Some of these go way back to the '80s and way before my time. Hopefully this will help you navigate the city of Philadelphia with ease without totally getting your ass kicked, schooled, ridiculed, laughed at, etc. There is absolutely nothing online until now that is this chock full of Philly slang — guaranteed. I leave you this with Brotherly Love.
Thorough — but in Philly it means awesome or dope. It can also mean flawless, or attractive to the eye.
“Did you see the Batman movie?” “Yeah, that jawn was Thoro.”
HEADS UP“Thurl” is the interchangeable form — same meaning, different sound.
Same as Thoro — thorough, awesome, dope, flawless, fly.
“Yo, them Jawns is Thurl.” (referring to sneakers)
HEADS UPPronounced exactly like the word GIRL with a TH on the front.
Pretty much like saying “Homie.” Used when talking to a stranger, or somebody you see often but whose name you don’t know. This is NOT gender neutral — it’s for talking to dudes.
“What up Ockee.”
“What up Ock.”
HEADS UPThe accent lands on the SECOND syllable — right on the “k” sound. ah-KEE, NOT AH-kee. In the IPA the ˈ mark sits just before the k for exactly that reason. “Ock” is by far the most commonly used of the three.
You’re on top of something — mentally and time-wise. You already know what you’re gonna do, you got it all planned out, you’re gonna handle it. Basically: say less.
“Hey man, you gonna handle that shit I told you to do?” “Early.”
HEADS UPVery similar to “Already.” We were saying Early way before people started saying Already.
“Know what I mean?” / “Do you know what I mean?” It’s a question. Pretty straightforward.
“I’m trying to get dis paper out here, Nameen.”
To run — usually away from something, very fast. Not jogging, not recreation.
“The cops came from around the corner so we had to book.”
“Da cops came from round Da corner so we started bookin’.”
“I got shook man so I was out — straight Bookin.”
You’re being serious. The words you’re about to say are very serious and you’re not playing games.
“Rill talk, I’m about to bust you in da mouf right now.”
HEADS UPVery similar to “Straight Lace.”
Straight up, official, no bullshit. It puts emphasis on something you’re trying to describe, with a very serious tone.
“I ain’t playin no games — Straight Lace.”
A dude, a guy. We say this mostly because we do not call anybody “boy” — that’s madd disrespectful, especially to a Black man or child.
“Who Mike? Yeah I know him, dat bol from back in the day.”
HEADS UPTOO MANY PEOPLE MESS THIS ONE UP. You do NOT pronounce the L. Focus on the “U” sound and poke your lips out a little at the end. Say it wrong and they’ll think you’re from Lancaster County or some shit.
A term of endearment for a younger kid, usually a male, that you take under your wing or look out for in some way. You can also say it to a good friend to make fun of him if he’s younger than you or acts immature.
“Who Mike?” “Yeah I know him, he was ma youngbol from back in the day.”
“You are” — or, said to a group, “you all are.”
“Yooz an asshole.”
“Yooz a bunch of assholes.”
You’re about to say something and you’re trying to get someone’s attention. Used everywhere, not just Philly — but we use it everywhere, and often we put it at the END of a statement for spice.
“Yo I’m tired as shit yo.”
“The.” We don’t really pronounce the “th” sound — we make it a “D” sound instead. It’s easier.
“Open da door.”
HEADS UPCore Philly rule #1.
When “th” lands at the END of a word, we often turn it into an “f” sound. Mouth becomes mouf, with becomes wif, both becomes bof.
“Imma punch you in da mouf.”
HEADS UPCore Philly rule #2.
We often don’t pronounce the “g” at the end of an “-ing” word.
“You got somethin’ to say??”
HEADS UPCore Philly rule #3.
Hey.
“Aye yo, imma smack you in da mouf.”
To leave a location expeditiously. Often used in the past tense.
“Wasn’t no jawns at da party so I Skated.”
You are leaving your current location. Comes straight from the Audi automobile.
“Ain’t no jawns at this party man, I’m Outee 5000.”
Means a few things. Mostly: a person doesn’t know what they’re talking about. It can also mean tweakin’. And most often of all, it’s used when you made a mistake or used bad judgement.
“I think the Eagles are gonna lose to the Cowgirls on Sunday.” — “YOU’RE FUCKIN BUGGIN’.”
“Yo bro, this weed got me high as hell, I’m Buggin’.”
“Yo man I’m sorry about last night, I was Buggin’.”
HEADS UPUsed in Philly as much as salt and mustard on soft pretzels. Popularity rose when A Tribe Called Quest came out with “Buggin’ Out.” Makes sense — NYC is only an hour and a half away if you drive like a maniac Philadelphian.
Excellent. Usually about food.
“We should go dere, dey got Bangin cheesesteaks.”
“Did you eat?”
“Djeet yet?”
Definitely.
“It’s mos Deflee gon’ be jawns at the party!”
HEADS UPYou gotta put the accent on the FIRST “e” or you Deflee gonna sound like a dickhead LOL!
A dumbass. Often said after a person does some dumb shit — like dropping their cheesesteak in a pile of shit.
“Yoos a Dickhead.”
HEADS UPNOT NECESSARILY A PHILADELPHIA EXCLUSIVE TERM, BUT WE ARE KNOWN TO USE IT MORE OFTEN THAN OTHER CITIES SO PEOPLE ATTRIBUTE IT TO US. YOU CAN CALL SOMEONE A DH FOR SHORT. Also often pivots into something like “YOOS a big dick head.”
Catering to somebody. Over-glorifying them or giving something way too much credit.
“Stop dick eatin’.”
“Yo bro, you dickeatin’.”
HEADS UPOften pivoted with the phrase “Get off my dick.” More extreme than “Dick Ridin’.” Synonym: “Sweatin’.”
Catering to somebody. Over-glorifying them or giving something way too much credit.
“Stop dick riddin.”
“As Soon as Eric come around, here he go Dick Ridin.”
HEADS UPCan pivot into a flip-flop, i.e. “Stop Ridin’ Ma Dick.” Not as extreme as “Dick Eatin’.” Synonym: “Sweatin’.”
Same as Dick Eatin’ / Dick Ridin’ — hyping somebody up too much, riding their nuts, giving them credit they ain’t earned.
“Bruh, why you sweatin dat bol so hard?”
HEADS UPThe cleaner way to say it. Synonyms: “Dick Eatin’,” “Dick Ridin’.”
Alright. Copy that. I got choo. Agreement, acknowledgment and confirmation all packed into one sound.
“You gonna meet me at 8?” “Aaard.”
“Aaard, I’m on my way.”
HEADS UPCore Philly rule #6 taken all the way to the end of the line: alright → a’ight → Aaard. Three syllables squeezed down to one.
“You” — but only after a word that ends in a T. The T and the Y crash together and come out as a CH.
“I got choo.”
“I ain’t forget choo.”
“Don’t let me catch choo out here.”
HEADS UPGot you → got choo. Its partner is “Joo,” which does the same job after a D. Core Philly rule #7.
“You” — but only after a word that ends in a D. The D and the Y crash together and come out as a J.
“I had joo.”
“Did joo see dat?”
“I told joo already.”
HEADS UPHad you → had joo. Its partner is “Choo,” which does the same job after a T. Core Philly rule #7.
Goes both ways. GOOD: something is live, jumpin, going great. BAD: somebody is runnin their mouth, talkin reckless.
“The party was poppin off.” (good)
“He was poppin off at da mouf so I had to jaw eem.” (bad)
HEADS UPContext tells you which one you’re getting. “Poppin’ shit” is the same idea — talkin trash.
“Him.”
“I seent eem walking down the street.”
“He was poppin off at da mouf so I had to jaw eem.”
HEADS UPCore Philly rule #6 doing its thing — the H gets chopped off the front and “him” flattens all the way down to eem.
“Saw.” The past tense of see.
“I seent them at the party.”
“I seent eem walking down the street.”
To punch somebody in the mouth.
“Yo shut up ’fore I jaw you Homie.”
HEADS UPCousin to “Slide” and “Eye Jammy.” Note the ’fore in that sentence — see the entry for “’Fore.”
We chop the front off words. Before becomes ’fore. We do not annunciate all of our syllables — especially when we’re tryna get something across quick and effective.
“Yo shut up ’fore I jaw you.”
“Stop poppin shit ’fore I Slide you.”
“I’m ’bout to skate.”
“’Cause I said so.”
“I skated on Em”
HEADS UPCore Philly rule #6. Fewer syllables, more impact.
Lame. Not cool, out of style, not popular. Describes a thing, a vibe, a party — anything that ain’t it. A Cornball is the spin-off: a person who IS corny — a compressed clump of corn and corniness. Corny is the quality; a Cornball is the dude walking around with it.
“Man, that party was corny as fuck.”
“Dat bol is a straight cornball.”
HEADS UPCorny for the thing, Cornball for the person. Don’t mix them up. Same family as “Joe” and “Nut.”
“Most.” And when you need “most of,” the two words melt together into “mossa.”
“It’s mos Deflee gon’ be jawns at the party!”
“I be chillin mossa da time.”
HEADS UP“Mossa” is Core Philly rule #5 caught in the act — “of” turns into “a” and then gets swallowed whole by the word in front of it. Most of → mossa. See “A (for ‘of’).”
Visibly scared. Shaken. You got fear in your heart, and you probably walkin around with your head down most times.
“I got shook man so I was out — straight Bookin.”
“Dat bol was shook.”
HEADS UPMobb Deep out of Queensbridge made it famous with “Shook Ones” — but we was sayin shook in Philly before that record ever dropped. Same story as “Early.” See also “Book” for what you do once you get shook.
In abundance. A lot, a whole lot. It’s an intensifier — drop it in front of just about anything and it turns the dial up.
“The line was madd long at the movie theater.”
“You took madd long to get here.”
“There was madd people at the party.”
“That’s madd disrespectful.”
HEADS UPThe extra D is doing work on the page, not in your mouth — it sounds exactly like “mad.” You spell it heavy so people know you mean “a lot,” not “angry.”
The Dallas Cowboys, and anybody who roots for them. It stretches from there to cover sports whiners in general — and honestly, whiners in general. Any fan of any team that ain’t the Philadelphia Eagles can catch a “cowgirl.”
“I think the Eagles are gonna lose to the Cowgirls on Sunday.”
“Stop cryin about the refs, cowgirl.”
HEADS UPMostly aimed at Dallas fans — amongst other things we call them. See “Buggin’” for the correct response to that first sentence.
A corny or fake person. Somebody with a reputation for failure — they don’t come through, and everybody knows it.
“That was some nut ass shit.”
“Yooz a nut bol.”
“Nut ass n**ga.” (the common one)
“He a nut Bol.”
HEADS UPClose cousin to “Joe,” but Joe is just corny — Nut carries a track record behind it. Remember: “Bol” is said BUH-oo, no L.
Square or corny. Out of touch, lame, not with it.
“Yo that’s some Joe ass shit.”
“Bro you actin Joe as shit.”
HEADS UPRhymes with FLOW. Said flat and short — one syllable, no stretch on it.
Everyone knows this word. In Philly it means coward — and the way we say it is like a kiss of death. We put the emphasis on both syllables in a way that can take a grown man’s heart.
“You ain’t gonna do nothin’, PUSS-EE.”
HEADS UPIf someone calls you this in front of your friends, you pretty much have to fight, or walk away and get them another day. But you gotta do something.
You’re drawing attention to yourself, or not being inconspicuous. Outta pocket. Causing commotion.
“Bro You Drawn!”
“You Was Deflee Drawlin yo!”
Cold outside. Bitter cold.
“It’s Hawkin’ out dere.”
“The Hawk is out.”
Another word for sneakers.
“Dem Kicks is Deecent.”
Fresh, sharp, quality. Usually used for fly kicks.
“Dem jawns is Deecent!”
HEADS UPYou definitely gotta say it wit the long “e” sound.
The Act of something stinking or smelling real bad.
“Your armpits is hummin’.”
“Yo Fam you need a Tic Tac ya Bref is Hummin.”
HEADS UPSame meaning as “Wing Ballin’.”
You got body odor.
“Bruh go take a shower, you Wing Ballin’.”
HEADS UPSame meaning as “Hummin’.”
A dude needs a haircut. He’s let it grow out, edges gone, all shaggy.
“Yo bro you Woofin’, go get a cut.”
“Da bol been Woofin’ since da shop closed.”
HEADS UPSpelled WOOFIN because that’s how we actually say it — but it comes from WOLF. Like wolfin’ out, Teen Wolf. You write the double O, you say the double O. Don’t put an L in your mouth.
The sprinkle candy on ice cream. In Boston it’s brown sprinkles only for some reason — but in Philly it’s any color.
“Aye yo, put some jimmies on dat jawn.”
HEADS UPOften used when the Mr. Softy truck rolls up.
The ice cream truck that rolls through the neighborhoods in the summertime with a very distinct tune playing out of a megaphone speaker.
“Aye, Mr. Softy outside!”
HEADS UPThe company actually spells it Mister Softee. We spell it Softy, and we’re keeping it that way — nobody in Philly ever learned that truck off a sign. We knew the tune and the melody long before we ever knew how to spell it. · A very nostalgic tune — I’d say it IS the sound of summertime in Philadelphia. That, and Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince’s “Summertime.”
Water. We just say it with a “D” instead of a “T.”
“Can I get a cup a warder?”
HEADS UPI never realized we say water different than everybody else ’til I moved out west. And notice the example — it’s “a cup A warder,” not “a cup OF warder.” That’s Core Philly rule #4 and rule #5 in one breath. See “A (for ‘of’).”
We don’t use the word “of.” It turns into “a.” This shows up when you got a noun that’s filled with something — a cup, a bag, a bottle, a glass.
“Can I get a cupawarder?”
“Hand me dat bagadirt.”
“He drank a whole bottleapop.”
HEADS UPIt’s never “of.” A bagadirt — never a bag OF dirt. Core Philly rule #5.
A cheap-ass store, like Woolworth’s.
“Run down the Five and Dime and get me some Candy.”
A way to disrespect somebody — a little kid prank. You walk up, touch somebody, say “You got the Dookie touch,” and all the kids run away from you. Usually at recess. It also applies to anybody with a bad reputation or who did some foul shit.
“You got the Dookie touch!”
“Dat bol got the Dookie Touch!”
A prank word for when you’re bullshittin’ or lying to someone — then you take it back.
“Yo bro, your breath is hummin’, you need a tic tac or sumthin’ … Siiike.”
HEADS UPYou pause, wait for them to react, and as soon as they start to get mad you emphatically say it — with exaggeration on the “i” sound.
Kid-safe substitute for “Damn,” used to avoid cursing in front of an elder.
“Dag, I ain’t know it was like dat.”
HEADS UPEven so — I remember saying it to my grandfather (Pop-Pop) and he was not feelin that shit at all.
THIS IS THE BIG ONE. The most recognized, celebrated and imitated. The granddaddy of them all. (1) An object that may or may not be within eyesight or arm’s reach, that is referred to, spoken about, or requested. (2) An event, a location, a concept, or an idea you are referring to. (3) A female — but not your mother, not your auntie, nothing like that. It’s very generic. Jawn is freely and effortlessly used with a PHILADELPHIAN’S own discretion and creativity. But if you’re not a Philadelphian, do not attempt to make up your own Jawn improvisations. Please keep it simple and adhere to the context in the examples that I have given you. Because it just won’t hit right and you will be humiliated.
“Aye yo, can you pass me that Jawn right dere.”
“Yo man, did you go to that party last night?” “Nah man, I didn’t go to that Jawn.”
“Yo bro you missed the party last night — it was so many Jawns there.”
HEADS UPOften mispronounced as “joint,” “jon” or “jarn.” This is all bad. Foul ball. You do not pass Go, you do not get invited to parties. You are a transplant — possibly from Jersey or Delco.
Just a more fun way to say Jawn.
“Pass me that Jimmy Jawn right there.”
Same as Jimmie Jawn.
“Hand me that Jawny Jawn.”
HEADS UPAlthough two “Jawns” in a row is a bit of an overkill.
That’s your male friend. Used exclusively when greeting someone with a handshake.
“What up Homie Slice.”
“What up Holmes Skillet.”
HEADS UPSkillet reminds me of another phrase my father used to say back in the day — see “My Man Pot and Pans.”
Same as “Homie.”
“What up Holmes.”
A greeting my father used to say back in the day.
“What up now, my man Pot and Pans!”
HEADS UPThat is some super duper O.G. shit.
High key the same as sayin’ “Jawn.” It’s a noun — an object or a thing. Most often used for small handheld objects.
“Pass me that Chumpy right dere.”
“Pass me That chumpie Right dere.”
HEADS UPCHUMPY IS NEVER A PERSON. Never. Fun Fact: “Chumpies” is known as a popular potato chip brand that could be found in small convenient stores, a.k.a. “papi” stores, around Philadelphia along with “Rap Snacks.”
To punch, knock you out, or fight you.
“Yo man, stop poppin shit ’fore I Slide you.”
HEADS UPIt probably comes from the concept of hitting someone with an impact that will make them lose their footing — hence their feet “Sliding” from underneath them.
When you decide you’re not gonna fight someone one on one — you and several of your friends are gonna beat one dude’s ass.
“Da bol Jarvis is a sucka ass n**ga, we should go roll on him.”
HEADS UPIt’s very disrespectful and some would say cowardly — unless it was well deserved, like if he put hands on a female or on a male weakling that can’t defend hisself.
This means you got “Rolled On.”
“I got Jumped at the party last night.”
You got punched in the eye. It’s a noun.
“I gave da bol a Eye Jammy cuz he was talking shit.”
A one-on-one fight. No jumping, no rolling on nobody.
“Why don’t you stop talking shit and give me a fair one right now.”
HEADS UPDefinitely not a fully exclusive, but it was very common before. All these kids started using guns. It was high form of respect to ask somebody for a fair one.
“What’s up?” Usually hollered from a distance — across the street, down the block, out a car window.
“YERP!!” (from across the street)
“Yerp! Where you headed?”
HEADS UPBuilt for distance. You throw it, you don’t say it.
The sewer — the opening on the sidewalk where the rain water drains. That’s where the ball would go if we was playing a game with a tennis ball or a racquetball.
“Oh shit, it went down the Sewey hole.”
Someone who is not as smart as they think they are. Someone who always get caught trying to do some sneaky shit, moving in a shady way or devious way, moving in a way that’s not respected.
“Oh yeah, he always be on some sucka shit.”
“That was some sucka ass shit.”
“Yoos a Sucka.”
HEADS UPYou don’t wanna be called a suckA. It’s not gonna work out for you if that’s what happens. It means you’re very close to being called a nut or a nut bOL — which is the bottom of the barrel. IT MEANS YOU ON SOME NUT ASS SHIT. This is not exclusively Philadelphia SLANG but we throw it in THE mix a lot without even knowing it.
A busted car, a old beat up car that you bought real cheap just to get around.
“Damn. That JAWN is a HOOptY.”
“Yo come scoop me in a da hoopty.”
HEADS UPProbably smoke a lot of blunts in the back with your homies, hotbox it all the time. You don’t really care about the wear and tear. It’s just a hoopty. Nothing special. It’s not a flex.
A raggedy pair of sneakers that will probably get you teased on a regular basis if you are forced to wear them because of your economical situation, and no one will care. Elementary school kids are ruthless in Philadelphia. At least they were back in a day.
“Dats why you got da bo-bo’s” — followed by laughter.
“My mom wouldn’t get me Jordan’s. She got me the bo-bo’s from Payless.”
HEADS UPBo-bo is always plural. It’s never one bo-bo.
It does not mean an insect. It does not mean that you have wings. It means that you have style, you have charisma. You are in the cool crowd. People aspired to be you. You always are noticed when you walk in the room. You got the clothes, you got the girls, you got the glow like Bruce Leroy.
“Yo man those sneakers are fly.”
“I’m tryna go to da mall to get some fly gear, I got a date wit dis bad ass jawn.”
HEADS UPDefinitely not a native Philly term — possibly has New York origins — but we use fly a lot. Probably got very famous with the Fly Girls from the In Living Color TV show, but I know we were saying fly in the beginning. Also made popular by a song The Roots put out called “You Ain’t Fly.” Synonym: “Thoro.”
This refers to North Philly, usually the toughest parts. When you say you down norf that means you probably down 23rd and Cambria, you down Erie, Strawberry Mansion, Diamond St, etc. Not Logan or Olney. You are in the deep depths of neighborhoods that could be unsafe to walk unless you know how to walk the Philly walk.
“Yo. I’m down norf at ma mom’s.”
HEADS UPFor some reason, no matter where you are or where the person you’re talking to about your location is at, you always say “down norf.” Sometimes you could say “up norf,” it would be understood, but it’s usually down norf. Core Philly rule #2 — see “Mouf.”
Really “Da El.” This refers to the blue line train. We call it the L train because it is an elevated train. It is in the air above the traffic and it goes down Market Street and also Front Street. The route is actually shaped like an L.
“Bout to hop on da EL.”
“I’m Salty, Da El aint runnin yo.”
HEADS UPRhymes with hell — and that’s where you feel like you are at if you get off the train too late at Kensington and Allegheny and you don’t know where you going.
A person that is from a neighborhood in Philly that’s called Kensington.
“Dis crazy yung bol was wildin out, I think he was a kenso but he go to Mastbaum.”
HEADS UPIt’s known for being, you know, kind of a rough area to live in and grow up in. And more recently it’s known for extreme amounts of fentanyl use on the streets underneath the L train, centering around an intersection called K&A, which is Kensington and Allegheny. Kenzo could be worn as a badge of honor because it’s a tough neighborhood. And especially if you’re a white kid coming from Kensington, it’s gonna give you some street cred — because if you made it through high school in Kensington, you got a thick skin. See “Youngbol” and “El.”
To commit an act of theft. It’s usually a one on one, like a stick up kid.
“He got vicked.”
“Aye yo he vicked him.”
“I got vicked yesterday, somebody got me for ma wallet.”
“I got Vicked down K&A.”
HEADS UPIt seems obvious to me that it comes from the word victim. So if you say it in a sentence with the word him in the past tense, it’ll sound like the word victim — “aye yo he vicked him” — which means that he robbed someone. See “Kenzo.”
It’s a play on the word filthy. This is just slang for the city’s name. Instead of saying Philly, some people say Philthy.
“I’m from Norf filthy.”
HEADS UPWe have a lot of pride in the grit, in the grime, and the harsh austerity of our climate and people that are raised here. Thirteen colonies, baby. See “Norf.”
It could mean you’re talking out of turn. It means you’re getting a little bit too ambitious. It means maybe you should fall back. Or means you dead wrong. Similar to drawn. It can definitely mean disrespectful.
“Yo da yungbol was outta pocket.”
“Yo, homie, you outta pocket for real, I should go up in ya mouf for real.”
HEADS UPThere are many ways to be found outta pocket in Philly. Trust me. Someone will let you know immediately. Core Philly rules #5 and #6 both firing at once. See “Drawlin’.”
It just replaces the word your. We very rarely fully pronounce the word Y-O-U-R. We say ya.
“Give me ya number.”
“What’s ya address?”
HEADS UPSee “Da” — same flattened vowel, same job of getting a small word out of the way fast.
It’s basically a long ass walk. Like you going from Mount Airy to South Street, or you going from Roxborough to Penn’s Landing. It’s a long ass way. It’s probably not what you’re gonna do on foot — you’re probably gonna have to take a bus or a car or something.
“Dat’s a hike, bol.”
“Roxborough to Penn’s Landin’? Dat’s a hike.”
HEADS UPIn the younger years, you might be out there hiking. The act of hiking is known as troopin. See “Troopin’.”
Walkin’ on a long walk. Like you troopin, you got a bunch of homies, probably smokin’ some weed, and you headed all da way downtown, and you don’t care because y’all just gonna be havin’ fun da whole way, talkin’ shit.
“We was troopin all da way downtown.”
“Ain’t got no car, so we trooped it.”
HEADS UPUsually when you’re a youngbol — you do a lot of troopin because you don’t got no car. Core Philly rule #3, the G comes off the end. See “Hike” and “Youngbol.”
Your car. Your main vehicle, the one that you happy you got. It’s your trustworthy jawn. It usually got a name — I’m not gonna lie, we usually name it, because that’s what we need. If we lose that one, we gonna be on the El train or on SEPTA.
“Come scoop me in da whip, bro.”
“Fly ass whip, sun.”
HEADS UPThat’s, like, gold. The other end of the lot from a hoopty. See “Hoopty,” “JAWN,” “Fly” and “El.”
This means you’re gonna make a U-turn. We usually say buss a youie.
“Yo, you gotta buss a youie right quick — you see any cops?”
“I left my shit back at da spot, I gotta buss a youie right quick.”
HEADS UPBuss a youie. Never make one. See “Whip.”
It refers to a woman sharing her goodness with you. If you’re really tryna get with a jawn.
“She might give you them yamz.”
“I’m tryna see wuss up wit da Yamz Doe.”
HEADS UPYams is an alternate spelling, but the S has a Z sound either way. This may not be fully exclusive to Philly, but I’ve been saying yamz since high school, definitely early twenties. See “JAWN” and “Sucka.”
It’s what New Yorkers call a hero. This is when you got your cold cuts on a long roll. Gotta be an Amoroso roll. You can go to Wawa or any corner deli in Philly and get a hoagie. Sometimes with a stogie.
“I’m tryna go down to da store to get a hoagie.”
HEADS UPMost people have heard of this one. No matter what, we don’t say hero. We don’t care what city we’re in. We’re gonna say hoagie and try to make people say it our way. And we’re always gonna be pissed no matter what city we’re in because there’s no city that has the right type of water to make their rolls, like Amoroso’s does.
You’re trying to handle something expeditiously. You’re not trying to take up nobody else’s time. You might be with your homies. You’re trying to do something real fast, and you’re going through it without taking up too much time.
“I’m tryna go talk to this jawn right quick.”
“Let me hold you right quick.”
HEADS UPNine times out of ten it’s not something that happens really quickly. It means you’re gonna just do it your way. You just tell people that to give them a peace of mind that it’s not really gonna happen. See “JAWN” and “Youie.”
This is when you’re trying to get over on somebody. Like, you think you slick, you think you charming, you think you can get whatever you want by using whatever charms you got, whatever good looks you got.
“Don’t try to finesse me, bro.”
“Da Bol tried to finesse me.”
HEADS UPYou’re always gonna try to get the bigger end of the stick. Always gonna try to be one up on everybody. You never gonna keep everything even. You always gonna finesse people. See “Sucka” and “Outta Pocket.”
We call sneakers sneaks. We call everything sneaks pretty much. If they have a rubber sole, it’s basically called sneaks. Synonymous with kicks or sneakers.
“Those some fly ass sneaks.”
HEADS UPThis has nothing to do with sneaking around, even though sneaks are probably good to wear if you’re trying to sneak around because they got rubber soles — unless you walking on squeaky ass floors. I wasn’t aware this was a Philly thing, but somebody told me they don’t do that everywhere. A lot of places call them kicks, or basketball shoes. We do say kicks, but oldschool started sneaks. See “Kicks,” “Bo-Bo’s” and “Fly.”
This is an elder that you listen to. You put respect on his name. You let them advise you and guide you, especially if you’re coming up in a household you ain’t got no dad.
“That’s your ol’ head.”
“Yo, ol’ head, let me bum a cigarette.”
HEADS UPIt’s the relative age gap — it doesn’t mean that you’re old. If you’re like eighteen years old, your youngbols are 15 and under. You are their ol’ head. It’s about the position you’re in to help them learn. See “Youngbol” and “Bol.”
Sometimes this word can be a wager of sorts, but it means affirmative. If someone says “yeah, you can come over my crib right now,” the answer could be “bet.” That means I’m doing it. It means let’s get it. Let’s go. I’m on it. Let’s do it.
“Bet.”
“Alright. Bet. Okay.”
HEADS UPSee “Aaard” — the other way Philadelphia says yes.
It basically means “oh, really?” — a bit of surprise in it. Like, your mom’s gonna be gone for the weekend. Oh, word. It means it’s on, like we about to have a good old time. Or it could mean something bad happened. It’s just to affirmatively understand what somebody just told you.
“Oh, word?”
“Word, I feel you.”
HEADS UPIt pretty much means copy that. Like, you copy what they’re saying. See “Bet” and “Nameen.”
This is very popular now. It definitely wasn’t big in the nineties, but nowadays this refers to a woman having a well shaped posterior. Or possibly a person acting like a cornball — like a corny person, like a jive turkey.
“She got a Turkey.”
HEADS UPIf a girl’s walking down the street and you see her from the back, you’d be like, wow — she got the butterball. Jive turkey is a seventies phrase. It basically means you’re full of shit. A jive turkey is a foolish person, or someone who’s always talking shit or foolish shit. See “Corny.”
It is the act of asking for something. Your hand is out. It’s usually used in a request.
“Can I bum a cigarette?”
“Can I bum a ride?”
HEADS UPIt’s not necessarily calling somebody a bum — even though, yes, you are a bum if you’re bummin’ all the time. That’s what it comes from. See “Ol’ Head.”
Basically a low life, or someone who has low life tendencies. Always waiting for opportunities to take advantage or get over on someone. It’s a deplorable person.
“You’re a crumb bum.”
“Stop being a crumb bum.”
HEADS UPSee “Bum,” “Finesse” and “Sucka.”
We don’t call it a Philly cheesesteak, because we are in Philly. We don’t have to call it a Philly cheesesteak. It is chopped steak with cheese on a hoagie roll.
“Let me get a cheesesteak, yo.”
HEADS UPSee “Hoagie” — same roll.
Send it up. If the city says it’s official, it goes in the book — and yes, there’s an actual book coming. You get the credit.
I’m a Philadelphian.
I spent the first thirty years of my life there — as an artist, a bike messenger, a musician, a dancer, a rapper, a guitar player. I played in bands. I was known on the scene.
I don’t live there anymore. Philly is still in my heart and it always will be. This book is the piece I can give back to the city I love.
There is no other collection of Philadelphia slang like this one. I looked. So I made it.
Put it on the coffee table. Leave it in the bathroom. Keep a stack behind the bar or up front at the restaurant. Hand them out in front of the Visitor Center. However this thing gets around, I hope it ends up being an iconic Philadelphia book.
— Dale Ray McMillian
I’m giving it a few months to build. The more the city sends in, the fatter it gets — and every word that makes the cut goes in the book with the name of whoever brought it.
A real one you can leave on the coffee table — not a PDF nobody opens.
One word per page, nine pronunciation rules up front, 30 pieces of Philadelphia trivia in the back — and The Graffiti Wall: five blank pages for people to sign, because true Philadelphians know about graffiti, read graffiti, or write graffiti.
So if you got one, now’s the time. Get your name in the book.
One email when the book is ready, and that’s it. No spam, no selling your info, no nonsense. Unsubscribe whenever.
Words already in the book but never formally defined. Sound-alikes still needed — use the form above.