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AN OLD PERSON’S GUIDE TO THE MILLENNIAL VOCABULARY: VOLUME 3

November 15, 2018 By AJ 3 Comments

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.

AN OLD PERSON’S GUIDE TO THE MILLENNIAL VOCABULARY

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.

AN OLD PERSON’S GUIDE TO THE MILLENNIAL VOCABULARY

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.

AN OLD PERSON’S GUIDE TO THE MILLENNIAL VOCABULARY

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.

AN OLD PERSON’S GUIDE TO THE MILLENNIAL VOCABULARY

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.

AN OLD PERSON’S GUIDE TO THE MILLENNIAL VOCABULARY

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.

# # #

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.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: glossary, Millennial Slang, Millennial Vocabulary, urban dictionary

AN OLD PERSON’S GUIDE TO THE MILLENNIAL VOCABULARY: VOLUME 2

December 5, 2016 By AJ 3 Comments

A Much Needed Sequel On Millennial Vocabulary and Slang

Last year’s Millennial Vocabulary Guide was a colossal hit and still comes up in conversation — and in a recent one with my friend Lia, I realized I should revisit the space. After all, “Squad” is “Fam” now and I needed to know what the hell “Snatched” means. Acronyms are also even more commonplace and prevalent than ever — anyone concerned we’re working up to fewer complete words in everyday conversation?

It’s only been a little more than a year, but SO MUCH can change in a year!

AN OLD PERSON’S GUIDE TO THE MILLENNIAL VOCABULARY

@: So, this was surprising to me, but I guess on group texts, you can use that “@” symbol and one person’s name to ask them something directly. Why you would do this and not just text them on their own is beyond me. But then, I don’t understand most of the things on this page.

BAIII: Is this “bae?” Is it “boo?” Is it “Bey?” Apparently it’s none of those. It’s a synonym for a “lad” or young man. OR, it might be “bye” said in a sassy way. I’ve seen both in my scientific research.

Basic: I was surprised to find I didn’t include this last year. But “basic” is more instinct than definitive. Think of girls who go to Coachella or wear Uggs with shorts, Moms who drink Pumpkin Spice Lattes and predictably stroll through Target. It’s a lack of sophistication and uniqueness.

Beat: Unattractive — probably derived from “beat with the ugly stick.” As in “Yo, that group of girls was beat.” However in some circles it can also mean applying makeup as in “Beat that face, bitch!”

Boots: This one was a little tough to track down but I think it was created by YouTube star Todrick Hall. He uses it for emphasis at the end of a sentence. For example, “I am so tired, boots.” This is just speculation but maybe it’s derived from when one adds “to boot” to a statement…?

CC: Cute couple.

Clap back: When someone insults you, you fire back! Search Twitter for the term. Enjoy.

Cuffing: Baby, it’s cold outside so let’s hook up. A lot. It’s CUFFING SEASON. (See also: “Thirsty.”)

dfmo: Dance floor make out. (HOT!)

Doing the most: Used as a statement to describe an action above and beyond the call of duty. “You threw him a surprise party and bought him all those presents? You are doing the most.”

Dragged: Ever gotten tangled up in a massive, argumentative Facebook thread? You mighta gotten dragged all over that thread, my friend.

dw: Don’t worry.

Extra: Not to be confused with “doing the most” but similarly means behavior above the norm. “Mom’s behavior was extra when she refused to accept Tim’s apology.” It’s traditionally negative to indicate inappropriate over-the-top anything, even appearances. You might also say “That guy is extra.”

f: “Eff” and “effing” weren’t short enough.

Fam: The new “Squad,” if you will. A way to describe your people. You can use it to explain a group as in “that’s my fam,” however you can also use it singularly. If your mom gave you a couple bucks, you might say “thanks, fam,” as you walk out the door.

Feels: A rush of emotion or many emotions that simply cannot be adequately explained.

AN OLD PERSON’S GUIDE TO THE MILLENNIAL VOCABULARY

OMG that face! That panda is giving me ALL THE FEELS. <3

 

Finesse: You might finesse a lady out of her undergarments or you might finesse a bag of cheetos. You’re basically stealing something.

FTW: For the win. It’s not new but apparently a few people think this can also mean “fuck the world.” That’s sort of…. upsetting?

FWIW: For what it’s worth….

Gagging: You are gagging for something you want very badly. You cannot contain yourself!

Ghosting: This one hurt my heart a little. I’ve been it’s victim. It’s the act of suddenly, and without explanation, ceasing all communication with someone the subject is dating, but no longer wishes to date.

Goals AF: We know from our last lesson what “AF” means. This is kind of a new “squad goals.” When you see someone living the life you want, it is “Goals AF.”

GOAT: GREATEST OF ALL TIME. Very commonly used in sports. Often represented by just the goat emoji. Was also a fairly terrible Nick Jonas movie about fraternity hazing….

AN OLD PERSON’S GUIDE TO THE MILLENNIAL VOCABULARY

Hunty: Hunty is a combination of “honey” and, well, the c-word. It originated in the drag world and was popularized on the show “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” There was some debate on my Facebook page as to whether or not a heterosexual person can use this word. I do not know if the world will ever reach a verdict in this very important discussion.

Insta: You do not need to say “Instagram” full out anymore. You can also use “IG” on social.

JFC: Jesus Fucking Christ.

Litty: VERY lit.

narp – Not a real person; “I’m narping around today.” (I kinda dig that one. I feel pretty narpy sometimes….)

OTP: One True Pairing. Your OTP is a couple you are emotionally invested in. My OTP is Barack and Michelle. If they ever break up, I’ll totes die. Runners up: Ellen and Portia, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, Neil Patrick Haris and David Burtka.

RBF: Resting. Bitch. Face. You can’t help it. It’s just how your face looks, right?

Receipts: I keep seeing this one and I actually really like it. It refers to evidence of a person’s hypocrisy, often pulled from past social media or text conversations. Example: “She called me basic, but I have receipts from her Insta of her drinking a PSL.”

rn: Right now.

Salty: Being pissed. As in “I’m a little salty over that loss, sis.”

Savage: I’ve seen this a couple ways. I’ve seen it used in lieu of “badass” but I’ve also seen it used in lieu of “brutal.” So you tell me, youngins….

Ship: OMG. I have the hardest time with this one. Every time I think I’m using it right, someone tells me I’m failing. I read the other day in some blog or another that “Ship is one of the most important terms on the Internet.” (Really???) It comes from the word relationship,, obviously. You “ship” the two people you want to be in a relationship. So, if you think Olivia Pope and Fitz Grant (from “Scandal”) should be together, you ship Olivia and Fitz. I think. I guess.

Sis: We are supposed to use this now, instead of “bro.”

Slide into my/the DMs: When you start a direct message chain on a social media platform, with the hopes of achieving a booty call.

Snatched: So now, a year later, I’ve learned that “snatched” is the new fleek or on point. Snatched can also replace slay…. I think. Anything from your eyebrows to your outfit can be snatched. If your eyebrows are slaying, they’re snatched. If your outfit is on point, it’s snatched.

Stan: Stan is the internet’s new word for a hardcore fan. If it reminds you of Eminem’s song of the same name, that’ because – quite obviously – it came from it. You can also use it as a verb, as in “stanning letters.”

Stunt: To show off. Example: “He sure knows how to stunt, y’all.”

Sus: Comes out of the word suspect. “Remember when Cady gave Regina George those ‘weight loss’ bars? That was sus.”

Swoll: Buff. Short for “swollen.”

TFTI: Thanks for the invite.

TFW: That feeling when….

Thirsty: You want it baaaaad.

TLDR: Too long, didn’t read. Good for those 9 paragraph Facebook statuses, right?

Triggered: Well, this has much more to do with things like PTSD but apparently the kids are using it in everyday conversation now: “Dave was triggered because he hates the sound of gum chewing.”

V: Instead of typing out “very.” Because we don’t have to bother with that nonsense now…

Woes: Another one to thank Drake for. It refers to your friends: “Spent the day shopping with my woes.”

Woke: As in “Stay Woke” or “Stay Woke AF.” Being hyper-aware.

YoPro: Young professional.

* * *

Special thanks once again to my Facebook friends who provided ample content for this post.

Did I miss something? Make sure it wasn’t in last year’s glossary or leave a comment!

Filed Under: Pop Culture Tagged With: acronyms, Fam, Millennial Slang, Millennial Vocabulary, popular abbreviations, Snatched, Squad, Woke

An Old Person’s Guide to the Millennial Vocabulary

November 24, 2015 By AJ 7 Comments

I had lunch with some co-workers last week and proceeded to get schooled on a list of new vocabulary but that was just the beginning. A post on Facebook rendered dozens of comments and an email to some of my younger friends and family members produced words more foreign to me than Japanese.

So I decided I needed to do some research. While the vernacular seems ever changing and I have no doubt there are even more words and phrases I’ve missed, here’s a glossary of terms that might help us all feel a little more in the know.

Warning: I did not “bleep” the curse words.

An Old Person's Guide to the Millennial Vocabulary

AF: “As fuck.” As in, “I’m tired AF,” or “That girl’s tacky AF.” Also my initials. It’s kind of my favorite.

DGAF: “Don’t give a fuck.” Sometimes pronounced D-Gaf. I don’t know how you casually work that into a spoken sentence but I have no doubt it will find it’s way into my typed sentences frequently AF.

An Old Person's Guide to the Millennial Vocabulary

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ : I mean, this is a person shrugging, right? So I guess it means DGAF? Or IDK? Maybe it’s like “whatevs!”

Bae: I guess this is the new “Boo,” which is slang for “baby,” right? Like “Hey Bae!” FYI, I read that in Dutch, “Bae” means “Poop.” (Note: This is not to be confused with “Bey” or “Queen Bey” as in Beyonce.)

Boom, roasted….

BTW: BTW isn’t just an acronym for “by the way” anymore. It’s used in daily conversation but when said aloud it’s pronounced “B. T. Dubs.”

Chawl: Chill, cool, awesome. For example, “Elon Musk’s Hyperloop is going to make trips from LA to SF in 35 minutes, so chawl.”

Dafaq: Because I guess “WTF” wasn’t hip anymore.

An Old Person's Guide to the Millennial Vocabulary

Dank: Of good quality. “This Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon 1992 is so dank!”

Dead: High emotion. When you’ve passed the point of something being hilariously funny or intensely amazing. The stories in this video crack me up and offer a great example.

Dirty: Actually means really good. Like “Yo, that beat is DIRTY.”

Edges on fleek: I think this has something to do with your hair looking good… For whatever reason, I spent the most time researching this term and then my brain started to ooze out of my ears…

FOMO/FOMA: “Fear of missing out/action.” I might say, for example, “I can’t leave the party this early. Major FOMO.”

Gnar: A derivative of the word gnarly; intense as in “Professor Randall’s theory on dinosaur extinction is gnar.”

GTFO: “Get the fuck out,” but not, like, literally. It’s more like when you’re in disbelief. See also: STFU.

Highkey: So this either means “truth” or “something over the top.” Allow me to give a couple examples: “Highkey, man! Check out that ass!” or “Late night party in the hills. It’ll be highkey.” What a versatile adjective.

Hundo P: 100%. If someone asks “Are you hungry?” one might respond “Hundo P full from breakfast.”

I Can’t: Enough is enough so you just cannot anymore! “OMG, I can’t with that puppy. It is too cute!” Often followed by “dad” as in “OMG, I can’t. Dead.” Can also be used in conjunction with “even” as in “I can’t even.” Blogger Awesomely Luvvie often says “I’m unable to CAN” and then she invented the UNABLE TOUCAN. Genius.

An Old Person's Guide to the Millennial Vocabulary

IRL: “In real life.” For example, “IRL he’s totes lowkey.”

Kickback: So apparently this is like more than just hanging out but not quite a party. I think I am too old for kickbacks. Let me know when it means “nap.”

Lit: This is how this was explained to me so your guess is as good as mine — “Yoooo, this party is LIT, come thru.”

LMK: “Let me know.”

Lowkey: The opposite of highkey. Which I’m not even sure I understand.

Mass: A large amount. “You hear Marriott bought Starwood Hotels? They are about to make mass money!”

MOT: Member of the Tribe (For us Jews, I think.)

MRW: “My reaction when…” usually accompanied by a funny gif.  Here’s MRW Jenny McCarthy offered her opinion about Charlie Sheen’s HIV diagnosis:

An Old Person's Guide to the Millennial Vocabulary

Netflix and chill: I was totally going to type “isn’t this kind of self-explanatory?” but then I looked it up on Urban Dictionary. Which I’m just gonna link y’all to cause I’m not about that life. I guess we found where I’ll draw the line.

No chill: Pretty much what you’d imagine. “Dude, you have no chill.”

On Fleek: The quality of perfection. “Your outfit is so on fleek!”

Put on blast: Getting called out for bad behavior. “She put him on blast when she learned he gave her herpes.” I actually put someone on blast at work yesterday. It was totes rewarding.

Ratchet: Look, as far as I’m concerned, this is a type of socket wrench. I don’t understand much more than that.

Same: An entire sentence in one word to echo a sentiment. Don’t say “me too,” say “SAME.”

Saucin’ on you: This one has me perplexed. Does it mean “I’m crushing on you?” Does it mean something about swag? I found several definitions during my in-depth research and came up with nothing declarative.

Shade: Apparently it’s something you metaphorically throw at someone who is disrespecting you. A derivative of one acting “shady.”

An Old Person's Guide to the Millennial Vocabulary

SMH: “Shaking my head” because you are straight embarrassing.

Snatched: All evidence to the contrary, this is actually a compliment. “Hey, have you seen Jim’s abs lately? He got snatched over the Summer.”

Sorry Not Sorry: A short way to say “I’m sorry but I’m actually NOT sorry.” Like when I tweeted this the other day….

Apparently the coffee I had today has made me intolerably hyper. Sorry, coworkers. #sorrynotsorry

— AJ Feuerman (@ajfeuerman) November 13, 2015

Squad: Your crew, your posse, your homies. Taylor Swift started collecting starlets to be her BFFs and suddenly everyone was all about “Squad Goals.”

STFU: “Shut the fuck up.” See also: GTFO

Supsies: A greeting. “Oh — supsies James Franco, are you performing tonight on Def Jam Poetry?” (Remember when we all shortened “Wassup?” to “Sup?” in the nineties? That.)

TBH: “To be honest….”

Tho/Doe: Just short for “though” but used to highlight a point. “That ass, tho!” “That smile, tho!” You get it.

TIL: “Today I learned….” Used less in verbal communication and more as a space-saver on Reddit and Twitter, etc.

TSIR: “The struggle is real.” So much so that we can’t even type that full out anymore. Often accompanied by a hearty SMH.

Turnt/turnt up: An exclamation of excess. “Yo, this party’s about to get TURNT!” OR excessively drunk, I think? “We’re gonna get turnt up tonight!” I’ll probably never use this word seriously.

WOE: We have Drake to thank for this one. It stands for “Working on excellence.”

WYD: “What You Doin?”

Yasssss: I especially liked the definition on Urban Dictionary: “Shit white girls say when they are extremely over excited and/or have had too many pumpkin spice lattes.”

* * *

Oddly, I think researching and writing this post has aged me a couple years.

Special thanks to my cousins, my Facebook friends, all the youngins… you know who you are.

And now, readers, tell me: WHAT WORDS DID I MISS?

Filed Under: Pop Culture Tagged With: An Old Person's Guide to the Millennial Vocabulary, Dafaq, Millennial Slang, Taylor Swift, Turnt, Vocabulary

"Today I will be classy and elegant. Or, I will spill on my shirt and trip over things."

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