'Loony Lingo' - a desperate cry for help from a harried Xennial Mom!

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Everyone knows how important translators are; without them, so many non-English works would have remained unknown to us. But today, I want to highlight a language that is growing in use but that most people of my generation just cannot process. We are in desperate need of translators to make sense of its intricacies. Simply put, without Google, most of us won’t make head or tails of what’s being said.

What language is this, you ask?

The language that Gen Z speaks. It is supposedly based on *our* English, but I can’t confirm this for sure.

As the mother of a teen and a tween, I can’t tell you what tortures I have been subject to over the last few months. I used to be the cool Mamma who knew everything. Now I am the lost one, the person who can’t figure out what my kids are communicating. I have also gone from being "Mamma" to being "Bro!" or "Bruh!" (And yes, there’s a difference between the two!)

You don’t believe me? Trust me, it is a serious issue. Fox News even ran a “Breaking News” on this situation a few days ago.



Still think you can figure out the words? Here are some real life examples for you. If you figured out all these words despite being in my age group, I’ll know that you have teens at home, or that you aren’t from my generation.

1. FR:
Teen’s message to her friend: “FR Sen.”
Me peeking into the chat, wondering “Who the heck is Father Sen?”

Actual meaning: Abbreviation for “For Real”, used to express agreement. (Sen was apparently a pet name for her friend. No Gen-Z word there, phew!)

2. Sus:
Tween’s comment to me one day after school: ‘He was acting so sus!’
Me trying to figure out the meaning: *totally lost*

Actual meaning: Suspicious, in the sense of ‘I can’t trust him.’

3. Drip:
Teen looking at me in my new Sunday dress: “Mamma, you have some serious drip!”
Me, wondering if my dress (or I) had started leaking from somewhere subconsciously. 👀

Actual meaning: Drip is used to indicate something cool or stylish. Synonym of “Swag.” Don’t ask me the connection between drip and style. No idea!

4. Cheugy:
Overheard in a casual conversation between Teen and Tween, referring to a character in a TV series as a ‘cheugy.’
Honestly, I thought it was some new Star Wars/Star Trek character they were talking about!

Actual meaning: Someone/something who is trying too hard to be trendy, with the result being totally uncool.

5. Ship:
Teen to me while watching Good Omens: I totally get why everyone ships Crowley and Aziraphale.
Me, the loyal wife of a ship superintendent: Shipping them? Like sending them somewhere? Wanting them to be shipped off?
Teen to me: Bruh!

Actual meaning: Wanting a couple to be in a relation*ship* with each other. Yeesh!

6. Rizz:
Teen, describing her latest K-pop sensation as having rizz.
I gave up without even trying to figure out the meaning.

Actual Meaning: Rizz is short for ‘Charisma’ and means exactly the same thing. *eye roll*

7. Extra:
Overheard in a casual conversation between Teen and Tween. It seems the new dance teacher at school is extra.
I assumed the teacher had been taken on in a temp position at school. ‘Extra’ teacher, you know?

Actual Meaning: Someone/something who is over the top in dramatic reactions. Think ‘nautanki’. (Bambaiya Hindi has words for Gen-Z slang!)

8. GOAT:
Teen to me: XYZ (Some K-pop singer I forgot the name of!) is the GOAT!
Me to teen: Is he a Capricorn? (Our sun sign animal is a goat, after all.)
Teen to me: An eye roll with the “You know nothing” look.

Actual meaning: Acronym for ”Greatest Of All Time.” *smacking forehead*

9. Slay:
Teen on reading my review of a book she read recently, texting me from the train: You slayed the Oliva Denaro review, Mamma!
Me: I thought it was one of my best reviews.
Teen’s reply: That's what I said!
Me: Hain?

Actual Meaning: To do a fabulous job.

10. Cringe:
Teen, Tween and I having a discussion about the attractiveness of book covers. I am a huge cover aficionado, and apparently so is Tween. To impress them with my “coolness”, I sang a line from the Jonas Brothers’ song ‘Sucker’ as such: “I'm a sucker for covers!”
Teen, horrified: OMG, that was so cringe!
Me: Oh, c’mon! I sang a song from your generation. Give me some credit for knowing it.
Tween, horrified: Jonas Brothers are NOT from our generation. They are SO OLD!!!
Double heart attack for me. Sigh…

Actual Meaning: Someone ‘cringe’ is literally a person that makes you cringe by being extremely embarrassing or awkward.


The problem isn’t only in word usage. I have been informed by the cool kids that I don’t even know how to use emojis properly. For instance, 😭 doesn’t mean “sad crying” but “positively overwhelming due to utter cuteness”. 💀 isn’t just a skull but indicates – ‘DEAD’. No, not ‘passing away’ wala death, but on the lines of “I’m dead from laughing.” 😅 is “I’m stressed but fine.” 😊isn’t a happy smile but a fake/sarcastic smile.

Somebody send help!

FWIW, my training is on in full swing. With two adept Gez-Z youngsters in residence IRL, I am on my way to being lit, no cap! I can yeet kool words at ya, fam, and you’ll be totes impressed. In a few months, if you see me flex my z-lang in my reviews, don’t throw shade at me. I might just be fully infected by the Loony Lingo virus FR. IYKYK. 😜

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