Every generation has its slang words and colloquialisms that really don't make sense to anyone that isn't in the teen to young adult age bracket. Even some people in that bracket don't totally understand the crazy words their peers come up with! Let's look at the top five words and phrases the younger millennial generation uses on a daily basis and figure out why they truly don't make any sense. As your resident Grandma-trapped-in-a-20-year-old's-body, I'll attempt to break down these words and phrases.
1. "Lit"
Real meaning: Past participle of "light."
Millennial meaning: To get drunk, wild, crazy.
Why it makes no sense: If we're looking at the true meaning of "lit," we can understand that it means something that used to be. As in, "That candle was lit yesterday, but it isn't anymore." So, from that, we can extrapolate that if we truly apply the actual definition to the scenarios in which young people use the word "lit," it really means "I was drunk and wild yesterday, but I'm not anymore."
2. "Grind"
Real meaning: Reduce something to small particles or powder by crushing it.
Millennial meaning: Expresses the process of doing something difficult.
Why it makes no sense: "Grind," in the real world, can be applied to the action of turning wheat into flour or breaking down peppercorns in a grinder. To a millennial, "grind" is applied to a particularly difficult process or situation. And you have to be "on a grind." So you'd say, "I'm on that midterms grind. I'll be in the library all week!" If we apply the actual definition to the millennial phrase, "on that midterms grind" basically meaning you're reducing your midterms to a powder. I guess that can make sense if you really reach for it since we all have such rough lives, and you likely want to turn your midterms into powder. But we all know that's not what you mean.
3. "Doe"
Real meaning: A female deer.
Millennial meaning: It's like "though," but it's used for emphasis.
Why it makes no sense: Doe, a deer, a female dear...*Cue Julie Andrews* This one is pretty simple to understand why it makes no sense and doesn't really require a lot of explanation, so I'll just use give you a sentence where you'd typically find "doe/though," and replace it with the definition.
"Woah, dat ass, female deer!!!"
4. "I can't even."
Millennial meaning: A dramatic, hyperbolic phrase exclaiming that a situation is too much to handle.
Why it makes no sense: "He texted me back in like five seconds, he's so cute. I can't even!" "I can't even!" You can't even, what? I'll be honest, I am guilty of saying this one fairly often. But it really does sound like a very disgruntled, poor English way of saying "I can't divide this number." Or like you forgot to finish your sentence..."I can't even out the icing on the cake!"
5. "Is that a thing?"
Millennial meaning: Confirming if something is in fact “happening” both in the literal and figurative sense.
Why it makes no sense: No one is more wary of something that can be seen as phony, lame or shitty than millennials. So when you hear someone exclaim "Is that a thing?" after hearing or seeing something particularly outrageous, that's a millennial's way of harping on the fact that the thing in question IS particularly outrageous. But really...Yes, of course it is a thing. If you can see, hold or taste something, obviously, it is a "thing." (See: Nouns)
These are just five of the many, many, many colloquial phrases we all are guilty of saying. It will be interesting to look back in however many years and make fun of all of the ridiculous things we used to say. Your child might spill a gallon of grape juice on your brand new, white carpet and you'll exclaim, "I can't even!" And your child will be like, "What, Mom?" You'll be embarrassed, and it'll be terrible. But that's alright because "dat slang, doe."
