Basic English Usage
Slang
We will focus on slang words and phrases you might read in the writing of people who live in the United States.
angle = hidden motive for benefitting from a situation
What's your angle? You've never shown any interest in our project before. Now you're joining the team. What do you get out of this?
ditch = discard or leave
Let's ditch these guys and drive away. If our car dies, we can ditch that, too.
fishy = unlikely or suspicious
They think there's something fishy about that story. I agree the cause of the accident was kind of fishy, but I think the rest of the story is plausible.
lame = stupid, unconvincing, unsophisticated, not funny
He told a joke, but no one laughed. They all thought it was lame.
milk = prolong something; get more of something (pity or money) by manipulating others
Our website traffic spiked because people heard about our accident. That's okay, we should milk it for all it's worth.
zap = destroy; shock (electrically); heat (in microwave)
I was listening to the electric insect killer zapping flies, when Earl snuck up behind me and zapped me with a stun gun. Not cool.
Lesson: Slang 1
Module: Slang
Course: Basic English Usage