35+ Queens NY Slang Words – Complete List

Written by Gabriel Cruz - Foodie, Animal Lover, Slang & Language Enthusiast

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New York City is famously made up of five boroughs. While some are more famous than others, each one is important and has its own unique culture.

We’ve already looked at Bronx slang and Brooklyn slang. In this guide, we’re going to examine the slang of another borough: Queens.

Keep reading to see all the Queens NY slang words we can find, as well as what they mean…

Queens NY Slang Words (in Alphabetical Order)

B

Meaning:

  • (Noun): A good friend. You may also use this occasionally to refer to someone you’re dating.
  • Example: “Yo, B, how you doing?”

Basic

Meaning:

  • (Adjective): This is a slang word that’s spread all over the country, but you’ll hear it in Queens often, too. If someone is basic, they’re regular and boring. They’re just like everyone else.
  • Example: “I don’t mess with basic women.”

Bodega

Meaning:

  • (Noun): A bodega is basically a mini grocery store or convenience store where you can get most of your essential home needs covered.
  • Example: “Will you run to the bodega and get me a bacon, egg, and cheese?”

Bogey

Meaning:

  • (Noun): You might hear this occasionally in Queens in reference to a cigarette.
  • Example: “Can I bum a bogey from you?”

BQE

Meaning:

  • (Noun): Abbreviation for the Brooklyn-Queens expressway.
  • Example: “Avoid the BQE right after work. It’s packed.”

Brick

Meaning:

  • (Adjective): Brick is honestly more generalized slang used in New York, but you’ll also hear it in Queens, so we included it. It just means extremely cold.
  • Example: “Why don’t you turn up the heat? It’s mad brick in your house.”

Deadass

Meaning:

  • (Adjective): This is another one you’ll hear all over New York. In fact, there’s a good chance you already know what it means: that you’re being totally serious about something.
  • Example: “I just deadass won the lottery!”

Dub

Meaning:

  • (Noun): Another popular slang term all over New York. A dub is anything or anyone that’s boring or a drag to be around.
  • Example: “The party was a dub. You didn’t miss out on anything.”

Facts

Meaning:

  • (Interjection): You say facts to emphasize when you are telling the truth.
  • Example: “This pie is fire. Facts.”

Fire

Meaning:

  • (Adjective): If something is fire, it’s really good. It can mean awesome when referring to a thing or sexy when referring to a person.
  • Example: “Don’t take this the wrong way, man, but your girlfriend is fire.”

Flying Rat

Meaning:

  • (Noun): A derogatory, spiteful word for the pigeons you’ll find all over NYC.
  • Example: “I got sh*t on by a flying rat this morning. Deadass.”

Grill

Meaning:

  • (Verb): In other parts of the country, you might assume grilling is cooking something over a fire. In Queens (and NYC in general), grilling someone means you are interrogating them or asking them too much.
  • Example: “Stop grilling me! I didn’t do anything funny.”

Guap

Meaning:

  • (Noun): Popular NY slang term that means money.
  • Example: “Make sure you bring a lot of guap with you. This restaurant is pricey.”

Guido/Guidette

Meaning:

  • (Noun): Queens has a large population of Italian Americans. Many of these people proudly call themselves Guidos (if you’re a man) and Guidettes (if you’re a woman). You’re probably used to seeing this type of style from the old reality TV show Jersey Shore.
  • Example: “I’m a proud guido.”

Holla

Meaning:

  • (Verb): To have a conversation with someone.
  • Example: “Holla at me later. I’ve got something to tell you.”

Lit

Meaning:

  • (Adjective): Lit rose to nation-wide popularity a few years ago, but you might still hear it occasionally in Queens. If something is lit, it’s exciting and fun.
  • Example: “This song is lit, B!”

Ma

Meaning:

  • (Noun): If you’re in Queens, you might hear someone get your attention by calling out, “yo, ma!” This doesn’t actually mean you’re a mother or anything. It’s just a casual way of referring to any woman.
  • Example: “Hey, ma! Holla at your boy over here.”

Mad

Meaning:

  • (Adjective): An emphasizing word, such as “very” or “really.”
  • Example: “That guy over there is mad fire. Help me holla at him.”

Money

Meaning:

  • (Adjective): This one might be confusing, but it doesn’t actually refer to currency. It means that something is good or that someone is attractive.
  • Example: “I feel money right now. How do I look?”

‘Na Mean

Meaning:

  • (Expression): This is just a common New York way of saying, “do you know what I mean?” You say this to ask if someone understands where you’re coming from.
  • Example: “That guy is acting mad sus. ‘na mean?”

On Line

Meaning:

  • (Adjective): In other parts of the US, people will say they’re waiting in line. In Queens, you say you’re waiting on line.
  • Example: “I’ve been on line for hours.”

Pie

Meaning:

  • (Noun): This is popular east coast slang for pizza.
  • Example: “She was hungry, so she stopped to get some pie.”

Pop Off

Meaning:

  • (Verb): You say this when you or someone else is getting ready to fight, at the height of a disagreement.
  • Example: “Keep it up, bro, and I’ll pop off.”

Queensite

Meaning:

  • (Noun): This isn’t slang per se, but it’s worth mentioning here. A person from Queens is called a Queensite.
  • Example: “Many Queensites have Italian heritage.”

Repeating a Word

Meaning:

  • This is another example of something that isn’t a slang word. However, we thought we should mention that a common verbal trend in Queens is repeating a word twice in a row if you really mean it. Saying it once is average, saying it twice indicates you think it’s even more important.
  • Example: “Are you going to do it, do it? Or are you going to put it off?”

Say Less

Meaning:

  • (Expression): Use this when you want to tell someone to shut up.
  • Example:
  • Person 1: “I know I owe you guap, but I don’t have it now. I’ll get it to you next week.”
  • Person 2: “You’ve been saying that for months. Say less.”

Shorty/Shortie

Meaning:

  • (Noun): An older term that kind of spread all over through music. It can be used to refer to an attractive woman or a woman that you’re dating.
  • Example: “Don’t be too obvious but check out that shorty over there.”

Son

Meaning:

  • (Noun): A casual way to refer to any guy you’re talking to. It doesn’t have to be someone who’s actually your child.
  • Example: “Son, I have no idea what you’re talking about. You wylin.’”

Stoop

Meaning:

  • (Noun): The front steps/stairs of your home.
  • Example: “He sits out on his stoop every evening and smokes a bogey.”

Sus

Meaning:

  • (Adjective): Someone who is moving funny or behaving suspiciously.
  • Example: “They thought he was sus, so they kicked him out.”

The Beach

Meaning:

  • (Noun): In other places, this can have an entirely different meaning. In Queens, however, everyone knows what you mean when you say the beach: Rockaway.
  • Example: “Wanna go to the beach later?”

Thot

Meaning:

  • (Noun): This is another slang term you’ll hear all over the country. The individual letters in thot actually mean “that hoe over there,” but you can use it to refer to any woman who’s promiscuous regardless of her physical distance from you.
  • Example: “The boys all say that she’s a thot.”

Violate

Meaning:

  • (Verb): To finish someone off, usually through violence.
  • Example: “If you don’t shut your mouth, I will deadass violate you.”

Wildin’/Wylin’

Meaning:

  • (Verb): Freaking out or acting out of control.
  • Example: “He was wylin’ after he heard the news.”

Word to my Mother

Meaning:

  • (Expression): This is basically just swearing on your mother. If someone says this, they are indicating that something is true.
  • Example: “Word to my mother, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Yerr/Yurr

Meaning:

  • (Interjection): All over NYC, this is a common way to greet someone. You basically just shout it to someone as a greeting.

Young Grassy

Meaning:

  • (Noun): Young grasshopper. You use this to refer to anyone younger or less experienced than you.
  • Example: “Let me teach you the ways, young grassy.”

Wrap Up

New York City has one of the most diverse and interesting slang vernaculars we’ve heard. It’s easy discuss it for hours – and even if we did, we still probably wouldn’t get absolutely everything!

If you’re ever in Queens, keep your ears open for these terms. Now you’ll know what they mean whenever someone says them.

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