Happy to announce, winners of Edith Maxwell's (Maddie Day's) MURDER AT THE RUSTY ANCHOR: Brenda Gaskell and Judi (Brenda, Judi, please email Edith at edith@edithmaxwell.com)
HALLIE EPHRON: When I was in high school in California, we’d say this or that was “bitchen”—meaning super good. My parents thought it was a swear word.Flash forward, and Gen Xers were saying the same thing was “rad.”
When you’re a writer these details matter.
Here’s some Gen Z expressions that I’ve cherry-picked (meaning: ) from an article in PARADE magazine.
Here’s one you probably know: CANCEL CULTURE
Here’s one I did not: STAN
It’s a verb that combines being a stalker at a fan. As in: I stan Taylor Swift.
DANK: aka bitchen.
GHOSTING: I know you know that one.
BOUJEE: An adjective that describes something or someone that’s extra fancy.
My favorite – BIG YIKES. Needs no translation.
How many of these did you know?
And what are some words or expressions that you’ve encountered lately that left you scratching your head. Or used yourself and induced head-scratching from the young-uns (aka pipsqueaks) around you?
(See PARADE's complete list.)
Ghosting and woke I know; GOAT seems to have been adopted by most everyone so I know that one as well, but I am clueless when it come to the rest of the words on the list . . . .
ReplyDeleteI think we should bring back "groovy." Remember when "boss" meant the same thing as "rad?" I'm not around teens enough to pick up the current slang.
ReplyDeleteDank? It's such a depressing word, how can it mean bitchen? I didn't know dank (in that meaning) or stan. I knew boujie, which is from bourgeois, and found this definition: "high-end tastes like driving your Prius to get avocado toast after SoulCycle." (After which someone like me would have to look up Soulcycle...)
And wicked which has taken on the meaning of VERY. As in "He's wicked smaht" (with a boston accent)
DeleteWicked, used in that way, has been around in the UK for a long time.
DeleteI think "wicked" as an intensifier in the US is only in Boston and surrounds. I had no idea it was in the UK, Gillian.
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ReplyDeleteYeah I still have blurry vision but 3 typos in 1 sentence is too many...so I am re-doing my comment!
ReplyDeleteI agree that G.O.A.T. is being overused. Legends should be G.O.A.T. One amazing thing/game/performance does not mean you deserve that accolade.
I knew boujie and sus.
And I see/use Millenial acronyms such as FOMO and YOLO when I am on FB.
I know boujee, never heard of stan and most of the words on the Parade list.
ReplyDeleteLike Joan, I knew ghosting and woke, but most of these were new to me. I can't help wondering how some of the meanings evolved. I guess people will always be creative with language. 🙂
ReplyDeleteIt's a cultural thing, I think. I remember learning how rigid the French are, for example, about language. I wonder if it's still true. Any francophiles out there?
DeleteInterestingly, the Portuguese are protective about their language, too, considering it their culture. I agree that the slang is a cultural thing, and ever culture does have some slang, but I thing American English is the slangiest. It seems to change so rapidly. (IMHO) 🙂
DeleteI think it's groovy that the kids have their own idiomatic expressions.
ReplyDeleteMe, too.
DeleteI know cancel culture, ghosting and big yikes which really doesn't seem like it belongs on the list.
ReplyDeleteThat "stan" word, how cute that they turn something that is terrible (stalking) into something that offloads the worst part of fandom. As for dank and boujee, we really need to stop giving credibility to made up word meanings from people too lazy to better learn the English language. Oh, and if I want to say "bitch'n" (language filter workaround here), I'll just say the actual word. I'm a big fan of profanity. LOL!
As for G.O.A.T., that's Tom Brady, period.
I'll stick with the trusty standby of "Awesome!" Because the darn word means what it says and doesn't sound like every moron who thinks having a Tik Tok following means they are famous.
Jay, I agree with not giving credibility to those who don’t bother learning the way the language is supposed to be spoken. Having said that, every generation has its own expressions. We, coming from a different generation, are entitled to not like their made up words. Can I get a “right on!”? — Pat S
DeleteWell, there's "malarkey." I learned that one from our president (who's the "bee's knees"; the words I've learned from his opponent cannot be repeated here).
ReplyDeleteThanks for choosing me as a winner of Murder at the Rusty Anchor! I’m trying to send an email to Edith, but I am getting a message that edithmax@gmail.com is an invalid address. Is that the correct address?
ReplyDeleteI’ve not heard of dank or stan or big yikes as slang terms before. I must not be spending time with the right demographic. I seem to remember a time when boss also meant something was excellent or rad.
Yay, Brenda! I asked Hallie to ask folks to write to me at edith@edithmaxwell.com. Try that (although the other address should also work).
DeleteThank you Edith, I got the email sent to that address and also discovered what my problem was. I had copied and pasted the Gmail address from the blog and inadvertently included the .) at the end of it. Doh!
DeleteFrom Diana: Congratulations, Brenda!
DeleteFrom Diana: Some are new to me words, Hallie.
ReplyDeleteMay I ask what does “cancel culture” mean? “Woke”? Kind of know what ghosting means.
Here's a good definition of cancel culture: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cancel_culture
DeleteFrom Diana : thank you, Hallie . Will look at the link
DeleteGhosting I get, Cancel Culture still messes with me as does Woke. I had a young man tell me my earrings were Dope. I asked a young friend if that was good, and she said yes. Then I asked if it was the same as Sick and she said no. I'm so confused and I'm pretty sure that's not Cool. Holy Moly! --Victoria
ReplyDeleteYou know what also throws me off is when I am reading novels set in another country. Throw in that slang and I'm usually reading for context to get a bit of a handle on what they mean. --Victoria
DeleteNot surprisingly, I knew none of them. I do find that when new words are in a book, that I get lost in the story. Find a 'woke' - I have to go look it up, because it is never what I think it is. Same thing with bespoke, and that word is used a lot - just a hunh to me - is it good or bad?
ReplyDeleteNow if we got only find a new word for amazing... not everything is!
Margo, I so agree about "amazing." Sometimes I just want to scream "Read the definition! Use a thesaurus!" I once started a book where "amazing" was used multiple times in four pages in the first chapter. I didn't finish the book since I was fighting throwing it across the room and that really wouldn't have been fair the book. Makes me wonder how it gets by an editor.
DeleteSorry, that was me - Victoria. Got caught up in the moment and published before I owned it!
DeleteWe just bought a new Samsung refrigerator. Apparently the version we got is from the “Bespoke” line. I have seen that word used a lot lately so looked it up to be sure I understood. The definition I read is that it is something custom made, as in a bespoke suit. We did have to wait awhile for the new refrigerator, but I really don’t think it’s being custom made for us! — Pat S
DeleteA bespoke REFRIGERATOR!? Sounds ridiculous to me.
DeleteI think "bespoke" is a really old term that's just come back into vogue.
DeleteStan and dank were new to me. My son educates me regularly on new slang, but I can't think of any of the words right now. I remember "far out", "groovy", "cool", "neato", "awesome".
ReplyDeleteI was just reading Carolyn Hax's column... here's her use (and spelling) of boujee: "Maybe the window has closed on the bougie holiday card photo at whatever resort"
DeleteThat's the spelling I am familiar with too! I looked it up a couple of years ago after hearing it in the song about Applebee's, Fancy Like, by Walker Hayes. I saw it again, very recently, in the book I was reading.
DeleteI was "flat out" busy yesterday so I didn't get to read everyone's travel stories until this morning. They are delightful. If you have a chance today, go back to yesterday's blog and read some of the late postings. The last one had me laughing out loud.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Judy!
Delete"Cancel culture" used to just be a change in popular opinion. It annoys me to hear it, because it's a whiney, pointing-at-others excuse for becoming irrelevant. Whatev.
ReplyDeleteI knew boujee, ghosting, and cancel culture. The Boy is usually my source of current slang.
ReplyDeleteThis is a fun topic, Hallie! I knew a lot of them, but never heard of dank. When I come across a word in a book I try to figure out the meaning and then I have to look it up. If it is slang, it can be tricky to know just what the author meant. And then there are books that take place in the UK - some of the slang is the same but they also have a bunch of their own. And Irish slang can be completely different!
ReplyDeleteFrom Diana: Thank you for the link to the list from Parade magazine. There were some words that I recently discovered though I had no idea what they meant! And the other words were new to me!
ReplyDeleteThe only word I knew was Greatest of All Time (G.O.A.T.).
Such a fun topic, Hallie!
I didn’t know Dank, and I only recently heard Stan. From the context in which it was used, I was able to figure it out.
ReplyDeleteI love the fact that language changes! I just wish I could keep up with it!
DebRo
Some of those, yes. Most of them, no. I'm still teasing Frank that he didn't know AF. Really. We went to a TGIF for lunch and they were pushing Big AF Burgers. I almost split a seam laughing. Husband was miffed, saying it's a family restaurant. Waitress said they were told to say AF was "and fried" if anyone asked.
ReplyDeleteI have twenty-something dudes and their plus ones, so I know them all. They also use, "That's cap." meaning that's a lie. "Yeet" which MW just added to the dictionary. I've heard it used mostly as a verb -- to yeet is to throw something/someone away as in "I'm going to yeet my boyfriend out a window." Words are fun :)
ReplyDeleteYeet! I wonder what the derevation is. Ditto cap.
DeleteI didn't know stan or dank--which I think is a horrible use for a good thing, btw!
ReplyDeleteThis is great..I remember my producer having a very hard time trying to understand "legit"--because it's not exactly legitimate, it's more than that. And Pat D, that is funny AF. And I adore TLDR. (I can't tell you how many times I've looked up acronyms, though.) Remember when all we had was LOL? And then somehow that became LOLOLOL which makes no sense whatsoever...
ReplyDeleteI have nothing to contribute--the only youngsters I'm around speak Swiss German, and our son is Gen Y. But I loved reading the Parade list--thanks, Hallie--and also all the examples you readers have provided. Now I have to go online to start looking up acronyms. At least I know FOMO. Thanks to Diana for defining GOAT.
ReplyDeleteWhen texting was still new to us "elders" a friend posted her cringeworthy confession of having heard from a younger relative in a group email that "Aunt Lucy has died" and, feeling hip she texted LOL--not knowing until her horrified children, also on the chain, called her to tell her it was not "lots of love" . Taugh me never to rely on my own clever guess at some of them...
ReplyDelete