The Wait is over. Here we go again.
My very first edition of “An Old Person’s Guide To The Millennial Vocabulary” was a smashing success so crafting Volume Two was a no-brainer. It’s been a hot minute since, but at long last, I felt it was time to get back into my hard core research (i.e. crowd-sourcing on Facebook) and assemble the latest words I do not understand for a third volume of my glossary series.
You guys, every time I put one of these together, it’s a stunning reminder that I am AGING. Sigh.
Best life: A hella (do people still use “hella?”) catchy song by Cardi B but also, a way of expressing pride as in “living my best life” or a compliment “he’s living his best life.”
Bougie: Typically used sarcastically to describe someone acting uppity or of a higher class.
Canceled: To reject something because it’s no longer trendy or it’s become too ratchet.
Chuh: If someone says “chuh,” it means they’ve combined sure and yep into one word. (Why is that necessary?)
Curve: If you reject someone, you in essence , “curve them.”
Darty: Day party. There will probably be day drinking there.
Dipset: To depart. To exit. To bounce. As in “Hey guys, I’m about to dipset but I’ll talk to you later.”
Esh-get-it: Or, “esketit.” Short for “let’s get it.”
Finsta: Short for a fake Instagram. If you ask me, the term is misleading because it’s a private Insta account to show off the real aspects of your daily life that you wouldn’t feel comfortable sharing with followers on a regular page. So it’s not really fake, right?
Fire: About as cool as something can get. “That dish is straight fire.”
Flex: Showing off, “flexing,” your valuables in a non-humble way.
Gassed: When someone has had one too many compliments and is full of themselves
Generic: When you are so, so basic, you are just generic.
Girlypop: Girlypop is some girls’ favorite way to classify their friends. A general greeting that some use regularly to acknowledge their besties.
GMT: An acronym for “getting me tight,” which is getting upset.
Issa mood: Simply short for “it’s a mood.” How it sounds.
It me: A way to convey something represents exactly how you feel.
JOMO: Perhaps you have heard of “FOMO,” which is “fear of missing out” (and if not, it was in Volume One). JOMO is the opposite; the “joy of missing out.” (And BTW, it me.)
Kiki: In addition to being the subject matter of a super annoying Drake song (#SorryNotSorry), it’s also a synonym for a party.
LB/FB: Some text speak for “like back” and “follow back.”
Merch: Merch is short for “merchandise,” AKA swag or, really, just stuff.
Mom: The most responsible friend in the group
Noods: Nudes. Like, we’re that silly now that we’re just spelling words differently with the same amount of letters.
Norts: Norts are the ultimate fashion statement when you arrive at college. Norts began as Nike shorts, but now can include any shorts. They may seem extremely short when wearing them, but it’s just because those who sport them are wearing shirts that are three times their actual size.
Phubbing: Snubbing someone to pay attention to your phone instead.
Quiche: Used to describe someone who is hotter than hot.
Respeck: So much respect you can’t even get the ‘T’ sound out of your mouth. (EYE ROLL.)
Salty: Pissed off, annoyed, etc.
Shook: An adjective to describe a state of shock. “Girl, I am shook.”
Smol: Sometime small and adorable like a puppy or kitten.
Snack: I’m not saying I endorse this, but it’s when someone looks so good, you could eat them, hence you refer to them as a “snack.”
Suh: This word is a shortened version of “what’s up” — like many of these terms, it came into use as a way to shorten an existing phrase for texting purposes.
Swerve: A command to get someone out of the way or command someone to avoid something.
Tea: Tea is gossip. You can pour it, you can drink it and you can serve it. All the tea. So much tea. (I love this one!)
Thicc: Someone with curves
Thirst trap: A sexy photograph or flirtatious message posted on social media
Trill: True and real.
Troll: This is not a reference to the creatures often found in works of fiction. Rather, it refers to assholes who have nothing better to do than provoke others online with negativity.
Tuning: Chatting a person up in a flirtatious manner to advance toward a sexual or romantic relationship. “Ugh, he was tuning some random girls on Tinder….”
Weird flex: Often stated as “weird flex, but okay” when someone brags about something that isn’t really brag-worthy.
Wig snatched: Exposing someone to reveal the truth
Xennials: TFW milennials hate being called milennials because only milennials would make up a new word to categorize themselves under.
Yeet: A way to show excitement or agree. But also to disagree. Yeeting is very versatile. Like “fuck!” but less offensive.
Za: Apparently we’re shortening the word “pizza” now. I wish we wouldn’t. This is ridiculous.
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Y’all, it’ll be a good chunk of time before I get to the next volume but did I miss any words? I’m open to amendments! Drop me a note in the comments.
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