Enjoy Thanksgiving as you navigate ‘sus’ comments during family dinner

By Charlene Bisson
Mail | X: @charlene_bisson

Happy Thanksgiving to our valued readers who make it worthwhile to publish community digital and print publications.
We appreciate your enduring support during this holiday season.
If you’re like me and you have teenagers, you may often wonder how the modern language keeps shifting into shortened words, or lingo that doesn’t quite make sense.
I’m still trying to understand the phenomenon of 6-7, and why my teenagers and/or their friends try to bait me to say it. And, not so surprisingly, it made word of the year, and an NFL football commercial. Huh?
Moving on, I recently learned fire now means it’s cool, and crashed out doesn’t mean passing out on the couch. Apparently, it means he’s mad or frustrated about something.
I asked AI what the rest of the popular slang words are in 2025 that teenagers and young adults use. Here’s the AI quick hits:
Bussin’: Describes something as really good or amazing.
No cap: Means “no lie” or “for real.”
Ate that: Used to praise someone for doing a great job, especially in a performance or presentation.
Sus: Short for suspicious.
Rizz: Short for charisma, a term used to describe someone’s charm or skill in romantic situations.
Bet: Used to show agreement or confirmation.
Iykyk: An acronym for “if you know, you know.”
It’s giving: Used to describe the vibe or energy something is exuding (e.g., “It’s giving 80s”).
Drip: Refers to someone’s great style or fashionable outfit.
Bae: An abbreviation for “before anyone else” or baby, used to refer to a romantic partner or close friend.
Cap: Means “lie” or “false” (the opposite of “no cap”).
Glow-up: A significant improvement in someone’s appearance or confidence.
Mid: Describes something that is mediocre or unimpressive.
Big yikes: An expression of embarrassment or secondhand cringe.
Touch grass: An insult telling someone to go outside and be more in touch with reality.
Delulu: Short for delusional, used to describe someone with unrealistic expectations.
I’ve heard about half of the above, but not as much as late as 6-7, which is the 2025 Word of the Year from Dictionary.com.
Best wishes during the Thanksgiving holiday.
P.S. If you’d like to share your thoughts on slang language that’s not inappropriate, please email me at cbisson@iniusa.org.

Charlene Bisson is the CEO of Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.

Charlene Bisson
President & CEO

Cbisson@iniusa.org

Meet Charlene
Charlene Bisson joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 1999, starting her career as a journalist in Glendale, then covering Surprise a year later. She became publisher of the West Valley during the Great Recession and later promoted publisher of the Arizona group in 2018.  In January 2022, she was promoted to President & CEO of INI.

Community: She serves on the Arizona Media Association Board of Directors, The Phoenix Children’s Hospital West Valley Board, and the Liberty Lions Baseball Booster. She also supports the Peoria Diamond Club as a member.

Education: Arizona State University with a BA in Journalism and Mass Communications, with a minor in Business. 

Random Fact: She hiked the Grand Canyon twice from top to bottom in one day.  

Hobbies: Writing fiction and playing the piano for fun. Hiking, swimming, and working out at the gym.