The Youth Lab
YOUTH VERNACULAR
Inspiration from The Love Network Community
It’s that time of the year again…the time when we give the download on youth vernacular - the codes of communication to keep you on the right side of conversation in 2024.
Read on for your language shorthands, as shared by some 16 year old members of The Love Network - Lauren, Jed and Lui:
|
PHRASE | WHAT YOU THINK IT MEANS |
WHAT IT ACTUALLY MEANS |
Glow Up | On fire | A term used to describe how someone has improved from where they used to be. |
Main Character | The star of the movie | No movie script in sight - this is simply just being the centre of attention and owning it. |
Understood the assignment | A CIA agent doing their job | If someone tells you that you “understood the assignment” that means that you did something well and understood what you are supposed to do. |
Hits different | Plays a game different to others | Something received in a positive and unique way. |
Slay | Cut open | When someone is killing it (doing a good job). Often used in the term ‘slay all day’. |
Slaps | Hitting | A shortcode of saying it’s really good. |
Bet | Put money on something | A shortcode for saying “yes” or “OK” or “it’s on”. |
Stan | A guy’s name | This term is often used to refer to your support of something - you stand with/ for something. |
Facts | Information that is factually correct | Shortcode for saying something is true. |
Tea | Preferably Barry’s. Enjoyed with milk and sugar. | Refers to gossip aka spilling the tea. |
Cap / No Cap | A bottle with a lid/ without a lid | Cap is a word that means a lie. If someone says “no cap” it means something like “I’m being totally honest”. |
W or L | Letters in the alphabet | Shorthand for “win” - as in a good thing, or “loss” as in a bad thing. |
Ghost | The spirit of a dead person | Often used in dating, ghosting means to stop talking to someone without telling the person that you’re doing that. |
Big yikes | OK - maybe you know this one.. | …yup, it’s bad. Like really bad. |
