How to keep your vocabulary woke with these 7 words

It’s hard to go a week without a new word or phrase being born on Twitter.

Regardless of your generation, new slang is tricky to pick up on. So, with that in mind, we’ve decoded this list of popular words and phrases that are killing it on the internet right now.

Woke

Of course, we had to start from ‘woke’, arguably one of the most frequently used across social media. A woke person might be considered politically active. The phrase generally describes a young person who is wary of issues related to racial tensions, the prison industrial complex, consumerism, gender fluidity, and the impact of socioeconomic disparity on minorities.

Critics have suggested that some of those who represent themselves as woke over the internet are sometimes more concerned with making a statement on social media than engaging in “real life” activism.

Roasting

This is the fine art form of insulting your friends over the internet. This is similar to traditional roasts, where attendees gather to playfully insult and joke about the night’s honoree. On YouTube, the practice of harshly mocking or criticizing another channel’s content is considered roasting. Roasts that are mean-spirited can quickly evolve into cyber bullying or trolling.

“It’s just a prank!”For the last couple of years, pranks have been a hot commodity on YouTube. This has led some creators to fake or stage audacious pranks in pursuit of views and publicity.

“It’s just a prank!” references an infamous fake prank video in which the pranksters end up crying and begging for mercy from the “unsuspecting” people they engage. This phrase is commonly used online as a humorous excuse or justification for behaving disrespectfully towards another person.

Shots Fired

A firing shot is when someone says something that’s bound to offend another person. The comment isn’t nice, so it’s like a verbal bullet. Similarly, one might comment or say “Shots fired!” when it’s clear that some entertaining drama is about to unfold.

Lit

Lit can describe a situation or event that’s very cool, exciting, or crazy, as in “This party is so freaking lit right now.” Hip-hop artist Travis Scott is notable for his frequent use of “It’s Lit!” as an ad-lib on songs he produces.

Tea

Tea means gossip or dirt. Perhaps the most legendary example of “spilling the tea” is Beyonce’s Lemonade, where she publicly called out husband Jay-Z for his infidelity. This meme is often accompanied by images of Kermit The Frog nonchalantly sipping on his tea.

Throwing Shade

If I say this is by far the ‘most lit’ of them all, you would easily understand because you’ve been schooled!. Throwing shade is a sneaky way of putting someone down or criticizing them. Rather than attacking their target with full force, those who throw shade prefer a more subtle and artful approach.

It’s the equivalent of talking smack behind someone’s back. It’s a cunning way to disrespect your enemies while minimizing the risk of actually confronting them. Successful shade throwers depend on passive aggression to avoid direct conflict.

Tags: how to, language, Millennials, Slangs, vocabulary

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