If your grandparents heard half the stuff people say today, they’d probably think you were speaking another language. They didn’t grow up with group chats or memes in the way that many people have today.
Let’s look at eleven phrases your grandparents likely never said and would probably confuse them entirely. Is there any other modern lingo that you find strange?
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I Was Today Years Old When…
People use “I was today years old when…” to talk about something they recently learned, and the saying popped up online not too long ago. It became people’s preferred way to say “I just learned something dumb I probably should’ve known.” However, most grandparents would be confused by the poor grammar in this sentence.
That’s a Hard Pass
Nobody in 1954 rejected things by calling them a “hard pass,” and your grandpa probably just shook his head. He would’ve likely said, “No thanks” or maybe “Not interested” because the word “pass” was reserved for baseball or church. Today’s version is all attitude, and it appeared sometime after millennials entered the workplace.
It’s Giving…
While the concept of giving is obviously not new, using the phrase in sentences like “It’s giving cozy” or “It’s giving vintage grandma realness” is a modern thing. Essentially, it just means that something or someone gives off a certain vibe or aesthetic. But your grandparents didn’t “give” anything unless it was cookies or birthday cards.
I Did a Thing
If your grandpa finished building a deck, he said that “I built a deck,” rather than saying “I did a thing.” It’s a phrase that emerged online when people started humblebragging about their accomplishments without fully admitting they were bragging. They’d post, “I did a thing,” and insert a few emojis after getting a tattoo or starting a side hustle.
Main Character Energy
The phrase “main character energy” comes from social media, and people use it to say that people are a little too self-centered. It’s not something that your grandparents would use. They’d prefer to be a little more straightforward and call this kind of behavior “being full of yourself.” Honestly, it’s a lot clearer.
That’s Sus
Saying “That’s sus” during dinner in 1960 would come across completely differently than it does now. It’s short for “suspicious” and became popular during the craze for the video game, “Among Us.” These days, people use it in texts and conversations constantly. But your grandparents would’ve directly said someone was being “shady” or “up to no good.”
High-Key Want One
You’ll hear people say they “high-key” want something when they don’t feel like hiding their desires. It’s a way of being upfront but still keeping it a little playful, and you’ll see it all the time on social media. It’s quite literally the opposite of “low-key,” but it’s not something you’d hear your grandpa saying. He just would’ve said, “I want that,” plain and simple.
Shook
People say “I’m shook” when they’ve seen something surprising, or just a little too much to handle. Rather than meaning fear, it just means you’ve been thrown off for a second. While the word’s been around forever, this meaning is new, and that’s why your grandparents didn’t say they were “shook.” They used words like “stunned” or “surprised.”
It’s the [Blank] For Me
Whenever someone posts a selfie on Instagram, you can guarantee someone will write something like, “It’s the shoes for me” in the comments. People use it to point something out, sometimes to compliment, sometimes to tease, and it has become a way for friends to roast each other. Of course, that kind of speech wouldn’t have made sense for your grandparents.
No Cap
Despite what you might think, “no cap” has nothing to do with hats, and it’s actually what someone says when they’re not lying. They’re essentially saying, “I swear,” but in slang. However, your grandparents didn’t have a trendy way to prove they were being honest. They just said what they meant, and there were no shortcuts for the truth. Perhaps that was better.
That’s a Slay
For your grandparents, “slay” meant defeating something, but now people use it to mean someone looks great or did something really well. Saying “That’s a slay” or “She’s slaying today” is the modern way of cheering someone on. But people in the past didn’t say it unless they were reading the Bible or talking about myths, as this version didn’t exist in their world.
Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.
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