(SPOT.ph) “How do you do, fellow kids?” is what most adults sound like when we try to say words like “slay” and “stan” in either a) the wrong context or b) the wrong tone. Don’t be fooled, the younger generation will point it out and cringe if you do mess up either point even slightly. Want to avoid getting cancelled (kidding… we hope) by your younger cousins, nieces, and nephews? We’ve prepared a helpful guide on some strange Gen-Z slang terms, where they come from, and how to use them properly.
Also read:
10 Gen Z Slang Terms And What They Really Mean
10 Slang Words That Came Out During the Pandemic
10 Fresh Millennial Slang Terms, Translated
Here are 10 obscure, modern slang words and what they actually mean:
Sheesh
Possibly the biggest (yet simultaneously obscure) internet trend since The Dab, the high-pitched “SHEEEESH” has taken over the Internet in the past couple of years, and it seems we can’t even escape it IRL. While “sheesh” has been around for a while to express any form of shock, awe, and excitement (or, sometimes, exhaustion), the high-pitched “SHEEEESH” that follows us everywhere we go now was popularized by this King Julio TikTok from 2021, and it just hits different. It even later evolved into incorporating the “ice in my veins” gesture where one taps two fingers on their arm, while also biting their lip… for some reason.
How to use it: Sort of like “Damnnnn” when impressed, excited or even just shocked and surprised. Must be high-pitched.
Examples: “SHEEESH” can be exclaimed after you’ve just eaten good food or your friend tells you about something unbelievable, like say a 70% off sale. On text, you can say “sheeeesh” followed up by a couple 100 emojis.
Poggers
You might remember “pogs” as the 1990’s Milk Caps children’s game, but the Internet now strangely associates “pog” in relation to an excited Pepe the Frog face. It all started when Twitch streamer Ryan Gutierrez made a wide-mouthed face of amused astonishment when a camera was knocked over while he was recording a video. The face became an emote on streaming platform Twitch that was eventually named “PogChamp,” due to Gutierrez saying the word “Pog Champions” in a later video. From “PogChamp,” the term was shortened over the years to “Poggers” and just “Pog.”
How to use: Meant to be used out of surprise, amazement, or astonishment. It’s more commonly used while gaming, but can be used with other subjects too.
Examples: “You just passed your exam? That’s pog!”
(after winning a game) “Let’s go! Poggers, my dude.”
No Cap
Capping is a commonly used term in hip-hop, wherein one who’s “capping” is lying or falsely showing off, so the phrase “no cap” is said when one claims that they’re telling the truth, with no lies whatsoever.
How to use: It’s used when trying to convince someone you’re not bullshitting them. Alternatively, you can ask someone, “no cap?” if you want them to swear they’re telling the truth.
Examples: “Yo, I won a free phone just for walking into a store. No cap. Here’s the proof.”
“I’m not capping, I really was busy with work last night, which is why I couldn’t see you.”
Alternatively, you can also say “I smell cap,” or “You’re capping,” when you think someone is lying.
Girlboss
Gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss. Proving that some slang terms can backfire on you when used on the wrong people, the term girlboss evokes a hardworking woman worthy of power and respect. It sounds fun to be a girlboss, but not when the girlboss is the type of boss that all the employees hate.
How to use: It can be used to denote a powerful woman who is worth looking up to or who is abusing her power.
Examples: “OMG, I got all of the week's workload done today. I feel like such a girlboss.”
(derogatorily) “Yeah, Daenarys was a real girlboss when she used those dragons to invade King’s Landing.”
F
Many fun words begin with the letter F, so you may be confused when a person replies to your sad news with an F in the chat. In recent years, F has been used as a respectful (yet amusing) response to anything bad that happens. This started with the popular meme from the Call of Duty game wherein the main character is attending a funeral, when a prompt appears on screen to “press F to pay respects,” as the character stands over the deceased’s coffin.
How to use: As a form of “my condolences” or “that’s rough, buddy.” It’s typically used as a reply in chats, comment sections, or quote Tweets.
Examples: “I didn’t get the job offer. Can I get some F’s in the chat?”
W Key
Not far on the keyboard, we have the term “W key.” Typically, in games involving keyboard shortcuts, the W key is used to move the player forward, so to “W key” anything is to push forward (mostly aggressively) on that thing. Twitch and Youtube streamer Daequan said it best when he said W key isn’t just for gaming, it’s a lifestyle.
How to use: In gaming, it can be used as a call-out to signal your teammates that you’re pushing aggressively. It can also be used in life to indicate you’re going headstrong against something.
Examples: “I’m W-keying those guys.”
“I’m W-keying all my work this week.”
Bop and Banger
If those slang terms weren’t your jam, these two will definitely be. When you like a song, you can call it a “bop” if you find it catchy or good in the moment, or you can call it a banger if it really hits and goes hard to bring out the emotion in you.
How to use: Bop is mostly used for songs or music-centric videos, while banger can also be used to describe other mediums like movies, series, and games.
Examples: “That new Doja Cat song is surprisingly a bop.”
“Kendrick’s new album is a certified banger.”
Whip
Calling it back from ye’ olden days when people would ride horse-drawn carriages and need to whip the horses to go faster, the term “whip” has now come to denote cars, particularly fast and flashy cars.
How to use: When talking about your or somebody else’s impressive car.
Example: “Let me come pick you up in the whip.”
“Yo, I’m loving the new whip.”
Copium
Combining the word “cope” with the drug “opium,” copium is used to identify someone who’s deluding themselves in order to deal with their loss. It’s only human nature to think of ways to bounce back, recover, or find a solution to get out of a problem, but one should also face the facts of their situation. By thinking defeat can magically be avoided is to be on major copium.
How to use: It has its roots in sports and politics, but it can also be used in other competitive settings, where rationalizations for defeat, rejection, or loss will undoubtedly be taken to exaggerated heights.
Example: “The other players will be caught cheating and we can still win this!” “Nah, man, the lead is still too big. You’re on some copium.”
Ratio
On the Internet, to ratio somebody is to respond to a post and get more likes as a reply than the original poster. It’s honestly just silly internet things, where the popular opinion mostly prevails, but it’s always amusing to see feathers get ruffled and egos get bruised over childish retorts.
How to use: A ratio is used as a response to an unpopular opinion/inflammatory hot take post. The responder just needs to type “ratio” in their replies on Twitter, Facebook, or any Internet comment section that has the reply function.
Example: (someone posts that Ant-Man is the best Marvel movie and gets 200 likes) “you’re wrong + ratio” comment gets 1,170 likes
“Didn’t ask + don’t care + ratio”
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