A trait that helps one cope with the everyday person or situation in the Ghetto and ALSO in personal life and business. A people person. One good with words. Smooth-talker.
by bearclaw/// July 24, 2009
An adjective that dumb people use to describe themselves, when they don't get good grades in school.
Zach: Even though I'm failing all of my classes, I think its more important to be street smart than book smart.
by TheCatcherInThePye March 29, 2013
Strictly defined, "Street Smart" describes a person with knowledge gained by experience rather than education.
In practical application, "Street Smart" is what stupid people claim to be in order to save face when their stupidity comes to light. It is effective in that regard, as it can not be disproved and places the individual in a higher regard than someone who is "Book Smart" by promoting their nebulous "Smarts" as being more practical than the well-educated individual's.
In the context of psychology, the claim of being "Street Smart" when an individual's stupidity is made apparent is vital to preserving their mental well-being. Most people have been engineered to have the fragile type of high self-esteem, which is self-esteem developed in the absence of actual merit that would warrant high self-esteem. As a part of this fragile self-esteem, the person will believe that they are smart regardless of real intelligence, and when that person's iteration of reality is threatened (i.e. their stupidity is made apparent) the psyche protects itself by assuring the individual that what they've been told all their life (that they are smart) is still true by denying this new and conflicting information (their obvious stupidity) and substituting it with an alternative reality, thus avoiding much Cognitive Dissonance (mental pain that results from beliefs not matching reality) and so averting a psychic break. To summarize in a quote, "I reject your reality and replace it with my own."
In practical application, "Street Smart" is what stupid people claim to be in order to save face when their stupidity comes to light. It is effective in that regard, as it can not be disproved and places the individual in a higher regard than someone who is "Book Smart" by promoting their nebulous "Smarts" as being more practical than the well-educated individual's.
In the context of psychology, the claim of being "Street Smart" when an individual's stupidity is made apparent is vital to preserving their mental well-being. Most people have been engineered to have the fragile type of high self-esteem, which is self-esteem developed in the absence of actual merit that would warrant high self-esteem. As a part of this fragile self-esteem, the person will believe that they are smart regardless of real intelligence, and when that person's iteration of reality is threatened (i.e. their stupidity is made apparent) the psyche protects itself by assuring the individual that what they've been told all their life (that they are smart) is still true by denying this new and conflicting information (their obvious stupidity) and substituting it with an alternative reality, thus avoiding much Cognitive Dissonance (mental pain that results from beliefs not matching reality) and so averting a psychic break. To summarize in a quote, "I reject your reality and replace it with my own."
Lance: "The world is flat." Or whatever.
David: "No, the world is round. That's how we have a horizon. In any case, we've been to space and seen it for ourselves. Many, many times. Dumbass."
Lance: "WHATEVER I'M NOT BOOK SMART I'M STREET SMART"
David: "No, the world is round. That's how we have a horizon. In any case, we've been to space and seen it for ourselves. Many, many times. Dumbass."
Lance: "WHATEVER I'M NOT BOOK SMART I'M STREET SMART"
by unoriginal_name33 March 11, 2017
all the education, business savvy, know how and skills that the person has acquired through personal experience, outside the official public education system and outside the family setting (without being taught by family members).
boy one: who do you think Donald Trump is more likely to hire at the end his show The Apprentice, is it someone who is school-smart and possibly Ivy League educated, or someone who has more street-smarts?
boy two: Dunno. we'll have to watch until the end of this current season of The Apprentice and find out.
boy two: Dunno. we'll have to watch until the end of this current season of The Apprentice and find out.
by Sexydimma July 28, 2012
something stupid people made up to make themselves feel better about themselves, aka things smart people already know
by snackdaniels April 29, 2018
A common trait for many people, especially males, that usually grew up either in the inner city or hardworking rural environment. Average intelligence, common sense, lack of interest in reading, ability to fix most anything without needing an instruction manual, skill at handling difficult people, and a refreshing lack of personal warmth are typical traits. People who lack street smarts usually grew up or live in the suburbs, work a white collar job, regular churchgoers, stay in their personal protective cocoon, shelter their kids, and hire people to fix their things.
Street Smart
by waspcoloredstain October 26, 2013
one who is knowledgible at some art of illegal activity. understands the code and conduct held within a certain crime family/ies.
the term came from the common street hoodlum who knows how to succeed in areas that don't necessaryly need a formal education to get ahead in life.
for instance a group(crew) of criminals enterprise at trafficing and selling narcotics. they need some type of illegal practice for processing, smuggling, marketing and laundering money for their underground buisness. since the buisness is illegal, they set rules and regulations to keep the buisness from toppling. in doing so they from a "family" to keep outsiders from interfering and make their own checks and balances within their own "family" inorder to get rid of any potential rogue members; some of the codes that one would hold is that they:
* did not cooperate with authorities
* maintained self-control in the face of adversity
* carried out vendettas to avenge any slight suffering by his family(gang)
* did not forgive or forget
* maintained his demeanor within his ranking in a criminal hierarchy
it could be as petty like knowning how to card a door open, start a car without keys to a professional con-artist, a hit man, loan shark, ect...
the term came from the common street hoodlum who knows how to succeed in areas that don't necessaryly need a formal education to get ahead in life.
for instance a group(crew) of criminals enterprise at trafficing and selling narcotics. they need some type of illegal practice for processing, smuggling, marketing and laundering money for their underground buisness. since the buisness is illegal, they set rules and regulations to keep the buisness from toppling. in doing so they from a "family" to keep outsiders from interfering and make their own checks and balances within their own "family" inorder to get rid of any potential rogue members; some of the codes that one would hold is that they:
* did not cooperate with authorities
* maintained self-control in the face of adversity
* carried out vendettas to avenge any slight suffering by his family(gang)
* did not forgive or forget
* maintained his demeanor within his ranking in a criminal hierarchy
it could be as petty like knowning how to card a door open, start a car without keys to a professional con-artist, a hit man, loan shark, ect...
by x October 11, 2004