Word formation variants of phraseological units are characterized by the difference in word formation structure of words-components and are represented more widely in slang than in the literary (standard) language. Word formation variation in slang is characterized by a specific set of means which are not represented in word formation variation of literary language phraseological units: in slang the variation of non-synonymous prefixes takes place; there is a tendency of forming variants by means of desuffixation; most phraseological variants are marked by reflected variation and the synonymy of a motivating and motivated variants, which leads to word formation affixes desemantization.