These 12 words originated right here in NYC, according to Reddit
More than 200 languages are spoken in New York City, from Tagalog and Bengali to Haitian, Greek and Igbo. But New Yorkers, no matter their roots, tend to share some of the same vocabulary.
A lengthy Reddit thread in the AskNYC subreddit asked people to share common words and phrases that originated from New York City. Some have identifiable community heritage origins, Redditors explained. There’s hip-hop’s “bling” or “son”; “mensch” and “schlep” from Yiddish; and “cojones” and “mami” from Puerto Rican Spanish. But other words are descended directly from the city itself and the way we live in it. While some of these phrases have spread more widely, others remain New York-isms. How many of these words do you say?
RECOMMENDED: Here are the most commonly spoken languages in every NYC neighborhood
A quick caveat before we dive in: We should note that this list is sourced from the Reddit community. While we did our best to confirm the accuracy of each word and its definition, take this all with a grain of salt.
1. YERRRRRR!
Definition: Basically a version of “what’s up.” Ideally, if you hear a “yerrr,” you’re responding back with an even louder “yerrr.” As one Redditor said: “If you run for mayor on a ‘no yerrr unanswered’ platform I’ll go vote right now.” Note: It’s sometimes styled as yurrr.
2. Up the river
Definition: The phrase refers to being sent “up the river” from New York City’s courthouses to Sing Sing Prison. Hudson Valley Magazine has even more fascinating history about Sing Sing to read up on.
3. Buggin’
Definition: If you’re buggin’, you’re being annoying, tripping or freaking out, Daily Rap Facts explains.
4. Brick
Definition: It’s cold out! One theory, per the USC Folklore Archives, says it could come from the feeling of brick buildings being extra cold to touch.
5. Glitch
Definition: A malfunction or problem. Some say it comes from the Yiddish word “glitsh” meaning “slip” or “lapse.” One Redditor claims the word was first “used by Yiddish-speaking folks working in radio broadcasting in New York in 20s and 30s (it seems this was a popular industry for young Jewish people at the time) as in ‘on air slip-up.’ In the 50s the term followed over to broadcasting, and then made its way over to computing.”
National Public Radio reported that the word came into the vernacular in the 1960s and ’70s, particularly related to space travel.
6. 86’d
Definition: The phrase can indicate a restaurant being out of a certain product or someone being bounced/banned from an establishment. There are a ton of possible origins of this one (and St. Louis magazine lays them all out), but our favorite comes from a speakeasy called Chumley’s in Greenwich Village at 86 Bedford Street. “When the heat showed up, guests were known to 86 it, or remove themselves from the premises immediately,” the magazine reports.
@etymologynerd this is deadass so interesting #etymology #linguistics #language #slang ♬ original sound – etymologynerd
7. Deadass
Definition: Seriously or in all seriousness. The word is said to have started in New York City, but it’s now heard around the nation. As one Redditor wrote, “lots of slang that Gen Z co-opted today originates from black and brown NYC culture. We are the most imitated people on the planet.”
8. Gridlock
Definition: A traffic jam. More specifically, the word indicates “a traffic jam in which a grid of intersecting streets is so completely congested that no vehicular movement is possible,” per Merriam-Webster. In common parlance, the word dates back to 1980 amid a transit strike in NYC, though apparently urban planners were using it before then.
The word is now often used to describe partisan fights/blockages in governance—even sometimes about gridlock itself!
9. Fuhgeddaboudit
Definition: Technically, it’s forget about it, but it has more of a sassy connotation. For example, as the Daily News once wrote: “So you think you’ll have enough money to retire? Fuhgeddaboudit!”
10. Jonesing
Definition: Craving deeply. It’s said to originate from the drug scene. One story says that Jones Alley in Manhattan was a hub for heroin users, per Dictionary.com. Others say the roots of the phrase hail from Great Jones Street, a few steps away from Jones Alley.
@thehalamander Two words; one million meanings. #newyork #yougood #brooklyn #bronx #queens #slang #language #funny ♬ original sound – Its hal
11. You good. (?)(!)(?!)
Definition: Ah, there are so many. Depending on the intonation, this can mean everything from “are you OK?” to “don’t worry about it.”
12. Stoop
Definition: A porch or staircase out front of an apartment building, especially brownstones and tenements. It comes from the Dutch word “stoep,” meaning “stair,” according to New-York Historical Society.