List Solves Mystery of Teen Slang

Many parents complain that communicating with their children becomes increasingly difficult as the children grow older.

A big part of the problem is that by the time most children become teen-agers, they have adopted forms of slang that seem to merit status as dialects.

I can certainly sympathize: Sometimes my students’ conversations sound like a foreign language, although it is indeed English.

Some of my students at Santa Monica High School helped me compile a list of words and phrases that are fairly representative of Southern California teens.

This should help you to understand what your child is saying:

* ‘Sup? (greeting)--What’s up?

* Yo, how ya livin’? (greeting)--Hello, how are you?

* Livin’ large/Livin’ grand (responses)--I’m fine, thank you.

* Chill out! (command)--Calm down!/Relax!

* Way/Word/Word up/That’s what I’m stressin’/That’s what I’m screamin’ (exclamations)--used to show agreement with someone’s statement (“Word up! Blue is my favorite color too.”)

* Clown/dis/dog/bag on/shoot on (verbs)--to tease or insult (“Don’t bag on my new haircut!”)

* Rack/snake/O.P.P. (other people’s property) (verbs)--to steal (“No one can O.P.P. your bike if it’s locked properly.”)

* Mad dog (verb)--to give someone a dirty look (“Don’t mad dog that German shepherd.”)

* Whacked/lame/bonk (adjectives)--unsatisfactory, disappointing (“Despite the great food, my party was bonk.”)

* Fly/fine (adjectives)--good-looking, attractive (“Her new boyfriend is fly.”)

* Hottie/freak/flygirl/flyboy (nouns)--good-looking person (“Check out the freak in the black jacket.”)

* Bank/bills/dead presidents (nouns)--money (“I’ve got enough bank for a new compact disc.”)

* Easy bank (noun)--lots of money (“She makes easy bank at her new job.”)

* To be rollin’ (verb)--to have a lot of cash on hand (“It’s payday and I’m rollin’!”)

* Homeboy/homegirl/homie/homes/”G” (nouns)--a friend or neighbor (“Angela, meet my homie, Shelly.”)

* Proper/fresh/hype/sweet/dope (adjectives)--trendy or attractive (“Your new perfume is proper.”)

* Punk/jack (verb)--to treat someone unfairly, beat him or her up, or steal his or her belongings (“He got punked for his new jacket.”)

* Onetime/the boyz/five-O (nouns)--the police (“Heads up! It’s the onetime!”)

* Rollin’ deep (verb)--walking or driving with a bunch of friends (“The 12 of us were rollin’ deep to the mall.”)

* Played out (adjective)--obsolete, cliche (“Use this word list with your kids before it’s played out!”)

Mary Laine Yarber teaches English at Santa Monica High School.