'Fuhgeddaboudit': 12 Must-Know New York City Slang Phrases

There’s nowhere else quite like New York City in terms of sights, scents, and sounds. Whether you’re a visitor or a local, familiarizing yourself with the city’s slang can be as enriching as exploring its landmarks. These terms are as unique as the lingo you’d hear in Philadelphia or Chicago.

1. Schmear

If you’re ordering a bagel and want it loaded with cream cheese, New Yorkers will request a schmear. The Oxford English Dictionary notes that the term, occasionally spelled schmeer, first appeared in the early 1900s with the meaning of “everything possible or available.” This versatile word became associated with spreads, particularly cream cheese, by 1914.

2. Fuhgeddaboudit

A phrase commonly shared among New Yorkers and New Jersey locals, fuhgeddaboudit means to “forget about it” or to disregard something unimportant. The OED records the full phrase first appearing in The Detroit Free Press in 1919. However, Hollywood played a key role in popularizing the shortened version. As former Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz explained to the Brooklyn Daily Eagle in 2016 (when the borough introduced road signs featuring fuhgeddaboudit), the term likely gained prominence on the 1950s sitcom The Honeymooners, set in Brooklyn. Its fame grew further when Johnny Depp explained it in the 1997 film Donnie Brasco, and it became a staple in the dialogue of The Sopranos.

3. Bodega

In New York, convenience stores are often called bodegas, a term derived from the Spanish word for “cellar.” These stores trace their origins to Puerto Rican-owned shops that began appearing in the early 20th century as immigrants settled in NYC, with their numbers growing after World War II. Unlike chain stores like 7-Eleven, bodegas are known for their personal touch, with owners and customers often forming close relationships. They’re also famous for their unofficial feline residents.

4. Hero

In New York, the term hero doesn’t refer to a brave individual but to a submarine sandwich—a large roll filled with meats, cheeses, and veggies. (While hero is used elsewhere, in Philly, it’s called a hoagie.) The word is thought to have originated in 1936 when New York Herald Tribune writer Clementine Paddleford quipped that one “had to be a hero” to tackle such a massive sandwich. She wasn’t exaggerating: In 1940, a Chicago newspaper reported that an oversized hero had dislocated a man’s jaw.

5. Brick

While many NYC buildings are made of brick, the term brick in local slang refers to extreme cold. Green’s Dictionary of Slang notes that, when used as an adjective, brick describes freezing weather. One theory suggests this comes from the fact that bricks often feel colder than the surrounding air. When it’s brick outside, it’s as cold as it gets.

6. Rubberneck

If you’re not a city local, you’re considered a tourist, often labeled as a rubberneck or rubbernecker—someone always twisting and turning their neck to catch every sight.

7. Bronx Cheer

When New Yorkers want to express disdain, they deliver a Bronx cheer—a sound most Americans know as a raspberry. This thbptttt noise, made by blowing through the lips, mocks the perceived rough manners of Bronx residents. In 1923, The New York Times noted that “The crowd gave the hero a Bronx cheer for the effort and razzed him frequently thereafter, with some justice, too, for [Babe] Ruth’s actions were an insult to the intelligence of the people who had paid their good money to see him play baseball.”

8. Pie

While most people think of a warm apple pastry when they hear pie, New Yorkers think of a hot, cheesy pizza. This usage likely comes from Italian immigrants who aimed to avoid confusion between ordering a whole pizza and just a slice. A 1903 article in the New York Tribune mentioned the “pomidore pizza,” or “tomato pie,” which introduced the then-innovative concept of placing tomato slices on dough. The slang term red hot was used to describe it.

9. Schlep

If you’re clearing out your apartment or helping a friend move, you’ll be schlepping items from one spot to another. The term comes from the Yiddish shlepn and German schleppen, both meaning “to haul.”

Schlep is particularly useful when moving heavy objects over long distances (you’d schlep a bookshelf across the city, but not a sandwich down the block). It can also describe traveling somewhere yourself: If you’re heading to a friend’s place in a distant neighborhood, you might say you need to schlep all the way there. The term has other meanings too; in the Diamond District, a schleper refers to someone who delays paying their bills.

10. Deadass

If you’re serious, New Yorkers might call you deadass, a term dating back to the 1950s that originally meant sitting down but now conveys sincerity. The word gained widespread attention after singer Billie Eilish popularized it.

11. Regular Coffee

If you want black coffee, just ask for black coffee. But if you prefer coffee with cream and sugar, in New York (and Boston), that’s called a regular coffee. Order it elsewhere, and you’ll likely be asked how you’d like it prepared.

12. Bridge and Tunnel

If you’re heading into Manhattan from the outer boroughs (like Queens) or New Jersey, New Yorkers might call you a bridge and tunnel person, as you’ll have to cross a bridge or tunnel to reach the city. Is it a bit of a dig? Sure. But hey, fuhgeddaboudit.