Claw nails, man buns, and jewel-colored hair are not the only strangely off-beat things about the young people of 2016. Being one of them, I have struggled to try and understand my people for quite some time, and my confusion doesn’t end at fashion trends or odd social media agendas. The way the people of my generation speak confuses the shit out of me, and there are some words and phrases that need to go.
1. “On fleek”
This phrase, usually used to describe someone’s eyebrows or make-up is made up. Originating from a vine, no one knows what it actually means. “Damn Stacie, those eyebrows are on fleek” is a legitimate sentence someone would say, except they wouldn’t use the word “legitimately”; they would say “legit,” because who has time for that many syllables? Not me.
2. “Doe”
“Dat ass doe” is apparently a compliment. “Doe” seriously means “though.” Can someone tell me why we have decided to substitute a word with another word that sounds like the same word but makes us look completely illiterate? We aren’t even shortening syllables here, people. I’ll tell you this much: We sound dumb, doe.
3. “Guap”
This word used to mean more than it does, like all of the English language in this shitty society. It originated from the streets of Harlem, where I’m pretty sure 90 percent of the posers who use the word have never been. “Guap” refers to large sums of money. In a Mims song, he says, “ask me what I paid, I said yeah I paid a guap.” So, like, what did you pay? Because we still don’t know.
4. “Lit”
No, sorry to get your hopes up, this word has nothing to do with literature. “Lit” isn’t short for anything, in fact it means that it’s on fire, which is somehow not considered hazardous. This word used to only be used when talking about being high or effed up, but now I could substitute it for basically any adjective and be able to get away with it. “Damn Barbara, that honey-baked ham was lit.” Totally acceptable.
5. “Turnt”
Nothing frustrates me more than the word “turnt.” This slang word has more flaws than the current political candidates, yet people are still using it. Turnt? Who made up this word? I feel like it was a Hurricane High School drop-out who doesn’t know how to pronounce their D’s. It seems like a mistake. Did someone mean to say “turned,” and their Utah education didn’t prepare them for it? All these young folks are over here trying to get “turnt up” and slowly losing the ability to form cognitive sentences. When I flip on the light, is it “turnt on?” When I’m in the mood for sexy time, is that what I am supposed to say? “I’m so turnt on right now.” I don’t know how to turnt it off.
6. “High-key and low-key”
I high-key want to stab my eyes out when people are low-key talking about getting turnt without me. These two lovely phrases have ironically made their way into my vocabulary. I low-key was trying to be funny and make fun of slang terms, and then I high-key started using them without noticing. What happened to saying things were on the DL? Everyone low-key knows what that means already. My biggest concern with these is this: What if something is neither? What if I average-height-key want someone to know I like them? Which key would I use for that?
7. “Salty”
This is the new way of saying someone was pissed or upset. I’m going to assume the salt comes from the dried tears that are on their faces. I actually kind of like this one, so I’m not going to get salty if you use it.
8. “Throwing shade”
First of all, according to the laws of physics, this would be physically impossible. Just because Peter Pan pinned his shadow to the floor doesn’t mean that shade is a tangible object, but I’ll go with it. This phrase is used when someone is subtly dissing another person or giving them dirty looks. At this point, I’m just salty over the fact that people can’t seem to say what they mean. So the bitch was looking at me funny? If the sun really does shine out of my ass the way I think it does, that shade should be no problem for me. Throw all the shade you want, Wendy.
9. “Fam”
This one. Okay. The word “fam,” which used to be reserved for the sacred family unit, now refers to any group of people. Your squad can be your fam. So what is your family? Can I blame the use of the word “fam” in such an inaccurate way for why teenage girls are referring to their boyfriends as “daddy?” Because I find it all wrong on so many levels. Can I blame the Mormon church for referring to everyone as brother and sister? I like to find reasons to blame the Mormon church for everything. We are all God’s children, fam. Love one another, fam.
10. “Or nah”
Made famous by The Weekend’s song “Or Nah,” this phrase is now the end of every sentence. “Are you getting turnt at the party, or nah?” loosely translated, this word means “or not” or “or no” and is kind of implied, don’t you think? If you ask someone a question and they say “yes,” then they didn’t say “nah.” Problem solved.
So, obviously, the way we communicate is getting better by the day. I have so much hope for the planet and for my generation and their ability to communicate. Let’s get turnt fam, but don’t be salty or throw shade if you ain’t got the guap to keep up with us, doe.
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This was a fun piece, Whitney. I’m a lil late for the party so I’ll just scream “Turn down for what?!”
“Salty” is especially irritating as it ALREADY had a meaning! It means someone who swears a lot.
All I can figure with fleek is someone tried to say fly and sleek at the same time and it got jumbled. Rather than admit they word souped, they pretended it was a cool new word.
Either way it’s ignorant af.
I hate these dumb words people make up. Just reminds me of sheep following an idiot and there is so much wrong with that. A couple words you missed is thot, thicc, and some old ones like bomb and tight. Please preach this more and more until people start to laugh at people using dumb words and not think its cool
Great take on silly slang! I’d like your opinion on the extreme overuse of “forward”.
People these days don’t suggest anything anymore, they “put forward”. The prepositional phrase “in the future” has seen better days. It has been replaced by “moving forward” or “going forward”.
I’ve even heard on a commercial for women’s hygiene products the hellish phrase “fresh forward”. Whatever that means.
Thank you for this, even despite how I still don’t understand these “words”. A entire new language could be created via these millennial “words”. Human stupidity pisses me off, and since most people are stupid…you get the point. I have a strong feeling that the world in “Idiocracy” isn’t far off. On another site, I found out what “goat” meant and thought, why can’t they just say “the best”? That would be shorter and make sense…how dare I question this garbage slang!!
Bad grammar and just missuse of the English language, are pet peeves of mine. Everyone in this nation can have a basic education, we’re entitled to that. So all I ask it that more people appreciate that and USE it.
Salty is the big offender. I never tasted my tears (why would I?0, but considering how small each one is, isn’t enough to make the reference. Just say: Upset, angry or mad. JFC on a bike!!
I have a similar attitude as you do, and the same butchering of the English Language gets under my skin, as well.
All that is ripped off from 60″s Black speak. All of it. Too bad the young ones just do not know any better. They think its all new. Point of reference?? NONE. There is nothin new under the sun. They missed it. Now it aint nuthin but consumerism and non-culture. QED