Hoochie: I’ve been working for her for seven years. And I’ve been wanting to smack her up for seven years. And tonight, she gave me the opportunity.
Cashier: What if she called the police?
Hoochie: She couldn’t call no cops. It was self‐defense. She’d go to jail.
–Bodega, Bensonhurst
Girl: What happened?
Guy: Man, that girl brushed up on me, so I turned around, and the bitch said, “Don’t fucking look at me!” and she slapped me!
Girl: Really?!
Guy: And then my girl just starting beating on her!
Girlfriend: Haha yeah! Did you see all that blood?
Guy: Girl must have been coked out for it to come spilling out like that.
Girl: It was crazy! We didn’t know what was going on!
Girlfriend: Its like that time at the club when I took off my shoe!
–Kellogg Diner, Brooklyn
Girl #1: To tell the truth, I don’t know why everyone’s sad he’s gone… He sounded like a horrible person. He wasn’t exactly a faithful guy, from what I’ve heard.
Girl #2: Well, no, he only cheated on her once.
Girl #1: Once is one time too many! And he seems like the type to beat her, too.
Girl #2: No. Well, wait… He did… But it was only once.
Girl #2: Oh, okay! Only once…
–Starbucks
Overheard by: Itwasonlyonce
Guy #1: You don’t know what you’re talking about.
Guy #2: What am I, an idiot?
Guy #1: You always don’t know what you’re talking about, and that’s your biggest problem.
Guy #2: What am I, an alien?
–Park Slope
Big guy on phone: … All I’m sayin’ is that’s wrong, man — you hit an ol’ woman, and you’re a boxer!
–151st & Amsterdam
Overheard by: Thin walls
Guy on cell: So, wait — you punched her or slapped her? In the face?! Oh. Ow… Yeah, that’s still not appropriate.
–N 6th St, Brooklyn
Overheard by: j
Angry guy on cell: This guy laid a fucking warrant on me for beating up crackheads!
–168th & Fort Washington Ave
Overheard by: RR
Five‐year‐old girl to seven‐year‐old brother: I’ll punch your Adam’s apple straight down your throat!
–Graham Ave bus station
Black girl on rising escalator, to friend: If he says anything to me, I’m gonna kick him in the ding‐ding and then run!
–Broadway East station
Overheard by: Subwaysurfer
Tipsy, barefoot woman, lifting skirt in broad daylight: Gotta air out my coochie!
–W 88th St
Belligerent drunk woman: I’ve never even heard of these fucking stops! (later) Scarsdale! I don’t even know how to spell “Scarsdale”! Other than…Scarsdale. (later) What the fuck is Hartsdale? Slap me across the face with a big dick!
–Metro‐North Train
Drunk girl to friends sitting on a couch left on the sidewalk: Don’t sit on that couch, it’s probably covered in bodily urine!
–East Village
Overheard by: Herr Professor Doktor
Drunk wife to drunk husband during poker game: Don’t you dare tell me about things that I don’t understand!
–Poker Game, Astoria
Overheard by: NYCWATERBABY
Drunk girl: Bedford Avenue does not know how to find the clit!
–L Train
Girl to another: And she went to get into her car. I was like “you’d better get out of here or I’m gonna fuck you up.” And she was all slamming the door and stopping over to me. And I was all in her face and bitch‐slapped her. Well, that last part might have been a dream. But then she got into her car and left.
–NY Central Library
Overheard by: amused
Woman on cell: Hi, Annie! How are you? (pause) I’m going to get my ass kicked by a very big black man.
–Park Slope
Suit on cell: If you don’t stop hanging up on me, I will kick you in the throat.
–Times Square
Guy on cell, very loudly: Yeah, but, so nobody knows about it except me and the other guys in the fight club.
–21st St & Broadway
Overheard by: Alex
20‐something girl: And then she chloroformed me. (pause) I said that too loud.
–Penn Station
Overheard by: Russ
Mr. Ivory: Why can’t I say the “N” word?
Mr. Ebony: Certain people can’t say certain things. Like we as Americans can say “Americans are so dumb to vote in Bush again”, but let a Canadian say that same thing and I will slap his ass.
–East Village
Girl #1: Oh my god! What happened to your face?!
Girl #2, with black eye: I got pimp‐slapped.
Girl #1: What does that mean?
Girl #2: You know, like when a ho gets out of line, her pimp backhands her. You know, like “bitch, where’s my money?!” (pauses) Smack!
Girl #1: What? You were slapped by a pimp?
Girl #2, annoyed: No! Ugghh, Derek* hit me!
Girl #1: I don’t get it, I thought he was a lawyer.
Girl #2: You are such a fucking idiot… You’re buying me lunch.
–Chelsea
Guy: I didn’t realize your true nature till you slapped me in the face.
Girl: Right.
–Astoria
Overheard by: Natalie
