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Old people admit the 45 Gen Z and Alpha slang words they secretly love

"I love using Sus and Sketch and my kids hate me for it."

Image via Canva

Old people share their favorite slang from Gen Z and Gen Alpha.

Keeping up with the latest slang is no easy feat. For older people trying to stay fresh with the ever-changing Gen Alpha slang and Gen Z slang, they have their work cut out for them. But many are keeping up.

In a Reddit forum, member @Final-Work2788 posed the question: "What slang that's come out in the past five years do you have to admit is kind of awesome?"

Boomers, Gen Xers, and more happily shared the slang words that they're obsessed with. These are 45 Gen Alpha and Gen Z slang terms that older people secretly love.

"''Skills Issue'." —@GrimaceMusically

"FAFO [f*ck around find out]. So useful!!" —@PrimarySelection8619

"I will always adore, and use at every occasion, the vaunted word 'YEET'." —@5ilvrtongue

yeet, yeeted, yeet word, yeet slang, yeet gifRainbow Yes GIF by LumiGiphy

"Slaps. There’s a lot of good new slang out there but this term slaps." —@robotlasagna

"Thirsty." —@Gloomy_Obligation333

"I love using Sus and Sketch and my kids hate me for it." —@bladel

"'Mid' does it’s job perfectly. So short. Anything truly 'mid' doesn’t require any more time/verbiage. 'It’s mid,' move on." —@bitsonchips

"That’s a banger, referring to a song. Also the term glazing." —@haf2go

rizz, rizzler, rizz word, rizz slang, rizz termKids Dancing GIFGiphy

"I like rizz. It reminds of the Putting on the Ritz scene from Young Frankenstein." —@Niniva73

"Younger Aussies are saying 'cossie livs' for 'cost of living' issues. If you can't afford something it's 'cossie livs'. We'll make slang out of anything." —@Mash_man710

"I am Gen X. I love the term crashed out, or crashing out. My daughters say I am not allowed to use it though. I am not sure if it is a cultural appropriation thing or if they just think it’s cringe when I say it. I love it though. It’s very descriptive." —@Neat-Client9305

crash out, crashed out, crashing, crashin out, crash out slangFreak Out Rage GIFGiphy

"I love 'Menty B' for mental breakdown lol." —@philmajohnson

"'…with your whole chest'." —@Ok-Scallion9885

"I love Gen Z slang. Rizz is so creative. Gyat is hilarious. I have a son in middle school so I hear a lot of it. I’m Gen X and think it’s much cooler than what we came up with." —@HairyHorseKnuckles

"'Deplorean' for a Cybertruck, even though I am a Tesla owner. I don't hate Cybertrucks, I just think it's funny." —@AJ_Mexico

"Fire." —@keepsummersafe55

fire, that's fire, that's fire, gif, fire slang, fire wordShark Tank Rohan GIF by ABC NetworkGiphy

"I'm Cooked...as in sick or in a bad way." —@Scottishdog1120

"Oh, so many!
--Mid
--Okay, no
--Situationship
--Ded (and, the skull and crossbones emoji instead of LOL)
--that ATE (also: 'Ate and left no crumbs')
--era ('villain era')
--lowkey
--deadass
--SLAPS
--dripped out
--turnt
--a snack ('Girl looking like a SNACK')
--IYKYK." —@CatCafffffe

ate, ate slang, ate gif, she ate, ate termGIF by RuPaul's Drag RaceGiphy

"Enshittification." —@Numerous_Problems

"Cap and no cap." —@ContributionOk9927

no cap, cap, cap gif, no cap slang, cap slangPaul Rudd Wear A Mask GIF by GIPHY NewsGiphy

"Cringe. It's perfect." —@meekonesfade

"Pedestrian. This one sums it up." —@PigpenD27870

"I kind of like deadass meaning for-real or I-shit-you-not. I’m too old to know if it’s within the last five years though." —@Tom__mm

deadass, deadass slang, deadass word, deadass phrase, deadass gifBlac Chyna GIFGiphy

"Skibidi is fun to say." —@BrooklynDoug

"Ohio. I lived there for six years and can confirm, it's Ohio." —@those_ribbon_things

"it's giving. sometimes something isn't necessarily 'like' a thing at all but it's gives you the same energy or vibes (i enjoy vibes too)." —@coolcoolcool485

"I don’t know why but I find it funny when kids say someone is a 'D1 Yapper.' They don’t just talk too much, or never shut up, they have been recruited to a Division 1 school for their yapping, haha." —@Impossible-Still-128

yap, yapper, yapping, yap slang, yap gifChat Talking GIFGiphy

"My great niece asking me if I wanted the tea. I said no thanks, I'd just had coffee...boy did she laugh! And said NO, let me tell you want happened and laughed some more! I love that girl to pieces 🥰." —@Educational-Glass-63

"Brainrot. So appropriate for so much media (including what I'm doing here!)" —@rrddrrddrrdd

"De-lu-lu is my fave." —@recyclar13

delulu, delulu gif, delusional, delulu slang, delulu wordDelulu GIF by Forabeli BeautyGiphy

"The comment, word, reply, phrase: 'Bet.' Like wtf does it mean and how did it derive to be so much yet so simple?

Q: 'Hey, you wanna go get something to eat?'
A: 'Bet.'
C: 'Dude, this song is freaking awesome!'
R: 'Bet.'
Q: "Hey, did you smash that last night?'
A: 'Bet, Bet!'
C: 'I can kick your ass!'
R: 'Bet.'
Q: 'You want some chips?' (A) 'Nah, I'm good.'
A: 'Bet.'" —@SomeMidnight


Vernon Jackson with his buddy Ellison at the Noble Barber and Beauty salon in Cincinnati, Ohio.

It’s a godsend for parents when they can take their kids who have specific needs somewhere they won’t be judged. Parenting a child with disabilities or neurodivergence is hard enough without dealing with the stares, judgment and misunderstandings that can happen in public places.

Haircuts can be especially stressful for children with sensory issues and their parents.

Vernon Jackson, barber and owner of Noble Barber and Beauty salon in Cincinnati, Ohio, understands these families' unique needs. So he opens up his shop one day a month for what he calls "The Gifted Event,” where he welcomes them for a free haircut.

The most common medical conditions he sees are autism, Down syndrome and spina bifida.


Jackson told Today there are a few things that these children worry about in the barber’s chair. Specifically, many don’t like the sound of the clippers and the feeling of hair falling on their skin. “One child told me it feels like needles,” he told Today.

The barber’s sweet approach while giving a haircut to Ellison, a child with Down syndrome, went viral on TikTok, earning over 3 million views. It’s touching because Ellison is all smiles and loves having some control over the stressful situation by telling Jackson when to “stop” and “start” with the clippers.

@thebest1period

Visit TikTok to discover videos!

The viral video shows what can happen when a barber has the time to focus on the child as an individual and create an atmosphere where they are comfortable.

“Every child is different and I need to be present with them and meet them in the moment,” Jackson told Today. For Julie Eubanks, Ellison’s mother, who took the heartwarming video, being able to have Jackson cut his hair is a huge relief.

"I'm always in the state of anticipating the worst because you never know with these types of situations with Ellison, or with any kid with special needs, they can turn with a blink of the eye," Eubanks told WLWT. "I was trying to enjoy it and record and peaking my head out of the side of my phone to be like, 'Is this really going on?'"

The commenters on TikTok thought the video was adorable.

"Thank you for having such a kind soul with these precious children that just need a little extra attention in a different way! This is awesome," Jackie Griggs wrote. "Hard to tell who had more fun here. This is great!" Carrie Deal added.

Jackson has set up a GoFundMe where people can donate free haircuts to children with disabilities and he’s received over $17,000 in donations.

“As a barber, I saw the need for a place where children with disabilities are supported during a haircut and an environment where parents or caregivers don't have to explain their child's behavior or apologize for something they may do or say,” Jackson wrote on the GoFundMe page.

It’s incredible that Jackson sets aside time every month so that his business can focus on those who need a little extra love and attention. It’s a beautiful gift to these children and their parents and a wonderful example to share with the rest of the business community.

In an attempt to get more residents to get vaccinated against COVID-19, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has announced a truly unexpected incentive program.

"Two weeks from tonight on May 26th," DeWine wrote on Twitter yesterday, "we will announce a winner of a separate drawing for adults who have received at least their first dose of the vaccine. This announcement will occur each Wednesday for five weeks, and the winner each Wednesday will receive one million dollars."

That's right. Five people in Ohio who have received at least their first vaccine dose will receive $1 million.


DeWine explained that the names will be drawn from Ohio's voter registration base, and people can also sign up for the drawings on a website to be made available soon. The drawings will be conducted by the Ohio Lottery.

The governor also noted that the $5 million would come from federal Coronavirus Relief Funds that the state has on hand.

A few rules apply: You have to be 18 years or older, an Ohio resident, and have gotten your first vaccine dose before the drawing.

"I know that some may say, 'DeWine, you're crazy! This million-dollar drawing idea of yours is a waste of money,'" the governor wrote. "But truly, the real waste at this point in the pandemic—when the vaccine is readily available to anyone who wants it—is a life lost to COVID-19."

The reactions to the news were predictably all over the place. Some people are hardcore anti-vaccination and won't be swayed by such an incentive, but for those on the fence or who just haven't gotten around to making an appointment, perhaps the notion of winning a million dollars will push them to do it. If nothing else, it's a pretty sweet reward for those who are participating in this important public health measure to end the pandemic.

Some people are questioning whether or not a lottery with big prizes for a handful of people is really the most efficient use of COVID relief funds. Certainly it seems like it could be more effective than putting up posters or making public service announcements, but is it better than using the money to provide easier access to communities where access is more limited? Time will tell.

Some have pointed out that the odds of winning this lottery are much better than the odds of winning the normal state lottery, without even having to buy a lottery ticket. Those odds might incentivize people to get to the clinic—which is a little ironic considering the folks who are afraid to get vaccinated but aren't afraid of COVID may not have the best understanding of odds in the first place.


It also might help that the push is coming from Ohio's GOP governor, since the largest demographic of vaccine hesitancy is particularly high among people with conservative leanings. The fact that a conservative politician is willing to spend money to spend taxpayer funds to incentivize getting vaccinated sends a message about how important it is.

Polling backs up the idea as well. A survey from Morning Consult found that 3 out of 5 unvaccinated adults say a big financial incentive would sway them to get the COVID-19 shot. Hard to say if a chance of a big payout would do the same, but considering people's penchant for playing the lottery, it's worth a shot.

We'll see if the gamble pays off in the coming weeks, but kudos to Ohio leadership for doing something creative to try to increase vaccination rates. The more people we get immunized, the closer we will be to ending the pandemic and returning to some semblance of normalcy.

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NBC's Rise

When Stamy Paul started traveling for work over a decade ago, she fell in love with urban art in all its forms — including graffiti.

"It was really fascinating to me because it was evident in every culture and country I visited," Paul says.

That's why she was determined to figure out how to bring it into her own home. Unfortunately that was easier said than done.


Paul scoured her hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, for a local graffiti artist to paint a mural in her house, but even though the city's covered in graffiti, she couldn't find anyone. It seemed that graffiti simply wasn't an art form that people often commissioned in Cleveland.

Sure the artists were out there, but they weren't profiting from their work.

After all, it's rare for graffiti artists to be counted in the more mainstream art world.  But Paul decided to help change that.

In 2013, she started Graffiti HeArt — a nonprofit dedicated to promoting graffiti and street art through urban community revitalization via volunteer artists.

A portion of project commissions as well as donations go toward funding education opportunities for underserved kids who're interested in pursuing art as a profession.

Eileen and Ish at work 🎨 with @Graffiti Heart ❤️ #wallsforscholarships Gordon Square Arts District community partner 👍🏽

Posted by Graffiti HeArt on Sunday, September 10, 2017

The idea is to show these kids that art, including graffiti art, can not only improve public spaces, but also lead to legitimate careers.

Graffiti HeArt has a partnership with the Cleveland Institute of Art Pre-college Program — a two-week intensive course designed to help kids with sights on a career in the arts hone their skills and build up their portfolio.

Paul says a huge percentage of the kids who attend the program go on to pursue art in college. In order to help them continue on that trajectory after they graduate, Graffiti HeArt is developing an internship program where young artists will be able to shadow more established artists as they create commissioned work.

Graffiti HeArt is showing these aspiring artists there can be a future in graffiti — it just starts with exposure.

Even though the artists mainly create murals on a volunteer basis, they're work is being elevated not only through the nonprofit's mission, but because it's improving the local community.

"Greetings from Cleveland" mural by Victor Ving. Photo via Stamy Paul.

Take the "Welcome to Cleveland" mural created by Brooklyn artist Victor Ving. Because it's part of the "Welcome to" murals that Ving's painted in major cities across the country, it's become one of the most iconic images associated with the city.  It's a prime example of how graffiti art can bolster a neighborhood rather than mark it as derelict or unsafe.

These artists are gaining notoriety, higher commissions, and cool project offers because of art they've made for Graffiti HeArt.

As a result, whenever Paul puts out a call for artists, she's often met with a deluge of responses.

Artist Garrett Weider finishing a Graffiti HeArt mural at Cleveland-based company Avalution. Photo via Graffiti HeArt/Facebook. Used with permission.

Paul credits the organization's glowing reputation with the fact that they always upheld their mission from the get-go.

"I think [the artists] saw that what we said we were going to do, not only did we do it, but we were truly in it for the artists, the art, and the youth."

What's more, the community loves the art these artists make. That's why they're getting to work on bigger and cooler projects.

Graffiti HeArt mural done during Gay Games 9 in 2014, in Cleveland, Ohio. Artist Jim Gair "The Rev" (left), Stamy Paul (center), and Randy Crider, artist (right). Photo via Stamy Paul.

Their first gig was creating the sole art installation at the 2014 Gay Games in Cleveland. A few of their artists made a number of interactive graffiti and giant murals for the occasion.

Today, they're about to embark on a huge mural project in Cayey, Puerto Rico, as part of the revitalization movement after Hurricane Maria.

Participating artists will not only create street art, they'll work with students from the nearby arts college, bolstering community involvement and inspiring the next generation of creators.

The collaboration all started through a reach out on social media. Now Paul's in talks with the mayor of Cayey to make sure this project goes off without a hitch.

"We’re working with a lot of strangers who are now friends," she says.

Having her mission welcomed by a community in dire need of inspiration is a huge deal for Paul. She's seeing the stigma surrounding graffiti be stripped away firsthand.

Shout out to Shani Shih and her DC artists crew, bringing their #waterislife tour to Cleveland on their way to Standing Rock! #graffitiheart @GraffitiHeArt ❤️

Posted by Graffiti HeArt on Thursday, December 1, 2016

However, she hopes the art form retains some of its rebelliousness. After all, that's what captured her heart in first place.

"The fact that graffiti is gritty, it is contentious. There’s a lot of friction with it — that’s what makes it exciting."

The more prevalent it is above ground, though, the more the stigmas surrounding it fall by the wayside, which is Paul's ultimate goal. The more art Graffiti HeArt puts out there, the clearer the path from street artist to professional artist will become for future generations.

That said, they need your help in order for them to continue doing what they do. Please consider donating to the Puerto Rico project or the organization as a whole, so they can keep inspiring communities and aspiring artists.