Define Street Smarts Meaning

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.
By Sharona
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.
By Margie
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.
By Jo Ann
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.
By Barb
Street Smarts

Dumbass Billy says, "I dun need no school, I have dun got street smarts."
By Crystal
Street Smarts
a tv show that has the most stupid, idiotic, brain dead people that were ever born.

street smarts would probably ask the question "are you to stupid to live?" and "did your mother ever have any children that lived?" these are the people that could answer these questions and probably get them wrong.
By Kissie
Street Smarts

"She got mad street smarts yo."
By Friederike
Street Smart
A person who has alot of common sense and knows what's going on in the world. This person knows what every type of person has to deal with daily and understands all groups of people and how to act around them. This person also knows all the current shit going on in the streets and the ghetto and everywhere else and knows how to make his own right decisions, knows how to deal with different situations and has his own independant state of mind. A street smart person isn't stubborn and actually listens to shit and understands shit.

that dude actually understands alot of shit thats going on today, he's street smart
By Mahalia
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
By Ddene
Street Smart
The general definition of street smart is someone who is intelligent, has good common sense, knows how to handle bad situations, and has the skills necessary to function where they live (usually the ghetto or the streets). However, the term is usually used to contrast and compare with another term known as "book smart".

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 well-educated academically. However, the stereotype of a book smart person is someone who is upper-class and well educated but less knowledgeable when it comes to handling important situations faced in bad neighborhoods and lower-class city areas.

The more extreme and negative stereotypes are that street smart people are unintelligent and incapable of achieving a higher education, while book smart people are naive, easily manipulated, and have bad judgment in bad situations.

Both stereotypes aren't always true and any semblance of them are only due to different lifestyles and experiences.

Josh: Are you sure me and Jason will get along? Jason is street smart and I'm book smart. We will probably be very different from each other.

Mike: Nah, don't worry. Jason may be street smart but he is also book smart. I'm sure you two will have a lot in common.
By Manya