GRANDPA IS HEP

I AM INHERENTLY HEP, STRIVING TO BE au courant with our English language, from Beowulf to Chaucer to, like, y’know, jive talk. Being grandfather of two teens, I read with keen interest Anthony Robledo’s ” ‘Bet,’ This Annual List of Slang Terms Could Have Some Parents Saying ‘Yeet,'” USA Today, published 8:04 p.m. ET November 27, 2023 updated 8:41 a.m. ET November 28, 2023. 

Talk about being au courant. 

Here are tidbits about these new bits of English gleaned from Robledo’s piece, from other sources, and using my own savvy.

Methodology. Robledo describes, “The report surveyed 682 parents with children between the ages of 12 and 18 and found that only 2% knew every slang term on the list. About 3 in 5 parents in the study said they try to stay keep up with slang to communicate with their teenagers, usually by using Google.”

He quotes from the report: “Using language to understand and connect with another person is a part of life that we continue to experience in different ways from one person to another.” I dig, sorta.

Sus. Parents in the survey reported that “sus,” short for suspicious is the most used slang term by teenagers in 2023. Robledo writes, “The term gained popularity thanks to the online murder mystery game Among Us. About 62% of teenagers use the word ‘sus’ to call out questionable behavior or suggest one has a devious motive.”

Questionable behavior? Devious motive? Geez, these actions do more than “call out” to me, they positively scream in daily news.

Bet. Second on the list is “bet,” as in “I agree,” “good news.” Likely it’s akin to “You bet.” 

Here are several others on the list, with their Urban Dictionary definitions in quotes. See also Preply.

Yeet. “To violently throw an object that you deem worthless, inferior, or just plain garbage.” 

Sorry about the split infinitive; we’ve lost this one. I sense that yeet may be the kids’ version of “Geez,” reflecting perhaps a less blasphemous etymology.

Cap. “Another word for lying. It can be used like no cap or you can say stop capping.” 

Might this have evolved from excess capitalization in texting? (You know WHOM I MEAN, gag orders and all.)

Salty. “When you are upset over something little.” 

“Chill,” we usta say. And the kids have one for that too: 

Touch Grass. “When someone is doing something weird, stupid, or pointless. It means they need to come back to reality. They need to get some fresh air and get back in touch with how the real world works.”

By the way, it has nothing to do with that other meaning of “grass” (y’know, having seen Reefer Madness.)

Bougie. “Used to describe someone as high class, literally or figuratively.” 

This one derives from the French bourgeois, which Merriam-Webster defines as “of, relating to, or characteristic of the social middle class.” Literally related to burg, this word reflects the migration of the middle class to cities rather than their rural roots.

Bougie Versus Boujee. As discussed at Amazing Talker, bougie (BOO-zhee) “refers to someone who pretends prosperity.” By contrast, boujee (BOO-gee) describes “someone who is upwardly mobile and is actually in a higher economic class than others….” 

Pause here to remind us of personages of each type. (Not pointing fingers, mind….)

Survey Tidbits. The Preply website shares parental opinions: Three-fifths of those surveyed believed their knowledge helped them better connect with their teens. One in five parents don’t censor what their teens say. (Not that the other 4/5 have much control, mind). Oddly, one in ten parents would rather have their teens curse than use slang. (Not that they’d recognize slang obscenities, come to think of it). 

I must chat with my grandkids more often to understand how hep they are, y’know. ds 

© Dennis Simanaitis, SimanaitisSays.com, 2023