WHITE LAKE, Mich. (WXYZ) — If you've ever heard a teenager say "low key" or "ate that up" and had no idea what they meant, you're not alone.
Campers and counselors at Skull Island Camp recently offered a crash course in Gen Alpha slang, breaking down the words and phrases defining how young people communicate today.
See the full story from Jeffrey Lindblom in the video below
The lesson started with some basics.
"Skibidi," said Ethan Krezel-Wilding, a camper at the camp.
"Or rizz," said Cecilia Kakoz, a lifeguard at the camp.
"Ate that up," said Kiera Ritter, a camper.
"That's mewing," said Ryan Gambrel, a camper.
The kids explained that mewing means working on your jawline to look like a sigma — which means attractive — as opposed to chopped, which means the opposite.
Kathryn Chipman, who owns and runs Skull Island Camp, said she hears the kids use their slang all day long. She said that despite the rapidly changing dialect, it brings the kids joy — and at any rate, it's just how they communicate.
"Nobody really understood that to begin with… I try and forget them as soon as they come in," Chipman said.
"It's different. It keeps you young," Chipman said.
"It's like a second hand language," Ritter said.
The snack shack served as a classroom for a deeper dive into the vocabulary.
"Chud. Let's say I had a day off of work… I say, oh I get to be a chud today — it means I'm being lazy," Kakoz said.
When asked what "on god" means, Krezel-Wilding had a straightforward answer.
"It means that you're telling the truth… even if you aren't," Krezel-Wilding said.
And "to eat?"
"It means you did really good, or I did really good," Ritter said.
12-year-old Gambrel explained that "low key" means on the down low, and "locking in" means focusing.
"I low key have to lock in, I'm scared," Gambrel said. "'I got to lock in so I do good."
"I like low key too, I'm always like, mom I low key want to get starbucks," Ritter said.
For anyone who thinks the slang sounds strange, Gambrel had a simple explanation — if you're over 25, you're just an "unc."
"Yeah, you're an unc," Gambrel said.
"It does get to a point where it's kind of annoying, but they're just kids so it's good," Kakoz said.
"I would say you just don't get the culture," Gambrel said.
"Clock it, girl!" Kakoz said.
"It's meant to be funny," Gambrel said.
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