, I quickly racked my brain for an explanation. Flamed could have so many meanings — celebrated him, injured him? Painted his face red? Actually burned him? I was at a loss. My kid rolled his eyes and explained, “Mom, it's like roasting. He roasted me, okay?”
Scenes like this are a daily occurrence in our house, with one sixth grader and twin fourth graders who seem to inhale new slang at the same rate they inhale food during this epic growth spurt. Sick of constantly typing, “What does ___ mean in slang?” into my search bar, I decided to convene a three-person focus group of Gen Z and Alpha kids and get their opinion.
First and foremost, they let me know it was “cringe” that I was even asking them this. Cringe means embarrassing — that’s our first lesson. I had already deduced this based on context clues whenever they tell me I am cringe, but it was kind of them to reiterate it.I thought we were starting off with an easy one. I told them I knew this phrase, but they quickly corrected me.
I can only imagine how many new words our kids will bring home, especially given how texting and streaming fuel the use of these new adaptations of old phrases. When we were kids, we had to wait for the cool slang to trickle down from cool older siblings or cousins, but today’s kids are drinking pop culture through a fire hose, no cap.is a journalist and essayist based in Pittsburgh, PA. She’s a mom to four kids via adoption as well as a twin mom.