Getting along with others knowing which questions to ask and not asking too many,being polite and friendly, but also being assertive. The general definition of street smart is someone who is intelligent, has good common sense, knows how to handle bad situations, and has the. Street smarts also known as practical knowledge or common sense is essential to orienting yourself in everyday situations, whether its getting around a new neighborhood. Six street smart urban survival skills survival life. A street smart heavy person wont beat a person that is book smart at a trivia competition that is for sure, but street smart people can think on their feet and get through challenges and puzzles much better. Definition of street smarts written for english language learners from the merriamwebster learners dictionary with audio pronunciations, usage examples, and countnoncount noun labels. Someone who is intelligent, learns well, and educated very well academically. According to him, he learned much of his wisdom from the school of hard knocks. Unfortunately, when placed in a real life situation, they forget everything they read and fail. Essay on street smarts versus book smarts 706 words. For example, 25% of people on social media have posted something they later regretted, the divorce rate in the us is 50%, and over the past decade the tattoo removal industry has grown 440%. Academics youre absorbing a ton of information, and youre most likely not to use a good amount of it.
Information and translations of street smarts in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. Ive known children at 5 be street smarter than me, so dont be. He addresses a myriad of topics that young people need straight talk about. When you are street smart, you are able to discern when a situation is going south or when a situation is fine and safe.
Recent examples on the web this small victory displayed burkans strengths. There are certain skills you need to become successful in life. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more. Sep 10, 2017 the general definition of book smart is someone who is intelligent and very well educated academically. Unlike most online dictionaries, we want you to find your words meaning quickly. Dictionary, the term street smarts is defined as the experience and knowledge necessary to deal with the potential difficulties or dangers of life in an urban environment. Book smart is simply describing that the person as generally intelligent, well educated and do well academically. Basically used as an excuse for dumb people who dont value education and pursuing new ideas and dont understand that learning math and language skills. Know plenty of people with a ton of book smarts who didnt go to far in life. Relying on theoretical knowledge all the time can lead up to disastrous consequences because a little pragmatism is always necessary to analyze your current situation and determine what you are going to do next.
Compiled from the wildly popular web site, mo urban dictionary. You can quote me yes, being street smart can give you a bigger advantage. Growing up, i was very street smart but not so book smart. However, the stereotype of a street smart person is someone who is intelligent and knows how to handle important situations in the streets but is not as welleducated academically. Just to set an example in regardings to the topic, when the economy comes down to a threat where individuals will be drafted to war, street smarts will doubt less and think of strategies in order to survive through the battlefield,while on the other hand book smarts are hesitating about.
If you dont have street smarts, you wont last long out there. Street smarts definition is the quality of being streetwise. It solely is a theoretical understanding of facts or ideas. Street smart definition, possessing or showing street smarts. Book smart vs street smart essay research paper example. The definition heres how the dictionary defines the two street smarts. Street smarts, however, encompasses knowledge that generally cannot be learned through education but rather, from experience.
A good definition between street smarts and book smarts. These examples are from the cambridge english corpus and from sources on the web. Oct 07, 2012 overall, street smarts also requires that you can put all these things together for problem solving, and to dodge and weave effectively through the risky business streets. What is the difference between book smart and street smart.
Book smarts, as ive framed it, means someone who is good at following the rules. Street smart, which is the shrewd resourcefulness needed to survive in an urban environment be it people management, project management, or business management, comes from experience. To see the essays introduction, body paragraphs and conclusion, read on. This term is often seen more negatively in the context of college acceptance and level of general intelligence. You can have all the book smarts in the world, but the real world will eat you up and spit you out if you aint able to play the game.
It is are divided into two equally important catagories. Street smarts is a major contribution to the great walkability shift so essential for sustainable, pleasant mobility in our lives. Book smarts derive their knowledge from theories and books and street smarts from experiences. Street smarts definition, shrewd awareness of how to survive or succeed in any situation, especially as a.
Street smarts meaning in the cambridge english dictionary. Apr 23, 20 street smarts refer to the tactical knowledge you gain through experience whereas book smarts relate to what you learn in school. This is the purpose of gordon myers book, street smart kids. Issues and ideas in public education, v39 n2 p145166 jun 2007. However, street smarts and book smarts completely mean different things. Vox populi worldly wisdom and wariness in human interactions. The first time i used urban dictionary, the online opensource dictionary of slang, i was looking for timbos. Street smarts definition, shrewd awareness of how to survive or succeed in any situation, especially as a result of living or working in a difficult environment, as a city ghetto neighborhood. Again, according to the urban dictionary, a street smart person is one who has a lot of common sense and knows whats going on in the world. Whats the difference between book smart and street smart. Book smart people are usually great at reading a chapter out of a textbook and passing a multiple choice test. The real difference between book smarts and genuine intelligence. Urban dictionary says a street smart person has a lot of common sense and knows whats going on in the world. But there is a lot to say about the value of being street smart.
Just as useful as book smarts, and in many cases more so. Its clear that some people have better judgment than others. Dan milsteins third book, street smart selling, how to be a sales superstar 2014, has earned top. Collaborating with a street smart clientturnedaide, a female private detective, and her mentor, she accepts cases that frequently pit her against her former colleagues. Streetsmart definition in the cambridge english dictionary.
There is no doubt in my mind street smarts kicks book smarts ass. Intelligent people are sometimes street smart because they have learned from experiences rather than books. But, by far, the most common definition of smart is to be very good at learning and understanding things. Street smarts definition of street smarts by merriamwebster.
We use cookies to enhance your experience on our website, including to provide targeted advertising and track usage. Street smarts definition and meaning collins english. Street smarts are based mostly on common sense and include things such as the ability to interact well in social situations, argue a point in order to get your way, or even lie your ass off if necessary and not get caught while still being able to recognize when someone else is lying. Street smarts definition in the cambridge english dictionary. However, the underlying idea is that the person deals with situations especially bad or difficult situations from an intellectual d.
How smartness is defined within schools contributes to low academic achievement by poor and racialethnic minority students. Why street smarts always win out over book smarts when it. Street smarts definition of street smarts by the free. Why you need to be street smart, not book smart better. Street smart s give you a different set of skills than academics. However, once people stopped shoving books down my throat and i got to pick my own choices, i began loving them. May 03, 2014 youre not going to find a tome that helps you to be smarter on the street. These particular people tend to look down on intelligent people who actually put time and effort into learning to make their lives better.
A shrewd ability to survive in a dangerous urban environment. Definition of street smarts in the idioms dictionary. It would be foolhardy to say that being book smart isnt a good thing. The street smart cop initially wants nothing to do with the ambitious, sophisticated lawyer, but he soon realizes she might be his only chance to save himself. What are some of the best books to develop street smarts. Definition of book smarts the online slang dictionary. In fact, most of the time youll find the word you are looking for after typing only one or two letters. Dictionary, the term streetsmarts is defined as the experience and knowledge necessary to deal with the potential difficulties or dangers of life in an urban environment.
Why would someone think being street smart is better. The figured world of smartness in the lives of marginalized, urban youth. Striking out, series 1 he grows up to become a street smart man with his gang that protects the women from abuse. On the flip side, being book smart comes from being wellversed with books. A phrase used by dumb andor ignorant people that want to use the word smart to describe themselves. Intelligent people are often creatively smart, looking for alternative ways of doing things rather than relying on rules or recipes. Common sense knowing who you can trust, which areas in town are good and which are bad, etc.
The main difference between street smart and book smart is that book smart is based on average best practices around the world. Streetsmart definition of streetsmart by the free dictionary. Essay on street smarts versus book smarts 706 words bartleby. While intelligence has been defined in many different ways including as ones capacity for logic, understanding, selfawareness, learning, emotional knowledge, planning, creativity, and problemsolving. Thousands of new words and definitions are added each day. However, the stereotype of a street smart person is someone who is intelligent and knows how to handle important situations in the streets. Intelligent people prefer direct experiences rather than following others ideas and experiences. You dont really need to look them up in urban dictionary to know that a person with street smarts is one with strong common sense, one who knows what is going on in the world, and one who knows how to handle different. Know a good few people who are just street smart who do quite well for themselves.
Smarts is a slang term for the knowledge and intellegence every person needs to get along in life. Ridonkulous street slang defined includes more than 2,000 of the latest contemporary slang entries. Engineers, planners, urban designers, elected officials and concerned citizens, read this book to strengthen your transportation understanding and win the looming policy debates. Street smarts definition of street smarts by medical dictionary. We dont care how many ads you see or how many pages you view.
Book smarts refer to the education, schooling and other kinds of knowledge that one has acquired. The ladies of the real share their views, in this girl chat. You can use street smarts to refer to the skills and intelligence people need to be. The result is an explosive, percussive, street smart energy that has not been rearranged or finessed through the lens of modern and ballet techniques. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean. Definition of streetsmarts noun in oxford advanced learners dictionary. Street smarts vs book smarts, the epic debate continued. The general definition of book smart is someone who is intelligent and very well educated academically. Shrewd awareness of how to survive in an often hostile urban environment. For many people, there is no difference between smart and intelligent, because the. Being able to succeed scholastically, and not necessarily in the real world. Street smarts vs book smarts talking about thinking.
The stereotype of a book smart person is someone who is upperclass and well educated but less knowledgeable when it comes to handling important situations faced in bad neighborhoods and lowerclass city areas a. The sample essay on book smart vs street smart essay deals with a framework of researchbased facts, approaches and arguments concerning this theme. The stereotype of a street smart person is someone who is intelligent and knows how to handle important situations in the real world. Having or displaying street smarts streetsmart definition of streetsmart by the free dictionary.