Freshmen starting their first year at GW will have to learn a new language when they arrive on campus in August. New students will be hit with a variety of acronyms, sayings and nicknames that will undoubtedly confuse them for the first few weeks or even months.
In order to aid freshmen in adapting to the lingo around campus and the District, The Hatchet has compiled a list of common words and phrases to help any clueless freshman follow in conversation and navigate through campus.

4-RIDE – a late-night University-run vehicle escort service that operates from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily. Call 202-994-RIDE (or 4-7433 from a GW phone), and a van will pick you up and drop you off anywhere within two blocks of campus boundaries.

ABP – acronym for Au Bon Pain, an moderately priced French sandwich shop located in the 2000 Penn mall on 21st and I streets. ABP offers soups, salads, sandwiches and baked goods available on Colonial Cash.

Baja – short for Baja Fresh, a popular fast-food Mexican restaurant located on the corner of 20th and I streets. Baja serves up a broad range of Mexican specialties and features its own salsa bar.

CD and CR – stands for College Democrats and College Republicans, two of the biggest student organizations on campus. Both groups host a variety of events and guest speakers, mostly senators and representatives who only have to travel a couple dozen blocks from Capitol Hill.

Chipotle – a burrito joint that serves arguably the best Mexican food in town. With locations on both 19th and M streets and on M Street in Georgetown, this fast-food style restaurant constructs massive burritos right before your eyes.

Colonial Cash – GW’s own type of credit, which is used on your GWorld card. The card works much like a debit card and can be swiped at on-campus dining venues and many stores outside Foggy Bottom. (For a complete list of Colonial Cash partners, visit http://gworld.gwu.edu/gworldpartners). Each freshman must have $1,500 worth of Colonial Cash at the start of each semester.

Coney – short for Coney Island, a late-night ice cream place located in the 2000 Penn mall on 21st and I streets. Open until midnight, Coney offers a wide variety of hard ice cream, soft serve, smoothies and their famous homemade fantasy bars and brownies.

DJ’s – short for DJ’s Fastbreak (it’s a pun on “breakfast”), a small restaurant located in the middle of campus on the corner of 22nd and G streets. Known for its extremely cheap and diversified food, DJ’s will serve up anything from a cheeseburger to an Asian noodle bowl. It also takes Colonial Cash.
EMeRG – the name of GW’s student-run EMTservice that accompanies University Police officers in case of a medical emergency. EMeRG is mostly on scene to take students to the nearby GW Hospital when they have had too much to drink.

FixIt – in order to ease maintenance concerns, GW offers a free service for students operated by Residential Property Management. Call 202-994-2430 (or 4-2430) and a technician will come to your dorm room to fix anything from a burned out light bulb to a clogged toilet. For emergencies requiring immediate assistance, like a flood, call 2020-994-0381 (or 4-0381).

Froggy – short for Froggy Bottom Pub, located on Pennsylvania Avenue between 21st and 22nd streets. This easy-going bar and restaurant serves up a greasy fare along with salads and sandwiches that are sure to satisfy students. This relatively inexpensive place takes Colonial Cash.

HellWell – nickname for the Lerner Health and Wellness Center, a 183,000-square foot facility that features exercise machines, weights, racquetball and squash courts, swimming lanes, basketball courts and an indoor track. Open until 11 p.m. most nights, HellWell is the perfect place to work out.

Manouch – nickname for street vendor Manouchehr Nava, a late-night food-serving sage who will give you a hot dog with mustard and a side of philosophy. He parks his silver cart right outside Tower Records on 21st Street to satisfy students’ late-night hunger cravings. Be sure to ask this Iranian immigrant about his story; it may take awhile.

PB – acronym for Program Board, GW’s student-run social activities decision-making board. PB is in charge of throwing campus concerts, Welcome Week, Fall Fest and Spring Fling. Last spring, PB brought G-Unit rapper Lloyd Banks to University Yard for a well-attended performance.

SA – acronym for the Student Association, GW’s student government, which is split up into legislative, executive and judicial branches. Members of the student government are elected by the student body in annual elections and hold weekly meetings to discuss University policies and issues.

SizzEx – short for Sizzling Express, a costly buffet/cafeteria located in the Columbia Plaza complex at 538 23rd St. This establishment, which charges their customers based on the weight of their food, takes Colonial Cash.

SJT – acronym for University President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg. If you see him walking down the street wearing his trademark Coke-bottom glasses and bowtie, feel free to say hello.

Thrustin’ – the fitting nickname for Mabel Thurston Hall, which was named one of the most sexually active dorms in the country several years ago in a Cornell University study. Housing 1,100 freshmen, Thurston is GW’s main freshman residence hall and is located on the corner of 19th and F streets.

The Vern – short for GW’s Mount Vernon Campus, located in Foxhall, a community in Georgetown. The grassy campus is a 15-minute ride on “the Vern Shuttle,” a bus that runs between Foggy Bottom and Mount Vernon. Some hate the trek, but many make the pilgrimage either for classes or events.

-compiled by Gabriel Okolski and Katie Rooney