10 Words and Phrases That Give Me The Ick

Slang that annoys me (yes, I'm biased)

They are as common as they are annoying—sayings so popular on social media and TV they've become part of this generation’s slang.

And if you’re a Gen Y or Zer, words take too long to text, so some of these terms are abbreviated. A plus: they’re code for people over 45, who probably struggle to understand them.

In descending order, here are my picks for the worst offenders:

10. The Ick - As in, "He gives me the ick." Yes, I'll cop to the irony of it being in my title. I’ll also admit this: I first heard it on Love is Blind, after being sucked into the vapid abyss of this show. Contestants use it when they’re turned off by potential mates. It's not exactly a highbrow show, so I'm not expecting deep, articulate comments. But is this the best we can do? It sounds like something a five-year-old would say. That’s icky, Mommy.

9. Shade - "She was throwing shade at me," meaning she just insulted me, usually in an indirect or subtle way. It's a watered-down version of an old standby, "She took a shot at me." I like the last one better. Call me literal if you want, but I can easily visualize someone throwing an object at someone. Casting shade? Not so much.

8. Triggered - What began as a therapy term for an event that brings up a deeply held traumatic memory has morphed into gobbledygook for the entitled. People will also use it deflect responsibility and justify bad behavior. Yes, I yelled at the barista, but I was triggered when she got my order wrong. I felt discounted and marginalized like I did as a child! In other words, you were rude. Get over yourself.

7. Riz - "He's got riz" aka charisma. Is the word really that long? Can we not just write it out? Because I think charisma says it all. No need to abbreviate. And why a “z” instead of an “s”? Help my inner English teacher understand.

6. Vibing – A popular term often used to describe relationships, “vibing” refers to people who have good chemistry and are getting along well. It’s “clicking” with a little modern day hippie spin. It is also used to express agreement, such as “I vibe with that.” Whenever I hear it, I think of people sitting in the lotus position in incense-filled rooms.

5. Periodt. Probably the most inane one on the list. It’s meant to emphasize a point, such as “That is it. Period.” But I guess that wasn’t good enough, so they decided to slap a “t” on the end even though it makes no sense.

4. It’s Giving. Ugh… I’m hearing this one constantly. Someone is describing a woman’s outfit” “It’s giving 1950s school marm” or a confident, assertive person is “giving boss energy.” People use it to describe something, thinking they’ll sound clever. Instead they sound vague, unclear, and rather silly.

3. AF/Zero Fs/WTF—I’m putting them together because they’re variations on the over-used F word. I detest all of them as they’ve made a profanity that used to be taboo mainstream.

AF is a descriptor, a coarse substitute for very or really. “He is as dorky AF.” What does that even mean?

To explain Zero Fs, go back a few decades to when people used milder swear words. Someone might say, “I don’t give two cents” or “I don’t give a damn.” This has degraded to Zero Fs.

It’s the same idea with WTF. It used to be WTH, but apparently that wasn’t crude enough.

The under 40 culture is all Fs, all the time. Not long ago I was at a coffee shop next to a table of men in their 20s. I lost count of how often I heard the F word—and how many versions were used.

2. Literally. One of the most overused and misused words, especially for Gen Y and Z. Similar to AF, it’s used to add emphasis but often done incorrectly.

“I was literally pulling my hair out.” Really? Do you have a bald spot now? Or “I literally almost died laughing.” Gosh, that’s scary. I didn’t realize laughing could kill a person. You get the idea. #LiterallyMakeItStop

1. Like. We’ve arrived at the champion, the gold-plated icon of slang. It was a toss-up between this one and Literally. I’m giving Like the edge mostly for the sheer number of times I hear it.

It’s the younger generations’ version of “Uh” or “You know,” a filler word that is just as irritating to the listener. I get so distracted I start waiting for the next one, which is as mind numbing as listening for the infernal beep of a smoke detector at 2am. You have to…like…just get up and change the battery or you’ll…like… go insane.

I have a bold idea for the perfect filler: silence. Just pause and collect your thoughts. In fact, that would work for all of these.

What do you think of my list? I’m sure I missed some. What would you add?