Slang

The word slang has many different meanings according to the OED, however in linguistics, slang refers to language that is highly colloquial (informal) in nature and often considered to be below the level of standard educated speech. Sometimes slang can be particular to a group, and under these circumstances is known as jargon. Often, slang terms do not exist in language for very long before they are dismissed, however on occasion they do become part of regular informal speech.