Noun

Singular slang

Plural uncountable

slang (uncountable)

1. (linguistics) Language outside of conventional usage.
2. (linguistics) Language that is unique to a particular profession or subject; jargon.
3. (linguistics) The specialized language of a social group, sometimes used to make what is said unintelligible to those not members of the group; cant.
   • 1872, George Eliot, Middlemarch

     "Oh, there are so many superior teas and sugars now. Superior is getting to be shopkeepers' slang."

     "Are you beginning to dislike slang, then?" said Rosamond, with mild gravity.

     "Only the wrong sort. All choice of words is slang. It marks a class."

     "There is correct English: that is not slang."

     "I beg your pardon: correct English is the slang of prigs who write history and essays. And the strongest slang of all is the slang of poets."

Synonyms

• (jargon): vernacular, jargon, lingo, dialect, cant

Slang is the use of highly informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's dialect or language.

Defining slang

Few linguists have endeavored to clearly define what constitutes slang. Attempting to remedy this, Bethany K. Dumas and Jonathan Lighter argue that an expression should be considered "true slang" if it meets at least two of the following criteria:

• It lowers, if temporarily, "the dignity of formal or serious speech or writing"; in other words, it is likely to be seen in such contexts as a "glaring misuse of register."
• Its use implies that the user is familiar with whatever is referred to, or with a group of people who are familiar with it and use the term.
• "It is a taboo term in ordinary discourse with people of a higher social status or greater responsibility."
• It replaces "a well-known conventional synonym." This is done primarily to avoid "the discomfort caused by the conventional item [or by] further elaboration.

An example would be "getting a pop, meaning getting a haircut, or buying threads as in buying clothes." Slang should be distinguished from jargon, which is the technical vocabulary of a particular profession. Jargon, like many examples of slang, may be used to exclude non–group members from the conversation, but in general has the function of allowing its users to talk precisely about technical issues in a given field.