The word Key has various definitions and since its introduction into the English language, variations and new meanings of the word have developed.  Through these various definitions slight variations of the word were created and slang terms develop.  Slang terms have been used throughout the history of our language and are always changing.  The slang definitions of the term key have changed a lot over time and they do not have a very obvious relationship to the actual definitions.  Even though key does not have an obvious relation to the actual definition it can be related to the dictionary definition through various phrases and not so common definitions.

     The word Key was once referred to as a typical Ivy League college student from the 1950s.  To me the slang term Key is considered to be quite similar to the word cool however no dictionary gives a valid slang definition for the word.  Key would be best defined as having control of ones self and emotions and having a sort of nonchalance about them.  Key does not only submit to people but the term could also apply to things and events.   For example if I were snowboarding with my friends and I though that a jump was good I would say, �Lets go back down the trail we were just on, there is a really key jump at the beginning.�  Not only could key refer to people but also it can refer to things.  A definition for the term key that would apply to things could be considered as something that appeals to a person or has good aspects about that thing.  The slang definition of the term key I use may not apply or appeal to everyone but slang terms are always subject to change.

     The slang term for key is commonly used in everyday conversations that I would have with my friends.  It is not the sort of word that a person would want to use in a job interview or a formal business conversation.  Although the definition that I use of the word key is not yet accepted in the dictionary of American Standard English.  The slang definition that I use for the word key should be accepted in to American Standard English for the primary reason that any term is accepted into American Standard English.  And the reason any term is accepted into American Standard English is because that word has a strong relation to the true meaning of the actual word.  Through the true meaning of the word key I was able to make an association that verifies its slang meaning and therefore gives it all the more reason to be accepted into American Standard English.

      The word Key is defined in the dictionary as a few different things.  A key is most commonly known as an instrument usually made of iron for moving the bolt or bolts of a lock forwards or backwards.  A key is also commonly known as a low island, sandbank or reef such as those common in the West Indies or Florida.  The two previous meanings have nothing to do with the slang meaning of the term.  The first time I have ever heard the word key referred to it as I use it was in a Sublime video.  I am assuming that the slang term originated through the definition that states, �To cause something to fit in with something else or into a group, pattern, etc.�(OED)  The slang term may also have been derived from phrases such as �in key (with)� or �out of key (with)�.  In key or out of key can be defined as either in style or out of style.

     Over time slang words change with generation and different perceptions of the words are developed.  The slang meaning of the word key may not always be used the same way that I use it and it will most likely change over time.  And not all slang words are readily accepted by standard dictionaries or accepted into American Standard English. However the beauty of slang is that the altered meaning of the word that you derive does not have to be in any dictionary or accepted as Standard English.  Slang terms are just variations of the words definition and they will also continue to change generation after generation based upon the perception of that word by the people.  Most slang meanings of terms probably are not recognized in American Standard English for the reason that they do not leave that circle of friends or group of people.  Cleary, the word key should be accepted into Standard American English just for the fact that it has a good relationship to the true definition.  As my friends and I would say, �That would be key if our meaning of the word is accepted into Standard American English.�