“No-one says peng anymore,” was the withering response.
If you think you’re down with the kids, you’re probably not. And nothing highlights how hopelessly out of touch you are as the slang you use – or don’t use.
I’d need Google Translate to understand half the phrases my Gen Z niece and nephews come out with. And if I try and keep up – “Is ‘wicked’ still a thing? Or is it ‘sick’ now?” – I’m invariably met with an eyeball-rolling smirk that manages to convey both contempt and pity.
Lit, leng, fire, mid, valid, peak, slay, goat, rizz, butters, cringe, simp and Bernard were some of the terms they shared when I asked, ahead of writing this column, what slang young people are using these days. I had to check that they were suitable for print. Bernard means “someone not very dynamic”, apparently.
This generation might as well be speaking another language. And slang terms change so quickly these days, there’s no point even trying to keep up.
Language has always evolved, and words and phrases that were cool (or groovy) for one generation will be laughably old-fashioned for the next. As kids we found it amusing, and embarrassing, when our mum said things like ‘ace’. Now I too am ridiculed for attempting to ‘slay’.
Some phrases come round again – ‘literally’ and ‘like’ seem to have been staples of youth vocabulary for decades – but some are now so outdated they’ll probably just fade away.
This week I came across a report by language experts Rosetta Stone listing slang terms used by different regions of the UK. It says two in three Brits use slang in conversation, with some words popular nationwide – the most well-known include cuppa and skint – and others more regional.
The study claims that while everyday language continues to evolve, regional heritage is preserved in some local slang.
In Yorkshire, phrases such as “aye up” and “now then” remain popular greetings, while “be reyt” still means “it will be okay” and “mardy” is still grumpy. I’m not convinced, however, that anyone under 30 would say “aye up” or “be reyt”.
And the Yorkshire tradition of calling people “love” has become unpopular, often regarded by young people as patronising and sexist. To me, it’s just a term of endearment. I used to find it comforting, whenever I came back up north and strangers called me “love”.
Another recent study found that young people have ditched outdated terms for sex. If you still say “nookie” or “slap and tickle” you’re an old codger, according to the Perspectus Global survey. Nearly 80 per cent of Gen Z said they’d never heard of phrases like “knee trembler” or “hanky-panky”. To be fair, even my generation didn’t use these terms. “Slap and tickle” sounds like something Sid James would say, with a leery grin, in a Carry On film.
I believe “Netflix and chill” is what the young folks are calling it these days.
Sayings I grew up with, which had been around for a long time, now mean nothing to Gen Z. Try saying ‘Get your ducks in a row’, ‘Throw in the towel’, ‘Burning the midnight oil’ or ‘Flogging a dead horse’ to a teenager or twentysomething and you’ll be met with a blank look. It’s a shame that old sayings, some of which have been around for centuries, are dying out. Many of them, such as “on tenterhooks”, are rooted in our industrial heritage.
Slang terms are changing at a bewildering pace, mainly due to influencers, TikTok and other online trends. Phrases come and go, and some old ones may come round again. In the meantime, don’t try to keep up. It’s not leng. It’s just cringe.