Coming from a small suburban town in Connecticut, going to school in the city exposed me to a ton of new phrases and terms of which I was previously unaware. Right now I have yet to incorporate these terms into my own personal vocabulary, as they still sound somewhat foreign to me, but I know that it will only be a short time until I start using them in everyday conversation.
1. "She/he is so extra."
Urban Dictionary's definition of extra: "over the top; excessive; dramatic behavior; way too much"
Many New Yorkers here will call out other individuals (mostly girls) for their "extra" behavior - this could be for over-dramatizing a situation, attention-seeking, or making a big deal out of something small.
2. "I'm standing on line."
Urban Dictionary's definition of on line: "the annoying way that people from New York say 'in line.'"
If you're in New York and you catch another person telling someone that they're 'in line', they're definitely from out-of-state as well.
3. "For real! I'm dead ass!"
Urban Dictionary's definition of dead ass: "to be completely and honestly serious; a reply used by people who have been questioned on the truth of their comment"
Though I'd read this phrase on social media before coming to school, I hadn't realized the extent to which it is used in actual conversation in New York. I think approximately 99.99% of the conversations that I've had with a New Yorker involved at least 2 instances of "dead ass".
4. "She totally deaded him."
Urban Dictionary's definition of deaded: "blown off; rejected; deliberately singled out; abandoned for reasons unknown"
I had never heard of this word until a few days into college, and am still having trouble understanding why it's even used -- it pretty much means the exact same thing as "rejected". Even so, it is extremely common in NY and you gotta know it.
5. "Can I have a plain slice of pizza?"
Urban Dictionary didn't bring in any hits on this one, but in CT, we always use the term "cheese pizza" - not "plain pizza". If you asked for a plain pizza at any of the pizzerias in my hometown, you'd receive pizza with tomato sauce, bread, and tomatoes. No cheese. But here in New York, a plain slice would you get you the equivalent of a cheese slice anywhere else. Hmmm. Weird.
Congrats! You're now a NYC college kid.