California Slang, Jargon, and New Words from Double-Tongued Dictionary

Associated with or special to California or Californian people, places, or things. You can also see entries assigned to this category.

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187 n. She later added, the students in question write “187” about him. It’s street lingo for a homicide. [California English Crime & Prisons Police Slang] [full cite] (Apr. 29, 2004)

187 n. The number 187 is frequently used in gang graffiti around the United States, and represents the number of the California Penal Code for homicide. Graffiti which includes 187 is literally making a death threat. [California English Crime & Prisons Police Slang] [full cite] (Apr. 29, 2004)

187 n. While the literal translation of the shirt is the police code for homicide (“187”) followed by gang slang for police (“hudda”), many Valley police, school officials and gang experts see it another way: “Murder a Cop.” [California English Crime & Prisons Police Slang] [full cite] (Apr. 29, 2004)

28-day shuffle n. The hoteliers are accused of enforcing a practice known as the “28-day shuffle,” which requires occupants to “move out” every 28 days, be it for a night or a week, thus enabling the hotels to avoid providing basic tenant’s rights. [California English] [full cite] (Apr. 12, 2006)

bag v. bag v. to call someone a bad name, to insult. “He really bagged her out on the playground.” SYN.-cap. [California English Slang] [full cite] (Apr. 3, 2005)

bahl gorms n. The “Boontling” Knox refers to is a sort of argot or private language valley locals developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries using the syntax of English but substituting parts for wholes or referring to things by their uses or their most famous users. For example, a pay telephone rendered in Boontling is a “bucky walter” because a man named Walter Levi owned the first telephone in Anderson Valley and a call on early pay phones cost a nickel, which in those days was the buffalo nickel, nicknamed a “bucky.” Phone booths on the streets of Boont (Boonville) still bear signs identifying each of them as a bucky walter, such as the one outside the Horn of Zeese Cafe (the name is Boontling for cup of coffee), where a bright- lighter (city slicker) can score some bahl gorms (good food) unless he/she wants to drive the extra six miles to Poleeko (Philo). [English United States California] [full cite] (Jul. 8, 2004)

Bako n. Still, like naturalists taking notes on monarchs, Pismo Beach residents make observations on the habits of Valley visitors—or “Fresnicks” and “Bakos,” as they call them. [California English Slang Nickname] [full cite] (Mar. 17, 2008)

bammer adj. bammer adj., n.—We don’t smoke that shit in the SFC. Don’t gimme no bammer weed. In fact don’t give me no bammer anything. [English United States California Slang] [full cite] (Nov. 11, 2004)

bend v. bended v. to make a mistake, mess up. “I don’t like art because when I draw, I always bended.” adj. silly or ridiculous. “Handy Man on “In Living Color’ is bended.” [California English Slang] [full cite] (Apr. 3, 2005)

block hang v. Block hang v.—This is the recreation of choice during the day. There’s nothing better than block hangin’ out front of your favorite corner store or housing project with some cuddies and dosia rolled up in a vega. [English United States California Slang] [full cite] (Nov. 11, 2004)

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