson and Ethan Stoneham
What is Slang?
As the Oxford dictionary defines it, slang is “A type of language consisting of words and phrases that are regarded as very informal, are more common in speech than writing, and are typically restricted to a particular context or group of people.” It can take the form as an abbreviation of a word, a word that becomes more narrow and generalized in its meaning, a new meaning for an existing word, or an entirely brand new word. Slang does not include colloquialism, catchphrases, dialects, slogans, special languages, or jargon which is limited to a certain field. With its usage, slang can be used in conversation with others as a way to sound different, to be witty or clever, to be friendly and show one belongs to a certain profession or group, or to be used as a way to be secretive and exclude certain individuals. Historically, the differences in language between America and other English speaking countries resulted in the evolution of slang as soon as the 18th century took place. During this time when slang evolved, any words which weren’t used in communication in Britain were considered slang; this slang was considered to be the language of criminals and foreigners. By the 20th century, writers started to use slang in their works; this presumably contributed to the widespread use and exchange of slang.
Slang has always been an important and ever-changing element of pop culture. It provides a new abbreviated style of a traditional language and makes it personalized and interesting for each generation. In the 90s, slang words such as crunk, trippin’, and dip became extremely popular. Slang words like these found their way into pop culture by means of popular songs, movies, and other elements of the media. In this way, examining the use of slang words in each generation may also provide a deeper analysis of the media consumption and attitude from the people during living in that time period.
The video below showcases a few slang terms from the ’90s, juxtaposed with visuals which relate to their meanings.
Slang in She Kills Monsters
Examining the slang used in She Kills Monsters is an incredibly insightful tool to understand each character’s likes, dislikes, and even their popularity or status. For example, the Succubi’s use of the word “dyke” lets the audience know that they are not only extremely homophobic, but they are also not afraid to show it. Chucks’ usage of slang terms like “psyche”, “hella”, “the bomb”, and “vibing” when he first meets Agnes shows that he is trying extremely hard to act cool to impress her. And finally, Tilly calling Agnes a “noob” shows the audience just how geeky and knowledgeable of nerd culture she is.
It is essential that slang is examined and defined in any play; its place is crucial in order for the audience to understand the characters, their personalities, and the popular culture of the time period. That being said, here is a list of every slang word from She Kills Monsters…
Nerd / Girl-nerd – A foolish or contemptible person who lacks social skills or is boringly studious; a person seen as overly intellectual, obsessive, introverted or lacking social skills / A nerd who identifies as a female
Geek – An unfashionable or socially inept person; a knowledgeable and obsessive enthusiast (in something, i.e. a “computer geek”; one who is knowledgeable and obsessive on the subject of computers).
Hommie – Otherwise known as “homie”, defined as an acquaintance from one’s town or neighbourhood, or a member of one’s peer group or gang.
Psyche – A definition specific to the 1990’s to present day: “Not”, just kidding; used at the end of a sentence.
Hella – “Really”, as in “Hella good” or “Hella cold” (really good; really cold).
The bomb – Par excellence! Out of this world!
Blazing – Used to intensify an adjective or adverb, i.e. “Blazing fast”.
Vibing – When one shows interest in someone or something, “[I’m] vibing with them”.
Like ass – The worst.
Badassness – The quality of being badassness.
Noob – A person who is inexperienced in a particular sphere or activity
Wicked – A lot or very, as in “wicked good”
Coolio – an informal way of saying it’s “o.k.” or “fine”
Your shit, Hoo-hah – Ways of referring to one’s genitals
Stupid ass – A jackass, someone who is perceived to be ‘stupid’; -ass is used here as an intensifier or with disparaging intent.
Totes (pg. 29)- Totally, “I’m totes evil”.
Dummy – A fool.
Cray cray – Really crazy (UD)
“In a funk” (pg. 72)- A state of sadness or feeling down. What do they say? “I’m just in a funk.” What do they mean? “I’m just feeling down.”
Dude – Used to address a person or refer to a person, i.e. “Hey, dude!” or “That dude…”
Lunch meat (pg 40)- In context, used as a demeaning term, to speak down to another person, “Does this upset you, lunch meat?”
OPP (page 41)- Originally from the song OPP by Naughty by Nature in 1991. It can mean opposition or enemy, but in this case it refers to the literal translation which mean Other People’s Pussy. What do they say? “I’m down with OPP…as in penis. Not the other P. Ew.” What do they mean? “I’m gay too! But I don’t like pussy. Ew.”
Slacker (pg 41)- First used in 1897. A person who avoids work and responsibilities. What do they say? “Wait, the big slacker demon is gay?” What do they mean? “Wait, the big lazy demon is gay?”
Dyke (pg 44, 45, 68)- A slur for a lesbian. There are many possible origins for where the word came from, however the original source is not concretely known.
Munchies (pg 56)- A sudden and urgent hunger for junk food. Usually caused by the use of Marijuana. What do they say? “Dammit, and I got the munchies!” What do they mean? “Dammit, I’m starving!”
Fart-knocker (pg 56)- An insult originally coined by Butthead from Beavis and Butthead. Means a stupid or annoying person. What do they say? “He’s a fart-knocker.” What do they mean? “He’s an idiot.”
Home-slice (pg 74)- A close friend, another way of saying “homie.” What do they say? “What’s up home-slice.” What do they mean? “What’s up dude?”
Total Betty (pg 74)- Based on the character Betty Rubble from the Flintstones, a Betty is a very attractive or beautiful woman. This term was also made popular in the 1995 movie Clueless. What do they say? “You are a total Betty!” What do they mean? “You’re hot!”
The video below documents what life was like for high schoolers in the 90s. It is a raw, real example of what the characters in the play may have seen or heard throughout the halls of Athens High School.
Bibliography
https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/454909.pdf
http://www.bl.uk/learning/timeline/item104313.html
https://www.dictionary.com/e/acronyms/opp/
https://grammar.yourdictionary.com/slang/history-of-american-slang-words.html
https://en.oxforddictionaries.com
https://www.bustle.com/articles/119415-9-bits-of-90s-slang-you-never-knew-the-meaning-of-explained
http://mentalfloss.com/article/66181/15-phat-pieces-clueless-slang
http://www.inthe90s.com/generated/terms.shtml
http://onlineslangdictionary.com/ http://urbandictionary.com/
She Kills Monsters at Chapman University 