No cap, this category is bussin fr fr.
A clever conversational shortcut that acknowledges an awkward historical scandal associated with someone or something, then immediately moves on so it doesn't derail your actual point. Coined by Pete Holmes as a way to preemptively shut down that inevitable tangent.
A humorous (though harsh) way to say someone needs spiritual or moral cleansing because they're a terrible person. It's an insult suggesting they're fundamentally awful at their core.
A Hollywood blockbuster dripping with over-the-top special effects and wire-fu action sequences that screams 'cheap kung-fu flick energy'—all spectacle, no substance. It's the cinematic equivalent of artificial flavoring.
An electronic memory game consisting of a circular device with four colored buttons that light up and beep in an increasingly complex sequence that players must repeat, a classic arcade-style toy from the 1970s.
Slang expression of approval or satisfaction, meaning cool, awesome, or excellent. Often used as a standalone exclamation or to describe something desirable.
A serialized television or radio drama series featuring interconnected storylines about the personal lives, relationships, and conflicts of recurring characters, typically aired daily or multiple times per week. The name originated from early radio dramas sponsored by soap manufacturers.
An expression meaning something is extremely funny and causing you to laugh or lose composure, as if the hilarity is literally sending you away. Similar to 'killing me' or 'I'm dying.'
A narrative video or post where the creator recounts a personal experience, anecdote, or dramatic event, often with exaggerated or animated storytelling for entertainment. Common format on TikTok, YouTube, and podcasts.
Questionable, suspicious, or unreliable; not quite trustworthy or potentially risky. Can describe people, situations, plans, or information that seem shady or incomplete.
Any venue or location absolutely packed with emo kids, hipsters, and other 'scenesters' who gather to perform their subculture for an audience of one another. It's like a real-world LARPing convention but everyone paid for the privilege.
Someone who spends an inordinate amount of time in the bathroom engaged in extended bathroom sessions, either for legitimate digestive reasons or as an escape tactic from social interaction.
Summer school—the academic purgatory for students who partied harder than they studied. A thinly veiled insult suggesting attendees are generally stoners or underachievers facing remedial consequences.
Something harmless or cute by daylight that takes on an eerie, ominous quality when imagined in darkness or shadow. It's the phenomenon that makes innocent things like clown paintings suddenly terrifying after sunset.
A reference to the meme 'Goncharov' where something begins as a tiny, insignificant issue but spirals into a massive problem—like a small snowball rolling downhill. It's an inside-joke way of describing how small problems compound into disasters.
A flexible bracelet made of layered metal strips covered in fabric that 'slaps' onto the wrist with a snapping motion when released from a coiled position, a popular toy and fashion accessory in the 1990s.
Embarrassment or discomfort felt by an observer when watching someone else do something awkward, humiliating, or cringey—as if the embarrassment transfers from the person involved to the spectator. Also called 'vicarious embarrassment.'
Being a devoted fan of someone—enthusiastically and unironically supporting a celebrity, artist, creator, or public figure. A 'stan' is an obsessive fan, named after Eminem's 1999 song about an obsessive fan.
A hopeful longing for the future rather than the past—the opposite of nostalgia where you're emotionally invested in a time or place that hasn't happened yet. It's optimistic yearning mixed with anticipatory sentimentality.
A grizzled veteran who's seen some things and isn't afraid to bend the rules to get what they want. This term describes someone whose experience has made them cunning enough to cut corners without hesitation.
To simultaneously relate to someone's experience AND celebrate their success—basically saying 'I feel you AND you're killing it.' A one-word hype machine for relatable wins.
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority that operates buses and trains in the Philadelphia region. A real transit system, though the definition's tone is best left in 2010.
A hair accessory consisting of an elastic cord covered in colorful fabric, used to tie hair into a ponytail or bun. Scrunchies became especially popular in the 1980s and have experienced periodic revivals as a fashion trend.
A spring toy consisting of a pre-compressed coil that can walk down stairs by alternately stretching and compressing, creating a hypnotic descending motion; a classic toy since the 1940s.
A genre of alternative rock and dream pop that emerged in the late 1980s and early 1990s, characterized by ethereal vocals buried in lush layers of guitar effects, distortion, and heavy use of noise and feedback. The name derives from the performers' tendency to look down at their effects pedals while playing rather than engaging with the audience.