Special November Hot Topic: Speaking “Teen”
Teens say the darndest things. Sometimes it would seem they have invented their own language purposely… just to keep you in the dark. As William Safire reported in the New York Times column, On Language (September 30, 2007), there’s a whole new adolescent lexicon to get on top of. Here are terms you should know:
The phrase | What it means |
| Ah-ite! | All right – a contraction of aw-right |
| Adorkable | Combination of “adorable” and “dork” |
| Fauxhawk | A Mohawk hairstyle, achieved by combing all the hair to the center rather than shaving |
| Ginormous | Combination of “gigantic” and “enormous” |
| Chillax | Combination of “chill” and “relax” |
| Crunk | Combination of “crazy” and “drunk” (but generally, to have a wild, good time) |
| Stella | “good-looking female” (from stellar or starlike) |
| Butterface | “Great body.. but her face..” |
| Blockamore | As in, “she only looks good from a block or more” |
| Nose wide open | Totally compliant (as in, “can be led around by the nose”) |
| Thigh five | Like a high five, except instead of hands, the thighs are clapped together |
| All up in your grill | In your face |
| Granola (noun) | Health and environmentally conscious |
| Yam on | humiliate |
| Making purple or doing the do | Having sex |
| Sexile (used in college or boarding school) | Being locked out of your room because your roommate is having sex (“in exile”) |
| Hallcest | Having sex with someone in your hall |
| Adultalescents | The state of moving back in with one’s parents after college graduation |
See timely resources on Speaking "Teen"