PSA: The Definitive Guide to Modern Teenage Vernacular

No doubt many of our readers are parents, and with the first day of school just around the corner, we here at the DG are happy to provide you with this slang dictionary to assist in communicating with your brood. Have you tried speaking with your child only to be mystified by what seems like incomprehensible gibberish, or more likely, completely ignored in favor of the Tiktok flavor of the minute? Drop any of the following examples in casual conversation with your crumbsnatchers and watch as they look away from their devices in awe and wonder, eager to interact with your overwhelming aura. Let's begin:

aura - unmistakable but casual confidence. 

"Kim Yeji oozed aura at the Olympics."

"Bro, have you seen Yusuf Dikec?"

ate - did something amazing. Often followed with 'no crumbs'.

"I got a 5 on my AP exam."

"Girl, you ate that up, no crumbs."

twin - a really good friend. 

"ayo twin, what's good?"   *ayo = hello

"eskeetit!"     *eskeetit = Let's get it, popularized by rap phenom Lil Pump. 

based - not caring what others think, giving an unpopular but perhaps true opinion. Often used to express agreement with said opinion.

"Yuno Miles won the Drake/Kendrick Lamar beef."

"Based."

bet - short for 'you bet'. 

"Wanna watch episode 1006 of One Piece?"

"Bet."

cap / no cap - capping is not telling the truth. No cap means you are not lying.

"I don't vape in the bathroom during transitions, no cap."

"On my mama, you are capping. You hotboxed three stalls before lunch."

on my mama / on God - an expression of the utmost truth. See above.

gang gang - used to show agreement, 'I'm with you'.

"Let's skip 4th period and go get Waffle House."

"gang gang, fam."       *fam - similar to 'twin'

cooked - done, finished in a negative way

"Drake is cooked."

"God's Plan still slaps though."      *slaps = is good

let him cook (or me, her, them, any available pronoun) - let them work on whatever it is they are doing because it will be good, even if it looks bad at the moment.

"I don't think you're going to have this google slide ready in time for the presentation."

"Bro, let me cook."

gyat - a large posterior. Equivalent to 'dummy thicc'.

"I wish I had a gyat."

"Hush girl, you are dummy thicc."

mid - unimpressive, average

"Bro,  Chipotle is so mid."

"Based."

opps - people who are against you, the opposition. Formerly known as haters.

"Bro, I got opps in these streets."

"Let the haters be your motivators, fam."

rizz - charisma, the ability to attract romantic partners.

"I can't decide who to ask to prom."

"Doesn't matter bro, you have no rizz."

tea - gossip

"Did you hear about Nicole and Alana?"

"No, spill the tea immediately."

sus - suspicious, dubious, not true or real.

"That Gucci belt looks a little sus, bro."

"I bought it at La Vaquita."

sigma / skibiddi - these are mostly nonsensical terms gleaned from youtube brainrot videos. You can freestyle with them. 

"Pineapple on pizza, what the skibiddi is this?"

"Bro, that's so sigma."

Note: this is not an exhaustive list, but it will certainly get you started. I have used traditional punctuation in the examples provided, but please be advised that Gen Z and Alpha do not generally use punctuation or capitalization of any sort.