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OT - The 2016 "What the heck are kids saying" language thread


inkman

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I'm falling into that old guy schtick but I really don't understand what people are saying anymore. Here is my list of words I don't get:

 

Finna - some sort of amalgamation of "fixing to" or "going to". What?

 

Gang - sometimes used as gang gang. This is some sort of reference to chilling or hanging out. Not sure why the word gang morphed into this.

 

Ratchet - referring to an ugly or busted person. To the best of my knowledge this derived from ignorant people confusing or misspelling the word wretched which actually fits the definition they seek.

 

 

Please add your thoughts, comments or words people are saying now that don't make any sense.

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I'm falling into that old guy schtick but I really don't understand what people are saying anymore. Here is my list of words I don't get:

 

Finna - some sort of amalgamation of "fixing to" or "going to". What?

 

Gang - sometimes used as gang gang. This is some sort of reference to chilling or hanging out. Not sure why the word gang morphed into this.

 

Ratchet - referring to an ugly or busted person. To the best of my knowledge this derived from ignorant people confusing or misspelling the word wretched which actually fits the definition they seek.

 

 

Please add your thoughts, comments or words people are saying now that don't make any sense.

 

Language is always fun. And always changing.

 

I'll say that "finna" has been around for decades. The black kids in my grade school years often used finna -- and, yes, as you suggest, it clearly traces back to the southern phrase "fixin' to".

 

I've also heard "gang" in that context. I think it may have succeeded "squad." I think it's just a shout-out to your crew, or a request that your crew assemble.

A word I heard a lot in 2015, but maybe not so much lately: Goals. 

 

This was being used as a somewhat ironic one-word metaphysical observation, to indicate that the speaker aspires to something he or she is observing. Example: Middle school girls are watching a much younger sibling of one of them consume a donut with messy glee. One girl remarks: "Goals." By way of context: The speaker was not necessarily indicating that she wished to eat a donut in that manner -- she was probably being more abstract than that. It was a fun word-use, while it had its time in the sun,

 

Also, a word I have been hearing a lot of late: Savage.

 

Yes, a familiar word. But it is specifically being used to refer to someone who exerts influence or dominion over a situation or problem. Maybe a descendant of like a boss.

Edited by That Aud Smell
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I know ratchet and I hate it. The other ones, nah. No idea. 

Bae... the worst of all the slang. It is short for Baby or babe as in she's my baby and I love her. I freaking hate it with a passion. "Y'all won't believe how much I love my Bae."  Burn in hell. 

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I don't know why "whoa" is spelled "woah" now and would love that to be explained to me.

 

It's a source of legitimate confusion. Some time ago, I Googled it to be sure.

 

That said, when I first started seeing "Woah", I thought the writer was going for something more old west horse rider in nature -- woe-ah!

 

Bae... the worst of all the slang. It is short for Baby or babe as in she's my baby and I love her. I freaking hate it with a passion. "Y'all won't believe how much I love my Bae."  Burn in hell. 

 

Please.

 

Before Anyone Else.

 

And please don't disrespect my bae -- or anyone else's -- with such harsh words.

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I don't know why "whoa" is spelled "woah" now and would love that to be explained to me.

That's the way I've always spelled it. No idea where I got it from. There's probably no correct spelling anyway. Especially if you look at how other languages try to express the same sounds.

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^

 

I saw a grammarian's blog entry about this some time ago. He pointed out that when you're talking about an utterance like "whoa" -- something that for centuries was said, not written -- misspellings are going to be common and, if the misspelling makes sense (reads right) to enough people, it will become an acceptable variant spelling.

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The one that's starting to get on my nerves.... Slay. As in, SLAY QUEEN, SLAAAAYYYY. As in, you are a fierce woman, knock 'em dead with your awesomeness. Often found with anything related to Queen Bey (Beyonce), who I also don't really understand, but that's another thing entirely. 

 

Unless it is in this context.

 

 

 

 

Another that I used to use but am now tiring of is Yaaaaas. As in yes. Often found in conjunction with SLAY QUEEN SLAAAYYYY. 

 

It was kinda cute and silly here.. now overused.

Edited by Josie914
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What is ting?  And I'm guessing that  "af" is "as ######," is that correct?

 

AF is mos def as fook.

 

My oldest got the Dad-glare for telling me she was tired AF the other day.

 

In fairness, the kids don't necessarily hear or intend the f-bomb when they see or say WTF either.

As for ting, I believe that was sorta the premise of Demi Lovato's forbidden-love summer-banger last year.

 

Edited by That Aud Smell
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Great thread needed the slang up update aint got no skills. PS just found out in gaming 07 means salute, not sure abt 007 other than the obvious.

OHHH I get it. It's a visual. The 0 is the head, 7 is the arm up in a salute position. 007 would be a good doubleheader! 

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'ting' is 'thing', or chick basically

 

Not unlike sus (which seems to derive from "suspect" and has a meaning similar to "sketchy"), I believe ting is hacked off of dating and indicates a casual relationship.

 

This thread is totally on the fleek

 

ftfy.

 

Imma keep an eye on this thread. It literally drives me nuts. 

 

even serious-minded language types are starting to give into this.

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