Slang & Words We're Watching

Slang (page 4)

smooth-brained

stupid, dull, vapid

soft launch

an act of hinting about a new romance on social media

solastalgia

sadness or melancholy due to environmental loss

sonder

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

speed run

an incredibly fast progression or transition

spin the block

to engage in something for a second time; to reattempt, redo, etc.

sploot

to lie on the belly with the limbs splayed

sportsball

a tongue-in-cheek word for team sports

stablecoin

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

steelman

a strong or effective opposition to an argument, rhetorical position, etc.

stonks

humorous slang for “stocks” (shares in a company)

Streisand effect

the unintended amplification of information caused by an attempt to suppress or remove it

struggle meal

an inexpensive, easy-to-make meal

Summerween

a Halloween-like celebration held in summer

Sunday scaries

anxiety felt when the weekend is almost over

sussy baka

someone acting strangely or suspiciously

SYBAU

an angrier way to say ‘shut up’ online

taps sign

used to call attention to something and especially to remind

tech bro

a disapproving term for a man working in tech

tech neck

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

the dark side

a negative, disreputable, or evil position

the singularity

a hypothetical point at which human intelligence is surpassed by artificial intelligence

thicc

curvaceous; burly; lovably large

thinspo

online content that encourages harmful eating habits and drastic weight loss

thoak

throat

thot

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

throw hands

to fight using one’s fists

Thucydides trap

a situation in which a dominant power’s fear of a rising power leads inevitably to war

torpedo bat

a baseball bat with a thicker-than-usual barrel

tradwife

a dutiful housewife active on social media

transvestigation

a transphobic attempt to determine whether someone is trans

tuff

cool, awesome, etc.

tush push

a controversial American football play

twin

a close friend that shares a similar style or energy

type shit

an all-purpose affirmation

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

vaguepost

to post cryptically on social media for engagement or attention

vibe check

a casual or intuitive assessment of the quality of something or someone

vibe coding

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

webtoon

a digital comic scrolled vertically

weeaboo

a person obsessed with Japanese culture and anime

whack-a-mole

A situation in which any attempt to deal with a problem is met with another problem, or a reoccurrence of the original problem.

whimsy

a whimsical visual aesthetic or lifestyle

winter arc

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

womp womp

used to mock someone else’s misfortune, disappointment, or distress

WYLL

'What (do) you look like?'

yacht rock

rock music from the 1970s/1980s that is usually mellow, polished, and jazz-influenced

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

yuri

movies, shows, literature, etc. portraying an intimate relationship between two women

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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