I Have the Teen Words. I Still Don’t Have the Context.
Things I keep hearing, mostly understand, and occasionally need translated!
Summer is here, which means some of us are about to spend a lot more time around teenagers, college kids, grown kids, nieces, nephews, and other young humans who appear to be speaking English while somehow making it feel like an entirely different language.
At this point, I know enough teen slang to be dangerous. The words below aren’t necessarily new, but they’re the ones I’ve been hearing on repeat lately. Some are useful. Some are ridiculous. All of them are delivered with the kind of confidence that makes you wonder if everyone else attended a meeting we somehow missed.
We did not.
Part One introduced me to words I didn’t know existed. Part Two introduced me to a number (67) that somehow became a complete thought despite containing absolutely no useful information.
And now we’re here.
Jit
A kid. A younger person. Usually not said with warmth. Example: “This jit thinks he invented basketball.”
The word sounds fake. it is not.
Motion
Having things going on. Friends. Dating prospects. Influence. Opportunities. If someone has motion, they’re active, connected, and making things happen. Everyone suddenly sounds like they’re pitching a startup.
Fumbled
You had the opportunity and blew it. Can apply to tests, jobs, friendships, life choices, or forgetting why you walked into a room. A timeless concept.
Standing on Business
Doing what you said you’d do. Following through. Keeping your word. Having standards and enforcing them. Possibly the first piece of teen slang that could improve society.
Mass Difficulty
A spectacular failure. Not a setback. Not a disappointment. The kind of mistake that deserves its own PowerPoint presentation. An unnecessarily dramatic phrase that I plan to start using immediately.
Maxxing
The act of aggressively improving something - usually yourself. Sleepmaxxing. Moneymaxxing. Gymmaxxing.
At first I heard TJ Maxx and I thought it was a new loyalty program. I was wrong.
Airball
A complete miss. Likely spectacularly. The kind of take that should have stayed in the drafts.
A useful word that deserves wider adoption among grown adults.
Deep It
Think about it. No, really. Think about it. Somehow much cooler than “let’s unpack that,” which should probably be retired (but which I still actually say).
Valid
The modern version of “that’s fair.” A simple acknowledgment that someone has a legitimate point, feeling, complaint, or opinion. No debate. No dissertation. Just valid.
Crashed Out
The moment someone completely loses the plot. Usually after several warning signs everyone else noticed first. We’ve all witnessed one. Some of us have starred in one.
Lore
The backstory. As in: “You don’t know the lore.” We used to call this context. Now it’s lore, which somehow makes every family disagreement sound like an ancient prophecy.
Opp
An enemy. A rival. A person you’re actively not rooting for. The word makes even minor annoyances sound like organized crime. Example: “She’s my opp.” Ma’am, that’s your coworker.
Pressed
Bothered. Annoyed. Way too invested. As in: “Why are you so pressed?” A devastatingly efficient way to point out that someone is making a bigger deal out of something than necessary.
Honestly, this one could have saved me years of corporate meetings.
Hard Launch
The official public reveal of a relationship. As in: “She hard launched her boyfriend on Instagram.” I guess posting a significant other is now treated like a product release. And the marketing department in me respects it.
I’ve learned just enough teen slang to know when someone is complimenting me, insulting me, rejecting me, encouraging me, or quietly judging me.
That’s progress.
What I still can’t do is explain half of these phrases to another adult without sounding like I’ve joined a secret society against my will.
If you’ve heard a new one recently, drop it in the comments. There is clearly enough material for Part Four.
Just don’t send me any more numbers. I’m still not over 67.
#RealGirlsGuidetoMidlife #RealGirlsGuideMidlifeWorkbook #TeenSlang
We’ve earned every wrinkle. Might as well make more laugh lines together.
Books | Website | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn
And if you’ve read my first book and loved it, a quick review on Amazon helps keep it moving!