Today's words

Have you ever been in a “situationship”? 10 new slang terms explained

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We know it's hard to keep up with the trends all the time. On the streets and in the media, new music, dance moves, hair and clothing styles, apps, or even new flavors are constantly emerging. But also new words! Gen Z people have found original and clever ways to name all kinds of everyday things and situations. If you want to stay up to date with the latest slang, don't miss this article with 10 today's terms and expressions!

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What we used to call just a "phase" has taken on a more epic tone and is now called an "era." This slang term describes a period marked by certain behaviors or characteristics that define a person's current situation.

If you are trying to see the world with different eyes and find the bright side in every situation, let's say you are in your "positive era." Do you have a friend who got tired of being told what to do and now speaks her mind without fear? Well, it's clear she has entered her "villain era." And what about that cousin who got his first job recently? Today's teens would say he's in his "independent era." And so we could go on all day. What would you say is your current era?

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This term first appeared in the 2000s, but it has successfully re-emerged in recent years, especially on social media.

Have you ever seen someone desperately crying because they dropped a piece of toast? Remember that colleague who wore an overly formal suit to a casual barbecue? Well, you could say they were being "extra."

"Extra" is a slang word used to describe people, behaviors, or situations that are excessive or overdramatic. You know, anything that's just too much. Does anyone come to mind right now?

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When someone takes a bite, and you hear "mmm," it can only mean one thing: the food is delicious. But now there's a new word to express your approval when tasting a dish: "Bussin'!"

If you buy some snacks for your nephew and he says, "Yeah, bussin'!" Congratulations, you've made the right choice. "Bussin'" is used to describe anything considered excellent or well done, especially when it's about food and drink.

Next time you want to recommend a restaurant, you can say their desserts are bussin'!

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We've all been in love. Especially when we're young, the idea of that elusive crush is always in our thoughts. In other cases, it's not love but worries that occupy our minds all day long. There are also moments when we can't stop thinking about a book or series we want to return to when we get home.

There is an expression to refer to all those thoughts: they are said to be living "rent-free" in our minds. This witty expression implies that these recurrent ideas emerge without the need for any external stimulus, reason, or effort, and they will probably stay there.

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When your outfit, attitude, words, or anything you do goes well and impresses others, you may hear "Slay!"

While confusing at first, this is a slang term for showing approval. When this word appears, it means someone is doing a great job or "killin' it." You've probably read it in the comments under a photo of celebrities "slaying" on a red carpet, or maybe under a video with many likes. Even famous people have adopted the word, helping it become more popular.

Next time you like what you see or hear, you know what expression to use to compliment the person in front of you.

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We already have the term to show approval; now it's time for a word that expresses the opposite.

New generations have this term for when something unexpected or unacceptable happens. If someone suddenly changes their attitude toward you and starts being rude, if someone uses a weird word at work, or if that person you've been dating says something a little embarrassing or even offensive, the word you're looking for to describe how you feel is "ick." When something makes you uncomfortable or disgusts you, it's said it "gave you the ick."

Fun fact: The word was added to the dictionary in 2024!

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There are people who know how to stand out wherever they go. Whether it's their style, their way of speaking, the confidence they show, or their talent to make great decisions, today's slang has an expression for these people: they are the "main characters."

Have you ever felt that powerful emotion after finally setting boundaries and deciding for yourself? You know those days when you wake up in a great mood and feel extremely confident? Well, in those moments, you are definitely the main character.

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Do you recognize that anecdote, song, joke, or expression that only you and your best friend understand and share? While it sounds like a word in some foreign language, "Iykyk" stands for "if you know, you know." This written expression is used as a kind of warning or disclaimer: only a privileged few will understand the information, which is presented in code or as an inside joke.

This term appeared on social media around 2010, and since then, it has become more and more popular. Have you ever read it before?

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The word "vibe" is one of the most used terms by young people in their daily conversations as well as in their online chats, and it's used to describe the mood or the energy emanating from a person or even an entire place.

It's all about emotions and sensations. You know that colleague who's always complaining or that person who has a special talent to bring everyone's mood down? Well, you can confidently say they "don't pass the vibe check."

If, on the other hand, someone immediately connects with you or makes you feel great, we would say that they have "good vibes" or they "passed the vibe check."

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You're starting to see someone you really like, and it's been several months of dating and romantic messages. You're on a date night with him or her, and you suddenly see a friend of yours at the same bar. So, the question comes: "Is he/she your boyfriend/girlfriend?" Uncomfortable!

Some connections are difficult to define. But there is a new way to express that: If it is too risky to say that you are in a relationship, you can say you're in a "situationship."

What used to be defined by Facebook's "it's complicated" status can now be described with this new slang term that's perfect for when it's not a formal relationship but also more than just a friendship.

LUNAR LORE

To The Moon and Back: The Stories Behind 10 Sayings Involving The Moon

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Romance, delusions, and time measurements. All of these loom behind the idioms involving the Earth’s natural satellite. The moon has been a source of inspiration for poems, stories, and songs since ancestral times, its image recurring in our language as a symbol of beauty, grandeur, and ambition. Why have we attributed so many different meanings to it? In this article, we’ll explore some well-known and some more obscure idioms involving the moon, shedding light on how they came to be and why they have persisted.

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We all know that this phrase is used to describe events that happen very rarely. But what is a "Blue Moon"? Nowadays, we use the term to refer to the second full moon that we can see within a calendar month. Since moon cycles last about 29.5 days and months last around 30, it is unusual for a month to include two full moons. According to NASA, this phenomenon occurs once every two to three years.

The line was first used metaphorically in 1821, in Pierce Egan’s play called Real Life in London. However, this first use might have been referring to the more literal phenomenon of the moon appearing visibly blue because of atmospheric events, like fires or volcanic emissions.

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If some of these idioms sound like they belong in an illustrated nursery book, it’s because they do. Describing someone in a state of delight as being "over the moon" began in the nursery rhyme "Hey Diddle Diddle," which first appeared in records in the 16th century.

The rhyme’s brief lyrics are cryptic, and historians can’t agree on their meaning. But the image it features of a cow jumping over the moon was memorable enough to give birth to the idiom. It became widespread in the 20th century, often used in British English to express giddy happiness or joy.

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It is unclear how or when this expression originated. But we know it gained popularity in the mid-20th century, that is, during the space race era. Some believe that the saying gained momentum after the successful Apollo moon landings, as it served as a motivational slogan. The phrase is used to encourage others to accomplish great things, or to describe someone's ambition of "reaching for the moon."

A sibling expression is "shoot the moon," or "hit the moon," which refers to achieving a challenging feat. In card games, "shooting the moon" describes strategies by which players aim for high or low scores.

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Beware of someone who promises you the moon, be it a partner, a salesman, or a politician. The expression serves as an accusation of a charlatan or a liar pledging to accomplish extravagant or impossible acts. The use of the line dates back to at least the early 20th century, when, again, influenced by the space race, many began fantasizing about reaching the moon, exploring it, and harnessing it. Alternatives to this saying are "promising the Earth," "the world," or "the stars," each one as unattainable as the last one.

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This one too originated in children’s literature. Born from the habit of competing for hyperbolic measurements to express the size of one’s love. "I love you to (name of a far-off place)" was already a popular construction before Sam McBratney’s book solidified this particular line.

Guess How Much I Love You was published in 1994. In it, a little hare and his parent take turns stretching their arms wider and wider to show their love for each other. Eventually, the distances start measuring from "I love you all the way down the lane as far as the river" to the little hare’s "I love you right up to the moon." After he falls asleep, the parent whispers, "I love you right up to the moon… and back."

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The expression might be old-fashioned or theatrical, but we all understand it. As a synonym for a "long time ago," it can either refer to a daily moon or moon cycles. In either case, the expression is usually chosen to dramatically refer to a time many years in the past.

We know that, for millennia, the appearances of the moon have been used to track time. In fact, the words "moon" and "month" share very similar roots; in Proto-Germanic language, they were menon and menoth, respectively. Tracking a full moon cycle thus came to mark a full month. "Many moons ago" is a reference to an ancient way of counting days and weeks.

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This construction might be the opposite of "promising the moon." When someone is "asking for the moon," they are demanding an unachievable or some unreasonable, high-value goal. It’s used to describe impractical fantasies or whims.

Just like "promising the moon," it is a hyperbolic idiom. It might have been born in the 1800s, with slight variations. Its use can be found in Charles Dickens’ 1852 Bleak House as "crying for the moon" and in William Makepeace Thackeray’s 1860 Lovell the Widower as "wishing for the moon."

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Believing that someone "hung the moon" means to see them as impressive or godlike, capable of superhuman feats, like having been the one to hang the moon. This is an expression used to describe great admiration, believing a person can do no wrong. It’s an exaggerated way of expressing high regard.

Unusual or outdated as it is, the idiom caught on in the U.S. during the 20th century. Its origin is unclear, but it was first recorded in Randolph & Wilson’s gallery of folk speech called Down in the Holler. In it, they compare the expression "she thinks he hung the moon" to "she thinks he’s God’s own cousin."

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The resemblance between a full moon and a cheese wheel is not something that modern cartoonists invented. It’s an image that has lived in the collective unconscious for centuries, at least. The comparison was already mentioned in The Proverbs of John Heywood, dated from 1546. There, Heywood wrote the expression "to make one believe the Moon is made of green cheese." Since then, the saying has been used to accuse blatant lies or deceptions, often said with sarcasm to point out that the truth is far from what was just said.

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It’s also known as "howling at the moon." In both cases, it implies that some complaint or discussion is futile. The origin of the phrase is linked to folklore and the belief farmers developed that wolves and dogs tended to bark at the moon. In reality, the reason why a dog might be more likely to howl during a full moon is simply that there is more light outside, which can trigger their excitement. The expression became popular to describe the efforts of someone wasting their energy on attempts to change someone’s mind or revert a situation through words.