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There was a time in the past when people referred to goats as those animals that make that "baa" sound. Apparently, today you can refer to anyone as the goat, and they will take it as a compliment. That's what teens say these days! (FYI, we do know what the GOAT stands for, we just needed a creative intro.)
Either way, everyone is familiar with teen sayings, perhaps not the current ones, but at least the ones from when they were teenagers. You might not be using them any more, but you must remember at least some teenage lingo from back in the day! Interested in learning more about teenager phrases, just a few weeks ago, a member of the AskReddit community u/restrictednumber1996 asked fellow members, "What was a big or popular saying when you were a teen?" To no surprise, the now-ex-teenagers flooded the comments section with popular teenage slang they used or heard others use in their teens and still remember as clear as day.
Below, we've compiled some of the best (and most nostalgic!) responses from the thread, revealing the many teenage slang words and phrases people remember from their teens. And who knows, perhaps Redditors' teen years will match with yours, and you'll find something to relate to, because we certainly did! And if you do recognize any of the teen sayings below, make sure to give them an upvote!
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#1
ayebrade69 said:
"I haven’t heard a YOLO in about 12 years."
No-Student5710 replied:
"Thats because all those people died doing stupid things."
Con O Cuinn 1 year ago
My friend got this tattooed on his hand back in the early 00s, before it was really popularised. Couldn't help enjoying a bit of schadenfreude as every second rate rapper started using it
RELATED:
#2
ZenEvadoni said:
"'Better love story than Twilight'
Though to be honest most love stories really are better love stories than Twilight."
keelanstuart replied:
"Twilight... the heartwarming tale of a young woman torn between necrophilia and bestiality."
#3
"I still respond “your mom” to 10 percent of questions."
ConstantlyJon 1 year ago
My 15yo daughter says your mom all the time and thinks it's hilarious. It is still fairly funny
#5
noonespe said
"That’s so gay."
TimmyBill426 replied:
"You're gay This is gay Everything was gay back then, except for gay people."
#6
"With the right inflection and context, it's a whole statement on its own. The entire back and forth conversations would be had by just saying, dude. It's a lost language really."
#7
WhenTardigradesFly said:
"Dave's not here, man"
jobu1111 replied:
"I still say this to my high school students when someone knocks on the door. They just look confused and wonder who Dave is."
#8
"'Take a picture, it’ll last longer'. When you find someone staring at you."
BLONDTROBL 1 year ago
To which we would reply: byeeeet (bite, with emphasis on the e) whilst also making a circle gesture with a hand. Two hands if you really wanted to make your point. I have several pictures of me and my friends making this hand gesture. We thought we were so cool cause the adults had no clue!
#11
SuvenPan said:
"Hold your horses!!"
chickenTendiiesss replied:
"My grandfather's favorite thing to say when you say 'hey' to him is, 'hey is for horse,'"
#12
Major_Tumbleweed_952 said:
"You're killing me Smalls!"
Andire replied:
"I work at a children's zoo and hear gen x and old millennial moms tell their kids, "You're killin me, Smalls!" all the time lol."
#13
"Can you not?"
#14
"Been there, done that."
#15
"My 46-year-old son calls me Homeslice."
#16
"Psych
no, it was never spelled ‘sike’, we were just young and stupid."
Lakota Wolf 1 year ago (edited)
I still say this occasionally. I am 41. XD And because I was an English/Creative Writing major, I'm big on proper spelling, so I went through a very cringe-worthy phase where I would correct my friends online if they spelled it "sike". Ahh, young Lakota was an insufferable language nerd XD
#17
"What-ever!"
kitten levels tokyo 1 year ago
A classic! But when I say it there is no hyphen or exclamation point. Just normal conversation voice.
#18
"That's my name, don't wear it out."
Lakota Wolf 1 year ago
This is a Dad-level phrase. XD My dad was born in 1942 and I remember him saying this to me whenever I'd yell "DAAAAAAAD" when I was whining about something or looking for him. Of course, "Dad" wasn't his NAME, but that's just a dad joke for you. Rest in peace, Dad, you were the dad-est. <3
#19
"Alrighty then!"
#20
SuvenPan said:
"Talk to the hand."
mrs-fox replied:
"Cause the face ain't listening!"
#22
Elaine_Benes_Lovr said:
"Something being "the bomb"
Bonus cringe points for the use use of 'it's the bomb.com'"
sarahgrilledcheese replied:
"Sometimes “the bomb dot com” still slips out on accident and I cringe so hard at myself it hurts."
ConstantlyJon 1 year ago
ok, storytime. I was in the airport in Manila with some friends and on our way in and all through security there were signs everywhere saying "No bomb joke, punishable by 10 years in prison" or something along those lines. Basically, don't joke about having a bomb or else. So we get through security and it's been a long day so one of my friends Brian is out of it and wants some coffee. There's a local shop in the terminal, so he gets an espresso and after he takes a sip he proclaims loudly "Dude, this coffee is the bomb!" We all just look at him in horror like, what the hell are you doing Brian? He just got louder with "No, for real, this coffee is actually the bomb! It's so good, you have to try it." We practically tackled him to get him to shut up before he realized what he had done. We all laughed uncomfortably for a while, hoping no one had heard.
#24
"Like a boss."
#25
Weary-Inspector-6971 said:
"All that and a bag of chips."
finnjakefionnacake replied:
"'90s baby!"
#26
"Whatever floats your boat."
#28
"Bom chicka wah wah."
#36
UrAShook1 said:
"Jinx, you owe me a coke."
beerslinger13 replied:
"We said: Jinx! Then “pinch, poke you owe me a coke” whilst pinching and poking them."
ConstantlyJon 1 year ago
My 12yo son says jinx you owe me a coke literally everyday. We have taught him well.
#38
"Far out, let’s boogie, keep on truckin, bummer man."
#39
"Homey don't play dat"!
#40
"Leeeeeeeroy Jenkins."
Lakota Wolf 1 year ago (edited)
I still use this. If any of you youngsters don't know what it's from, it's from a ludicrously hilarious video of a guild raid in World of Warcraft. It's worth watching for its utter random nuttiness XD The video/meme/character became so popular, Blizzard put Leeroy Jenkins into their other game Hearthstone as a card/character!
#42
Person 1: “Shut up!”
Person 2: “Make me!”
Person 1: “I don’t make trash. I burn it.”
#43
"Come at me bro."
Lakota Wolf 1 year ago
I still say this all the time, especially when I am talking to other people doing stupid/annoying stuff in MMOs. Of course, I just say it to my monitor, not into voice chat >_>;
#45
"Use 'mad' as really or very. 'The new NBA 2K is mad good dude'"
#47
"Don't have a cow, man."
#50
littleboss12 said:
"Up your b**t and around the corner."
LiveFromThe915 replied:
"Through the tube and out your b**b."
#51
"Describing things as 'sweet' or 'mint'
Calling people 'poseur' (and it had to be spelled like that) and 'newb' or 'no0b'
'Wassup'."
#52
"South Park quotes from the first season: "Screw you guys, I'm going home", "Respect mah authoritah!" "You killed Kenny! You bastards!"
Calling something dope, "the bomb" or "the bomb diggity".
Deez nuts
"Whaddup, dawg?" or calling someone homeboy, but ironically, because we were suburban white kids.
Peace out."
Lakota Wolf 1 year ago
Just heard my ex use one earlier, "THEY TERK ER JERBZ" when I told him about an article about Burmese pythons becoming endemic in Florida (they're an invasive species there). When he asked what damage the snakes could do to the environment, I said that they would likely decimate the prey animal population and possibly cause extinction of the native predators. He responded, "Soo... the native predators are gonna be saying 'THEY TOOK ER JERBS' for reals?" XD
#53
Keyboard_smashgood said:
"Booyah!"
anonG00N replied:
"See also: Booyakasha and Booyaka for Rey Mysterio fans."
Alexis Zimmer 1 year ago
I was addicted to Teen Titans when it was still airing and always said booyah because of Cyborg.
#55
"'Don't taze me bro.'
'That's bad'. As in good.
'That's a bad (good) looking car.'
Word
Sike (psych). 'Omg the cops were looking for you, sike.'
Rad, radical."
#56
ClonicTonicAF said:
“That’s so random”
RiceKrispyPooHead replied:
“I like pickles!”
“OMG haha, I’m so random XD”
#58
"Rawr."
#61
"That's tight."
#66
"You just lost the game..."
#68
"Schwing. Thanks Wayne!!"
#70
"Making a “ch” sound. Kind of like saying “whatever”, but its just “ch”."
#71
"That's Hella cool"
Lakota Wolf 1 year ago
I remember my ex said that his dormmate in college was from Northern California and used "hella" all the time, but we of Southern California did not. It was fascinating XD That was 20ish years ago.
#72
cherrybloodorange said:
"Swag Swag Swag Swag Swag Swag Swag Swag Swag Swag Swag Swag Swag Swag Swag."
Climinteedus replied:
"At the end of this, some kids were saying "swerve" in response. I still don't get that one."
#73
"Money talks, b******t walks!!!"
#74
"Nope Chuck Testa."
What do you think ?
ConstantlyJon 1 year ago
Missing: all the ones related to cars you see. Slug bug. PT Cruiser bruiser. Padittle. Skittles. And of course, once you hit them "no slug bug back."
Sweet Taurus 1 year ago
Hella. Gnarly. Beef cake. Bromance. Like... Totally. I had more but I'm drawing a blank now ha
ConstantlyJon 1 year ago
Missing: all the ones related to cars you see. Slug bug. PT Cruiser bruiser. Padittle. Skittles. And of course, once you hit them "no slug bug back."
Sweet Taurus 1 year ago
Hella. Gnarly. Beef cake. Bromance. Like... Totally. I had more but I'm drawing a blank now ha
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