If you know what KPC means when your teen is texting, then you are not as clueless as most of us parents trying to make sense of our teenagers’ text talk and sassy slang, writes Laurel Pretorius.
So, KPC is a texting abbreviation for “keeping parents clueless”, which is what we aim to remedy in this dictionary of teen slang and decoded acronyms. Yes, it’s absolutely okay for our kids to speak a different language with their friends and peers but it definitely isn’t okay when we parents are purposefully kept out of the loop where our experimental teens may be teetering on the edge of danger.
This guide is intended to help parents understand when their teen children are harmlessly chit chatting with their mates or getting themselves into potentially harmful situations. If you are able to decode and prevent the latter from taking place, then this dictionary of teen slang and text talk will have done its job.
Also read: Why are our teen girls cutting themselves?
Dictionary of teen slang
Aesthetic – It means something has a vibe about it.
A whole meal – Someone who looks extremely attractive.
Bae – An affectionate term used for close friends and / or romantic partners or a crush.
Beige flag – Traits in a person you like that are neither bad not good.
Basic – Someone who is boring and conforms to trends.
Bet – Ok! For sure. All right. Used in response to a question or statement.
Bussin – Very good relating to food.
Cap or cappin’ – You’re lying.
Delulu – Someone being delusional or having delusional ideas about their romantic relations with someone.
Dope — Something extremely cool.
Dragged – To mock or humiliate someone.
Era – A phase that someone is in or going through.
Extra – When someone is being over the top.
Facts – When you agree with something.
Fam — Friends and / or family.
Fit – Short for outfit.
Flex – To brag.
Genuine chats – Saying something is true.
Girl math – Unconventional ways to justify something.
Giving me the ick – An ick is a specific quality of a person that may disgust you.
Glow up – A positive transformation in a physical or emotional sense.
Goat – Greatest of all time.
Goated – You’re the best.
Go off – When someone is venting about something, and you say this to encourage them to carry on venting.
Green flag – Hints at positives in a potential relationship.
Gyat – Someone who has a big ass which is used as a compliment sometimes.
Heated – When someone is mad or frustrated.
Hits different – Something that is really good.
Hot take – A controversial opinion.
I’m cooked – Saying you’re screwed or something is serious and there’s no coming back from it.
I’m dead – Something is very funny.
Let him cook – Not interfering when someone is doing something cool.
Lowkey – When you’re trying to be subtle about an opinion.
Main character energy – Self-assured, can also think the world revolves around them.
Mid – When someone or something is less than average.
Noob – A newbie who doesn’t know what they are doing.
Oof – A sound from the game Roblox. It expresses discomfort for yourself or another person.
Periodt – End of conversation, like a period but with a T for emphasis.
Pick-me girl – A girl who constantly wants sympathy or attention.
Pookie – A term of endearment people use to describe something cute.
Pressed – Annoyed or stressed.
Real – Used for agreeing with someone as in “for real.”
Receipts – Proof of something like texts and screenshots.
Red flag – A warning mostly concerning a person you have a romantic interest in.
Rent-free – Something that is taking up space in your mind.
Rizz – Charisma, charm, good flirting skills for example: “You have so much rizz”.
Roman Empire – What you spend a significant amount of time thinking about.
Salty – When someone has an attitude or is grumpy.
Spicy— Provocative or controversial.
Say less – I understand.
Serving – Someone is looking really good.
Ship – Let’s make this romantic relationship happen.
Shook – When someone is frightened, startled or shocked about something.
Side-eye – Giving someone negative looks.
Simp – Someone who is infatuated and perhaps doing too much for someone else.
Slay – Used to tell someone they look good or that something is cool or they’re doing a brilliant job.
Snack – Someone who looks attractive.
Snatched – Attractive.
Stan – Superfans of celebrities.
Straight fire or so fire – Really good, better than the rest.
Sus – Short for “suspicious”.
Tea – Fresh gossip.
This hits – When something is very good.
Touch grass – Insulting someone for being online all the time instead of outside.
Type shit – When you are agreeing with someone about something.
You ate or this ate – Something is excellent.
Visit: Your teen’s in love. What next?
Sexual talk to be aware of
Body count — The number of people someone has slept with.
Daddy — An attractive man, usually older, who conveys a sense of power and dominance.
Hentai — Graphic anime pornography.
Netflix and chill – Let’s watch Netflix and have sex.
Skeet — To ejaculate.
Smash — Means to have casual sex.
Swoop — To be picked up (sexually) in a car.
Thicc — Having an attractive body.
Thot — That ho over there, used instead of “slut”.
Visit: Help! Is my teen a narcissist?
Sexual abbreviations for texting
ASL — Age/sex/location
DTF — Down to f*ck
FBOI — F*ck boy, a guy just looking for sex.
FWB — Friends with benefits
GYPO – Get your pants off
GNOC – Get naked on camera
LMP — Like my pic/lick my p*ssy
LMIRL – Let’s meet in real life
NIFOC – Nude in front of a computer
TDTM — Talk dirty to me
WAP — Wet ass p*ssy
IWSN — I want sex now
Check out: 6 strategies for managing teen stress
Drink and drugs
420 — Marijuana
Broken — Hangover from alcohol
CID — Acid
DOC — Drug of choice
Molly – Ecstasy/MDMA
Texting abbreviations
AF — As f*ck
AFK – Away from keyboard
AFAIK – As far as I know
ATM – At the moment
Bih — Short form of b*tch
BRB – Be right back
BTW – By the way
FINSTA — Fake Instagram account
F2F or FTF – Face to face
FR – For real, to ask if something’s true or saying it is
GB – Goodbye
GLHF – Good luck, have fun
HAK — Hugs and Kisses
IIRC — If I remember correctly
ILY – I love you
IMY – I miss you
IMHO – In my honest opinion
IRL – In real life opposed to online
IWL – I won’t lie
IYKYK – If you know you know
KMS/KYS — Kill myself/Kill yourself
L – Loss or lose or loser
NGL – Not gonna lie
NMU—Not Much, You?
OFC — Of course
ONG – On God, used to promise something or say something is true
OTP – On the phone
OTW – On the way
RN – Right now
SMH – Shaking my head
TBF – To be fair
TBH – To be honest
W – Win
WDYM – What do you mean
WYLL – What do you look like
YK – You know
About parents…
CD9 — Parents around / Code 9
KPC — Keeping parents clueless
POS — Parent over shoulder
MOS — Mom Over Shoulder
PIR — Parent in room
PAW — Parents are watching
Also read: SA’s teen pregnancy problem
Please mail anything we can add or have left out to editor@babyyumyum.co.za
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