There are many benefits to coaching high school cross country. I get to be active and encourage young people to work hard, set goals, and challenge themselves. I get to spend a lot of time outside, often on pretty trails, chatting with kids. But honestly, the best part of coaching teens?
They make me laugh.
When I’ve had a rough day, and I show up to practice cranky, inevitably my runners will do or say something to make me smile. As a Word Nerd, one of the things I enjoy most about teens is learning their language. It’s constantly changing, and I love to try and keep up.
During workouts and the stretches that follow, I hear all kinds of new expressions, like “It do be that way until it don’t be.” Or “Yeet!”, “Shut up, Boomer!”, and “Stop cappin'”. I squint, I strain, I try to understand, and finally, I just ask for an explanation. Usually, they laugh at me, but I’m willing to endure ridicule in my pursuit of understanding adolescent verbiage.
So for you today, an explanation of three words I hear teens throwing around. These words are already “old”, and my comprehension late, but I’m sure you’ll still smile.
yeet: According to Urban Dictionary, yeet can be used as an exclamation, a verb, or even a noun. Dictionary.com says it was first popular as an exclamation way back in 2008 when it was used to express excitement or approval. In 2014, the term yeet described a dance that was popular in You Tube and Vine videos. Yeet got popular again in 2016 in a viral video of a girl tossing a soda can into a school hallway while shouting “Yeet!” So the verb yeet usually refers to heaving something. In 2018, the American Dialect Society voted yeet, an “indication of surprise or excitement,” the Slang/Informal Word of the Year.
Boomer: a slang term for a Baby Boomer or anyone who is older than the person using the word; it’s usually an insult; often meant to characterize someone as one or more of the following: old, white, suburbanite, likes 80s rock, MAGA, balding, passionate about lawn mowing, hates Millennials, works in an office, uses phrases like “back in my day”, etc. (Urban Dictionary)
Clownin’: Used to describe someone who is doing something foolish or ridiculous; can be used as a verb, to make someone look stupid or to play a joke on someone. This one has actually been around for a while; I’ve recently heard a resurgence of the term at practice.
There you go! Now you know some key teen terms, but stay on your toes. There will be at least five new ones next week. 😉
Word Nerd note: I told my kids about this post, and child #3 said, “Mom, boomer isn’t a word you need to analyze. You just use it, you know?” Ha!
If you like to learn new words and the origins of their meanings, visit the Wondrous Words Wednesday meme at Bermuda Onion. Each Wednesday, bloggers share new words they’ve learned.
What are some fun “teen words” you use or want to know more about?
Thanks for getting nerdy with me!
I thought I was proud to be a boomer! I’m old, white, used to work in an office, but those other definitions, hates millennials, MAGA, most definitely do NOT fit me! Color me Blue!
Ha! Judy. “Boomer”, like all stereotypes, falls short of describing any real person. 😉
So funny! I haven’t heard these but maybe I’ll start clownin’ and throw some shade their way – yeet!
Aha! I’m familiar with “throwing shade”. Also “spilling tea”. 😉