In the last lesson, we went through some examples of English slang, and this time we can continue on that topic. Wikipedia describes slang as referring "to words, phrases and uses that are regarded as very informal and often restricted to special context or peculiar to a specified profession class and the like." 

If you over-ask, you're going to be immediately dismissed.

Caption 25, Job Hunting - How to Answer the Salary Question

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There are many proper English words that use "over" as a prefix, such as "overeat," "overwork," and "overheat," but "overask" is not one of them! In this case, since it's not a proper word, a hyphen (-) was used to separate "over" from "ask", and it means "to ask too many questions." You can place "over" before practically any English verb, but if you aren't sure if it's a proper word or not, you are better off saying "We walked too much" rather than something like "We over-walked." 

Well, I kind of invited us in for a little look-see.​

Caption 31, Karate Kids, USA - The Little Dragons

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This is a case of several proper verbs being turned into an informal noun: "to take a look and see" has thus been shortened to "take a look-see." According to the Oxford Dictionary, the phrase originated in either pidgin English (pidgin languages being those that have developed between two peoples who do not share a native language) or as an imitation of pidgin English.

Interesting cultural differences in math-speak...

Caption 11, Numberphile - The Scientific Way to Cut a Cake

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In informal English, it is fairly common to use the suffix "-speak" applied to any topic that has its own special terminology. For instance, difficult grammar terms could be referred to "grammar-speak" or somebody working on computer programming could be said to use "tech-speak." 

But I've got a shockeroo.

Caption 6, Schoolhouse Rock - Them Not-So-Dry Bones

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In the above example, a "shocker" is a person or thing that shocks, and here they have just added "-oo" to add emphasis to the word. Adding vowels to the end of words to give emphasis has a long tradition in English, and can be seen in such examples as "righto" instead of "right," or "coolio" instead of "cool." It's not advisable to randomly add vowels to a word to make it sound more slang, however, these are specifics that must be learned and used, like all slang words, in the appropriate context! 

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Further Learning
Do a search for "slang" on Yabla English and find other examples of slang words used in a real-world context. 

There is a long history of slang usage in the English language, and you can find some examples of English slang on Yabla too! Slang is sometimes often regional—many slang words used in the United Kingdom would not be readily understood in the United States and vice-versa—but slang is also cultural, for instance people of certain cultural heritages often use slang that is different from what you might hear among people with different ethnic or cultural heritages. Some slang is, of course, very vulgar and not acceptable in polite company, but there are many slang words and phrases that are common and acceptable in everyday speech. 

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My personal style, I guess, would be edgy, boho [slang: bohemian], fun, flirty.

Caption 6, Demi Lovato - Seventeen Magazine

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The adverb and adjective "boho" is short for "bohemian", which when written lower case does not mean somebody from the Czech region of Bohemia, but rather describes an unconventional lifestyle as often lived by artists and writers. 

Oh, ta [British slang: thanks]! Ah, yes, I'm very proud of my kiddies.

Caption 57, George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four - BBC TV Movie

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This is an example of British English slang that may not be readily understood among speaker of US English: "ta" is commonly used in the United Kingdom for "thank you". The word "kiddies" is not slang, but is an informal version of "kids" (children).

Robust and secure, so our swag [slang: style] is on blast.

Caption 57, Java - The "Java Life" Rap Music Video

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Here is a slang word with an urban origin often found in rap music: "swag" probably came from the verb "to swagger," which means "to walk or strut with a defiant or insolent air" or "to boast or brag noisily," but as a slang word has come to mean "style." The phrase "on blast" is a slang usage too meaning "loud," therefore "swag is on blast" means they are "showing their style." 

Has just been released from the pokey [slang: jail].

Caption 3, The Pop Topic Minute - Christina, Lady Gaga and Lindsay

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The noun "pokey" is slang for "jail," and may have originated from the term "poorhouse," which was a kind of prison that existed until the 20th century for people who were too poor to pay their debts. Some other slang words for "jail" are  "clink," "cooler," "pen," and "slammer." The adjective "poky," on the other hand, is an informal word for "slow" (such as a "poky car") or small (such as a "poky room"). 

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Further Learning
Do a search for "slang" on Yabla English and find other examples of slang words used in a real-world context. You can also read this Wikipedia article about slang and go to the links to learn about different kinds of slang in English.