Keeping up with today’s slang is like trying to decode an alien language. Words like “rizz,” “bussin,” and “do it for the plot” might as well be Martian to anyone not fluent in Gen Z-ese. Enter Sam Salem, a millennial high school teacher with a wicked sense of humor. Sam decided to prank his students by making up a bunch of slang words and convincing them they were legit. The twist? Some of these nonsense words are actually catching on!
Sam started a series on his Instagram called “Gaslighting my students with made-up slang words,” and it’s pure gold. So far, he’s dropped 7 videos, introducing gems like “pebbles,” “parked,” and “Getty.” His first video blew up, racking up over 765,000 likes, 9,000 comments, and 383,000 shares. What started as a joke is now turning into a full-blown trend, even spreading beyond his Los Angeles school. NBA star Bradley Beal even used “pebbles” — which apparently means “easy” — during a press conference. Talk about going viral!
Here’s the full list of Sam’s fake slang – get ready to hear these words from a Gen Z mouth near you:
Comma: Tell me more, I need more details.
Dairy: Basic.
Clip/Clipped: Positive thing/connotation.
Mute: Lowkey or ‘in the low’.
Feta: Negative connotation, falls apart easily.
Parked: Boring, done, over.
Pebbles: Easy.
Terk: Bestie/best friends.
Sparse: Not cool.
Getty: Work of art/beautiful.
Oozing: Doing too much.
Swirled: Mixed up/hot and cold.
Nabs: Not AnyBody’s Somebody.
Remy: It shouldn’t go together, but it does.
Rug: You don’t believe it. Derived from the word struggling.
Costco: Built differently or has everything.
Jar: If someone is saying something embarrassing or a secret.
Scroll: If someone is talking about something you are uninterested in or don’t want to talk about.
Fluttered: When someone is so excited about something constantly and it makes you annoyed and hate that thing.
iPad: Someone who is socially awkward.
Next time you hear someone say, “That test was pebbles,” just know that Sam Salem’s genius prank is still rolling. And honestly, it’s kind of clipped. https://www.tiktok.com/@samuelsleeves/video/7340076841811578142