Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions

or bad. (From sense 1.)
We have noth- ing but one rotten problem after another.
This is the most rotten mess I’ve ever been in ...

R. & R.n. rest and recuperation; rest and re- laxation. (Originally military.)
I could use about three years of R. & R. ...

rummy[“r@mi] 1. n. a drunkard; an alco- holic; an alcoholic hobo.
Ask that rummy to leave before he throws up.
There is a rum ...

on all cylinders now.
My plan is now running on all cylinders. 2. in. to operate sensibly and intelligently.
Pay attention to ...

sack 1. n. a bed.
I was so tired I could hardly find my sack.
Somebody put a spider in my sack. 2. tv. to dismiss some- one fr ...

saltinen. a white person. (A play on a kind of salted white cracker (biscuit). A crackeris a derogatory term for a white person. ...

the sawbones. This is an emergency.
Is there a sawbones in this town? sawbuckn. a ten-dollar bill. (From the time when the 10 w ...

scandal sheetn. a tabloid newspaper fea- turing lurid news.
I like to read a scan- dal sheet every now and then.
I’m tired of ...

schickeredGo to shicker. schizo[“skIzo or “skItso] 1. mod. schizo- phrenic.
That gal is sort of schizo, isn’t she?
I have neve ...

What a schmo! He thinks I caused the problem.
Tell the silly schmoe to beat it. schmooseGo to schmooze. schmooze and shmooze; s ...

Scooch the potted palm to the edge of the deck and push it overboard. scoop 1. n. a news story gathered by a re- porter before ...

thing’s over. 2. tv. to kill someone or something. (Originally underworld to strangle.)
The gang decided that some- body was go ...

if you can get the screw’s attention.
I’m sick, screw! Let me out! screw around 1. to engage in copulation.
She wants to talk ...

quarter to call the cops.
Don’t be such a scrooge! All I want is a buck! scrounge (around (for someone or something))[skraUndZ. ...

an undesirable person; a scraggly person.
And this scuzz comes up to me and asks me to dance, and I’m like, “What?”
I told the ...

done.
The old one who’s shaking—he’s probably seeing snakes. seeing pink spidersGo to seeing pink elephants. seeing snakesGo to ...

lice.)
They tried to send me up the river, but my lip got me off.
I’m gonna send you up the river if it’s the last thing I do. ...

sewermouthn. someone who uses vile language constantly. (Also a rude term of address.)
If you’re going to be a sewer- mouth, I ...

way.
Those bums are masters at the shakedown. Shake it (up)!exclam. Hurry!; Move faster!
Get going, chum! Shake it up!
We’re ...

sharpien. a clever operator; a clever per- son.
She’s a real sharpie. She’ll take you for everything you’ve got.
A young sharp ...