These slang words will help you stay on fleek
These terms from 2015 will prevent you from making any out-of-date remarks
Does everything on the Internet have a hidden meaning? Here’s where we explain the Internet slang that came to light this past year.
Netflix and chill: The modern streaming era’s “Let’s watch a movie” with added innuendo. Earlier on, many believed that Netflix and chill meant to watch Netflix and hang out with a friend or partner. It was later revealed that “and chill” referred to intercourse. Example: Person A: What are you doing this weekend? Want to Netflix and chill?
Person B: No, thanks, I have a boyfriend/girlfriend.
Squad goals: Is a group of (hip, trending, empowering) people that one aspires to be a part of. The term was popularized by Taylor Swift and her famous girlfriends, including other musicians, models and actresses Examples: The youth basketball team is squad goals because they stuck together after being disqualified from a tournament for having a girl on their roster; they also supported their teammate with shirts that said “Girls don’t sit on the bench.”
Taylor Swift and her girl gang of friends, including Selena Gomez, Ca- ra Delevingne, Gigi Hadid, Zendaya and Hailee Steinfeld are squad goals because they are all talented young women who encourage and support each other.
On fleek: The term “on fleek” surfaced on social media in late 2014 but took off in 2015.
The originating post was about a young woman describing her freshly done, well-groomed eyebrows. It has since been used to describe something that looks put together.
Similar to the now-dated term “on point.” Examples: Person A: I love that jacket you’re wearing. Your outfit is on fleek!
Why you always lyin’: ( sung to the tune of Too Close by Next): Many Internet jokes emerged from this tone-deaf, off-beat cover by Nicholas Fraser that has been viewed more than 13 million times on YouTube. It’s also been shared countless times as Vines and memes. The lyrics express the singer’s annoyance at people “always lyin’” to him. Example: If someone tells you something so outrageous and you know they are lying, you can send them a .gif or screen grab of this fellow’s face. They’ll know what it means.
The Left Shark: During Katy Perry’s Super Bowl 49 halftime show, two sharks were her backup dancers. Fortunately for the Internet, the left shark was incredibly offbeat and didn’t seem to be giving the perfor- mance 100 per cent. For a brief period of time, people described poor work ethic and laziness as “left shark.” Example: When you haven’t had your Monday morning coffee and you can’t seem to get back into the work week, you can describe your mood as feeling like the “left shark.” Whip and nae nae and the dab: These are the dance moves of the year. The whip and nae nae accompany Silento’s song, “Watch me (Whip/Nae Nae).” The “dab” has seen mainstream popularity largely thanks to Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, who typically includes the dab in his touchdown and victory dances.