--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Slang is a language that rolls up its…" description: "\"Slang is a language that rolls up its sleeves, spits on its hands and goes to work.\" — Carl Sandburg" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/626/carl-sandburg-952_hands_slang-is-a-language-that-rolls-up-its-sl_2672509.png" --- # Slang is a language that rolls up its sleeves, spits on… ![“Slang is a language that rolls up its sleeves, spits on its hands and goes to work.” quote by Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/626/carl-sandburg-952_hands_slang-is-a-language-that-rolls-up-its-sl_2672509.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/626/carl-sandburg-952_hands_slang-is-a-language-that-rolls-up-its-sl_2672509.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/626/carl-sandburg-952_hands_slang-is-a-language-that-rolls-up-its-sl_2672509.png) > “Slang is a language that rolls up its sleeves, spits on its hands and goes to work.” [Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Slang is a practical, gritty language that gets the job done. **In simple terms:** Slang is a tough, hands‑on language. Key Takeaway Respect the utility of informal speech. Themes language culture practicality Mood playful direct Type cultural observational When to use this quote - street interviews - marketing copy - creative writing - teaching ESL Key Concepts sociolinguistics identity communication style Questions to Reflect On - When is slang effective? - How does slang shape group identity? A Different Perspective May be viewed as unrefined or inappropriate in formal settings. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Slang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slang/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [The sea speaks a language polite people never repeat. It is a colossal scavenger slang and has no respect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/the-sea-speaks-a-language-polite-people-never-repeat-it-is-a-colossal/) [Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/) > [My parents were hippies, and the story is that they went through a dictionary looking for a beautiful word to name me. They nearly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/china-mi-ville/my-parents-were-hippies-and-the-story-is-that-they-went-through-a/) [China Mieville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/china-mi-ville/) > [“Are you okay? Did that dickwad do or say something out of pocket to you?” Her eyes slid open. “Dickwad?” she murmured. “Have you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-wesley/are-you-okay-did-that-dickwad-do-or-say-something-out-of-pocket-to/) Jamie Wesley > [“The inability to correctly perceive reality is often responsible for humans' insane behavior. And every time they substitute an all-purpose, sloppy slang word for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-inability-to-correctly-perceive-reality-is-often-responsible-for/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [“On the whole I try to keep Modesty and Willie in timeless settings, which is why I avoid all the latest slang and in-words.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-o-donnell/on-the-whole-i-try-to-keep-modesty-and-willie-in-timeless-settings/) Peter O'Donnell > [Slang has different functions: many of the words we use are playful and a lot are tribal - we speak the same way as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susie-dent/slang-has-different-functions-many-of-the-words-we-use-are-playful/) [Susie Dent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susie-dent/) > [If you use a colloquialism or a slang word or phrase, simply use it; do not draw attention to it by enclosing it in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-use-a-colloquialism-or-a-slang-word-or-phrase-simply-use-it-do/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I use 'wicked' all the time! It's part of my slang! When something's really rad, I'm like, 'That's wicked.' It has many meanings but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stella-maxwell/i-use-wicked-all-the-time-it-s-part-of-my-slang-when-something-s/) [Stella Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stella-maxwell/) > [Such is life, my fellow-mummers-just like a poor player that bluffs and feints his hour upon the stage, and then cheapens down to mere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-furphy/such-is-life-my-fellow-mummers-just-like-a-poor-player-that-bluffs/) Joseph Furphy > [The downtrodden are the great creators of slang.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/the-downtrodden-are-the-great-creators-of-slang/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [My life changed forever when I found out the word slang was actually slang for shortened language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramandeep-singh/my-life-changed-forever-when-i-found-out-the-word-slang-was-actually/) [Ramandeep Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramandeep-singh/) > [There's an old little jingle: 'The chief use of slang is to show that you're one of the gang.' What that means is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-crystal/there-s-an-old-little-jingle-the-chief-use-of-slang-is-to-show-that/) [David Crystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-crystal/) > [I would rather have written Fables in Slang than be President.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-allen-white/i-would-rather-have-written-fables-in-slang-than-be-president/) [William Allen White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-allen-white/) > [I have no desire to be hip to the latest black slang and do the stereotypical black thing. I was a Richard Pryor fan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklyn-ajaye/i-have-no-desire-to-be-hip-to-the-latest-black-slang-and-do-the/) [Franklyn Ajaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklyn-ajaye/) > [I was able to make up lots of portementos, literally hundreds and hundreds of words... See, I find that mine don't have any meanings.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-fraser/i-was-able-to-make-up-lots-of-portementos-literally-hundreds-and/) [Elizabeth Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-fraser/) ## More by Carl Sandburg > [Arithmetic is numbers you squeeze from your head to your hand to your pencil to your paper till you get the answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/arithmetic-is-numbers-you-squeeze-from-your-head-to-your-hand-to-your/) [Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/) > [Gather the stars if you wish it so Gather the songs and keep them. Gather the faces of women. Gather for keeping years and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/gather-the-stars-if-you-wish-it-so-gather-the-songs-and-keep-them/) [Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/) > [Back of every mistaken venture and defeat is the laughter of wisdom, if you listen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/back-of-every-mistaken-venture-and-defeat-is-the-laughter-of-wisdom/) [Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/) > [Somebody's little girl- how easy it is to make a sob story over who she once was and who she now is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/somebody-s-little-girl-how-easy-it-is-to-make-a-sob-story-over-who/) [Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/) > [Let your heart look on white sea spray and be lonely. Love is a fool star. You and a ring of stars may mention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/let-your-heart-look-on-white-sea-spray-and-be-lonely-love-is-a-fool/) [Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/) > [Two bubbles found they had rainbows on their curves. They flickered out saying: "It was worth being a bubble, just to have held that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/two-bubbles-found-they-had-rainbows-on-their-curves-they-flickered/) [Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/) > [Poetry is a series of explanations of life, fading off into horizons too swift for explanations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/poetry-is-a-series-of-explanations-of-life-fading-off-into-horizons/) [Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/) > [There are ten men in me and I do not know or understand one of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/there-are-ten-men-in-me-and-i-do-not-know-or-understand-one-of-them/) [Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/) > [The drum in a dream pounds loud to the dreamer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/the-drum-in-a-dream-pounds-loud-to-the-dreamer/) [Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/) > [“Time is the most valuable coin in your life. You and you alone will determine how that coin will be spent. Be careful that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/time-is-the-most-valuable-coin-in-your-life-you-and-you-alone-will/) [Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/) > [Poetry is the opening and closing of a door, leaving those who look through to guess about what is seen during the moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/poetry-is-the-opening-and-closing-of-a-door-leaving-those-who-look/) [Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/) > [a women is like a tea bag.it's only when she is in hot water that you realize how strong she is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/a-women-is-like-a-tea-bag-it-s-only-when-she-is-in-hot-water-that-you/) [Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/) > [My name is Truth and I am the most elusive captive in the universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/my-name-is-truth-and-i-am-the-most-elusive-captive-in-the-universe/) [Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/) > [I won't take my religion from any man who never works except with his mouth and never cherishes any memory except the face of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/i-won-t-take-my-religion-from-any-man-who-never-works-except-with-his/) [Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/) > [Rest is not a word of free people. Rest is a monarchical word.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/rest-is-not-a-word-of-free-people-rest-is-a-monarchical-word/) [Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/) [Explore all 320 Carl Sandburg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/) ## More Hands quotes > [When I passed the Chancellor he arose, waved his hand at me, and I waved back at him. I think the writers showed bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-owens/when-i-passed-the-chancellor-he-arose-waved-his-hand-at-me-and-i/) [Jesse Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-owens/) > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [(knitting while on a motorcycle) "For several years she knitted in secret (my father would not approve; she was to concentrate on motorcycling and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-zimmermann/knitting-while-on-a-motorcycle-for-several-years-she-knitted-in/) [Elizabeth Zimmermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-zimmermann/) > [Then come to realize that you're making mountains out of molehills. Realize how petty you've become. Sure, it may feel like you can't get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-asher/then-come-to-realize-that-you-re-making-mountains-out-of-molehills/) [Jay Asher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-asher/) > [I have inside me the winds, the deserts, the oceans, the stars, and everything created in the universe. We were all made by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-have-inside-me-the-winds-the-deserts-the-oceans-the-stars-and/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [To me, the beauty of a quilt or a dress lies within the stitches and the thought of the person who made them. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie/to-me-the-beauty-of-a-quilt-or-a-dress-lies-within-the-stitches-and/) [Natalie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie/) > [I always step on the plane with my right foot and touch the outside of the plane with my left hand. Sometimes you know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-davis/i-always-step-on-the-plane-with-my-right-foot-and-touch-the-outside/) [Hope Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-davis/) > [If one truly has lost hope, one would not be on hand to say so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bentley/if-one-truly-has-lost-hope-one-would-not-be-on-hand-to-say-so/) [Eric Bentley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bentley/) > [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My folks tried to make a preacher of me and missed by a narrow margin… I would have made a good one if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/my-folks-tried-to-make-a-preacher-of-me-and-missed-by-a-narrow-margin/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [When you put your hand on the Bible, you are saying something much stronger than just telling your peers that you're going to tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-greenwood/when-you-put-your-hand-on-the-bible-you-are-saying-something-much/) [Lee Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-greenwood/) > [There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-is-only-one-party-in-the-united-states-the-property-party-and/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [“for they are all the work of his hands?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zondervan/for-they-are-all-the-work-of-his-hands/) Zondervan > [I nibbled my lower lip. "If you could see into my past just by touching my back, you'd have a hard time resisting the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-fitzpatrick/i-nibbled-my-lower-lip-if-you-could-see-into-my-past-just-by-touching/) [Becca Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-fitzpatrick/) > [My happiness is in my hands not between another person hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hero/my-happiness-is-in-my-hands-not-between-another-person-hands/) [Hero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hero/) Browse all 18,228 Hands quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Slang is a language that rolls up its sleeves, spits on its hands and goes to work.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Carl Sandburg" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/slang-is-a-language-that-rolls-up-its-sleeves-spits-on-its-hands-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Hands" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/slang-is-a-language-that-rolls-up-its-sleeves-spits-on-its-hands-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/626/carl-sandburg-952_hands_slang-is-a-language-that-rolls-up-its-sl_2672509.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/626/carl-sandburg-952_hands_slang-is-a-language-that-rolls-up-its-sl_2672509.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/626/carl-sandburg-952_hands_slang-is-a-language-that-rolls-up-its-sl_2672509.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Slang is a language that rolls up its sleeves, spits on its hands and goes to work.” — Carl Sandburg", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Carl Sandburg", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Slang is a language that rolls...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/slang-is-a-language-that-rolls-up-its-sleeves-spits-on-its-hands-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/slang-is-a-language-that-rolls-up-its-sleeves-spits-on-its-hands-and/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```