An Urban Essential

Once in a while you come across something on the web that truly enhances your quality of life and makes you comfortable enough to feel like you could not only still be in the game but possibly ahead of the game. Living with two teens, I have recently experienced those rare moments, while they are hanging out with their friends, when I actually catch bits of their conversations and I am, more often than not, left wondering what it is they are talking about. It's like they are speaking a foreign language.

Lucky for me, I have found the greatest web invention, geared specifically to help "geezers" like me keep it real and give the young "hipsters" a place to catalog their slang terms. The Urban Dictionary. My daughter "hooked me up" with the site a few months ago. It's the sh*t! I don't know how I ever lived without it. This site most certianly warrants a book mark on both my computer and my iphone. At Urban Dictionary.com, there is a new "word of the day", every day, to keep you up to speed with the new words all the cool kids are using.

Today's word is "canniversary" which is defined as:

"A year from the date on which you were fired from a job. "
"Next week is my canniversary from Enron!"

I love this! Especially considering I will have a "canniversary" in the coming year. The words are supplied by, what I'm assuming are young people, and you can vote on the words with a thumbs up, thumbs down voting system and leave comments on a word.

I have heartily laughed out loud over more than few entries and must admit to learning more than a thing or two while trolling around the site. As a writer, a site like this proves to be invaluable when the writing needs a "grammatically correct" word to reflect it's urban content. There are also those rare, but occasional moments when someone leaves you a comment or sends you a text that left you wondering, "what the hell does that mean?" Fear not, the Urban Dictionary is there when you need it. Take for example:

GTFO
An internet acronym short for "get the fuck out".

or

AFK
Away From Keyboard.
* joe is afk

Thanks to the Urban Dictionary I will never again be left feeling like I am out on a deserted island alone! Recently, while I was reading the Tucker Max book, the Urban Dictionary came to my rescue.

He was talking about a "Cleveland Steam Roller" and "tossing his salad". While I am admitting to having no idea what these phrases meant, after quick definition check on the Urban Dictionary, I was happy to learn that I had no need for either of those terms to be defined before that moment, ever grateful for that small envelope in which I reside.

Check out these testimonials from actual Urban Dictionary users and get over to the Urban Dictionary today! You'll be so glad you did.