Writing Tips

Queens Slang Terms

Welcome to the page as I'm presenting you all the slangs from Queens, which is the home of the JFK Airport as well as the LaGuardia, the Mets baseball team, Jazz musicians such as; Count Basie, Louie Armstrong, Fats Weller, Lena Horne, and Ella Fitzgerald lived there as well as hip hop acts like; Run DMC, Salt-N-Pepa, LL Cool J, A Tribe Called Quest, and more came from Queens. And let's not forget about the 1988 film, Coming to America starring Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall.

B: A good friend.

Basic: If someone is basic, they're regular and boring.

Bodega: A mini grocery store or convenience store where you can get most of your essential home needs covered.

Bogey: A cigarette.

BQE: An abbreviation for Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.

Brick: Very cold.

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

Dub: Anything or anyone that's boring or a drag to be around.

Facts: To emphasize when you are telling the truth.

Fire: If something is fire, it's really good. It can mean awesome when referring to a thing or sexy when referring to a person.

Flying Rat: A derogatory, spiteful word to pigeons.

Grill: In other parts of the country, you might assume grilling is cooking something over a fire. In Queens (and NYC in general), grilling someone means you are interrogating them or asking them too much.

Guap: Cash.

Guido/Guidettes: Queens has a large population of Italian Americans. Many of these people proudly call themselves; Guidos (for men) and Guidettes (for women).

Holla: To have a conversation with someone.

Lit: Exciting and fun.

Ma: This doesn't actually mean you're a mother or anything. It's just a casual way of referring to any woman.

Mad: Very or really.

Money: It doesn't actually refer to currency. It means that something is good or that someone is attractive.

'Na Mean: This is just a common New York way of saying, "Do you know what I mean?" You say this to ask if someone understands where you're coming from.

On Line: In other parts of the US, people will say they're waiting in line. In Queens, you say you're waiting on line.

Pie: This is a popular East Coast slang for pizza.

Pop Off: You say this when you or someone else is getting ready to fight, at the height of a disagreement. When you hear this, think of Tanisha from the Bad Girls Club as her catchphrase.

Queensite: A person from Queens is called a Queensite.

Repeating a Word: A common verbal trend in Queens is repeating a word twice in a row if you really mean it. Saying it once is average, saying it twice indicates you think it's even more important.

Say Less: Use this when you want to tell someone to shut up.

Shorty/Shortie: An older term that kind of spread all over through music. It can be used to refer to an attractive woman or a woman that you're dating.

Son: A casual way to refer to any guy you're talking to. It doesn't have to be someone who's actually your child.

Stoop: The front steps or stairs of your home.

Sus: Someone who is moving funny or behaving suspiciously.

The Beach: In other places, this can have an entirely different meaning. In Queens, however, everyone knows what you mean when you say the beach: Rockaway.

Thot: The individual letters in thot actually mean "That Hoe Over There," but you can use it to refer to any woman who's promiscuous regardless of her physical distance from you.

Violate: To finish someone off, usually through violence.

Wildin'/Wylin': Freaking out or acting out of control.

Word to My Mother: This is basically just swearing on your mother. If someone says this, they are indicating that something is true.

Yurr/Yerr: You basically just shout it to someone as a greeting.

Young Grassy: Young grasshopper. You use this to refer to anyone younger or less experienced than you.