Slang Words - My Dilemma

I love getting together with family for Thanksgiving.

In fact, my wife and I have hosted for several decades without fail. It is one of the few days each year that all generations of our family gather in one place. As the years pass however, I noticed that I struggle with my understanding of conversations that take place amongst the ‘younger adults’. I am aware that every generation invents their own fresh take on slang, but as the years pass – keeping up is getting a bit tougher. 21% of older adults feel that it is “difficult” to relate to youth because of the vocabulary, with 29% just smiling and nodding (me) to save face but having no idea where to chip in.

A poll of 2,000 adults found “choong,” “leng” and “it slaps” are most likely to leave over 45s scratching their heads. While “snatched,” “peng” and “boujee” are also terms Gen Z use that are baffling. Others are confused by “charge it,” “aired” and “shook.” Unsurprisingly, 28% of those over 45 said the new slang they hear comes from their own children.

According to research by Mentos Gum, 26% of older adults have turned to Google or Urban Dictionary to work out the meaning behind their kids’ or younger colleagues’ cryptic utterings. While 1 in 10 wouldn’t dream of owning up to being unsure about the meaning of a slang word or phrase.

On the flip side (see what I did there?), the term “far out,” often used in the 1960s, was recognized and understood by just 32% of Gen Z. But the word “groovy” is still going strong, with 75% of Boomers and 51% of Gen Z familiar with the term.

Millennials are still saying ‘yes’ to fresh new words as they come along, but will they drop the words as they get older? Which of these new slang terms will still be going strong decades from now – who knows?

Here are the top 20 new slang words compiled from various resources. How many would you have known?

1. Fresh: How someone carries themselves, someone that is dressed well: “You look fresh!”
2. Period: Ends a statement or to strongly agree: “I’m not talking about this anymore, period”
3. Swag: Confidence or charm, someone who is dressed well: “Check out his swag."
4. Choong: Describes someone attractive: “That girl on the train was choong.”
5. Leng: Describes a beautiful object or person: “That guy is leng.”
6. It slaps: When something is desirable or good: “This meal slaps.”
7. This hits different: Something out of the ordinary or better than usual: “I haven’t eaten all day, this pizza hits different.”
8. Charge it: Accept it and move on: “I’m heartbroken” – “Oh well, charge it.”
9. Aired: To be ignored: “I’ve been messaging her all day, but she aired me.”
10. Shook: Shocked, when you can’t believe what you’re seeing: “I’m shook.”
11. Peng: Someone or something very attractive or desirable: “That’s peng.”
12. Boujee: something luxurious: “This restaurant is so boujee.”
13. Snatched: Beautiful body or face: “Your make-up is snatched”
14. Fire: Something that is really good: “This song is fire.”
15. Lit: Good review / drunk: “This party is lit!” or “He’s too lit, don’t let him have more to drink.”
16. Slay: Succeeding or looking great: “Your boots slay.”
17. Did that: If something amazing was done: “You did that."
18. Gassed: Excited, “I can’t believe we got tickets to Glastonbury – I’m gassed!”
19. Drip: Describes an outfit, accessory or person: He had insane drip.”
20. Ick: Cringe, something you get: "It gave me the ick”

I thought about printing this out, but the embarrassment of being caught with a slang vocabulary list would be greater than my usual - just smile and nod!