Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions

(Amelia) #1

in the hoppermod. in process; in line to
be processed. (A hopper is an in-basket
for incoming work.) It’s in the hopper.
I’ll get to it. Your job is in the hopper,
and your turn is next.


in the hot seatphr. in a situation where
one is being scrutinized or asked ques-
tions. (See also hot seat.) I was in
the hot seat for about an hour, but they
didn’t learn anything from me. This new
information puts Tom in the hot seat,
doesn’t it?


in the knowmod. knowledgeable (about
something); having inside knowledge
(about something). Ask Harry. He’s
usually in the know. Sure I’m in the
know. But I’m not telling.


in the O-zonemod. dead; on the verge of
death; showing the O-sign.(With the
mouth hanging open, like the letter O.)
This patient is in the O-zone. Ready to
go at any minute.


in the ozonemod. alcohol or drug intox-
icated. Four beers and Tom is in the
ozone. We were in the ozone, but we still
made a lot of sense.


in the pink 1. mod. feeling quite well; feel-
ing on top of the world. I’m in the pink
today. Feeling great. When she’s in the
pink again, she’ll give you a ring. 2. mod.
alcohol intoxicated. Pete is in the pink
and singing at the top of his lungs. 
When he’s in the pink, he’s a handful.


in the pipelinemod. backed up some-
where in a process; in process; in a queue.
There are a lot of goods still in the
pipeline. That means no more orders for a
while. Your papers are in the pipeline
somewhere. You’ll just have to wait.


in the Q-zonemod. dead; on the verge of
death; with the mouth showing the Q-
sign.Look at that tongue hanging out.
This guy’s in the Q-zone.


in theremod. sincere; likeable. Martha
is really in there. Everybody likes her. I
like a guy who’s in there—who thinks
about other people.


in the soupmod. in trouble. Now you’re
in the soup. I’m in the soup with the
boss.
in the sudsmod. alcohol intoxicated. 
Fred is in the suds and can’t see. When
Bob is in the suds, he’s mean.
in the tube 1. mod. in the “tube” or arch
of a large wave. (Surfing.) Pete is in the
tube and looks great. On a day like to-
day, I want to be out there in the tube. 2.
mod. at risk. He’s in the tube now, but
things should straighten out soon. If you
find yourself in the tube in this matter, just
give me a ring.
thein thing to don. the fashionable or or-
thodox thing to do. (See also in.) Cut-
ting your hair short on the sides is the in
thing to do. Smoking is no longer the in
thing to do.
in-your-facemod. confrontational. I’m
really tired of this in-your-face attitude of
yours. Fred is just an in-your-face kind
of guy. He means no harm.
IOWinterj. in other words. (Initialism.
Used in electronic mail and computer fo-
rum or news group messages. Not pro-
nounced aloud.) IOW, you are angry at
me. I have heard enough on this point.
IOW, shut up.
iron 1. n. a gun; a revolver. (Underworld.)
Rocko never carries iron unless he’s go-
ing to use it. What kind of iron do you
carry? 2. n. computer hardware. (See also
big iron.) What kind of iron are you
people running over there? This is good
old compatible iron.
Irv and Ervine; Irvinen. a police officer.
(Black. See also Charlie Irvine.) Irv is
after you, did you know? Tell Ervine to
go catch a speeder or something.
IrvineGo to Irv.
I smell you.sent. I understand you. I
smell you. No need to go on and on. 
That’s enough. I smell you. Don’t go on
and on.
It cuts both ways.Go to It cuts two ways.
It cuts two ways. and It cuts both ways.
sent. There are two sides, you know.;

It cuts two ways.
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