And if anyone knows how to get free, easy-to-use image hosting that works with Mac, please speak up. The whole Picasa/Hello Picture Sharing thing won't work anymore due to some insidious firewall/IP adjustments made by those killjoys in the IT department.
Finally, after running into a seriously hung-over friend of mine on the subway this morning, I got to thinking about some of the hip slang that the kids are using these days. Caleb is the king of the hipness, and he was my inspiration. Much of it was covered (i.e., "made up") by the authors of The Hipster Handbook, but there are a few choice tidbits that some of my compatriots break out from time to time that deserve a closer look. So let's look at some standouts, shall we?
- deck
- It's important to start with this one, because it was blatantly fabricated by Robert Lanham, Bret Nicely, and/or Jeff Bechtel, the authors of the aforementioned get-rich-quick scheme... er, "book," entitled The Hipster Handbook. I am a card-carrying hipster, and I'm sure you are too. And not only have I never used this word, I have never heard it used. I have seen it in print once. In the hipster book. Totally made up. How cynical can you get?
- jump off
- Not to be confused with the prepositional verb that refers to actually leaping from a surface. As far as I can tell, it means something is going to be really fun and there will likely be lots of alchohol and/or coke present. This one can be used as either a noun or an adjective. That is, you can attend a jump off, or you can describe said event as "the jump off." This is one of my favorites, but I can't bring myself to use it because people would just roll their eyes. A certain level of suaveness (or blackness) is required here.
- holla
- Also "holler" (for honkies with no clue), or "challah" (for the Jews). This is one of the "ironic" lifts from black people (sorry, "hip-hop culture") that you just can't get away from. From "holla at your boy" to the I-like-that or I-agree vibe of simply yelling "HOLLA," this has that multiple application thing going for it, like "dude." I only use "holla" in print. I never say it out loud.
- steez
- Literally, "style." More accurately, it means "in the manner of." Like to go bow hunting? Then you do it "Ted Nugent steez." LK uses this one, and it's one of my current favorites. As with "holla," white people talking like black people = funny.
- hottness
- I add the extra "t" because at work we used to call very attractive people "hott." The more Ts you use, the hotter the individual. "Hottness" is pretty obvious. It basically breaks down to "goodness." Most often used with "the," as in, "Where is the hottness?"
- gay
- Also used in "rated T.G.," or "totally gay." Despite reasonable and well-founded protests from the staff of tobyspinks ("Things aren't gay, people are."), this remains a favorite from childhood. Using "gay" in place of, say, "lame" to describe an object or phenomenon is so hot right now.
- rad and awesome
- In keeping with the retro-childhood vibe, I am using these two to death and I don't care. Saying "rad" and "awesome" is both rad and awesome.
- banned
- No longer in favor. Formerly approved of, but currently disliked. Full credit to malibu stacie and tobyspinks for this one, which I am also abusing at the moment. Someone piss you off? Restaurant you used to like going downhill? They are SO banned. Has the additional charm of being reversible through use of the term "hired."
Got another one? Submissions are always welcome and credit is given where due.
A final thought: have you seen the New York Department of Labor's new subway ad campaign? "Got an opening? We'll help you fill it." That's it. This is posted all over the city! Awesome.
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