While watching CBS's sitcom "How I Met Your Mother" (HIMYM) for the second time with my wife (who does what any true language learner should NOT do: only reads the subtitles in her own language), I started noticing the use of many different words that are probably not taught in most teaching books. However, they are used in many informal settings, at least if you live in North America where I come from.
Today's word is "dibs", or "call dibs". Let's first look at a few sentences so you can try to figure out its meaning in context.
E1:
A: Let's all four of us go on a road trip! I'll drive!
B: I call dibs on the front seat!
E2:
A: Wow, have you seen that pretty girl over there, I call dibs!
B: Well, you can try your luck first, but I don't think you will impress her!
E3:
A: Oh, there's only a bunk bed left in this dormitory...
B: Dibs on bottom bunk!
E4:
A: There's a piece of cake left in the fridge...
B: I don't know how long it's been there but dibs! I'm hungry.
So, from these exemples, try to think first of what <em>dibs</em> means
Read again these exemples.
If you've finished, now try making your own sentences (if you're not sure yet, it doesn't matter, it's part of the exercise to make mistakes).
Ok, now let me explain the meaning. Dibs (in this context) means "to have priority over something", calling dibs therefore means you assert your "right" over something. It's an informal and funny way to tell your friends you want to do something before them or you want something for yourself and they shouldn't try to "get the front seat", "talk to a pretty girl first", "sleep on the bottom bunk" or "eat the leftover piece of cake".
My next question is: where does this word come from?
If you open a dictionary, you might come accross the second meaning of "dibs", which is a "small ammount of money", but as for the meaning of "claiming priority" over something... sadly, I have found nothing conclusive in my research.
The only thing I can tell you is that this seems to be a mainly north-American used word. Some places write that in England, they use the word "bags" or "bagsy", and I'm actually using this discussion to ask people from all around the world if they use or not this very interesting word in their conversations. Some say it's used mostly by young people, but I feel that it can be used to create a comic effect even with adults. What do you think? Do you use any words like this in your region? What about in other languages? In Quebec province (Canada), we use "shotgun" instead of "dibs", hope to hear other exemples soon!
I wouldn't bother learning slang every country has different slang and within that country within every state or region has a different slang.
Where can I edit or delete comments I made... ?
Calling "dibs " is ubiqutous amongst USA culture among just about anyone under 45ish. Now speaking about 'licking that piece of pizza' to call dibs is probably significantly more colloquial.
'Dibs' is understood in the UK although you don't hear it that often. As you mentioned we have another word, 'bagsy,' that is used in a similar way.
'Shotgun' is interesting because recently I have started to hear people here use it in a context other than simply trying to get the front passenger seat of a car, in a similar way to 'bagsy.' From what I have read, in the US calling shotgun and subsequently riding shotgun seem to only apply to that one situation.
David, I love your discussion, and believe it or not; I use dibs all the time with English speaking friends.
I'm not American, but the expression "call dibs" has been very popular in South Africa and New Zealand, and to a slightly lesser extent Australia for many years. My young cousins in Scotland also know the expression.
How it entered common speech outside the US I don't know, possibly from Hollywood. Or maybe it was always used but people don't know that it's in global use.
