Filed under: Fun, Text, Education
Language is an ever-changing landscape. That's a cliché if I ever heard one, but it's also true. Urban Dictionary is one of those must-know Web sites; I think it's the largest slang and street language dictionary online. It's incredibly "social," but the social features don't feel forced or bolted-on. They're at the very heart of the site: definitions get voted up or down and are presented accordingly. After all, slang is very often a matter of consensus; there isn't a "slang academy" telling us what's right and wrong.
Each term can have plenty of definitions, but the best ones (or, rather, most popular ones) float to the top. The flip side to the democratic and open nature of the site is that some of the definitions are atrociously written. Here's an example of Urban Dictionary at its best, with "rick roll reflex":
The time it takes to react to being rick rolled. I.e. how long it takes you to close your browser window after you've been rick rolled.
And here it is at its worst, with "Proton Enhanced Nuclear Induction Spectroscopy." A few of the lame examples are as follows:
(acronym)PENIS!!!
also some jibbberish for something smart i guess... Hey man, check out my Proton Enhanced Nuclear Induction Spectroscopy =0
wow! Thats a huuuuuuge Proton Enhanced Nuclear Induction Spectroscopy!
A stroll through the site can be a lot of fun. However, it's also a very useful resource for figuring out what the consensus is on a certain meme or tracking down a neat pun.
[Ed -- note the Facebook Like button! It's everywhere!][EDIT: Yes, people! I know this is not a new site. It's just a "must-know", like I wrote in the title. I didn't say it's new; it's something worth knowing about, in case you don't. And believe it or not, not everyone does.]
Urban Dictionary is a must-know social slang dictionary originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 28 Apr 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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