Entertaining slang
Maybe it’s because I’m a wordsmith but I am fascinated by evolving changes in colloquialisms. Sometimes the evolution delights me, sometimes it infuriates me but, it always entertains me. And so, in this week’s column, I bring you the words and phrases of 2022.
If you think “woke” is the most irritating word used in conversation then, “whatever” man, “it is what it is” but really, “like, you know,” “just kidding.”
And there you have it summed up in one sentence — all six of the most annoying words or phrases of 2022, according to a Marist National Poll.
In 2021, “Trump” and “coronavirus” took the top spots, dethroning “whatever” which held the onerous title of most annoying word or phrase for more than a decade.
I dunno, I still think “Trump” is pretty dang annoying and can best be described as being the personification of “goblin mode” which, was Oxford Dictionary’s 2022 word of the year after receiving 340,000 votes. Oxford defines “goblin mode” as indulging in “behavior which is unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects social norms or expectations.” Yeah, that’s about the nicest way I can come up with to describe the former president of the United States.
Of course “gaslighting,” Merriam-Webster’s word of the year could also be used to describe the former POTUS’s behavior as it’s defined as “psychological manipulation intended to make a person question the validity of their own thoughts” or, in this case, the validity of their own vote.
Preply, a tutor-finding platform, also did a survey and its respondents too voted “woke” as 2022’s most annoying word. And, while the word doesn’t particularly bother me, even when it’s used by some to describe me in what they deem to be an insulting manner, I do find it awkward to use so you won’t be seeing that word in this column after today.
“OK, boomer” your outfit is totally not “on fleek” but you know I think you’re “bae” anyway.
That’s three of Preply’s other most annoying slang terms in one sentence.
And just in case reading it left you thinking I was speaking a different language and reaching for your phone to Google translate, let me save you the effort.
“OK, boomer” implies “someone is old, outof-touch or resistant to change”; “on fleek” means “perfectly executed or extremely good, attractive or stylish”; and “bae” translates to a “term of endearment of labeling something/someone as good or cool.”
“Bye, Felicia,” indicating a “dismissive goodbye” also made it into the top five annoying slang terms. I just couldn’t figure out how to use it in the above all-inclusive sentence but, by the end of this column I’m sure I’ll come up with a way to slide it in so, keep reading.
The Preply survey also asked Americans what the most popular slang terms and words were for 2022.
Among the survey respondents, “ghosted,” meaning “when someone cuts off all communication without explanation,” was, by far, last year’s most popular slang term. Apparently, although I missed it, “ghosted” was also 2021 s most popular slang term, indicating we’ve had couple of very haunted years. Just sayin’.
The second most popular slang term was “salty” (“exceptionally bitter, angry or upset”); the third “catfish” (“assuming a false identity or personality on the internet”); the fourth “low-key” (“understated or secretly”); and the fifth “bomb” (“cool, amazing”).
Now I’m normally pretty “low-key” but when I encounter a “catfish” trolling me, it’s anything but “bomb” and I can get a bit “salty” shutting them down with “bye, Felicia.”
“Yeet,” it sure is a challenge to “level up” my column writing when I’m just using slang but I just had to “share” this trending vernacular with you. Geez, I sure hope it doesn’t cause you to “ghost” me.