How one teacher is helping millennial parents decipher this trend and other teen slang.
I am not prepared. My 10-year-old has started speaking in teen slang.
He casually dropped a “That’s cap!” during a conversation my husband and I were having and then left the room.It was like a drive-by “slanging," quick and very subtle. It took us both a moment to realize what had just happened. It’s too early for this!
“Did he really just say, ‘That’s cap?’” my husband said to me with wide eyes, completely forgetting what we were discussing.
I quickly had to Google search what it meant, because it is really hard to keep up with all of the terms Gen Alpha has been coming up with lately. I’m fully versed in “mewing,” and “rizz,” but I couldn’t remember the difference between “cap” and “no cap,” and my head started spinning. To refresh your memory, when a teen calls someone or says something is “cap,” they’re accusing them of lying or not being real.
Luckily, I am not alone. But just when we think we’re catching on to what some of the terms mean, a slew of new terms take effect.Thankfully there are Gen Alpha experts who are here for us millennial parents to decipher this secret code of speech, which, if I didn’t know any better often sounds like they are talking in code about how to commit a crime.
Decoding Gen Alpha Slang
One of those experts is Phillip Lindsay, or “Mr. Lindsay” as he’s known on TikTok. He’s a special education math teacher by day in Payson, Arizona,but a teen slang decoder during his off time. His social media account is filled with videos breaking down what it all means, and how grownups can respond.
The newest and latest trend he’s shedding light on is something called the “Utah Fit Check.” We know what a "fit check" is—a video showing off your outfit of the day.
But where does the "Utah" come from? The TikTok trend exploded after a teen from Utah, TikToker @michaelmal568, showed off his outfit or "fit" by jumping and spinning in the air.So of course the trend took off.
Other teens have repeated the move multiple times, and the videos are usually set to the song “Harness Your Hopes” by Pavement. The original video garnered more than 2.9 million views and Lindsay hilariously demonstrates the move in a TikTok with his wife, knocking her to the ground.
Another new favorite Lindsay admits in another video, is the phrase “4+4." Because he's a math teacher, I understand his affinity for this one. The equation equals eight, which is also the numerical version of the slang term “Ate.” When a teen tells someone they “Ate,” it doesn’t mean they consumed a hearty meal for lunch or dinner. It’s a compliment on someone’s style or something positive they accomplished.
For example, while looking at her new "fit," my 16-year-old niece recently said to my sister Francesca,“Yaaas, you ATE!” My sister, understandably utterly confused, replied, “I mean, I ate breakfast but I can definitely go for a snack if that’s what you are asking.”
Teen Slang Takes On Different Iterations
As if all of this wasn’t confusing enough, now there are abbreviations and different iterations of previous teen slang terms that have taken on a new life of their own.
Take for instance, “Rizz,” which applies to and is short for someone who has charisma or the ability to flirt. Some of the popular variations of that now include “The Rizzler,” “Rizzly Bear,” “Rizzy,” “Rizz Master,” and perhaps my favorite, “Rizzard of Oz.”
While it’s mostly positive, “Rizz” can also mean something bad,specifically when someone says “Skibidi Ohio Rizz.” According to TikTok, it means this: Skibidi= something bad, Ohio= something cringe, Rizz= your ability to flirt. So, basically, you have terrible charisma and you are embarrassing.
Why is Ohio involved? It allegedly became synonymous with weird and cringy things after several bizarre news stories and memes that took place in Ohio went viral. Skibidi originated from a YouTube series called “Skibidi Toilet” which is about an evil army of toilets, which was then changed into a popular TikTok meme.
Mr. Lindsay even found a way to incorporate all of these words into one social media video. That's talent.
Another phrase, "Bop," which I learned recently was code for a good song or tune, has now been changed into a completely different meaning. Now it’s being used as a derogatory term for someone who gets around, based on their looks or how they act.
The Greek Alphabet Moves Beyond Sororities and Fraternities
Teens also categorize coolness using Greek alphabet letters, but naturally, it’s not used correctly. For example, if a teen calls another an “Alpha,” it means they believe they are hugely successful, mostly based on looks. According to this TikToker, a “Sigma” is similar to an “Alpha,” but more humble. Apparently, the origin of this phrase came from a Spongebob Squarepants clip that went viral.
Trying to keep up with teen slang is exhausting because there is something new every week. I now feel for my parents when they were tasked with trying to find out what it meant when we made an “L” sign with our fingers and held it up to our foreheads. Or responded with a “No duh,” when answering a question. Or described something as “Phat” and “Da Bomb.”
Those phrases, along with the Z. Cavaricci pants and bucket hats that were THE style during my '90s teen years dissipated once we graduated high school. Along with those styles, these new teen words and phrases will most likely not last. And once we parents become in tune with what they are saying, their phrases will suddenly become uncool, and they’ll move on to the next thing.That’s no cap.
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