Zoomer lingo that I don't hate

There are definitely some that are fetch, but there are some bangers

In the bottomless pit of my “embarrassing memory” brain bank, one memory stands out where I was attempting to use a mildly popular slang word of the times. I grew up in the 90’s, and there was a lot of slang from that era that I still use - aiight / my bad / whatever / sup / etc. - but a new word for “cool” was making the rounds that I had never said out-loud before.

At my graduation dinner with some family and friends, the waiter asked if I wanted a refill on my sprite. I asked if it was free and he said yep! And I said, with a weird hesitation pause:

“…T….Tight!”

It was so awkward and weirdly loud that basically everyone razzed me about it, and then in an attempt to defend my strange verbal ineptitude, my wild arm gestures ended up hitting a cup of water and splashing it all over the table. For most of these types of embarassing memories, I take solace that most likely no one remembers them - but for this one that isn’t true, my buddies still make fun of me for it many years later!

Midjourney imagined some teenagers pointing and laughing at me at a restaurant, with weird fingers.

I never hear the word “tight” used anymore, except in the excellent YouTube “Pitch Meetings” series, and even then it’s just ironically used. Lingo changes over time - some stuff sticks, some stuff ends up sounding dated, and some stuff just makes you cringe at your former self. Though, I never said the word tight non-ironically after that incident. Probably. Maybe. Okay, I likely kept using it awkwardly for an itty bitty long while. Whatever. WHATEVER. Leave me alone.

So what about the newfangled zoomer lingo? Even though I’m an old fart millennial, there’s still some newer lingo I enjoy… And some I don’t think will make it. I’m probably wrong, but I don’t care, this is my article and thus I’m the self-appointed authority of such inconsequential things!

Here’s some zoomer lingo that I don’t think will stand the test of time:

• Rizz - This shorthand for charisma (cha-RIZZ-ma) is popular right now… But yeah… I just don’t think it’s gonna last. It’s gonna feel very 2023, methinks.

• On Fleek - Yeah this one was fetch before it even started. I don’t even know if it’s zoomer lingo, I just saw it on snapchat once and immediately was like “yeah that’s not it, dawg.”

• Big Yikes - I like “oof,” as it’s usually used in an empathetic way, but “big yikes” and variants sound pointlessly condescending and dismissive to me. It reminds me of the Key and Peele sketch “That one friend who makes everything awkward.” Cringe will probably last. Yikes might, by itself. But not “Big Yikes.”

• Smol - Yo, just spell things correctly.

Here is some zoomer lingo that I enjoy, and because I enjoy it, it will stand the test of time… Even if it’s because I’ll keep using it:

1. Mid

This one is my favorite. I’ve already used it extensively in previous articles. It perfectly sums up so many things - not great, not awful, just… Mid. How was the movie? Eh, mid. How was your day? Yeah, pretty mid.

I often use “okayish” for the same general meaning, which I also enjoy - I like okay-adjacent words to describe something, like this cup that I think describes my engineering prowess well:

But mid has even less syllables, and I like less syllables. So yes. Mid is more than mid. Mid is tight.

2. Low-Key

Low-key is a good adjective to set up something underrated, under-appreciated, or just in a context that might be unexpected. Low-key, socks are a cool Christmas gift when you’re over 25. Low-key, canceling plans leads to a better weekend.

It’s not a necessary qualifier, but I think it frames a statement nicely, and is low-key fun to use.

3. Sus

Sus became a very popular phrase when that Among Us game was hyper popular, which makes it already dated. But, similarly to mid, I enjoy the low-effort, small amount of syllables to express a complex sentiment.

I especially like using it as a response to something long-winded. Like, imagine this interaction with a coworker:

“Oh man sorry I am so late, so I usually take the 9:30 train but my alarm didn’t go off because my power went out last night and reset my alarm, and then I woke up at 9:40 and I couldn’t drive in because I lent my car to my friend John because he was going to use it to bunch of puppies and help grandmas, and so I took an uber but wouldn’t you know it they mixed me up with another guy so it took me completely across town and I had to make a bicycle out of tree branches in order to get here.”

“………………Sus.”

4. Slaps / Banger

Banger is my favorite word to describe a catchy song, but I also like using it in weird contexts that only sort of make sense, like “that was a banger meal!”

Similarly, while slaps also generally is used to describe a catchy song, it’s fun to say it strange contexts like “this car slaps!”

Even though they way I enjoy using these phrases only make partial sense, I like they are positive. Unlike many things in contemporary culture.

5. Touch Grass

The hands are… Almost okay. Almost. Thumb is a bit weird. And pointer finger angle. But it’s alright. You can do it, someday, Midjourney! I believe in you!

As a chronically online, easily triggered internet weirdo, I find “touch grass” to be delightfully dismissive and yet actual good advice. We should absolutely be disconnecting ourselves from the internet more, particularly when triggered and ranting and raving on the internet. Because really, who cares. Let’s take more walks and spend more time with our friends and families.

So, similar to other zoomer lingo I like, “touch grass” conveys a great deal of meaning in a few syllables. Let’s not take things so seriously on the internet. It’s a dumb place. Let’s go outside and touch grass, and get completely overcome with allergies and have a massive sneezing fit.

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Mid low-key slaps. Although, writing this article about zoomer slang is a little sus, and I should go touch grass now.