Slang

File:KIRK IS A JERK.jpg

Slang on a shirt

Slang is the use of colorful words, derived from regional or time specific terminology, used in place of more formal words.

Many time frames and cultures have their own unique slang. For example, during the 20th century on Earth, several cultural movements had their own slang terminology. Starfleet officers who were involved in instances of time travel or other alien contact were sometimes subjected to a degree of social ineptness due to the confusion caused by the usage of slang.

Variations of slang

The Iotian culture developed on Sigma Iotia II built its society based on the novel Chicago Mobs of the Twenties. Therefore, the Iotians used many slang terms that were originally popular during the 1920s on Earth. (TOS: "A Piece of the Action")

Likewise, the holodeck program Bashir 62, used a lot of early 1960s slang. (DS9: "His Way")

The following uses of slang may extend beyond the timeframe indicated. For sake of convenience, they are listed in the timeframe from which they were specifically used. When applicable, the usage of the term may be found below in italics.

19th century Earth Slang

1890s

• "Bleeding a man dry"
• "Card shark"
• "Chit chat" - small talk
• "Folks"
• "Forty-Niner"
• "Geez"
• "Go to blazes"
• "Hot damn"
• "Humdinger"
• "Missus" - wife
• "Phony"
• "The deed is done"
• "To have someone peg for a sap"
• "To jostle someone"

Ancient West

• "Being in cahoots with someone"
• "Bunch of hot air"
• "Cattle rustler"
• "Floozy"
• "Horse-stealing scurvy crew"
• "Howdy"
• "Pa" - father
• "Scrumptious"
• "Scum"
• "Tin can" - prison
• "To bushwhack someone"
• "Varmint"
• "Yellow" - a coward person
• "Whisker"

20th century Earth slang

1920s

• "Cement overshoes": A self-defining gangster term describing a method of drowning someone.

1930s

• "Booze" - alcohol
• "Bum" - a homeless person
• "Flop" - a place to sleep
• "Wood alky" - methyl alcohol

1940s

• "Buck" - dollar
• "Dick" - detective
• "Doll" - woman or girl
• "Fella"
• "Geetas" - money
• "Gung Ho kind of gal"
• "Hep-looking broad"
• "Jamoke"
• "Jerry"
• "Jumpy"
• "Moolah" - money
• "Nut"
• "Shrew" - a policeman
• "Slime"
• "Stiff" - a corpse
• "That's jake with me"
• "To ice somebody" - to murder somebody
• "To take a gander"

1950s

• "Cooped up"
• "mogul" - a prominent businessman
• "Pinko" - an individual who only mildly supports the ideas of socialism or communism
• "Red" - an individual who more actively supports the ideas of socialism or communism
• "Nigger" - derogatory term for Negros
• "Rag"
• "Tater" - a "home run" in the game of baseball
• "Zero"

1960s

• "Charley"
• "Chick" - woman or girl
• "Clyde"
• "Deadsville"
• "Far out"
• "Grease Monkey"
• "Groovy"
• "Harvey"
• "Jerk"
• "Jet setter"
• "Lounge lizard"
• "Nanook of the North"
• "Pallie" - friend
• "Rich as Rockefeller"
• "Romeo"
• "Square" - "uncool, unhip, clueless, rigid in thinking (see; "Herbert")"

1980s

• "Kiddo"
• "Landlubber"
• "Macho"
• "Retard"
• "Russkie" - Russian
• "snoop"

1990s

• "The beast" - the US Government
• "The big boy" - the captain (or leader)
• "Boob tube" - television
• "Cool"
• "Freakasaurus" - an individual who exhibits extreme, uptight behavior
• "Low-mileage pit woofie" - a young or inexperienced stock car racing groupie
• "Old Watosh"
• "Shrink" - psychologist (or counselor)
• "To scuffle along"

21st century Earth slang

2000s

• "Veggie" - vegetarian

2020s

• "Dim"
• "Ghost"
• "Gimmie"

2060s

• "Take a leak" - urinate

22nd century slang

• "Skag" - derogatory term for Skagarans
• "Hick" - semi-derogatory term (sometimes embraced by those it is directed at) for people from rural areas of the United States such as western Florida and Iowa
• "Boomer" - term used to describe a person who spent the majority of their life in space

23rd century slang

Iotian (supplement to 1920s slang)

• "Concrete galoshes" - Montgomery Scott's version of "cement overshoes"

"You mind your place, mister, or you'll be wearing concrete galoshes."

• "A piece of the action"
• "Blower" - telephone
• "Check" - correct
• "Fancy heater" - phaser
• "Feds" - Federation personnel
• "Flop"
• "Boss" - President
• "Percentage" - taxes
• "Syndicate" - coalition or alliance
• "Territory" - nation-state
• "Right" - correct
• "Wheels" - automobile

Miri's planet

• "Foolie" - a game
• "Grup" - a "grown up"
• "Only" - a child left orphaned by the Life prolongation complex
• "Before time" - the time prior to the death of the grups
• "Blah" - a mimicry of meaningless speech
• "Nyah"- a taunt

Starfleet

• "Dunsel"
• "Nova" - Lt. Mitchell once called a woman he met on Deneb IV: "Yeah, she was nova that one."
• "Popinjay" - Montgomery Scott described Ambassador Robert Fox as a popinjay, a vain person who over-exaggerated their own importance and spoke empty words. (TOS: "A Taste of Armageddon")
• "Space junk" - debris abandoned in space, such as the USS Huron (TAS: "The Pirates of Orion")

Other

• "Eager beaver" - Dr. Katherine Pulaski referred to an irresponsible scientist as an eager beaver. (TNG: "The Child")
• "Herbert"

24th century slang

• "Cardies" - derogatory term for Cardassians
• "Cowboy diplomacy"
• "Farm-world"
• "Lunar schooner"
• "Pointed-ear" - derogatory term for Vulcans or Romulans
• "Spoon head" - derogatory term for Cardassians
• "Starfleet brat"
• "Vulky" - derogatory term for Vulcans

See also

• Colorful metaphor
• Nickname
• Scots language

References

• TOS:
  • "Where No Man Has Gone Before"
  • "Miri"
  • "The City on the Edge of Forever"
  • "A Piece of the Action"
  • "The Trouble with Tribbles"
  • "The Ultimate Computer"
  • "Assignment: Earth"
  • "Spectre of the Gun"
  • "The Way to Eden"
• TNG:
  • "The Big Goodbye"
  • "The Neutral Zone"
  • "Manhunt"
  • "Clues"
  • "Time's Arrow"
  • "Time's Arrow, Part II"
  • "A Fistful of Datas"
• DS9:
  • "Blood Oath"
  • "Past Tense, Part I"
  • "Past Tense, Part II"
  • "Little Green Men"
  • "Our Man Bashir"
  • "Far Beyond the Stars"
  • "Valiant"
  • "His Way"
  • "Prodigal Daughter"
  • "It's Only a Paper Moon"
  • "Badda-Bing, Badda-Bang"
• VOY:
  • "Caretaker"
  • "Future's End"
  • "Future's End, Part II"
  • "Scorpion"
  • "The Killing Game"
  • "The Killing Game, Part II"
  • "Vis à Vis"
  • "Equinox"
• ENT:
  • "First Flight"
  • "Daedalus"
• Star Trek films
  • Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
  • Star Trek: First Contact