LINDA COSTA COMMUNICATIONS GROUP

Top 10 Slang Words We Won’t See in 2115
09.16.15

 

Every so often, NPR correspondent Linton Weeks does one of his “back in the day” etymological segments, offering a witty look at how America’s collective dialect has evolved over the past several generations.

His most recent effort, 16 ‘Spiffy’ Words College Students Used In 1916, got me thinking: What slang words do kids use today that will be long forgotten a century from now?

With the help of my (younger, hipper) coworkers here at Costa Communications Group – most of whom got really “turned up” for this assignment – here’s our Top 10, in no particular order … with helpful workplace examples for the more seasoned readers among us:

1. On fleek. When something is perfect or going right in every way. On point. “That press release you wrote was on fleek.”
2. Bruh. Variant of bro. Supplanting “dude” in some circles. “Don’t double dip at the potluck, bruh.”
3. Turned Up. Hyped. Excited. Ready to party. “I’m all turned up for Casual Friday!”
4. Deuces. Holding up two fingers “peace fingers,” usually in the process of leaving for the day. “TGIF. Deuces!”
5. Peeps. People/friends. “What’s up, peeps? Who’s up for a Starbucks run?”
6. 411. Only used by a handful of kiddos these days, as nobody dials “information” anymore. Definitely on its way to extinction.
7. Selfie. Like 411, this term will fall out of use in the 2070s when technology has advanced to the point where every American has a personal mini-drone to take constant head shots of them. “Dronie” will be the new expression.
8. Bae. Before anyone else. Usually in reference to a significant other. Tied with “on fleek” and “bruh” atop the obnoxious meter.
9. Dope. Cool. “That PowerPoint was dope.”
10. Jelly. Jealous. “I got super jelly when my bae took a dope selfie without me.” (Come to think of it, this one might have staying power.)

Rob Humphreys, tubular senior writer and editor, grew up in an era when bad was good.