How Well Do You Really Know Everyday American Slang Words and Phrases?

By: Stella Alexander
Estimated Completion Time
3 min
How Well Do You Really Know Everyday American Slang Words and Phrases?
Image: shutterstock

About This Quiz

Bring your A-Game! While the English language is the same around the world, you'll find different dialects and slang. The same can be said for the United States. You'll find slang that is used all around the country. From "cash" to "bucks," how well do you know American slang?

English is the third most spoken language in the world. There are more than 360 million people around the world who speak English as their native language. English is an official language of countries like the United Kingdom, the United States, South Africa, Nigeria, and Belize. While these countries would be part of the native speaker population, there are more than 1.5 billion people around the world who speak English in general. That's 20 percent of the world's population!

While you'd hear the English language in dozens of countries, many speakers wouldn't understand American slang. While the words might register, their meaning might seem foreign. How well do you know everyday American slang?

If someone said, "this party blows," what does that mean? For something to be a "piece of cake," does it have to be covered in frosting? Let's find out how much American slang you understand!

Don't give us the cold shoulder! Come hang out with us and prove how much slang you know! This quiz will be a banger!

What does "buck" mean?
ball
dollar
In American slang, the word "buck" is used to describe $1. If someone said, "I have ten bucks, this means they have $10."
camera
punch

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Finish the phrase that means to study: hit the ______
sack
books
The phrase "hit the hay" means go to sleep while "hit the books" means you are planning to study.
hay
ground

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If someone says "I aced the test," what does "aced" mean?
failed
passed
If someone aces something, not only do they pass it, they did it easily!
skipped
ripped

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Which of these words or phrases is used to describe someone who is lazy?
cheesy
Dutch
couch potato
A couch potato is used to describe someone who is lazy. Classically, it is associated with someone who doesn't leave the couch and just watches TV.
liverwurst

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If you wanted someone to call you, you'd ask them to give you what?
pet
phone
ring
If someone says "give me a ring," they're probably not asking you to propose! It means to give them a call.
finger

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What does "hip" mean?
boring
lovely
cool
"Hip" is a slang term used to describe something that is cool and trendy.
hurtful

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Finish the phrase that means to wait a minute: hold your ______
cow
horses
If you tell someone to "hold your horses," you're telling them to hold on a minute.
pigs
birds

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If someone says "I'm all ears," what are they doing to you?
listening to you
If someone says they're "all-ears," this is a way to say that they are listening to you and you have their attention.
watching you
hitting you
talking to you

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Which of these words or phrases can be used to describe people paying for their own meal?
bro
cash
cram
Dutch
If you go out to eat or go on a date, you might hear the word "Dutch." Rather than one person footing the entire bill or splitting it in half, if you "go Dutch," this means everyone is paying for what they bought.

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If you're about to eat tons of food, with what animal would complete the phrase: ______ out?
Dog
Elephant
Cow
Pig
In American slang, the phrase "pig out" is often used if someone is about to binge-eat or consume loads of food in a short amount of time.

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What does "put up a front" mean?
act tough
If someone "puts up a front," this means they are purposely trying to give off the appearance that they are tough when, in fact, they are not.
act kind
move to the front of a line
none of the above

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Finish the phrase that means to ignore someone: Give the ______ shoulder
stiff
warm
hot
cold
The phrase "give someone the cold shoulder" is quite popular. It means to purposefully ignore someone.

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If someone says "I passed by the skin of my teeth," how well did they do on the test?
perfect score
failed
barely passed
If someone does something "by the skin of their teeth," it means they just barely accomplished it.
none of the above

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Which of these words or phrases can be used to describe bothering someone?
get under one's skin
If someone is "getting under your skin," that means they are bothering or irritating you.
hang out
by the skin of your teeth
hold your horses

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If someone wants your signature, they might ask for your _________.
Abraham Lincoln
Albert Einstein
John Hancock
If someone wants your signature, they'll ask for your "John Hancock." This is because John Hancock was one of the people to sign the Declaration of Independence and he had a very showy signature.
George Washington

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What does "piece of cake" mean?
hard
fun
easy
If someone tells you that something was a "piece of cake," it was exceptionally easy.
boring

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Finish the phrase that means all day and night: ______ the clock
On
Around
If you describe something as "around the clock," it means that is it constantly happening, day and night.
Through
In

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If someone says "I need to crash," what does "crash" mean?
study
sleep
If someone says they need to "crash," this means that they're extremely tired and need to go to sleep.
eat
take a shower

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Which of these words or phrases can be used to describe casual conversation?
In no time
It is what it is
shoot the breeze
The phrase "shoot the breeze" is used to describe idle conversation.
kill time

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If someone wants to tell you to finish something, they might tell you to _____ it up.
Eat
wrap
If you want someone to finish something, you could tell them to "wrap it up."
turn
time

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What does "jonesing" mean?
to kiss someone
to want something
If someone says the word "jonesing," they mean they want something. One might say, "I'm jonesing for a strong drink."
to read a book
to fall in love

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Finish the phrase that describes something that doesn't happen often: Once in a blue ______
sky
day
moon
The phrase "once in a blue moon," is used to describe something that doesn't happen very often. This is used because a blue moon happens only every three years.
planet

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If someone says "I'm going to hit the road," what are they doing?
stomping on the street
taking a drink
leaving
If someone says "hit the road," that means they are leaving. This is heard in the song, "Hit the Road, Jack."
taking a nap

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Which of these words or phrases can be used to describe someone sitting in the front passenger seat of a car?
front and center
driving Ms. Daisy
sit queen
ride shotgun
When it comes to figuring out the seats in a car, you'll often hear people call "shotgun." This means that they'll be sitting in the front passenger seat.

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If you refuse to answer a question, you might say what?
lighten up
plead the fifth
"Plead the fifth" is a common slang phrase you'd hear in America that references the fifth Constitutional amendment. In this amendment, a person doesn't have to answer a question that would incriminate himself or herself, so they simply say, "I plead the fifth."
bail me out
it is what it is

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What does "screw up" mean?
nail a screw
fall
make a mistake
"Screw up" is a phrase used to signify making a mistake. Someone could say "I screwed up on that test."
write a letter

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Finish the phrase that means something was really good (food-wise): That ______ the spot
touched
hit
If someone says "that hit the spot," they are talking about food or a beverage. This means they enjoyed it and it "hit a spot" that needed it.
moved
killed

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If someone says "I need a recap of the meeting," what does "recap" mean?
video
picture
summary
If someone needs a recap, this means they need you to go over the information again.
none of the above

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Which of these words or phrases can be used to describe telling a secret?
take for granted
spill the beans
If someone "spills the beans" this means they told a secret they weren't supposed to. Once the beans have been spilled, they can't be saved!
watch the clock
kick the ball

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What is the word used to describe getting married?
chilled
bombed
hitched
"Hitched" is a slang term used to describe someone who is getting or has gotten married.
patsied

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What does "hyped" mean?
excited
Hyped is an American slang term that means to be excited for something. One could say "I'm so hyped about going to Coachella."
bored
tired
angry

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Finish the phrase that means to bother someone: Drive up the ______
street
hill
fence
wall
If someone "drives you up the wall," it means they are bothering or irritating you.

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If someone says "that concert was the bomb," what does "the bomb" mean?
terrible
explosive
amazing
"The bomb" is a slang phrase used to describe something that was great.
boring

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Which of these words or phrases is NOT used to describe amazing?
wicked
dope
fly
buns
In American slang, there are many words that can be used to describe something amazing. Buns is NOT one of them.

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If someone says "I'm going to "bail" on this party, what are they doing?
drinking
dancing
leaving
If someone uses the word "bail" in this context, they're not talking about bail/bond money. They are talking about leaving.
having fun

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You Got:
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