Writing Tips

Brooklyn Slang Terms

Home of the iconic New York attractions including; Coney Island, the Prospect Park, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Barclays Center, the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, and the most famous New York styled pizza, Brooklyn is the home of celebrities that includes; Aaliyah (my favorite role model & singer), Big Daddy Kane, Busta Rhymes, Tatyanna Ali, Eddie & Charlie Murphy, Woody Allen, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Foxy Brown, Lil Kim, Junior Mafia, Al Capone, the Notorious BIG, Andrew Dice Clay, and so much more. Here are the slangs that are heard and said in Brooklyn.

718: An area code for Brooklyn.

A Hunnit: Being completely authentic and honest.

Aight Bet: This one can vary based on the tone of voice you're using. A lot of the time, however, saying it neutrally just indicates that you're saying "okay" or "cool." It's also another way of saying you bet something is going to happen.

Baba: A woman of loose morals. Someone who sleeps around with a lot of people.

BKNY: This stands for Brooklyn, New York.

Brick: Very cold.

Brolic: A compliment; this means you're muscular, strong, or fit.

Bucktown: A nickname for Brooklyn.

Buggin': To freak out. Being in a state of intense anger, panic, or other emotional distress.

Clachet: Classy and ratchet. This is a person, usually a woman, who's trashy but tries to cover it up with fancy things, like nails and makeup.

Clipped: Something that is finished or over.

Cop: To get something.

Cribas: Brooklyn slang for a crib or home.

Dayroom: A negative word that means someone is being immature or generally annoying.

Dead ass: You're being dead serious about something.

Drid: To be angry with or ticked off at someone.

Dub: Someone or something that you just don't want to deal with. It's boring, a hassle, or undesirable in some way.

Eats: A generalized way of referring to food overall.

Facts: You say this to indicate that something you've said is the truth.

Feening: When you're doing something that's over the top. Putting too much effort into something.

Finesse: The ability to weasel your way into something or get what you want.

Good Looks: You say this when someone does something nice for you. It's basically like saying thank you.

Grimey: Another way to look at the word grimey is "lower than dirt." If someone is grimey, they're untrustworthy or they've done something to betray you.

Guap: Money.

Gucci: It simply means good, although you can use it to describe yourself as being okay.

Hollywood: This is usually used to describe someone who's popular, famous, or otherwise too busy to associate with their old friends.

I'm Weak/Dead: In Brooklyn, you say this to indicate that something is so funny, you just about died laughing at it.

Jatty: A large and attractive butt. Usually, you say this to refer to a woman who has an appealing rear end.

Link: To meet up with someone.

Mad: Very.

Moving Funny: When someone is acting suspiciously.

My Fault: If you've screwed up, you say this to apologize to someone.

OD/Odee: Although it can mean overdosing on drugs, OD usually means that someone is overdoing something.

On Everything: When someone says this, you know they're being serious about something.

Peep This: You say this to get someone's attention, so they'll watch something.

Ratchet: A low-class woman.

Slow: If something or someone is slow, you don't want to be around it or them for any reason. It could be a boring event, or someone who's always a pain to hang out with.

Son: A friendly name you can use to refer to any guy. It doesn't have to be your actual son – it can be a friend, family member, or even just a random guy you're being friendly towards.

Spliff: A blunt. A joint of marijuana.

Sus: Short for suspicious; a person or thing that seems suspicious or untrustworthy.

Swerve: Avoiding someone or rejecting them.

Thirstbucket: A person who's absolutely desperate for the romantic attention of another person.

Thirsty: When someone is actively behaving in a desperate manner in an attempt to attract someone.

This, That and the Third: When you want to skip all these small details and get right to the good part of a story. It's like saying, "yadda yadda yadda."

Timbs: A brand of quality, durable boots worn by a lot of people in NYC.

Treesh: See Baba. A promiscuous woman; a skank.

Whack: A person or situation that's messed up.

What's the Word?: This basically just means, "what's up?" There are many other variations of this in Brooklyn. You can also ask, "what's the mood?" or "what's the vibes?"

Wildin'/Wylin': It means you're freaking out.

Wocky: See Whack.

Word To My Dead: This is another way of saying you're being truthful or serious about something. It's essentially swearing on someone's grave. You can abbreviate it in text to WTMD.

Word To my Mom/Mommy: See Word To My Dead.

You Good?: This is like asking someone if they're doing okay. It's essentially just another way of asking, "Are you all right?"

You Know the Vibes: Saying this just means, "you know what's going on."

You Woulda Thought: You can say this to say no or indicate that someone shouldn't do something.

Yurr/Yerr: A loud greeting that you shout at someone. It's like shouting, "Hey!"