#HTCityCheers23: Words born and redefined since 1999

Does tea still mean a beverage to you, and salty a flavour? Then it’s time to update your vocabulary to catch up to the Gen-Z as they rattle some lit terms off their tongues. If you are not 23, ahem, like us, HT City, here’s a shortlist of popular and not-so-popular terms to catch up on!

Ghosting:“Nope, it’s not bhoot stuff,” says Jayishnu Sinha, a Delhi-based student, while explaining to his uncle as he went on to narrate the woeful tale of getting ignored by a girl: “It was as if she turned into a ghost! Can you imagine, a girl ghosted me! And my mama ji (maternal uncle) thought that I’ve been into some bhoot or horror stuff. And he has also told my mum to keep a watch on on where I’m going every Saturday. When I told him the exact meaning, he was ROFL!”

Vlog: ’90s kids can NOT relate! Believe it or not, putting out content in video-log (vlog) on the web only became popular around 2005!

Selfie: Featuring in song titles and even celeb book covers, selfies aka self-clicked photos are an inseparable part of our lives now. It was chosen as the Word of the Year in 2013 by the Oxford Dictionary.

Bestie:On the internet, everyone is bestie — from your true best friends to complete strangers. And as the TikTok lingo makes it to real life, it can be found in every conversation. “Once during payroll week, we were joking that human resource and finance departments aren’t besties when it comes to pay-outs,” recalls Gautam Mehra, a Delhi-based HR professional.

# = Hashtag: Where there’s anything buzzing, there’s a hashtag! From making things trend on social media to finding its way on new-age brides’ wedding mehendis, these are omnipresent today.

Staycation: Vacationing but close to home? We’re game!

Sexting: With the internet came different ways to love. Got the hots for someone? Just text it out!

Binge-watch: Added to the Oxford Dictionary in 2018, it’s when someone watches the TV or web shows for hours. Relatable, right?

Podcast: A cool new way to think of the audio medium, podcasts are, in a way, pre-recorded or live radio for the web but with programs that anyone can create

Mansplain: Have you come across men who love to explain a woman (often more qualified than him) a concept that she already knows? Congratulations! You know a mansplainer in real life!

Manspread: A man sitting with his legs spread wide, often inconveniencing those watching or sitting with him. Pretty common since time immemorial, but has got a word now!

Photobomb: How many times have you spoilt someone’s perfect shot by being the spoiler in the frame, often with hilarious results? Well, you’re what the Gen-Z calls a photobomber!

Unfollow: The digital equivalent of a friendship break-up on Twitter and Instagram. Period.

Unfriend: Um, not in real but so-called social life. This is the digital equivalent of a friendship break-up on Facebook.

Nomophobia: No Mobile Phobia, is the fear of missing out or being detached from your phone. Scary much? Ting, there’s a new notification.. Check check.

Tweet: Do we really need to explain? Ok. The blue birdie.

Bitcoin: FTW (For the win)!

Digital or virtual currencies are taking over. Mansi Das, mother to a Delhi-based teenager, couldn’t help but pay attention when her 17-year-old started using words like Bitcoin. She recalls, “I was asked, ‘Mumma why can’t we invest in Bitcoin (a type of digital currency)?’ I had to rush to Google to learn about cryptocurrency then!”

Mashup: The 2000s version of a mixed tape. Yes, even this is born after ’99.

Meme:Whether it’s the good old grumpy cat or doge template, or the one featuring Drake, or even the more recent Oscars slap-gate, a meme turns a picture, a word, or simply an idea into a piece of viral pop culture. See, smile, share it! Simple.

Flex: Deeba Zafir, an English professor at Delhi University’s Lakshmibai College often finds herself picking up new slangs such as flexing (bragging) from students around her. She shares, “I come across terms of references like ‘This is my flex these days’ and getting ‘Burn-ed’ (a strong counter-argument like a check-mate in conversation). Thankfully none of these have yet entered the answer sheets, but I have had to catch up with this vocabulary.”

Bromance: When young men sing Yeh Dosti Hum Nahi Todenge, it’s not to pay tribute to Sholay (1975), but to their bros. It’s bromance in the air!

FOMO: Do you have fear of missing out each weekend laying in bed while your squad parties? Turns out you are not alone, fam! “Never has it happened that I have used the word FOMO in class or among cousins, and someone didn’t ask what it stands for. My guide, professor once thought it’s a derogatory term for homosexuals and I had to explain,” says Ved Vriti, who has recently graduated from Delhi School of Social Work, DU.

SWAG: Have swag? You’re in luck ‘cause you have been blessed with sugar, spice and all things in the modern parlance. Toh, swag se manao HT City ke birthday, with us!

Author tweets @siddhijainn

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