Bingo! You Got the Lingo!

There is perhaps nothing more embarrassing than trying to relate to someone while using the wrong words or lingo in the wrong context. People will laugh at you, think you are not hip, or think you’re trying too hard to relate.
So what are you supposed to do if you don’t know what a word means? Don’t be embarrassed. If you don’t know, ask “what do you mean by ___?” This way, you add a new word to your vocabulary.
If you can speak a person’s language, you usually have that person on your team, because you can identify with one another and know what the other is really trying to communicate. When I first started doing talk shows I didn’t always understand the language that was spoken. However, as time went on, I have learned how to both speak and understand some of today’s hippest words. I have learned how to talk “street.”
Chillin’ does not mean sticking something in the refrigerator. It means to relax or hang out. Fly doesn’t mean that pesky insect that sits on your hamburgers when you’re picnicking. Instead, it means great looking—sexy. If someone thinks they are all that, they are full of themselves and think they’re fly. Bad means good. Homey does not mean a cozy house, nor do homes mean a group of houses. Derived from the word homeboys, neighborhood gang members, it means buddy or close friend. An even closer friend is a bro, which can also be used as a greeting. “Hey bro wuss happenin’ man” means “Hello, how are you?” When you kick ‘em to the curb, you aren’t literally using your feet to push them over the edge of the pavement. Instead, you are getting rid of someone with whom you haven’t had a happenin’ (good, working) relationship.