Understanding teenage slang doesn't have to be a "salty" process. By which we mean, something that's overly annoying or pissing you off.
Young people tend to have a language of their own and if you're someone who likes to stay current or are just having a hard time reading into your kids' Facebook walls or texts, we're here to make your vocabulary much more relevant. And as we head towards the holidays, you may just impress the younger crowd at your family dinner and even use words like "salty" when they're appropriate.
Jonathan Hortillosa, a high school religions teacher from Aurora, Ont. says most of his students censor this type of language in the classroom and in their assignments, but he does occasionally hear words in conversation.
"What I hear often is hashtag as a word. One of my students uses this on a regular basis," he says. "Like 'I'm hashtag rattled by this' or 'hey sir, hashtag what's up?'"
But Hortillosa says instead of getting his students to steer away from using this slang, he actually uses it as a teaching tool.
"For example, I use 'hashtag' just to keep their attention and for the sake of humour."
And slang isn't always linked to a younger demographic. Recently, the National Post reported one of the most stereotypical Canadian phrases "eh," was slowly dying out and being replaced by "right." The paper also implied older Canadians will soon be the only ones using "eh" in the future.
This year we also saw popular online terms like selfie, FOMO, derp and squee all added to the Oxford English Dictionary.
So what are the terms people are saying these days? While most of these are not necessarily new for the past year, young Canadians and teachers told us this is what people like to use the most. Did we miss any? Let us know in the comments below:
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Soof
DEFINE IT: Simply, "swear on our friendship" or the new "say word" of the year
SAY IT: Person A: "Holy crap, my phone bill for the month is over $200..."
Person B: "I don't believe you."
Person B: "Soof!"
Cray Cray
DEFINE IT: Someone or something that is really crazy
SAY IT: "You're planning on shovelling that snow after midnight? You're cray cray."
Salty
DEFINE IT: Someone or something who is overly pissed off, angry or annoying
SAY IT: "I can't stand his attitude sometimes, he's so salty."
Turn Up
DEFINE IT: Getting loose, getting wild and getting the party started
SAY IT: "What? Beyonce is performing at Brian's party tonight? Brian's place is about to turn up!"
Swerve
DEFINE IT: Swerve has several meanings, according to Canadian teenagers. It can mean telling someone to go away, a replacement for the word "swag," or if you're using game to win someone over.
SAY IT: Person A: "Seriously, did you get my text last night?"
Person B: "Yeah, I didn't reply."
Person A: "Ugh, swerve. You aren't worth my time."
Dead
DEFINE IT: When a situation is so incredibly funny, hard to believe or you have no other words to express yourself, you say dead. Usually, preceded by a hashtag if you're using it on Instagram or Twitter: #dead.
SAY IT:What we saw on Twitter: "He only sold 2,000 records off his new album... that stuff went negative platinum...that stuff went aluminum foil #DEAD."
Hashtag
DEFINE IT: Yes, this comes directly from using the "#" symbol on Twitter or Facebook. In everyday conversations, you can express your emotions or attitude towards something or someone by saying hashtag followed by the feeling.
SAY IT: "I can't even believe how long I had to wait in the Tim Hortons' line this morning. Hashtag not impressed."
Down
DEFINE IT: To do something with someone or agree to doing it.
SAY IT: Person A: "'Girls' marathon tonight?"
Person B: "Down."
Wheeling And Dealing
DEFINE IT: Yes, this term has been around for years and it can mean a variety of things. These days, wheeling and dealing means you're in an relationship with someone, but you're not boyfriend/girlfriend. However, just to make things a little more complicated, you're still considered in a relationship — just without that specific label. Wheeling usually happens in the flirting stage and dealing is your non-defined relationship.
SAY IT: "I've been trying to wheel this girl for weeks now, but I can't see myself dealing with her."
Beauty/Beaut
DEFINE IT: Yes, this means beautiful, but it is often used by bros to compliment each other. It can also refer to someone who is cool.
SAY IT: "Your new car? Beauty."
Duster/Dusty
DEFINE IT: Originally a term used by hockey players to describe a player who didn't have much ice time and "collected dust on the bench," it is now used to refer to someone as sub-par or when someone does something dumb.
SAY IT: "Bro, did you just send a private tweet publicly? You're such a duster."
Lace Up
DEFINE IT: This phrase comes from rapper Machine Gun Kelly's "Lace Up Movement" and as the word implies, it means lacing up your kicks and doing whatever it is you have to do. It also implies stepping up your game and taking on whatever life throws at you.
SAY IT: "In five days I'll be sitting on a beach! Yeah! Lace Up!"
Catfish
DEFINE IT: Made popular by the documentary and recently the MTV TV series "Catfish," this refers to someone who is pretending to be someone they're not.
SAY IT: "I met this extremely hot guy on a dating site but it turned out to be a catfish."
Hella
DEFINE IT: Again, not a new term but hella has become quite popular with teens these days. Hella replaces really.
SAY IT: "I can't even deal with how many 'likes' my photo has, this is hella cray cray."
Soft
DEFINE IT: Someone who is weak (doesn't have to be physically), tired or is too afraid to do something.
SAY IT: "So he won't come out tonight because it's too cold? Soft."
Rocket
DEFINE IT: When someone is really attractive, often a female.
SAY IT: "Kate Upton is on the cover of Sports Illustrated. What a rocket."
Selfie
DEFINE IT: Probably one of the most commonly heard words of 2013, selfie refers to taking a picture of yourself. The Oxford English Dictionary even made it an official word this year.
SAY IT: "Just give me a second, I need to post this selfie of this outfit on Instagram."
Dafaq
DEFINE IT: This one isn't particularly new either, but teachers and students tell us they've been hearing it a lot. Dafaq is short for the fuck.
SAY IT: "Did he just miss that basket? Dafaq."
Guap
DEFINE IT: A lot of money. Lots of it.
SAY IT: "Did you hear tuition's going up? That's a lot of guap!"
Molly
DEFINE IT: The pure form of MDMA (ecstasy). It's also been linked to Miley Cyrus's alleged drug use and lyrics of "Can't Stop."
SAY IT: "Did you see those out-of-control guys at the festival? I think they were on molly."