A guide to weird words your teen uses

I’m fairly hip, though my teenage daughter would beg to differ. Still, translating the latest “slanguage” in 2017 is no easy feat. Teens drop so many “lits,” “fams,” and “wokes,” that you never know if they’re giving you a compliment or secretly planning to set your house on fire. It’s partly the natural evolution of language and part byproduct of text messaging and social media. Mobile messaging platform Blend searched through nearly a halfmillion chats for the most popular slang words/phrases recently. Here are a few results — plus some of my own from living with a teen and working with a Millennial!

FAM: A person’s group of friends but can also be used to reference just one member of that tight inner circle. Example: “What’s up, fam?”

LIT: Used to describe something hot and happening. Similar to “cool,” but with an added emphasis on the fact it’s fresh and current. Example: “Jesse’s party last weekend was totally lit. Why weren’t you there?”

TURNT: Describes an excessive state of excitement, hype or overall craziness. When used to describe a person, it might also mean they’re intoxicated. Ex

ample: “You should have seen Casey at the game last night. She was turnt.”

GOALS: It literally means the same as “goals” normally would (something to strive for or desire), but it’s used as an adjective.

Example: “The way that couple looks at each other is goals.”

CLAP BACK: A snappy comeback. Example: “He kept teasing me, but he wasn’t expecting me to clap back!”

THIRSTY: This means desperate, impatient or overly eager, the kind of feeling where you can’t wait anymore. Many times it’s used when someone greatly desires a relationship or affection from a specific person. Ex

ample: “You see how James acts around Claire? He seems thirsty.”

SHADE: Shade is kind of like an insult or a diss. It’s usually used by saying that someone “threw shade” or “is throwing shade.” Example: “Kanye just threw shade on Jay-Z on Twitter. This is going to be great.”

SAVAGE: Someone who says something without a filter. It means you don’t care what other people think. Example: “She just broke up with her boyfriend in the middle of the cafeteria while we all watched. Savage!”

WOKE: “Woke” means you’re knowledgeable, aware, and “with it.” You’re not naive about the topic at hand and are above all smart and tactful. It’s the exact opposite of ignorance, and is usually used as such. Example: “If you care more about the Kardashians than the national housing crisis, you need to get woke.”