Growing up in the suburbs of Columbus, Ohio, I found that my move to Chicago brought a lot more than cold winters and excellent shopping. I was almost immediately thrown off by the confusing words and phrases that Chicagoans use. Many having completely different meanings than what I grew up with. I often stared at my roommate like she was crazy until she laughed at me and explained what these crazy things meant! Below is a mini dictionary of a few that I think I have caught on to.

Bogus/ Bogey

[boh-guh s], [boh-g ie]

Noun/ Adjective

This slang word has actually become known in modern language. While many understand its definition to be fake or not -- genuine this is true in Chicago as well. However, for the first time, I have heard this word used to describe another person as a liar. For example: "I really liked that Kayla girl." "Ew no, that girl bogey."

Decent

[de-suh nt]

Adjective

Before moving to Chicago, I always thought decent meant that something adequate, passable or even just alright. However, many Chicagoans use this word to describe something extraordinary or extremely great. This word is also often followed by profanity to further describe the decentness. For example: "That party was decent as hell."

Dip

[dip]

Verb

Contrary to my previous beliefs, when a Chicagoan uses the word dip they are most likely not referring to something tasty that accompanies a chip or cracker. While creamy french onion would be preferable in my opinion, dip is used when someone is ready to exit or leave something or some place. For example: "This is lame, you guys ready to dip?"

Fufu

[foo-foo]

Noun/ Adjective

This slang word was completely new to me. Sounding a bit like a ballerina's skirt (tutu), whenever I heard this I would just want to laugh a little. However, after paying attention to context, it was clear that fufu really just means that something is fake or really just bad in general. For example: "Hey I know this website that makes shoes that look just like real Louis Vuitton's" "Nah girl, I don't want any of that fufu shit."

OTS

[oh- tee- ess]

Noun

I always thought I was pretty good at keeping up with the popular abbreviations, but this was a new one for me. OTS stands for "Off The Shits;" however, the use of this abbreviation has nothing to with taking a dump. OTS refers to someone who is drunk, high or really just messed up in general. For example: "Do you think your roommate will want to go out with us tonight?" "Nah, dude he is way too OTS right now."

Popping

[pop- in]

Verb

In Chicago, popping isn't just what happens when you put popcorn in the microwave. Popping means something much better. Usually describing a party or event of some type, popping means that is is crowded and enjoyable. Similar to "bumping" or "raging" -- popping means the same thing when referring to an event. For example: "Man, you should have been at that party, it was popping!"

Raw

[Raw]

Adjective

This one is a slang word I always used to describe the condition of meat. However, in Chicago, it can describe so much more. The word raw is used as an adjective to describe something super cool or hardcore/ awesome. For example: "Yo, is that car yours? It's raw as shit!"

Square

[skwair]

Noun

This one is not so much of a slang word, but rather just something new that I picked up from Chicagoans. Rather than referring to the geometric shape, when the word square is used, it is often referring to a cigarette. For example: "Hey man, your shirt is really cool, do you by chance have a square I can bum?"

Tweaking

[tweek- in]

Verb

I used to think that to tweak something meant to slightly fix or alter something. However, in Chicago tweaking has a bit of a drug connotation. It is used when someone is tripping on drugs, imagining things or just acting like it or being incredibly dumb. Also used as tweak, tweaky, and tweaking out. For example: "Didn't Beyonce win like the first season of American Idol?" "Nah man, you tweaking!"

Weird or not, these nine words are strangely becoming a part of my vocabulary. Thanks, Chicago.