The Top 10 Catlin Slang of 2023

By Elise Kim ‘25

Whether it was calling your grandmother’s pie “the real McCoy”, chiding your friend to not be such a “square”, or complimenting your partner’s “groovy” disco moves, slang–for better or for worse–has always been a part of our lives.

According to the website Preply.com, 80% of Americans have used slang at least once. In fact, 1 in 5 use it daily. However, only 50% of said users know the meaning of the terms they use so religiously.

Don’t want to be in that 50%? Look no further than this article. Now, without further ado, allow CatlinSpeak to introduce the top 10 slang of 2023 at Catlin Gabel School (CGS).

Top 10 Catlin Slang of 2023:

1. Rizz:

What better way to start off this list than with Oxford English Dictionary’s word of the year!

Rizz, short for charisma, is generally defined as “style, charm or attractiveness; the ability to attract a romantic partner.”

According to sophomore Levi Whalen Stewart, there are tons of variations to choose from. “You can say like the Rizzard of Oz, the rizzler..,” said Whalen Stewart. Other variations include “rizzly bear” and “rizz god”.

“I used it …a lot when it was super popular, but now it’s kind of just used ironically,” said Whalen Stewart. He explained that the term is mostly used if an individual is in a romantically awkward situation. “When something is clearly not going well for someone [romantically], you could be like ‘Oh, he’s getting rizzy,’” he said.

Whalen Stewart recalled another time when one CGS teacher was speaking with the bus driver and someone from the back jokingly commented on said teacher’s rizz.

2. Lock in:

Typically, when someone tells you to “lock in” it means you need to dial in on a task at hand.

It’s a favorite amongst CGS students mostly because of its versatility. Need your team to score a goal to win the championship game? Have that one classmate that’s slacking off during a group project? Just tell them to “lock in”.

“You can lock in on your homework, or you can lock in during a board game,” said junior Leon Liu “For example, if my friend is trying to talk to a girl, you can tell them to lock in. And then, in that case, they have to focus and concentrate.”

3. Bussin:

Mostly used to describe superbly, mouthwatering good food, the kind you’ve been waiting all day for.

“Like the pizza from the Barn is not bussin, but the tenders from QFC are bussin,” said Whalen Stewart.

4. Slay:

This one is not the most popular word on this list, but this does not discourage senior Owen Jones. While he didn’t know how to define it, Jones stated that “one of the beauties of the term is you can use it in any context you like.”

“Let’s say I got 100% on a Physics test. It’s never happened before, but I could be like, ‘Hey I got 100% on that test! Slay!’” said Jones.

5. Lil bro bro:

Surely you’ve heard of yo, or bro, but what if you could combine both? That’s where “lil bro bro” comes into the picture.

Whalen Stewart explained it’s often used if you want to get someone’s attention. “It’s like, ‘lil bro bro! What’s going on? What’s the plan?” he said.

6. Baggage:

The term refers to “how baggy one’s pants are.” According to Liu, there is only one rule when it comes to baggage: “The more baggage, the cooler you are.”

Just as simple as that.

7. Fire:

Another way of saying “cool”.

“Fire is a straight-up one,” said Whalen Stewart. “When someone says something’s fire, something’s fire.”

8. Gyatt:

Widely considered one of the most used slang words on CGS campus. Although it typically refers to a person’s derrière, junior Lily Wang uses it as a play on words, saying, “You’ve gyatt to go. You’ve gyatt to do this.”

Wang recognizes what she is saying is “silly”, but she would prefer using it as a pun than potentially making any woman feel uncomfortable.

9. That’s rough:

This phrase combines the adjective "rough", meaning “not even or smooth, often because of being in bad condition” with an event or experience in real life.

Is someone down on their luck? You say, “That’s rough.”

However, according to sophomore Katie Jin, it can be used lightly.

“If someone was telling me something and it was not something super serious, but they were still upset about it, I’d be like, ‘Oh, that’s rough, dude. I am sorry.’”

10. Mewing:

CGS students mewing
Courtesy of Owen Jones

Mewing made its debut as TikTok’s newest "quick fix beauty trend" and has since been used by many youth for one reason and one reason only: to get a jutted, chiseled jawline that can cut through stone.

According to senior Rufus Gleeson, this term is “one small part of a larger umbrella term ‘looksmaxxing’” which is the practice of “trying to achieve a perfect facial structure, taking into account eye shape and position, cheekbones, facial harmony, and symmetry” and, of course, the jawline.

There are several mewing methods that differ slightly from person to person. For example, Jones stated that when mewing for a photo “you want to suck your cheeks just a tad and then you swallow and don’t unswallow.”

In general, however, it appears that to mew you must place your tongue on the roof of your mouth just behind your teeth. And then, one must slowly breathe through their nose.

Most of the students I interviewed agreed that the practice of mewing is done as a practical joke at CGS. Senior Ayaan Sait explained that the joke is that when mewing it is impossible to talk as your mouth is closed.

Sait recounted an amusing anecdote during his Statistics class where he continuously mewed while one of his friends was presenting. “Then they called on me, but I started shushing them because I was mewing and couldn’t talk,” said Sait.

Senior Kyle Olson displaying the “mewing joke face”
Courtesy of Owen Jones

“I’ve never heard of anyone talking about actually mewing in their day-to-day life,” said Gleeson. “Then again, if one is to talk, they break their mewing streak (how long one goes mewing at one time), so perhaps the lack of discussion merely proves its prevalence.”

While this may seem like a harmless joke, for some, you can run the risk of overdoing it. Jones explained that one time when he was mewing at home while watching TV he got a throat cramp and thus had to use his Theragun on his jaw.

While typically mewing has been used predominantly by the male student population at Catlin, Jones believes that we should encourage women and the larger Catlin community to join in on the fun as well. He recommends giving it a try not only because it improves one's looks but that it is also “good for your breathing and health.”

Whether it’s CGS students or teachers using slang, it’s clear that it is an ever-present part of the CGS community and will continue to be for a long time to come.

Or in slang speak:

Going from being a fire rizzler to locking in you’ve gyatt to stay slay during the day. You never know what’s going to be bussin bussin or if you’ll need more baggage, lil bro bro.

Interested in hearing teachers’ thoughts on CGS slang? Click here.