Slang is Getting Lazy

by Daniel Dominguez

Slang has changed a lot throughout the years. Recent favorites are things like “6-7”, “Lowkey”, “Rizz” and honestly, I think it’s just overdone.

I can’t be the only person who reaches back into an old school vocabulary sometimes, using words like skedaddle or yap for a fresher vocabulary?

Here are some older options that’ll give you that fresh, new feeling.

Rapscallion: A person who causes mischief or trouble. I know TONS of people who just spam the same couple of phrases, but this one has flavor. Calling someone a rapscallion feels much better than just saying they’re “wilding” or “out of pocket”. If someone is doing too much, just bust out this word and see how it works out.

Skedaddle: To leave quickly. This one has become more used within recent years, but not nearly enough for me to like it. Why do people have to say “let’s dip” or “let’s bounce”? It’s so tasteless. If you’re looking to exit with a bit of flare, try to incorporate this word before you leave.

Yap: To talk a lot, usually about something that doesn’t matter. We all know that one friend who can talk, and talk, and talk, with no end in sight! Sometimes you want to tell them that they just talk too much, so why not throw out this word to really hammer across your point.

Bamboozle: To trick someone. Can you imagine busting this one out after you prank your friend, or after someone gets you good? This one is easily a classic, and needs to be brought back.

At some point, slang stopped being creative and just got repetitive. It just becomes this thing that everyone repeats thousands of times and gets old after the first 20. Older words, on the other hand, will feel new despite how older they are BECAUSE no one uses them!

Maybe instead of trying to constantly fix your slang getting old, just look to the past and borrow some of their words. The English language has hundreds of weird, expressive words that get your point across.

So next time your friend “lowkey” tricks you, say they bamboozled you instead.

Worst case, you get a weird look. Best case, you start something new.