Your very own dictionary for cracking the mysterious and ever-changing language of the internet.
It’s the age-old ego death. You’re on the internet minding your business, scrolling down your feed when you come across something … strange. It LOOKS like English, but it’s not making any sense. Words like “slay” and “lit’” are being thrown around and you’re wondering what the hell that has to do with a photo of a Kardashian’s pantry.
Your life flashes before your eyes, as your mind rambles with intrusive thoughts. “Well back in my day…”, “Wait, am I even cool anymore?” It’s a jarring experience as you realise maybe you’re becoming a bit of a dinosaur, no longer in the loop of popular culture and its constant progression of what is deemed language.
Well, spare yourself the trauma! We’re here to stop that existential crisis and give you some help! As social media evolves, so does the language used, and it’s our job to stay at the forefront and know what’s what when it comes to internet culture. To that end, we present the: ‘Mosh Internet Slang 101’ checklist.
Perfect to keep you seemingly ‘with it’. No one will have to know, it can be our dirty little secret … Instagram isn’t real, right?
Get yourself equipped with this bad boy and you’ll be brave enough for even the deepest of TikTok rabbit holes. Just make sure to read the room. Don’t just pop off (it’s on the list), with random bursts of “Slay” and “Yas kween” out of nowhere. Easy acid test: Does it make you chuckle or cringe? If it’s the former, go for it. The latter? Maybe leave it, bae ❤️
It’s weird out there, so strap yourself in and set yourself free! Slay mama!
| THE SLANG | WHAT IT MEANS | HOW IT’S USED |
|---|---|---|
| “Ded/Dead” | When something is hilarious or hysterical. Not actually dead. | “That video was so funny, OMG I’m ded.” |
| “GOAT” | Acronym: Greatest Of All Time | “Dude, Michael Jordan really is the GOAT.” |
| “That’s fire/flames” | When something is cool or amazing. | “Hey, your new song on Spotify is flames.” |
| FOMO | Acronym: Fear Of Missing Out. | *Looking at friend’s IG Story of cocktails at the club* “This looks like so much fun, wah I have FOMO.” |
| Extra | Acting in a dramatic or exaggerated way. | “I love her energy. Her whole demeanor is just so extra.” |
| Mercury in Retrograde | A strange phenomenon commonly experienced by young women. Supposedly when Mercury appears to go backward in its orbit, behavioural changes occur for us back here on earth. Common symptoms reported include: chaos, emotional outbursts, and inconsistent moods. | “Girl, Mercury is in Retrograde again, things are about to get weird.” |
| Vibes | A person’s emotional state or the atmosphere/energy of a place. | “The vibes are off today, I’m taking sick leave.” |
| NGL | Acronym: Not Gonna Lie. | “NGL, I’m tired as hell.” |
| Tea a.k.a “Spill the tea” | Gossip, story, news. | “What happened with Ruby at the office, what’s the tea?” |
| Shook | Shocked or shaken or affected by something. | “Did you see the Covid cases today? I’m shook.” |
| TBH | Acronym: To Be Honest. | “This music video is a little strange … TBH.” |
| Mood | A relatable feeling or experience. | “I had a big night last night, I’m feeling ded.” “Girl, that’s a mood.” |
| Ghost | To ignore someone on purpose. Common on dating apps. | “He even sent me a meme, I thought we had a connection? Then out of nowhere, he ghosts me.” |
| Lit | When something’s cool/interesting. | “Bella Hadid on the cover of Vogue USA was lit!” |
| Deets | Details. | “I’m keen to come to that event, can you send me the deets?” |
| Salty | Angry or annoyed. | “I’m salty she took my last egg from the fridge this morning.” |
| Slay | Being excellent at something. | “Slay Queen! You’re the best at Photoshop.” |
| Queen/Kween | An iconic/esteemed person. No probable relation to Queen Elizabeth II or any monarch. | “I love Shrestha, she really is such a kween.” |
| Bae | A significant other. Short for ‘baby’ or else an acronym for ‘Before Anyone Else’. | “What are you doing tonight?” “Got plans with bae!” |
| Basic | Someone or something viewed as boring or conformist | “I don’t know. I just find the clothes at that store kind of basic.” |
| DM | Acronym: Direct Message. | “Yep, let’s talk. Slide into my DMs!” |
| Bump | When you want to push a topic/comment back to the top of the list. | “When are you guys coming out with a new flavour?” *1 week with no response* “BUMP” |
| I can’t even | This is another way of saying “I’m speechless.” This phrase is used when something is so incredible or unbelievable that you have no words to respond with. | “Oli’s hair looked so good today, I actually can’t even.” |
| Literally | Said for dramatic effect. Probably not literally, in fact almost never literally. | “I LITERALLY can’t even, I’m so hungry, when’s lunch?” |
| TL;DR | Acronym: Too Long; Didn’t Read. | *Friend sends very long text* “Um, I’m a little busy, TLDR?” |
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