I almost spat out my water the other day.
I was on the phone to my mum and she told me she had booked a skydive. But that wasn’t the source of my shock. No, it was the phrase she had used to describe why she was going to skydive: “Because, YOLO.”
YOLO stands for ‘You Only Live Once’. The ever-quotable Mae West used the phrase best (‘You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough’) – but even she never abbreviated it.
But if you think mum impressed me, she didn't. I was disappointed. Not that she used the word - it was in the right context, so kudos for that, mum - but YOLO hasn't been a 'thing' since about 2013. No one says YOLO anymore. No one.
However, Gen Y speak is everywhere, so I want to help. Below are 12 terms to know that are fresh and on fleek (see no. 2). You can thank me next time you're talking to the young folk.
1. Smack.
A shortened version of 'smack talk'. Urban Dictionary defines it as "the art of telling another person off or belittling them'.
Context: "She's been talking smack about me."
2. On fleek/on point.
'On fleek' is another way of saying 'on point', which means 'the quality of being perfect'.
Context: 'Her outfit is on fleek'. 'His hair is on point'.
Listen to the Mamamia Out Loud snippet below to further understand what 'on fleek' means.
3. Throw shade.
Throwing shade is to demonstrate 'attitude'.
Context: 'Denise totally threw shade at Lisa.'
4. Thirsty.
Gen Y's version of 'horny'.
Context: 'Damn I'm thirsty for them.'
5. Yaaaasss.
An enthusiastic version of 'yes'.
Context: 'Yaaaassss let's go there.'
6. Slay.
Killin' it, or succeeding in something in a great way.
Context: 'You slayed that presentation.'
7. Bae.
Two meanings here, according the Urban Dictionary:
- Before anyone else.
- Significant other: Girlfriend, boyfriend, crush. Another way to say 'baby'.
Context: 'You're my bae.'
8. Banger.
When a song is really good.
Context: 'That song's a banger.'
10. Turnt.
To drink an exceedingly large amount of alcohol.
Context: 'Let's get turnt.'
11. Shots fired.
Indicates someone has been insulted in a particularly witty way.
Context: Person A - *says witty insult*
Person B - 'Shot fired'.
12. Squad.
Another word for your group of friends.
Context: 'Taylor Swift and her friends are #squadgoals.'
A photo posted by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on Jul 3, 2015 at 4:40pm PDT
Listen to the Mamamia Out Loud snippet below which further explains 'Squad Goals'.
The other major section of Gen Y speak are acronyms. Because, in case texting and instant messaging hasn't limited our words enough, we've basically gone back to morse code by shortening every phrase we possibly can. Below are the must-knows:
SMH - Shake my head.
IDGAF - I don't give a fuck.
MRW - My reaction when.
LOL - Laugh out loud. (Commonly mistaken for 'lots of love').
Also, WTF - What the fuck.
BRB - Be right back.
AF - As fuck.
Context: 'That show is cool AF.'
Also, IDC - I don't care.
FOMO - Fear of missing out.
ICYMI - In case you missed it.
TL;DR - Too long; don't read.
MCM/WCW - Man crush Monday/Woman crush Wednesday.
So there you go. Have you seen or heard anything I've missed? Let us know in the comments.
Your challenge now is to start slipping these words into everyday conversation with the Millenial or Gen Y in your life.
Just to watch them squirm.
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