Guide to The Latest Gen Z Slang

Know This Or Risk Being “Cheugy”

While procrastinating by reading an article about how not to procrastinate, I wondered if Gen Z would find that “meta,” which means self-reflective, like the definition of the word definition.

That got me thinking about how language evolves like fashion.

Remember when people started saying “sick” to mean cool, and before that “dope,” and before that “bad” suddenly meant good?

Well, today a kid might go to a party wearing a “snatched” pair of new shoes (like the shoes were so great, someone might snatch them).

And no worries if you hear a member of Gen Z say, “That bops was slaps!” They simply mean, “That new song was enjoyable.”

Gen Z, also known as Zoomers (though they may not endorse that term), have a language all their own.

Last year may have left you with some extra “cake” (fat around the butt). No worries, as many Zoomers consider cake “thicc” (pleasantly plump). Just don’t act “thirsty” (desperate).

If you’re a hypebeast (trend follower) then you need to know this stuff if you have any hopes of being a “snack” (an attractive person).

Otherwise, say the wrong words and you might get a “cringe” (expression of dissatisfaction). If you do or wear something “cheugy” (out of fashion) you might even get a “big yikes.”

By the way, cheugy (pronounced chew-gee) is actually used by Gen Z to describe many of the trends of their predecessors, the Millennials — everything from hashtags to Dunder Mifflin Merch to t-shirts that say something. Many Millennials response: “Whatever, Zoomer.” However, some Gen Z’ers (like my son) are saying cheugy is already cheugy!

“Diamond hands” means you can hold onto something, like Doge (a meme crypto coin) or a Gamestop “stonk” (fun word for stock) regardless of if it goes up or down. You will HODL (Hold On for Dear Life). The opposite is “paper hands,” meaning you’ll drop something as soon as it seems risky.

When a Zoomer finds something really funny, they might say, “I’m dead,” an evolution of “dying of laughter.”

“Hot” has evolved to “straight fire,” like “her new car is straight fire.”

“Bet” is to agree, perhaps short for “you bet your life.”

If you’ve got the “drip” or you’re “drippin’,” then you’re highly fashionable, glitzy with lots of bling, like drippin’ in wealth and style.

“Spill the beans” somehow morphed into “spill the tea” — and “tea” can stand alone as gossip, true expression or “dirt.” Spill me that tea! By the way, someone who “sips tea” is just listening.

A “simp” is a dude who goes head-over-heels for a woman and does anything he can to please her, often looking like an idiot in the process.

“OK, Boomer” is how young people often dismiss advice from elders, no doubt from the term baby boomers. (A cool Boomer might reply, “Whatever, Zoomer.”)

I’m sharing this stuff “no cap” (for real, no lie). That’s because getting “cap” (like hiding under a baseball cap) could make someone a “capper” (a liar) which is straight wack (sucks).

GOAT is the Greatest of All Time, which you can be if you’re up on this lingo.

Be careful though, you don’t want to be “basic” (unoriginal) by using “hi-key” (obvious) slang to impress a Gen Z’er. That could be “sus” (suspicious). They’ll be impressed enough if you know what the hell they’re saying.

Just stay “low-key” (chill) my “fam” (friends) and “let’s get this bread” (let’s do this).

With your new words, you might even “glow up” (undergo a brilliant transformation). No cap.

• Side note: first draft included “lit,” until my teenage son informed me that’s now a “dead phrase.”
• Sources include my Gen Z son and here.

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