Guide to Gen Z slang: Understanding this generation is tough – unless you know these terms

In a recent episode of Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC), contestant Ritika Kumari shared her hobbies with host Amitabh Bachchan saying, “I love giving advice to my friends, especially related to relationships, because as we are all aware today’s youth faces a lot of issues. Like ghosting and breadcrumbing.”

Bachchan clearly confused, hilariously asked her, “What’s breadcrumbing? Like eating bread?” Like Big B, anyone born before the clearly marked perimeters of 1995 to 2012 – and most born within – might be reaching for their phone to frantically type the unheard-of term into Urban Dictionary. So, let’s clear up the confusion for everyone.

Lingo for those in love

Like Ritika graciously explained to Bachchan, a member of what is called the Post War generation at 81, “breadcrumbing”, also called “Hansel and Grettelling”, is the practice of sporadically feigning interest in another person in order to keep them interested, despite a true lack of investment in the relationship. What does this look like in real life? Say you’re getting to know someone online and you’re messaging regularly, but when you try to meet up with them, they ignore you or reply with “Let’s definitely make a plan,” but never follow up on it. Not to be confused by “ghosting”, which is pretty straightforward when it comes to its meaning. I’m sure you’ve heard people complaining about being “ghosted” by someone. It’s essentially the practice of ending a relationship or conversation with someone by suddenly and without explanation withdrawing from all communication.

For those lucky in love, they could be talking to an absolute “simp” which is the opposite of the terms mentioned above. When you’re a simp you do too much for the person you have a crush on, sometimes to an embarrassing extent. This could mean buying them their favourite food everyday to learning everything there is to know about their favourite football team. It’s easier if this person is a “snack” or “snatched” which means they’re attractive or good looking.

Even though it’s sometimes nearly impossible to learn what is essentially a new language, we’d all do well to start picking up on these terms. You know those instances where you feel a certain way but can’t put it into words? Or there simply isn’t a word in the English language for it? Gen Z has found a fix and have surely created one for it. “Breadcrumbing”, “ghosting” and “simp” is just the kiddy pool of Gen Z slang. There are unlimited words like these in the language that’s slowly taking over the internet, and it’s best to keep up before we all find ourselves “huh”-ing to every conversation with someone younger than us. As part of the Gen Z community who founded most of these terms, it’s still an education.

Slang for social settings

Let’s start off easy. To most people, “W” is just a letter on the alphabet, but to Gen Zers, it simply means “win”. It’s used to express victory, success or a positive outcome in a given situation. So, if you pass by a group of teenage boys yelling random alphabets – they’re celebrating. Unless it’s “L” then refrain from walking up and congratulating them, for it means “loss”.

Ever walked into a store to buy a sweater and walked out because it was of extremely poor quality? If so, the sweater was definitely NOT “dank”. For when something is “dank” it’s of extremely high quality – in this case cashmere. Another reason you could opt out of the sweater is because it was “cheugy”. This means that it was not at all trendy and completely out of fashion.

“Finna” is a shortened term for saying you’re going to do something or getting ready to do something. If your fresh-out-of-college colleague messages on the work group chat saying they’re, “Finna head out for lunch,” fear not, for they’ll be back in an hour. If the same colleague happens to mention that their favourite actor is “living rent-free”, it doesn’t mean that Brad Pitt has somehow ended up squatting in their apartment. It only means they can’t stop thinking about him.

Old but always gold

An older but still relevant term, “cap” means to lie. If you say “no cap” it means you are being authentic or truthful. This can also be translated into emoji speak with just a simple cap emoji which means someone is accusing of you of lying. The nerve.

“Sip tea” is an alternative to the better known “spilling the tea”. But rather than partaking in the gossip, you’re sitting back and listening to it. The “tea” could also sometimes involve “dragging” which is when you criticise or make fun of someone for which you could receive some “clapback”. Easy to understand in context, it’s when you’re given a clever retort to an insult.

If you find yourself in a situation when someone is really getting on your nerves, simply tell them to “take several seats”. This is the Gen Z equivalent of telling someone to “Take a hike” but in a less rude and more comical way. If you’re lucky, they might have a sense of humour and reply with, “This is sending me” or “I’m weak”. This doesn’t mean you should frantically start searching for a chair and an energy drink. No, it just means they find the situation hilarious.