SLANG. [18c: origin uncertain, perhaps from sling or such phrases as beggar's language or rogue's language]. An ever-changing set of colloquial words or phrases generally considered distinct from and socially lower than the standard language.

Slang terms develop in a number of different ways:

• shortening of longer terms: hi-tech, pro, to schiz out, fan;
• compounding of two or more terms; has-been, run-down, hang-ups, rip-off;
• abbreviations: wysiwig, NQWWW, yuppie, dinkie, bluppie, whoopie, obno, (to) OD;
• onomatopoeic terms: smash, pow, zap, whiz, zonk;
• metaphorical terms: gasbag, ticker, headshrinker/shrink, couch potato, coffin nail;
• back slang (spelling words backwards): knurd/nerd, yob/yobbo, slop;
• rhyming repetition: jeepers creepers, cop shop, super-duper, brain drain, syphon the python;
• rhyming slang (particularly Cockney & Australian): God forbids, on my pat, Adam and Eve, mince-pies, rabbit and pork;
• borrowings from other languages: savvy, vamoose, kaput, shmalz, ignoramus, my feet are staying, mercy buckets;
• affixation: maxi-hols, mega-bucks, mini-break, fundage, windbag.

Slang terms are particularly common in certain semantic areas.
Taboo areas make up a large group and include:

• drugs: fix, acid, hash, hooked, junk, junkie, trip;
• drink: booze, pissed, sloshed, canned, the boozer;
• sex: have it off, be at it, play hospital, in the club, perv, + many vulgar terms;
• money: dough, quid, buck, rolling in it, loanshark;
• death: kick the bucket, goner, mow down;
• lavatory: loo, john, dunny, can, bog;
• madness: round the bend, cracked, cuckoo, loony, bonkers, gone troppo;
• religion (blasphemy):

Two other large areas, which tend to shift and change with alarming speed, are approval and disapproval:

• approval: terrific, swell, great, fab, groovy, hip, cool, right-on, far-out, magic, wizard, ace, brill, awesome, bad, def, killer, cool
• disapproval: (n.) tripe, bunk, rot, drivel, trash; (adj.) measly, rotten, trashy, lousy, grotty, sad

There is also a wide category of "forgotten words": thingumajig, whatyoumaycallit, whatsit.

The range of vocabulary is enormous. Here are some common evergreens:

Closely linked to uneducated, dialectical speech, with the following features:

• misuse of final 's': we goes, I says, he don't know;
• use of 'ain't': she ain't coming (= to be), they ain't gone (= to have);
• lack of differentiation between past tenses and participles: they done it, he's broke it;
• confusion of pronouns: where's me pen? near them papers;
• various plural 'you' forms: you's, you all;
• double negatives: I didn't hear nothing; she ain't nowhere;