Tawking The Tawk: How to Use New Yorker Slang Expressions

NEW YORK, June 14, 2018 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- While just about everyone knows of New York's beautiful buildings, top-tier tourist attractions and fast-paced way of life, something just as impressive is all the slang that the locals use.

"Sometimes it almost seems as though New Yorkers have their own language!" said Blair Nicole of TopView, the hop-on, hop-off sightseeing bus.

Whether you come to the Big Apple for sightseeing or because you've decided to live here, expect to hear plenty of expressions that leave you wondering "what does that mean?"

It'd be impossible to catalog every word and phrase New Yorkers use, but the TopView team has experience with many of the most popular slang terms, so here's a little translation.

1. Brick

New Yorkers turned the word "brick" into an adjective, and it essentially means that it's extremely cold. For example, if a snowstorm hits, you may hear people say that "it's brick today." Keep in mind that this is based on locals' perceptions of what is cold. If you're coming from somewhere sunny (that means you, (Californians), don't say that it's brick just because the temperature dropped below 60 degrees.

2. Bridge and Tunnel Crowd

The "bridge and tunnel crowd" are the people who work in Manhattan, but don't live there. The phrase came about because most of those commuters take either bridges or tunnels to reach Manhattan. (Caution: Some can possibly take this as an insult, seeing it as a way for people who live in Manhattan to look down on those who don't.

3. Cop

Although this word is still a term for a police officer, it can also be used as a verb, where it refers to buying something. For example, you could say that you copped a new laptop or that you copped tickets to a Knicks game.

4. Dumb

Dumb isn't necessarily insulting when you're in New York, as it's also used as a way of saying "very." "Mad" is another word that works the same way. "That movie was dumb good" or "that song is mad old" would both be perfectly normal sentences.

It's kind of like when you tell someone they're phat, which means "highly attractive" --but try saying that to any woman!!!)

5. Good Looks

Sadly, when a New Yorker says "good looks," it usually doesn't mean that they're complimenting your physical appearance. Instead, it means "good job," because it's simply a shorter way of saying "good looking out." At least when you hear this, you can take pride in a job well done.

6. Grill

To grill someone is to stare at them, and not in a very friendly fashion. As long as you aren't going around the city trying to stare down people, you probably won't hear "why you grilling me?" Or if you are, it won't be directed at you.

7. Guap

Pronounced "gwop," this is one of the many terms New Yorkers have for money. It is the home of Wall Street, after all. Other ways you can refer to your money is cheese, cheddar or cake. Just remember that these words are generally reserved for a large amount of money.

8. Ice

Ice refers to any type of jewelry, which can also be described as icy. If you were wearing a necklace, you'd have ice around your neck. In general, the bigger and more flamboyant the jewelry is, the more likely it will be called ice.

9. Tight

Saying someone is "tight" indicates that they're upset. If you missed out on something because you didn't book it in advance, you could tell people that you're tight about it.

10. What's Good

As you may have figured out, "what's good" is a variation on "what's up." The cool thing about it is that it'll make you sound a little more New Yorker, but in a subtle way that isn't over the top.

And there you have it. 10 of the most common slang terms you could hear while checking out the city yourself or sightseeing with TopView. Give the the words  a try, but make sure you practice first to really make that New York talk sound natural.

Media Contact: blair nastasi, Top View Sightseeing, 2126640300, [email protected]

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SOURCE TopView