Annoying Teen Slang Explained by an Illinois Mom Who’s Had Enough

As a teen in the 90s I was cool...or at least I thought I was.

Now I'm the very old and very uncool mom to a tween girl who makes zero sense to me. Does anyone else’s kid speak a totally different language?

Teen Slang That Makes Zero Sense

When we are young, we all said weird things, but the words kids use today just boggle my mind.

When my oldest daughter started middle school last fall she very quickly changed from my little girl to a weird-talking creature from another planet. Here are 10 examples of what I'm talking about...

Don't get me wrong, I still absolutely adore my daughter and her friends, but I don't think I can handle hearing them utter these three terms ever again.

More Slang Terms That Should Be Banished in Illinois

I've become pretty good at deciphering tween TikTok talk, but these three terms are heard so often in my home I may lose my mind:

"Cooked": For old people like me, "cooked" usually refers to preparing food to eat, but to my daughter it means two different things. Here's how she explains it:

"I'm cooked" means I'm done for, or I'm finished, I'm ruined.

"I cooked" means I did so good or so amazing.

(Does that make any sense to you?)

"Phantom Tax": Kids use this term when they steal something, usually food, from another person. Example: My daughter yells "Phantom Tax" and proceeds to steal the M&M's I was eating.

Ready for my new #1 most hated phrase? (I'm annoyed just typing it out)

"Big Back": Every time my daughter goes to get something to eat I ask her what she is doing, and she says; "I'm a big back" or "I'm in big back mode".

Basically, "big back" refers to someone who likes to snack a lot and eats so much that they can't fit it in their stomach so they have to store it in their back instead. (That's just called "back fat" where I come from.)

Do you still need more help understanding today's slang terms? Check this article out.