Learn New Teenage Slang Through This Generation Z Glossary
I’m not a cap, I’m trying to deal with slang. I kill?
Oh hello there. I’m just updating my Gen Z vocabulary thanks to this glossary tweeted by a high school teacher named James Callahan. Apparently, he kept a table with new slang terms that he learned from his students. A kid in his class tweeted screenshots of him this week, and then that tweet went viral, and then Callahan gave the world a gift by posting the entire document.
The alphabetical list includes terms ranging from “A force” (excessive force) to “yurrr / yerrr” (affirmative call for attention). There are entries for insane, insane / big insane (very insane), slaps in the face (high quality), and suspicious (suspicious; questionable). Everyone seems to agree that the definitions are impressively accurate (uh, are they valid? ) – one young man tweeted: “Every time I say something and I can’t explain what it really means, refer to this tweet. “
As I read the glossary as a suburban mom, I admit I’ve never felt less cool. I’m not that old, am I? Oh God, I’m so old. Part of me is fine with that – I’m happy to sit in a rocking chair (I do have one, and it’s the best) and blissfully ignore the definition of stolen wig. Either way, staying on top of teenage slang will never be easy, and … I’m very tired.
But then again, who wants to be the adult who learns cool words through terrible Burger King ads ? There is a payback in trying to remain culturally significant. As Callahan reports USA Today : “Typical teacher-student dynamics involve a rigid power structure, but in my experience I have found that students are more involved and perform better if I can reach them where they are.” If you have teens, telling them that you are “afraid of listening to bop” is probably not very good, but asking them what certain words mean can just show that you care (although they will still roll their eyes. certainly).
Callahan writes on Twitter that he plans to expand his slang vocabulary – one of the terms he is working on is “yes.” (“My students struggle to come up with one specific definition!” He explains .)
He also looks at requests:
“I ask these colleagues to check my students and add them to Volume 2!” he’s writing.
Perhaps these terms will become archaic by then, but Callahan’s dedication to the project makes him real .