Slang has been floating around every generation, but as time goes on, it seems the words are getting more and more tricky to understand at first glance.
One teacher has made headlines worldwide after banning the use of 32 slang words in her classroom.
Lana and Paul weren't as clued up with the popular chatter from the kids, getting caught on 'shipping'. Nope, it's different than waiting for your latest Kmart delivery. As Adam explains, the term is used when someone is not-so-secretly hoping two people will end up together.
The list goes on to include many terms you might not know, so we have done our best to communicate with the Gen Zs in our office to decode them. Let's just say our head is spinning.
The list starts off with 'Bruh', which can be used similarly to the way we casually insert 'bro'. As a Kiwi, I think a lot of us would struggle to have a conversation without 'bro' slipping in.
However, this is more targeting its use as a sign of exasperation.
"We've got food at home."
"Bruh."
'Standing on business' (SOB)
To take care of your own business/situation.
"My mother-in-law kept picking fights with me, so I started standing on business."
Made popular by St. Louis rapper Sexyy Red, 'Skee-yee' is a bit of a call. She describes it herself in an interview: "SkeeYee. That's when, like, you see a cute girl [...] or you're tryin' to holler at somebody."
'You ate that up!'
No, we're not talking about finishing your veggies; it's a way of saying you aced something or totally nailed it.
It can also be supported by 'left no crumbs', meaning to do something flawlessly and leaving behind no evidence of mistakes.
"I saw your sales pitch, you ate that up!"
Gone are the days of 'fake news'. Now it's 'cap'.
Used to describe a lie or something dishonest, but it can also be altered to 'no cap' for something truthful or sincere.
"My son said he was going to clean his room. He's all cap."
'What's up gang'
Your kids aren't in an actual gang, they're just ✨ besties ✨ (but that's probably too uncool to say).
Alternatively, doubling up with 'gang gang' might be used to confirm plans or a show of respect.
Instead of using the standard "I'm down" as a sign of agreement or approval, try out 'Bet'.
"We're going out tonight? Ok bet"
'On God' is a kind of reincarnation of 'swear to God' in that scene, emphasising that you're saying something truthful. This also applies to 'on bro', 'on hood' and 'on me' from the list.
"We're out of milk, on God."
A way to show the seriousness of what you're saying could be throwing in the term 'on my momma'. We're probably more familiar with the term 'on my mother's life.'
"On my momma, I will stick to the gym this year."
As Paul pointed out, 'rizz' comes from the word charisma and means the ability to charm someone.
"I saw Jane talking to Bob, she's got some rizz.'
'Just vibe' is relaxing with no care to the world around you.
"I know you're stressing about our trip, but at this point, you need to take a step back and just vibe."
We're not going to go too much into this one, but 'Gyat' is typically used in reference to buttocks. Enough said?
'Freak you mean' on the list uses the word freak as a censored version of another word beginning with F. (it's getting harder and harder to keep our family-friendly morals with this list)
'Period!' also known as 'Periodt' is not a reference to that time of the month, but simply a full stop. At least they're starting to get some sentence structure. It's used to emphasise a statement.
"I'm done with Bob. Period."
Cash, coin, and dollar bills can also be known as 'munyun'.
"It's payday today! Time to get some munyun."
'It's giving' can change depending on its context.
Let's say you're wearing something that complements you in all the right ways; someone might say, " It's giving, " meaning you're looking good.
But on the other side, they might say: "it's giving rolled beef", in which case... not a positive.
While not on the list, a personal 'fave' of mine is the text I just got from our tech support team at More FM...
Simple and quick! Who has time to write all three words in 'let me know' when you can slap in three letters?
Ngl (not gonna lie), we need a break after decoding all that slang.
