Flossin’ the New Lingo

Hey check it out, that dime piece over there has got some major cake on her," says Nick Padilla, a junior at Sierra Vista High School.

Translated, this does not mean that there is a 10-cent coin walking around covered in cake, what it means is "Wow, look at that pretty girl over there with the extremely attractive backside."

There are thousands of languages spoken around the world, but few change as quickly as the speech used by teenagers, otherwise known as slang.

The way a word is used usually depends on the potentially bone-breaking activity or the type of music in which a teen is interested. For example, the snowboarding term "steeze" is an expression used to describe someone's talent on the slopes. It originated from the word "style," but it's with "steeze," that you earn mad respect on the mountain.

Where most of these frequently used sayings have originated is usually a mystery, but their effect on the way young Americans twist and turn their sentences has been noticeable throughout school courtyards and skate parks across the country.

Slang can be used in any sort of situation, whether it be excited or depressed, and even during those times when no other word would "feel" right to use. When David Savage, a senior at Clark High School, is in a serious situation, he describes it as being "on the real."

"Whenever I come into a heated discussion with someone I tell them 'I'm on the real' about it, and then they know I'm not messing around," Savage says.

Many slang words are used as salutations. Savage uses the word "dipset" (originating from the saying to "dip out") to announce his departure or "sup" (the evolved word of "what's up") to greet a fellow comrade.

When Mike Gailbrath, a junior at Basic High School, hasn't seen a friend in a long time he says he hasn't "seen them in a minute." This expression can seem ironic because of the obvious time exaggeration.

Money also has been known by many names. A few are "cheese," "trees" (originates from the fact that money is made from paper which comes from trees, or the old saying, "money doesn't grow on trees"), and "greens" (the color of money).

Gailbrath likes to say he needs to "stack the skrilla" when he is having a money shortage and the "parental units" (as Natalie Eddy, a senior at Clark calls her parents) need to be "hit up."

"When me and my friends are all planning on going somewhere, and they need gas for their 'whip' (or car, which also is known as 'scraper,' according to Gailbrath), I'll tell them I am able to 'break bread' because it means that I have money on me to split for gas," says Vincent Rosseti, a senior at Centennial High School.

Words also can be created from older slang words.

For instance, a "noob," (once known as a "newbie") means someone who is new at a game and is still at a beginner level. Kyle Drake, a senior at Clark, uses the word "gnar" (which originated from the surfer word "gnarly") when his friends land a skateboard trick that amazes him.

" 'Gnar' just means that something someone did was crazy, or they did it so well that they made a completely difficult trick look easy," says Zack Greener, a sophomore at Centennial, about the lingo he uses with his snowboarding buddies.

Slang can be confusing because, in some instances, many words can stand for different things. Generally, depending on how they are said, and in what tone they are spoken, it can mean two different ideas. The word "bra," generally accepted as a female undergarment, also can be used as a term to greet a male friend.

"If someone came up to me and was like 'oh, what up, bra,' I would completely understand them," Drake says.

Slang is also a way for teens to keep parents in the dark. Text messaging has become popular in these cases for teens who have parents who might be "creepin' '' (lurking or eavesdropping).

"When one of my BFFL's (best friend for life) is freaking out because I am talking to a guy she likes I tell her it's not a BFD (big freaking deal)," says Brittany Hilderbrand, a junior at Odyssey High School.

"It's easier to use text slang because my phone only allows me to type so many words before it cuts the sentence off," Hilderbrand says.

Slang also is used to show emotion over the phone with phrases such as "ILY" (I love you) and "IMY" (I miss you).

"I usually use TC (take care) or TTFN (ta ta for now) when I am saying goodbye to someone and IDK if I don't know what they are talking about," Hilderbrand says.

Even laughing has been captured in text. The early text slang LOL (laughing out loud) has expanded into ROFL (rolling on the floor laughing) and LMAO (laughing my, um, let's just say backside, off).

Savage says he uses slang as his own way of talking.

"I don't think I know anybody else who uses my words the way I do," he says. "That's what is so cool about slang, you create it all on your own."