awesome

[William Payne]

Try:
all that and then some - usually used when talking about a member of the opposite sex, he/she is everything that defines great and more.
all that and a bag of chips - very attractive, very fine, very cool.
awesome - great, really cool.

frpm http://parentingteens.about.com/cs/familylife/l/blawords.htm

Bill

[Robert Seltman]

My daughter suggested 'Rad' (as in radical) and from her British friend 'Wicked'

From your About.com Teen Dictionary, I liked 'Da bomb' 'Fly' 'Rocks' 'spun' (for clothes) 'totally' and 'grooviness'. They mentioned 'Way' both as 'Way cool' and 'Way' as a response of agreement.

Also 'phat' but I have trouble distinguishing between 'phat' and 'phat-phree', it would have helped if they gave more situational examples. I am certainly 'Fat' but I doubt my kids would call me 'Phat'.

http://parentingteens.about.com/cs/familylife/l/blbwords.htm

Thanks for these and any further examples.

[Deano]

My daughter suggested 'Rad' (as in radical) and from her British friend 'Wicked'

My nieces in Northern England (19, 21 and 22) all use 'wicked' to describe how someone dresses e.g. 'he looks wicked in that'.

The opposite is 'mingin'' -- an all-round multi-purpose pejorative.

hth

[Deano]

JD >> My little Sony Cyber-shot camera was referred to as 'mint' about 2 weeks ago, in the NE of England at the christening of my great-niece. It sounded like they approved of its compactness...

hth

[Robert Seltman]

The opposite is 'mingin'' -- an all-round multi-purpose pejorative.

hth

Is this pronounced like an abbreviation for mini (as in tiny) plus the drink gin, or together like the Ming dynasty?
Where does it come from? Is it a familiar expression for most Brits? First time to hear it for this American.

Here is a few web answers but I am still uncertain its original word source
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=mingin'
http://www.blingin-or-mingin.com/

[Deano]

FWIW --　'mingin'' is pronounced with a soft 'g'  as in 'singin' in the rain'

The lowest of low adjectival expressions currently in NE UK...  Noun version >> ' what a minger'  (same pron rule applies)

hth

[Robert Seltman]

Thank you for clarification, I suspect now that mingin' has been pointed out I will start to hear it more when watching British video programs. It feels a bit crude so I don't expect I will be using it until I feel I really understand its implications.

There is a shortage of enthusiastic exclamatory terms, that are in fact not curse words, for older men. Tubular is for surfers. Awesome feels forced. The Japanese variants feel suited best for teenagers and/or women. Is it because we are less likely to do exciting things that we ('we' meaning men over 50) do not have a generational appropriate exclamation? I feel awesome only in waist size, and cool only in reaction to most new music.