This hilarious thread translates work-speak to slang and vice versa
We’ve all had those head-scratch moments when we wonder what on earth a person from a different generation is going on about, purely because the words people choose evolve very quickly.
Over on Twitter, The Meanest TA, PhD produced a very funny thread that demonstrates perfectly how people with a good grasp of their own generational or social group’s language can act as unofficial interpreters for other people.
It started with this –
Everyone on my team (5 men ages 48-75) texts me to make sure the slang they’re using is correct in context. Some examples below:
— The Meanest TA, PhD. (@MeanestTA) April 1, 2022
The examples are lit – possibly.
From Boss (74): “Can I say this meeting got lit if I mean people were getting upset?”
Me: “No but you can say they were salty about it.”
— The Meanest TA, PhD. (@MeanestTA) April 1, 2022
WorkDad (58): “What does yeet mean?”
Me: pic.twitter.com/X3zCeeqc5y
— The Meanest TA, PhD. (@MeanestTA) April 1, 2022
Project Manager (48): “Do people still say hella?”
Me: “Not in this state.”
— The Meanest TA, PhD. (@MeanestTA) April 1, 2022
Project Manager: “How do I tell my (17y/o) daughter she cannot wear a crop top to my mother’s Sunday dinner?”
Me: “Bestie, respectfully, ✨no✨”
— The Meanest TA, PhD. (@MeanestTA) April 1, 2022
Boss: “What does tea mean? Not the liquid.”
Me: “Background information, but more like gossip. Spill the tea means informally contextualizing.”
Boss: “So I should ask CEO to spill the tea on the (name) project?”
Me: “Please cc me if you do I want to see his reaction so bad.”
— The Meanest TA, PhD. (@MeanestTA) April 1, 2022
(Slack message)
CEO: “Did you teach Boss the phrase spill the tea?”
— The Meanest TA, PhD. (@MeanestTA) April 2, 2022
Of course – translation cuts both ways.
In return they translate my frustrations into professional corporate.
— The Meanest TA, PhD. (@MeanestTA) April 1, 2022