Say What? A Glossary of Teen Slang

by Patricia Greco

For confused parents, a guide to what your kids are really saying. But hurry...they'll be on to something new before you know it.

BF, GF (abbrs., boyfriend, girlfriend) "My friends and I use it online when we're talking about who's going out with who. It's faster-I wouldn't even think of typing the full word anymore."
-Michelle, 15, Stillwater, MN

BF4L (abbr., best friends for life) "It's how we sign off instant messenger. And we'll say it to clear things up if we've had a fight."
-Josie, 14, Carmel, CA

Busted (adj., ugly) "Sometimes I'll be walking down the hall and I'll hear someone say ‘Ew,
that girl's busted.' It's pretty mean, and people shouldn't say it."
-Danielle, 14, Louisville, KY

Cheddar (n., cash) "I've heard it said like, ‘I need some cheddar to buy this new video game.'"
-Kody, 12, Louisville, KY

Chillaxin (v., chillin' combined with relaxin') "My friends say it if I call them after sports practice to see what they're doing."
-Arielle, 16, Wrentham, MA

Crunk (adj., awesome) "My friends say it like, ‘Dude, you should have been there last night-it was crunk.' It may have started as a combination of crazy and drunk, but now we use it to describe any awesome time."
-Billy, 15, Westlake, OH

MOS, DOS, POS (abbrs., mom over shoulder, dad over shoulder, parent over shoulder) "Guys will type it if they're talking to a girlfriend online. Maybe they're embarrassed and don't want their parents to know."
-Will, 15, Charleston, SC

Emo (abbr., emotional. Originally a category of rock music, it now describes a dramatic person who listens to those songs.) "You're usually called it if you seem like the depressed type."
-Justine, 13, Colonia, NJ

G (n., friend) "It can be a funny way to say goodbye, like, ‘See ya later, G.' It's short for ‘homey G.'"
-Sydney, 13, Lawrence, KS

Home skillet (n., friend) "I've heard it said like, ‘Yo, what's up, home skillet?'" -Will

Money (adj., cool) "If someone shows you a new jacket and you like it, you can just say ‘Money.'"
-Sylvia, 15, Boston, MA

My bad (n., my mistake) "If I make a bad pass at ball practice, I'll say ‘My bad' to a teammate." -Scott, 16, Columbus, OH

Off the chain (adj., cool) "If there was a really fun party, people might say ‘Oh man, that party was off the chain.'"
-Scott

OMG (abbr., oh my God!)
"It started on instant messenger, but now we'll actually say it out loud. Like if you see someone acting weird, you might turn to a friend and say ‘OM-G!'"
-Delane, 15, Salem, OR

Rides (n., sneakers) "People say ‘Don't step on my rides' or ‘Check out my new rides.'"
-John, 13, Charleston, SC

Tope (adj., cool) "It's a mixture of the words tight and dope, which both mean ‘cool.'" -Sylvia

Wanksta (n., a person who tries to act tough) "It was in a rap song-that's how people caught on to it. You can say it to call a person out for trying to be cool."
-Chris, 12, Arlington, TX

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