Ubonics
n.— «During slavery, oration was used as coded speech to “hide collective action from slave owners.” Today this principle is exemplified in speech such as Ubonics—a “slang” version Ebony-phonics, also knows as Ebonics—and rap.…Even if one is not a fan of rap or a supporter of Ubonics—the expression of commonness through words, and in our private space—informal speech is the manifestation of this principle.» —“In search of a unified Black culture” by Tricia Hylton Rabble.ca (Canada) Feb. 23, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
A listener who grew up in Newfoundland remembers her grandfather declaring the fog was thick as burgoo. Turns out burgoo was sailors’ slang for a gray, gelatinous oatmeal—exactly the right image for an impenetrable Newfoundland fog. The word appears...
Advice about college essays from the winner of a top prize for children’s literature: Kelly Barnhill encourages teens to write about experiences that are uniquely their own, from a point of view that is theirs and no one else’s. Plus, why do we say...