weekly slang : WUSS

Definition: A coward; an ineffectual, timid person.

Example: 1) Don't be a wuss, Stephan. It's just a little spider!
2) You're afraid of the dark? What are you, some kind of wuss?

Etymology: This word has been popular with teenage boys since the 1960's.

Synonyms: wimp, sissy

weekly slang : DA BOMB

Definition: Excellent, the best. Example: 1) Michael Jordan was da bomb -- he was the greatest basketball player ever!
2) The new Hudson Jazz CD is da bomb. I listen to it every day!
Etymology: 'Da bomb' is African-American slang that became popular in the 1990s.
'Da' is an informal way to say 'the',
and 'bomb' refers to something very powerful and explosive.
Synonyms: phat

weekly slang : JUMPY

Definition:	Nervous or apprehensive; afraid that something bad will happen.
Example:	1) I'm always a little bit jumpy when I walk by the graveyard at night. 2) Rachel sure is jumpy today. I said 'hello' and she nearly hit the ceiling!
Etymology:	To 'jump' means to move into the air by springing or leaping up, so someone who is 'jumpy' is on the edge of leaping into the air in surprise or fear.
Synonyms:	jittery

weekly slang : BLOW OFF STEAM

Definition: To release stress or anger.

Example: 1) Rob screams and yells a lot. He should find some other way to blow off steam.

2) Playing sports after school helps students blow off steam.

Etymology: The idea is that anger and stress can build up inside a person and needs to be released, like an engine releasing pressurized steam.
Synonyms: vent

weekly slang : PUMP IRON

Definition: To lift weights; exercising to build muscle mass.

Example:
1) On Saturday mornings, Tom is usually down at the YMCA pumping iron.
2) Let's go to the gym and pump some iron.

Etymology: The weights that a bodybuilder lifts are made of iron or some other heavy material. A 'pump' is a device that moves water through repetitive motion. So the phrase 'pump iron' describes the act of lifting weights again and again.

weekly slang : LOVE HANDLES

Definition: Unsightly fat that shows from the sides at the waist, usually on men.

Example: 1) I need to exercise more -- my love handles are growing!

Etymology: Fat at the waist sometimes forms 'handles' or grips that a lover could grab and hold onto.

weekly slang : BEHIND BARS

Definition: In prison or jail; incarcerated.

Example:
1) My brother Charlie tried to rob a bank, but the cops caught him and now he's behind bars.
2) I can't wait until they catch the killer and put him behind bars.

Etymology: Prison inmates are locked behind metal bars which prevent their escape.

Synonyms: up the river, in the slammer, under glass

weekly slang : WIG OUT

Definition: To go crazy; to lose your mind.

Example:
1) Maria wigged out when she found her husband in bed with her best friend.
2) I hope Tom doesn't wig out when we tell him we lost his dog.
Etymology: The idea behind the term is that so much activity is going on in your brain that your hair (a 'wig' is artificial hair) might jump off your head. The term can be positive too - you might 'wig out' when you hear really good music, for example.

Synonyms: lose your cool, flip your wig