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Just when you thought 2019 was over, some of the year’s most popular phrases have been added to Dictionary.com’s slang dictionary.
The digital dictionary updated its archives on Wednesday to include 20 new slang terms from the past year or two, including “OK, boomer,” “Megxit” and Baby Yoda.
John Kelly, the senior research editor at Dictionary.com, told MarketWatch that the buzzworthy words and phrases were selected by analyzing the site’s search data, monitoring trends on social media, as well as tracking themes seen within pop culture at large.
“Is the term of note or interest in the broader cultural discourse? Is there something important about the term that we can help elucidate in some way — for instance, something confusing we can bring clarity to, something controversial or sensitive that we can provide context?” he explained. “Our slang and pop culture dictionaries give us an important place to tell a story about terms that people are curious about — and in a way that lets us participate in the bigger cultural conversations as they are happening, a timeliness that is vital in the digital age.”
Here is Dictionary.com’s updated list of pop culture idioms, in no particular order.
Megxit: The mashup of “Meghan” and “Brexit” describes the decision of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry to step back from their senior roles in the British royal family.
Baby Yoda: The popular name for a character known as “the Child” in “The Mandalorian” on Disney’s DIS, +0.57% new Disney+ streaming service. He is a member of the same species as the beloved “Star Wars” character, Yoda. Social media became obsessed with him.
Hype House: A collective of young social media content creators and influencers who are especially popular on the video app TikTok. The term is also the name of the Los Angeles mansion that the group uses.
Karen: A mocking slang term for an entitled, obnoxious, middle-aged white woman, per Dictionary.com. Especially as featured in memes, “Karen” is “generally stereotyped as having a blonde bob haircut, asking to speak to retail and restaurant managers to voice complaints or make demands, and being a nagging, often divorced mother from Generation X.”
Self-partnered: An alternative for the word “single” as a relationship status, which became popular after “Harry Potter” star Emma Watson described herself as “self-partnered” in a November 2019 Vogue interview.
OK boomer: The viral internet slang phrase used, often in a humorous or ironic manner, to call out or dismiss out-of-touch or close-minded opinions associated with the baby boomer generation, and older people more generally.
Read more: Hey, snowflake, don’t ‘OK, boomer’ me at work
And I oop: A viral phrase from a video by drag queen Jasmine Masters. “And I oop” or “I oop” can be playfully used to express shock, surprise, or embarrassment.
Becky: A stereotype for a white woman, especially one who is unaware or takes advantage of her social privilege. Becky is also used more generally to mock a young white woman as “basic,” notes Dictionary.com.
Big mood: A way to react to or describe something that someone finds relatable or resonant in some way online. Big mood can at once capture a feeling at a specific moment, but also comment on a broader sentiment about life in general. Big mood is also often posted with a joking, judgmental, cheerful, or ironic tone in reaction and in response to content that is variously seen as quirky, genuine, dramatic or ridiculous.
Cancel culture: The popular practice of withdrawing support for (aka “canceling”) public figures and companies after they have done or said something considered objectionable or offensive. Cancel culture is generally discussed as being performed on social media in the form of group shaming.
Cheetle: The brand name for the powdery residue that gets on your fingertips while eating the PepsiCo-owned PEP, -0.44% cheese snack, Cheetos.
Chef’s kiss: A gesture and expression meant to show something is perfect or excellent. The gesture is made by pinching the fingers and thumb of one hand together (often in an OK sign), kissing them, and then tossing them dramatically away from the lips. Its tone can be sincere or ironic.
Hold my beer: An expression joked about being said before an unthinking person does something dangerous or stupid. On the internet, “hold my beer” is used to make fun of decisions (that are seen to be bad) made by public figures or companies.
Manther: The male version of a cougar, or a middle-aged woman who has the hots for younger men. Manthers are older men who pursue partners significantly younger than them.
Porch pirate: A thief who takes packages left outside front doors and in apartment building lobbies by couriers such as Amazon AMZN, +0.80%, UPS UPS, +1.36% or FedEx FDX, +0.51%.
Related: Here’s how to prevent ‘porch pirates’ this holiday season
Rapinoeing: A viral victory pose named after American soccer superstar Megan Rapinoe. It involves raising and outstretching the arms at an angle in a confident, joyful display.
Sksksk: An interjection used to convey surprise, happiness and other intense emotions.
Sportsball: A mildly critical or humorous term used by people who admit they don’t know or care about sports. For example, “The goalie dribbles into the outfield for a touchdown!” Sports fans sometimes use it, too, as a playful way to refer to sports they like.
VSCO girl: A term, generally used as an insult, for a young, usually white woman who posts trendy pictures of herself edited on the app VSCO, per Dictionary.com. Stereotypes of the VSCO girl include wearing scrunchies and Birkenstock sandals, drinking out of Helen of Troy Limited-owned HELE, -0.15% Hydro Flask reusable water canisters, saying “sksksk” and “I oop,” and generally seeking attention online.
Zoomer: An informal term for a member of Generation Z, born in the late 1990s and early 2000s. It can be used with a neutral, mocking or ironic tone.
