Slang & Words We're Watching

Slang (page 3)

padel

a doubles racket sport played on an enclosed court

parasocial interaction

an interaction that leads an audience to feel personally close to someone famous

passenger princess

A woman chivalrously chauffeured by her partner

performative male

a man who engages in stereotypically “sensitive” activities to appeal to women

pick-me

Someone disingenuously seeking attention or approval; relating to such a person or behavior

plot armor

the overly convenient invulnerability of a fictional character

polycule

A group of people in a polyamorous relationship

preppy

A cheery, sporty style popular among girls involving lots of pink; a girl who follows this style

promposal

an elaborate (or extravagant) offer to take someone to the prom

💜 Purple Heart

A digital purple-colored heart expressing types of affection

ratchet

Trashy and disorderly, sometimes in a good way

ratio

to give more negative than positive responses on a social media post

rawdog

To do something hard or boring without any aid, preparation, or diversions

❤️ Red Heart

Various heart-shaped emoji expressing love, affection, and many other feelings

red-pilled

A leftist insult for delusional far-right beliefs; someone who has come to see the truth about the world

reheat nachos

to produce a lesser version of or poor tribute to an earlier song, album, etc.

reply guy

a habitual and often annoying replier on social media

Rickroll

to trick someone into hearing “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley

ride or die

someone you would do anything for

rizz

Romantic appeal or charm

romantasy

a literary subgenre blending fantasy and romance

sanewashing

Making something considered ‘insane’ seem more ‘sane’

side quest

an activity that is secondary to one's main endeavor

sigma

A coolly independent, successful man; excellent; an Internet nonsense word

simp

to show excessive or fawning devotion to someone or something

situationship

When you’re more than friends but less than official

skibidi

A nonsense Internet term connected to an absurdist YouTube show about evil toilets

sleepmaxxing

The use of practices and devices purported to help increase the quality and quantity of sleep

slop

unwanted and unasked for AI-generated content

SMH

'Shaking my head'; an expression of disapproval or disbelief

smoke

trouble, competition, conflict

smol

Adorably small

soft launch

an act of hinting about a new romance on social media

sonder

the awareness that other people all have their own complex set of feelings and experiences

stablecoin

a kind of cryptocurrency, intended to have a more consistent value

stonks

Slang for “stocks” (shares in a company); an ironic remark on an amusingly mishandled situation, financial and otherwise

struggle meal

an inexpensive, easy-to-make meal

Sunday scaries

anxiety felt when the weekend is almost over

SYBAU

an angrier way to say ‘shut up’ online

tech neck

neck pain caused by hunching over one’s phone or computer

the dark side

a negative, disreputable, or evil position

thicc

Curvaceous; burly; lovably large

thot

an offensive term for a woman seen as promiscuous; a disparaging term for a woman

throw hands

to fight using one’s fists

torpedo bat

a baseball bat with a thicker-than-usual barrel

tradwife

A dutiful housewife active on social media

unalive

a euphemism for ‘kill’ or ‘die’

unc

A shortening of the word “uncle,” often used humorously to indicate old age

uncanny valley

a disturbingly lifelike aspect of something (such as a robot)

Utah curls

long, loose curls with straight and relaxed ends

vibe coding

Writing computer code in a somewhat careless fashion, with AI assistance

webtoon

A digital comic scrolled vertically

winter arc

a three-month period dedicated to focusing on goals before the new year

WYLL

What you look like

yassify

to heavily edit an image with beauty filters

yinz

“you” or “y’all” in Pittsburgh

YMMV

your mileage may vary

YOLO

you only live once

zaddy

an attractive older man

zoomies

A burst of frenetic running in dogs and cats; a bout of agitation or animation
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