What is a Colloquialism?
A colloquialism is a word or phrase that has arisen from English but is not considered formal or grammatical. Colloquial words or phrases are used very frequently in spoken English. A colloquial phrase may also be considered an idiom. A colloquialism may also be considered slang, in some cases. Many colloquialisms, unlike the typical English idiom, are specific to certain geographic regions, dialects, or groups. This kind of language is considered more suitable for use in spoken rather than written English and is not used in formal settings but is used widely in everyday English.
Colloquial English vs Slang
It is not important to define a distinct difference between slang and colloquial English unless you are language scholar. More important for the English learner is to simply understand the meaning of unconventional words and phrases, whether or not they are considered slang or colloquialism. However, while slang could be considered a special subset of colloquial English, one main difference between the two is that colloquialisms do not tend to arise from in-group jargon.
We use colloquial English when we are not thinking about what kind of language we are using, as when we are writing or are in formal situations. It is the language we use when we are with friends and family or when we are talking with co-workers in a casual work environment. One of the main different between colloquial English and formal English is that formal English can be recognized all over the world by anyone that speaks English, whereas colloquial English is specific to a country, a region, or a group of people and may not be familiar to people outside that group. However, some colloquialisms may be more recognizable outside their core area as, with any type of English, usage can spread outside it’s initial area of origin.
Some Common English Colloquialisms
Ain’t – used instead of isn’t (see full meaning), the contraction of ‘is not’ or ‘am not.’ Ain’t originated in the American south but is used throughout the U.S., especially in rural regions.
Any which way – in any direction; in any manner possible; haphazardly; carelessly; indifferently.
A couple (of) – two; a few; a small number of.
A little bit – a small amount; to a slight degree; to some extent; somewhat.
And how! – very much so; to a great degree; an exclamation used to provide emphasis; an indication of enthusiasm or sincerity.
Antsy – nervous; restless; worried.
Army brat – (U.S.) a child born to a parent in the military who will thus live in many different places while growing up.
Artsy fartsy – overly or pretentiously artistic; overly interested in artistic activities that most people think are a waste of time.
Babe magnet – (also chick magnet) a male who seems to easily attract good-looking females; a male who always has a new girlfriend or always goes home with a woman; also used to describe a car owned by a male that helps to attract females.
Cadillac (of) – used to describe something that is the best in its class; superior (from the name of the Cadillac automobile).
Cagey – sneaky; shrewd; cautious about giving information or revealing things; hesitant.
Damage – the bill for something; the cost of something, as in ‘what’s the damage?’
Dead soldier – an empty liquor or bill bottle; a cigarette butt (less common); also: dead marine, dead man, dead one.
Dupe(v) – To dupe someone is to deceive or trick them; to dupe someone especially means to trick someone into doing something they did not want to do or did not intend to do
Flak – strong criticism or opposition.
Folks – people; addressing a group of people; one’s relatives, especially one’s parents.
Gonna – abbreviation of going to.
Kind of – used to describe something when you cannot be exact or precise; similar to; almost as if; somewhat; rather; sort of. Often pronounced as kinda.
Sort of – similar to; rather; somewhat; almost.
Sort of like – somewhat comparable to; to some degree; similar to but not exactly the same as.
Loads (of) – a large amount; very many; numerous; countless; a (whole) lot; tons (of); a whole bunch.
Wicked – (Northeast U.S.) – very; really; to a great degree (used as an intensifier).
Bloody – (UK) very; really; etc. (used as an intensifier); sometimes used as negatively, similar to a curse word
Oh well – used to indicate that you accept a (bad) situation or to signal resignation.
Pal – a close friend or buddy (usually male but can also apply to females); a term of address for a stranger, usually a male. Romany (English Gypsy) pa
Rugrat – a child, especially one not old enough for school; also: ankle-biter.
Teenybopper – a young teenager, usually a girl, especially one who is an enthusiastic fan of the latest pop music and fashion.
Wanna – abbreviation of want to.
Wannabe – (derogatory) wanna be is an abbreviation of ‘want to be” but want to be is never used in this particular sense. A wannabe is a person who is trying very hard to be like another person; trying to fit in with a particular group; a person who wants to be famous or a celebrity.