“Damn sis I haven’t seen you in a minute! What was that, Christmas 2016?” 3. If a New Yorker says they haven’t seen you in a minute, then you’re looking at at least one year. If you’ve never heard this phrase before, you’ll be surprised to know that it does not actually mean a minute at all. Need to get someone’s attention? Need to make your presence known to a familiar face who’s two blocks away from you? Just a simple season’s greeting? Yerrr is the way to go. Yerrr is the call heard through the concrete jungles of the boroughs. I’d be a menace if I didn’t start this list with a hearty welcome. AKA don’t be out here looking silly trying to sound like a New Yorker when you’re immersed in another region of the United States. It is part of its own culture, and if you don’t actively participate in that culture, please use these words with respect and appreciation. NEW YORK SLANG WORDS & THINGS NEW YORKERS SAYĭISCLAIMER: If you are not native to New York City, do not adopt this vocabulary as your own. NEW YORK SLANG WORDS & THINGS NEW YORKERS SAY.The next 59 words are New York slang terms I grew up with, have learned from younger generations while being back, and have collected from the block, the bodegas, the public schools, and the gritty streets of New York City. Despite being born and raised in the Big Apple, I didn’t appreciate how special New York City slang was until I left for college in Indiana, where suddenly language became cut and dry, and the vibrant words that existed during my upbringing in Queens suddenly meant absolutely nothing to my Midwestern colleagues and peers. There are many different things that make a New Yorker, from our bagels to our pizza and delicious tap water, but the slang is the most quintessential element of the New Yorker.
And maybe I’m biased because we’re arrogantly the Best City in the World, but no other place in the US has a vernacular as expansive, creative, and idiosyncratic as New York City. As someone who was born in New York City and left it for my young adult life, I’ve come across a wide variety of diverse regional accents and dialects.