street-smarts 

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.

street-smarts by Uncle Dimma July 27, 2012

street-smarts 

all the education, business savvy, know how and skills that the person outside outside of the official education system and outside the family setting.

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 of this season of The Apprentice and find out.

street-smarts by Uncle Dimma May 19, 2012

street smarts 

Intelligence gained outside of school. Just as useful as book smarts, and in many cases more so. It can be divided into 4 categories.

1.Getting Along With Others- Knowing which questions to ask and not asking too many,being polite and friendly, but also being assertive.

2.Common Sense- Knowing who you can trust, which areas in town are good and which are bad, etc.

3.Self-defense-Knowing how to fight and fend off an attacker, especially if you are small.

4.BS-detection-Knowing when people are trying to fuck you over, reading their intentions, and knowing that most corporate advertisements are complete bullshit.

Dave Thomas founded Wendy's without school because he had street smarts.

street smarts by twibbix August 21, 2005

street smarts 

Someone who knows when to avoid potentially negative situations, that even with a favourable outcome, will not result in any value to them. Also able to read between the lines.

Tony did not have street smarts because he went down the dark alleyway instead of the one that had sunshine and flowers.

street smarts by Street smart May 1, 2009

street smarts 

Street smarts is the ability to survive in dangerous situations, fighting skills, and able to blend in with many different types of people.

I went to Compton and I survived the night therefore I have street smarts.

street smarts by Goran2012 January 26, 2011

Street Smarts 

What John Mulaney was taught by J.J. Bittenbinder all those years ago.

Person 1: I just escaped a kidnapper by throwing my money clip far away and running!
John Mulaney: STREET SMARTS

Street Smarts by BigBlueBunnyBehindBenches January 27, 2021

street smarts 

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...

carlo gambino had street smarts. that's why he was known in his neighborhood as a wiseguy.

street smarts by x October 11, 2004