Teen-Speak Translation Thread 2021

[SlightlyJaded]

We haven't had one of these in a while.

I have DC 13 and 15 and we are in a very 'naice' part of London. No matter - they think they are gansta, so I make it my business to try and keep on top of their roadman chat. Some of the ones below have been around for a couple off years and seem to be on the way out but I've tried to include every ridiculous turn of phrase I've heard in the last six months.

PLEASE ADD MORE . We can then collectively become fluent in Teenspeak

Leng: Derivative of ‘Peng’ – same meaning of really attractive/nice/fit

Say Less Understood / Great – you don’t need to say another word. I get it and it’s good.

Drip: Money/Flash/Rich/Expensive. Your trainers are Drip! Check my Drip

Peak: Still very much in evidence – meaning rubbish/awful. Bare Peak is REALLY rubbish.

Lit: On it’s way out I think, but meaning ‘banging/good’. The party was Lit

G-Dot – to do something stupid – esp whilst drunk or high

Link: To get with someone of the opposite sex but not be officially boyfriend/girlfriend ‘Nah blud, we’re just linking” or on social media "Link me!" to someone you like.

Ends: Local area. “Come to my Ends”

Wavey: Drunk or high on drugs

Reh teh teh Blah blah blah or etc

Dench: Derivative of Hench. To describe someone who is bulked out or muscly from gym/training

Piff: On it’s way out I think but to describe someone who is attractive. Gal was a piff ting.

Clapped: Still very much in use to describe something ugly or un-attractive.

Thirsty: Used to describe someone who is desperate for attention

Rents: Parents

Next man Someone irrelevant – said with derision

G/My G Still very much in use. Shortening of the word Gangster. Often used my middle class white kids (as is most of this to be fair)

Lad: Well liked male. A comment saying ‘Lad’ under a post on social media would be a compliment suggesting the male in the photo is popular and well liked.

Motive: A meeting of lots of people/gathering/party

Gath: More informal/smaller gathering of people to get high /drunk

Free Yard Empty House. ‘Come my ends, I got a free yard’

Beef: Ongoing argument. “They’ve been in beef for ages” or "I don't have beef with you"

Finesse: To steal or take advantage. Can be applied to a person. “She finessed my boyfriend”

Ping: To take ecstasy

Bait: VARIOUS MEANINGS 1.to expose someone/reveal a secret/snitch

1. To be clumsy or stupid. “Don’t be bait, my dad will hear us”
2. When something is a bit naff or a cliché. “He’s so bait dressed in head to toe North Face”

Gassed: Still in use to mean happy or excited

Air: Ignore - especially on social. "He's airing me"

Flipping: Selling or dealing anything

Trapping: Selling Drugs. See also ‘Trap House’ – the place where you can buy drugs

Jarring: Annoying

Deep: Serious. Grave. To overthink or be unkind to someone. ‘Don’t deep it, she is ok”. "Don't deep it" meaning - it's not serious

Calm: Nice, relaxed good. Also can be used to describe the state of a friendship or relationship “Don’t worry, we’re calm”.

Allow it On it’s way out but means ‘stop it/let it go’

[trevorandsimon]

Wow! Are you an anthropologist or do you make notes every time they speak?!

[pinbinpin]

All those (South London/Surrey Gs aka posh boys) plus

Bare - many?

Peak - not sure but "that's peak" is something negative

[Sparklingbrook]

Worcestershire, owner of an 18 and 21 year old and have never heard them utter any of the words on that list.

[RickOShay]

Oh god dd said one the other day that I hadn’t heard it was brilliant and now I can’t remember it!!!
Will post when I do.

[SlightlyJaded]

@trevorandsimon

Wow! Are you an anthropologist or do you make notes every time they speak?!

They both speak practically fluent roadman so i have learned by osmosis.

[lockedownloretta]

North west , 17 and 20
The only one mine use is beef.

[SlightlyJaded]

@nastygemsxxxx

id call the police if my kid ever tried to speak to me like this x how dare they x

Why would you call the police???? It's teen slag? It's been around for ever and will be around for ever. It's how groups of teens speak amongst themselves. We are in the heartlands of Waitrose and Boden and all the kids talk like this when they are together.

[pinbinpin]

Sorry see you already covered bare peak.

I love this - love how language evolves and love embarrassing my son (same age as OP)

Do the girls speak like this too or are there variations?

Also noticed a big uptick in shush with a finger to the mouth if you say something they don't like, like the WiFi is going off, whcihbis really annoying and I think comes from football?

[Nohomemadecandles]

Crikey! Are you Henry Higgins, OP??

[trevorandsimon]

I'd be worried tbh, there's a lot of drug talk...

[pinbinpin]

Every 13-16 year old in London and the home counties must be on drugs then 😂

[SlightlyJaded]

@trevorandsimon

I'd be worried tbh, there's a lot of drug talk...

Drug references are in-frequent but mostly happen when they are watching tv, so not desperately worried. The comedy of it to me is that most of the kids who talk like this are not living that life. Not by miles.

[101namesforme]

I’d just add

Heads - people, I.e. there’s bare heads here - loads of people.

[SlightlyJaded]

@101namesforme

I’d just add

Heads - people, I.e. there’s bare heads here - loads of people.

oooh that's a new one to me, thanks!

[sausageathlete]

@Sparklingbrook

Worcestershire, owner of an 18 and 21 year old and have never heard them utter any of the words on that list.

I was thinking that too

[BaublesAndBawbags]

Love this. The weird correlation is that the more I hear this sort of language, the more compelled I feel to use words like 'snazzy' and 'with it', even though they're the kind of thing my mum would have said...

[101namesforme]

Should add that mine don’t use the language in the house and only one of them would use it outside the house, and again only with certain people. The more ‘streetwise’ one. Who, apart from smoking a bit of weed a few years ago, does not do drugs, commit crime, have fights etc!

Apart from ‘beef’, that is very commonly used by all teens around here.

[skippy67]

Threads like this are jarring. See what I did there? Depending on where you live, none of these are new. They're only noteworthy when white kids start saying them.

[pinbinpin]

yes obviously bmostbof this is overheard when they are speaking to their mates, they don't really use much of it with us apart from bare and peak and calm etc.

[Soutiner]

The use of the word ‘naice’ by an adult woman is far more concerning to me than any slang words teenagers use!

[NowellSingWe]

@BaublesAndBawbags

Love this. The weird correlation is that the more I hear this sort of language, the more compelled I feel to use words like 'snazzy' and 'with it', even though they're the kind of thing my mum would have said...

Haha- DH and I are mid-40s and we laugh about his mum (in her 80s) using the word 'snazzy'. Our children find the word hilarious.

[pinbinpin]

My 13y old used a new one on me on Xmas day when I asked him if he liked his new tracksuit, wish I could remember what it was! You're right Skippy, they go to a very diverse school in S London in a very diverse area and most of these words originated in the back communities. I think Stormzy popularized many of them too and is a local hero, to boys of all backgrounds and ethnicities, which can only be a good thing I think.

[TwirlingTwizzler]

I need to take a pic of this list and keep it on my phone.

My ds who's white and also southeast can often be heard using this language on his headset.

I'm tired of asking him to speak English or for him to translate it for me.

[SlightlyJaded]

@BaublesAndBawbags Yes to this. I do it too. I find myself saying 'smashing' and then correcting to 'bare smashing' in front of their friends ...