Can We Talk?

Gyat! It’s that time again.  Spring break is upon us and with it comes the children of our children seeking warmer climes and perhaps a beach.  They bring with them not only their dirty laundry but a vocabulary of slang words that have you wondering if your hearing aids are working properly.
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Well, fear not.  Communication may still be possible.  It’s not too late to learn English as a second language.  Below I present to you 10 of 2025’s idioms, with a few holdovers from 2024 that haven’t yet been discarded.  But if you’re like me, you probably won’t remember.
So, glow up and don’t be mid.  Test your knowledge with the ESL quiz below.
LEWK

1. A dyslexic plumber describing a problem with your toilet.
2. Second cousin to the comedian Louie CK
3. A character in a weird Western movie
4. All of the above

DELULU

1. A drunken version of the Cole Porter song It’s De Lovely
2. Two British bathrooms as described by someone from Brooklyn
3. Cousin of the woman who trimmed Samson’s hair
4. None of the above

GYAT

1. An acronym for “get your act together”
2. TAYG spelled backwards
3. Declaring surprise at something Yat said
4. C, maybe A

RIZZ

1. Nickname for a former Yankee shortstop
2. What you do when you get out of bed each morning
3. A short name for a mutant berry
4. Definitely C

FANUM TAX

1. A new Trump tariff on tickets for your favorite rock star concert
2. An attack on Fanums
3. Special nails for hanging fanums on a bulletin board
4. Where’s the Advil?

MID

1. We’re half-way through this stupid quiz
2. Three-quarters of a midge
3. A short label for a small person
4. B, definitely B

GLOW UP

1. A typo when writing about a big disagreement
2. A direction for lighting placement
3. An Asian parent scolding his 24-year-old son
4. Some of the above

ATE

1. NOT what you had for dinner last night!
2. A cockney expressing intense dislike
3. Estimated time of arrival of a plane flying backwards
4. Are we there yet?

SIGMA

1. The person identified as Sig’s mother
2. A new kind of vaping device
3. Freud’s daughter
4. Help!

CHEUGY

1. A new candy bar that’s guaranteed to remove your fillings
2. When repeated, some weird train noises
3. Someone reminding Gy to eat more slowly
4. Thank goodness it’s over!

So, how did you do?  Here’s how to interpret your score:
7-10, Excellent. GYAT!  4 – 6, Pretty Good – you’re almost a sigma.  0 – 3, less than mid!
Want the real intended usage?  Lewk: distinctive fashion look or outfit; Delulu: delusional, unrealistic; GYAT: Reactionary word responding to something/someone shocking or admirable; Rizz: person that has a strong presence or charm; Fanum Tax: taking or stealing food away from someone; Mid: when something is mediocre; Glow Up: a compliment to someone’s appearance or beauty that improved from the past; Ate: something that is exceptionally good or awe-inspiring; Sigma: someone who is cool, popular; Cheugy:  something that was once fashionable.

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