 English slang expressions that your textbook won't teach you, from espressoenglish.net. These ten slang words are common in spoken American English, but you probably won't find them in English textbooks. Why not? Well, some of them are slightly offensive, and others are just extremely informal, but they are part of the English language, so here are examples and definitions to help you understand. Number one. These words describe a person who tries very hard to please another person, especially a boss or someone in a position of authority, in order to get a personal advantage. For example, let's say you have a co-worker named Brad, and the department director's name is Caleb. Brad always does nice things for Caleb, says that Caleb's ideas are brilliant, gives gifts to Caleb and does extra favors for him, only because Brad is hoping to get a promotion. You might say, Brad is such a suck-up, all he does is kiss Caleb's ass. Now, be careful, these terms, especially ass-kisser, are offensive. It's not a good idea to use them at work. Number two. A comment or action that is especially cruel or unfair can be said to hit below the belt. This slang expression comes from the fact that if you hit a man below his belt in his genital area, it will really hurt, and such an attack is considered unfair in most martial arts and other fighting sports. For example, let's say you're talking about a debate between two politicians in which one said some things that were especially mean. You might comment, criticizing the opponent's ideas is one thing, but calling him a fat, lazy pig is hitting below the belt. Number three. Among friends, if somebody calls dibs on something, it means they are reserving the first or best part for themselves. For example, let's say there is only one piece of chocolate cake in the fridge. If your roommate says, I got dibs on the last piece of cake, he is saying that the piece of cake is his and you can't eat it. To reserve the front seat of a car, people often say shotgun, or I call shotgun. This means that they are reserving the right to ride in the front seat and not in the back seat. Number four. To freeload or mooch is to get something for free or to live off the generosity of friends without giving anything in return. For example, let's say you have a friend named Craig who lives with you, but he isn't working or studying. He eats your food but doesn't help pay for the rent or groceries. You might say, Craig's not doing much of anything, he's just freeloading, or he's just mooching. Number five. If a woman gets knocked up, it means she got pregnant, often unintentionally, without wanting or planning to. For example, let's say you have a friend named Amanda who had sex with a celebrity. Later she discovered she was pregnant. You might say, Amanda got knocked up by a famous actor, but he claims he's not the father of the baby. Be careful, knocked up is not a very nice expression. Don't say it about yourself and never say it directly to a pregnant woman. Number six. Hammered is one of many ways to say very drunk with alcohol. For example, if you're at a party and one of your friends has drunk 20 beers, you might say, he's completely hammered, he can't even stand up. A few other ways to say very drunk include wasted, juiced, sauced, sloshed, plastered, trashed, and shit-faced. We've got a lot of words for describing when someone overindulges an alcohol. With all of these words, you can use completely or totally, but not very. So you can say, he's totally wasted, but not he's very wasted. You can say, she's completely hammered, but not she's very hammered. Number seven. Hit the spot. If something hit the spot, it means it was exactly what you wanted or needed. This is most commonly used with food and drink. For example, let's say you just finished running five miles and you feel hot and thirsty. You buy an ice cold soda and drink it. It is delicious and very cold. You might say, ah, that really hits the spot. A lot of English students have trouble watching movies and TV series in English. And one reason is because these shows use a lot of slang and informal expressions. I've written an e-book to help you learn slang and informal English. Just visit espressoenglish.net, click on e-books, and look for the slang and informal English e-book. It comes with audio, so you can practice your listening as you learn the expressions.