Now more than ever, there鈥檚 a firehose of slang terms flowing from TikTok vids, Twitch streams, Twitter memes, and the other outlets of the extremely online.
What鈥檚 a menty b? Why are TikTokers adding -ussy to everything? What does it mean to be told to touch grass? You might be sorry you asked, but we鈥檙e going to explain it all.
We鈥檒l also provide insights into what these trends mean for the evolution of language, from the perspective of professional language observers like linguists and lexicographers. Stick around until the end for our prediction about how long these words will stay in use.
Online slang as a window into communities and cultures
鈥淭he internet exposes people to slang and other dialects or words that are sometimes specific to a different group of people and their experiences. It鈥檚 a glimpse into a different view of the world when we learn other groups鈥� slang or technical terms.鈥�
鈥�亚洲网紅露点 lexicographer Heather Bonikowski
rizz
What it means: Rizz is a slang term for skill in charming or seducing a potential romantic partner. It is most commonly applied in the context of men pursuing women, but not always. It鈥檚 typically used in the exact same way as the older slang term game.
Where it comes from: Rizz was popularized by social media personality Kai Cenat, who has used the term since at least 2021 in his dating videos and Twitch streams.
Why linguists are interested: Rizz is thought to be a shortening of charisma, which is notable because, unlike the vast majority of slang terms that are formed by shortening an existing word, it comes from the sound in the middle of the word, not the beginning or the end.
-ussy
What it means: Yes, it鈥檚 what you think it is: an ending extracted from the word pussy that gets added to other words like robussy (meaning 鈥渞obot pussy鈥�) or dragussy (鈥渄ragon pussy鈥�). On social media, -ussy is also used more generally (and nonsexually) to refer to objects with holes in them (calling a calzone a pizzussy, for example)聽or to any object or person.
Where it comes from: Popular since at least the early 2000s and within the LGBTQ+ community, -ussy was originally used in terms like bussy (鈥渂oy pussy鈥�) and mussy (鈥渕an pussy鈥�). It鈥檚 very much an online thing.
Why linguists are interested: The so-called -ussification of every imaginable word on social media represents an interesting trend in slang formation. To get technical, -ussy is what鈥檚 called a combining form, which means it only gets used in combination with other word parts to form new terms. Linguists keep a close eye on trends like this. In fact, the recent convention of the American Dialect Society (ADS)鈥攚hose members include both professionals and amateurs 鈥渄edicated to the study of the English language in North America鈥濃�攃ulminated with -ussy winning out as the society鈥檚 pick for its 2022 word of the year.
quiet quitting
What it means: Quiet quitting doesn鈥檛 refer to literally quitting your job but instead to the practice of reducing the amount of effort you devote to your job, such as by avoiding any tasks not explicitly stated in the job description.
Why linguists are interested: At that same recent ADS meeting, members voted quiet quitting as the slang term 鈥渕ost likely to succeed.鈥� That鈥檚 a reflection of how strongly the term seems to resonate with people and how quickly it was established as essential vocabulary in the discussion of worker discontent. Related terms that you鈥檝e probably also started encountering are quiet hiring and quiet firing.
-verse
What it means: Extracted from the word universe, -verse is combined with other terms as a name for a particular realm or environment.
Why linguists are interested: The popularity of -verse is apparent in constructions like Twitterverse and Potterverse (the fictional world of the Harry Potter stories). The word metaverse was coined by US author Neal Stephenson in his 1992 cyberpunk novel Snow Crash, about 30 years before Facebook parent company Meta adopted it as the name of its VR platform.
menty b
What it means: Menty b is not a new hip-hop artist (that we know of), but rather a cutesy shortening of the much more serious phrase mental breakdown.
Where it comes from: The term menty b is popular on TikTok, where it is commonly used to refer to stressful situations or moments in which TikTokers are feeling overwhelmed by life. The term is particularly popular in Australia.
Why linguists are interested: Menty b is perhaps the most prominent current example of a slang trend that involves shortening a multi-word phrase by clipping its different parts separately. A similarly formed term is cozzie livs, slang for 鈥渃ost of living.鈥�
touch grass
What it means: The phrase touch grass means 鈥済o outside.鈥� It鈥檚 usually used in an insulting way to imply that someone spends too much time online, perhaps posting on social media or losing at video 亚洲网紅露点, and that they should go outside for once鈥攐r at least away from other people!
Unfortunate note: There is a strong correlation between knowing what this term means and it applying to you.
the ick
What it means: In dating culture and on TikTok, the ick refers to a sudden feeling of disgust or revulsion toward a person, usually one鈥檚 date. Almost anything can cause someone to feel the ick, such as the way a person dresses, the way they smell, or the way they treat a server. But once you catch the ick, you鈥檙e basically done with the other person.
Where it comes from: The term the ick is thought to have been originally coined for the late 1990s TV show Ally McBeal.
Unfortunate note: If you remember Ally McBeal, the internet thinks you are old.
nepo baby
What it means: The term nepo baby refers to a famous person who has at least one parent who is also famous. It鈥檚 often used as a negative term to suggest that a celebrity didn鈥檛 actually earn success and only gets opportunities because of their family connections.
Where it comes from: The word nepo comes from nepotism. The term gained widespread use and attention in late 2022 when New York magazine used the term in a cover story that profiled the famous children of Hollywood celebrities.
Learn to speak the language of contemporary dating by reviewing some top terms making the rounds.
How long will these slang terms last?
鈥淚 have huge doubts about the longevity of most of these words,鈥� says Bonikowski.
Why? Because many popular slang terms burn brightly but flame out after getting mentioned in media reports and explainers (like the one you鈥檙e reading right now 馃槵) and then entering the mainstream, when people鈥檚 parents start using them.
鈥淣othing is a sharper nail in the coffin for slang,鈥� Bonikowski says. Case in point: 鈥�Yeet was on the upswing鈥攁nd then wasn鈥檛.鈥�
Take the quiz
You’ve seen these definitions鈥攃an you pass the quiz? Don’t get the ick on us now! Here’s your quiz:聽The Rizzussyverse: How Many Of These Slang Trends Do You Know?
