Can You Translate These Modern-Day Slang Words?

By: Jonnathan Chadwick
Estimated Completion Time
4 min
Can You Translate These Modern-Day Slang Words?
Image: LiudmylaSupynska/iStock / Getty Images Plus

About This Quiz

The rise in technology (the internet and social media, in particular,) has led to an influx of slang that humankind could never have imagined. The internet has made the world bigger and added a ton of new words to the mix. Since the turn of the millennium, so much slang has entered the lexicon that thousands of slang words have officially made it into dictionaries across the world. Every year, words like blamestorm, twerk and Stan enter the dictionary and words like jomo, swol and suh are born out of thin air. To make things more fun, words like receipts, savage and thirsty get completely new meanings. Not knowing those meanings can lead to chaos.

Netflix and chill doesn't actually mean to watch Netflix and chill. If you text someone a joke and they respond "dead," don't call 911. If somebody says they "can't even" it means they eventually will. It's a good thing if your house is lit. Ghosts and trolls are people who ghost and troll. Your bro is your bruh but he isn't your brother. Your fam isn't your family and mom and dad aren't your mom and dad. Squads are squads. Goals are goals. Goats are people. People act savage, bougie or extra. Anything at any moment can get canceled. Yaas and yeet are words. Nom nom nom is a real word. Being basic is a bad thing. 

How well do you know your modern-day slang? Take this quiz to find out!


If you pour too much salt on your food, it might be really salty. If a person is acting salty, how are they acting?
Joyous
Sympathetic
Bitter
Kind
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

People have acted salty since the beginning of time but recently, the word has been used as slang to describe someone with a bitter, agitated or upset mood. The salt​ we put on food comes from sodium, which is the sixth most abundant element on Earth.

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Someone who is overly eager to get something is what?
Thirsty
Bland
Content
Satisfied
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Thirsty can be used as slang to describe anyone who is desperate for anything, from social media likes to real-life compliments to dinner and drinks. It's not a compliment to be called thirsty and it's not the same as being ambitious or determined.

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Which of these events is the perfect time to turn up?
Lie detector test
Library study
Church service
Graduation party
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

To turn up means to get amped up and party hard. Churches, libraries and interrogation rooms aren't normal places to turn up. A graduation party is. You can also get turnt for a party and the time when you do get turnt is called the turn up.

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When you see something funny online, you might reply with lol. If it's so funny that you "literally" die, you might respond with what?
Cool
Dead
Ha
Rofl
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The evolution of funny things online is something like: lol > hahaha > lmao > lmfao > rofl > and a bunch of other stuff that has ultimately led to figurative death due to laughter. Logically, this is the funniest something can possibly be.

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A goat is an animal that lives in Asia and Europe. What is the G.O.A.T?
Greatest Of All Time
Genuine Official All-Timer
Generic Offer And Test
Gasoline Outpost And Tank
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Tiger Woods, Tom Brady, Muhammad Ali, Serena Williams and Michael Jordan are all goats. Every industry - not just sports - has a goat and it's impossible to name one goat above them all. The acronym has been used in the sports world since the early 1900s.

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If your day is Gucci, how is it going?
The worst
Very well
So-so
Horrible
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Gucci is a luxury fashion brand that was founded in the 1920s, but in slang, it is used as an adjective to describe something that is fine or swell. It was also used in the 1980s to describe something cool or hip.

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A euphemism for hooking up is?
HBO and go
Netflix and chill
Amazon and party
Hulu and hoop
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Netflix started in 1997. About 10 years later, someone on Twitter used the phrase "Netflix and Chill" and the rest is history. The phrase took on a meaning of its own by 2014 and has become its own brand.

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What is FOMO?
Fake or missing offer
Full of motivation
Fear of missing out
Far out mountains
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

According to some marketing exec in the early 2000s, FOMO stands for "fear of missing out," and it has been readily accepted since then. Although FOMO isn't a scientific term, doctors agree the fear of missing out is real.

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What is it called if someone suddenly ceases all communications with you?
Adulting
Ghosting
Flying
Catfishing
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Ghosting is the act of suddenly ceasing communications with the person you're dating or talking to. You can also be ghosted or be a ghoster. If a ghoster randomly resumes communications, it is known as submarining or zombieing.

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If you aren't remorseful for your actions but you have to apologize, you might say?
Yaaaaas
Pics or it didn't happen
Sorry not sorry
Said no one ever
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

If you don't care whether your actions or words have hurt someone, you might apologize by saying, "sorry not sorry." The phrase is also used by people as a preface to something they know will be controversial.

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What is a troll?
A dating app
An offensive person online
A special move in online gaming
An illegal type of car
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Once upon a time, a troll was an ugly creature from Swedish and Norse folklore. In today's internet age, a troll is someone who purposefully posts offensive content online in hopes of stirring up feelings and emotions in others.

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If you get caught in a lie and somebody has text messages to prove it, what do they have?
Goals
Cheese
Receipts
Ships
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A receipt is something that proves you have received something. It's usually a piece of paper. The word "receipts" can be used as a slang term for evidence of something embarrassing. If you tweeted and deleted something embarrassing, someone who screenshot it has the receipts.

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If you say something controversial and don't care about anyone's response, you might say?
Don't at me
Look the other way
Here's my phone number
Bye, Felicia.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Don't at me is in reference to the social media practice of adding the at symbol (@) in front of a username to send a message directly to a specific person. If you say don't at me, it means you don't want anybody complaining to you about what you said.

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Someone who takes two hours to get ready for the grocery store is said to be acting how?
Respectful of others time
Basic
Woke
Extra
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Extra is a slang term meaning overly dramatic or over the top. Someone who spends two hours getting ready to go grocery shopping can be said to be acting extra. Someone who is doing 100 mph in a 55 mph speed zone is also acting extra.

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Which popular drink is a slang term for gossip?
Tea
Soda
Coffee
Vodka
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It's not exactly known where this slang term originated, but afternoon tea parties have happened in Britain since the mid 19th century and they're also a custom of women in the southern United States. It's assumed that a lot of gossip has spilled at these tea parties.

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When you are happy to miss a particular event, what are you experiencing?
JOMO
Hatred
FOMO
Anger
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

JOMO stands for joy of missing out and it is far less of a real thing than FOMO, which can trigger real anxiety. It's not exactly known how JOMO originated but its creation is commonly credited to a blogger in 2012.

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Being really hungry for a prolonged period of time can make you what?
Energetic
Satisfied
Hangry
Ecstatic
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Hangry was first used way back in 1956. In 2018, it was added to the Oxford English Dictionary. The word is a blend of the words "hungry" and "anger" and is an adjective that means angry because of hunger.

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Someone who doesn't care about the consequences of their actions or the feelings of others is known as a what?
Savage
Nice person
Alien
Neanderthal
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The word savage describes something that is untamed, wild or ferocious. In slang terms, it describes someone who is petty and does things with no regard to anyone else's feelings. Publicizing someone's personal affairs could be seen as a savage act.

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If you see a picture of something you really admire, you might comment on it with which of these words?
Canceled
Horrendous
WTF
Goals
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The word "goals" means the same thing in slang as it means in everyday use: things to work toward achieving. A group of friends might be "squad goals," a happy couple might be "relationship goals" and a stack of money might simply be "goals."

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Someone who practices extremely predictable behavior acts how?
Basic
Spontaneous
Wild
Savage
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The word "basic" has been used as a slang term for several years to describe a predictable person, place or thing. Ice skating in the winter is basic. Pumpkin coffee in the fall is basic. Someone who drinks pumpkin coffee in the fall and ice skates in the winter is basic.

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What does bae stand for?
Because, after, ending
Before anyone else
Buy and enter
Beginning and end
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Bae is an acronym that today stands for "before anyone else" but actually originated as an abbreviation for the words "babe" or "baby." It gained its popularity around 2014 and is used as a pet name for significant others everywhere.

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If you want to reject or boycott a celebrity or brand that did something controversial, you might say they are what?
Blessed
Woke
Canceled
Amazing
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

To cancel someone or something means to reject or boycott it. It is usually just used on social media when it is trendy to "cancel" a brand or celebrity, but its slang meaning rarely translates to the real world.

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If you see a cute puppy riding on top of a dog riding on top of a skateboard, you might respond by saying?
Be careful.
I can't even.
That's wack.
Bye, Felicia.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The phrase "I can't" or "I just can't" or "I can't even" is used to portray the fact that one cannot contain their emotions or beliefs in a particular moment. Whether you've just witnessed the cutest thing ever or got the worst news ever, you might say, "I can't even."

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What word is a blend of stalker and fan made popular by an Eminem song?
Falk
Stan
Falker
Stalkan
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Stan is common boys name and the name of a 2000 Eminem song about a crazed fan. The name Stan has since been used in slang to identify a crazed or obsessed fan. It is also a portmanteau of the words "stalker" and "fan."

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Someone who works 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. and then again 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. is on the what?
Grind
Lamb
Tank
Couch
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In slang speak, the "grind" is whatever it takes to achieve one's goals. Depending on your goals, being on the grind could mean working three jobs a week or running three miles a day. When you're on the grind, you're grinding.

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A person who is aware of the subtle mechanisms of society is what?
Dead
Thick
Woke
Savage
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The word "woke" was first used in slang by racial and civil rights activists during the 1960s and was even used in a song in 1938. To stay woke means to stay aware of the hidden injustices and issues in the world. The slang term regained popularity in 2014.

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Burning Man is ___ every year.
Turnt
Lit
Dank
All of the above
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Turnt, lit and dank are slang terms describing anything that is awesome. Parties are usually lit, dank or turnt unless they're boring. The Burning Man festival is figuratively lit and literally lit when a giant wooden structure is lit on fire.

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When you want to say bye to someone in a condescending manner, you can use what phrase?
What's good?
Bye, Felicia.
Let's break feet.
See ya later alligator.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The phrase "Bye, Felicia" originated from the 1995 comedy, "Friday," when both Ice Cube and Chris Tucker's characters are trying to get a character named Felicia off their porch. The phrase didn't become popular until years after the movie was released.

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What does ratchet mean?
Trashy
Aristocratic
Colonial
Victorian
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

​In slang terms, ratchet defines a person, place or thing that is trashy. A dress can be ratchet and a nightclub can be ratchet. An entire city in Louisiana has been known as Ratchet City since the late '90s. It is the opposite of bougie, which stems from bourgeoisie.

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A portmanteau of true and real is?
Ruel
Treel
Trill
Rue
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

If you've listened to a rap song in the past 10 years, you've likely heard the word "trill," which is an adjective used to describe someone or something that is true and real. It is a compliment. Somebody can be triller than another. And somebody can be the trillest person in town.

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To make an indirect insult at someone is known as doing what?
Adulting
Throwing shade
Ignoring them
Being the bigger person
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The term "throwing shade" is said to have become popular just a few decades ago, but people have surely been performing the act for much longer. Throwing shade is just an indirect way of insulting someone. It is more prevalent today with social media.

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When you are really, really happy or excited about something and a simple "Yes" won't suffice, what might you say?
Yaaaas
No
Canceled
Why?
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Yaaas is usually used in written form but can also be exclaimed aloud. It is an exclamation of extreme excitement and it's unknown how it originated. Someone centuries ago must have​ pronounced "yes" as "yas" but as a slang term, it became popular in the internet era.

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Many online gamers have never met IRL. What does IRL mean?
Isaiah Rashad Lawrence
In rec league
Isabella Lacy Richardson
In real life
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

IRL is an acronym meaning "in real life" and recently became popular due to the rise in technology and the ​spread of social media. When you want to differentiate between your online persona and you the physical person, you can add #IRL to your statement.

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If you secretly like Taylor Swift, you what?
Ghosted her
Low key hate her
Canceled her
Low key like her
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

If you low key like something, you secretly like it. It means to be quiet, reserved or modest. In slang terms, it means that you like something but not so much that you go around talking about. It can be a secret but it's usually not something you're too embarrassed about.

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What is the Thai version of LOL?
555
yoy
Jaja
347
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Thai version of "lol" is "555" because five is pronounced "ha" in Thai. Spanish speakers might use "jajaja" and the Malaysian version is "ha3," meaning "hahaha." Lol means "laughing out loud" and was listed in the Oxford English Dictionary in 2011.

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