Alumnus James Callahan ’99, a sociology teacher at Lowell High School, really knows how to connect with his students. That’s probably because he understands what they’re saying.
Callahan created a Gen Z Dictionary to decode student slang, catching the attention of confused older people worldwide after one of his students tweeted screenshots of the dictionary. The tweet received over 300,000 likes and 93,000 retweets within 24 hours.
Gen Z Dictionary
| Term/Saying | Definition |
| A force | Unnecessarily excessive effort |
| Bang 30s | To fight someone, as in a physical altercation |
| Beat your face/cake your face | Apply makeup |
| bops | A modern enjoyable song |
| bouta | I am about to ... |
| bread | future money |
| Catch a fade/catch these hands | To get punched and/or knocked out |
| Clap back | Respond to an insult with an equal or greater insult |
| clapped | A crazy person; someone who was punched |
| crackie | Someone who juuls/smokes |
| cross fade | Doubly inebriated |
| deadass | I am serious; Are you serious? may be used as a question or statement of fact |
| dead dogs/on dogs | See: deadass |
| don’t do me dirty | Don't cross me |
| extra | too much |
| facts | I agree with what you just said; a confirming question; may be used as a question or statement of fact |
| finesse | To steal |
| finna | I or We are planning something |
| Flexed on | An verbal gesture of dominance |
| The game | life |
| Gassing/Hyping | Offering compliments; feeding one’s ego; “I’m trying to be like you.” |
| Gotta blast | I have to leave |
| hardo | A try-hard |
| High key | Very obvious |
| hip/get hip | Adopt a new trend |
| Hop off | Mind your own business |
| I'm dead | That was amusing |
| jams | An old enjoyable song |
| jawn | Thing, object, person, place |
| Low key | Not obvious |
| Mad mad/Big mad | Very mad |
| No cap. | I am serious/no lie/for real |
| nunya | None of your [business] |
| On blast | Expose/call out someone |
| opp | Playing the opposite side; snitch; enemy |
| periodt | See "facts" |
| Pull up/come thru | An invitation |
| Put someone on | The act of getting someone on a trend |
| Rashing | To make fun of someone |
| Real one | Valid person- someone you trust |
| Run that ... | To take; to start |
| Secure(d) the bag | Money received |
| Shlitty | A good time |
| sis | Exclamation of disbelief/universal nickname |
| slaps | Of high quality |
| slay | Do really well |
| smacks | A tasty treat |
| snack | A person who looks good |
| Stay up | You will be ok |
| sus | Suspicious; shady |
| Take the L | Willingly making a sacrifice |
| tea/spill the tea | gossip |
| That ain't it | Unacceptable- I do not approve |
| Tight | Extremely mad |
| Tryna | Trying to |
| tweakin | Overreacting; ecstatic |
| valid | Of high quality |
| We love that | Ironic/sarcastic response to something bad |
| Wig snatched | A term for an impressive or unimpressive act/appearance |
| witchu | With you |
| yahurrd | Are you aware? |
| You got jokes/big jokes | A sarcastic acknowledgement of an unappreciated joke/insult |
| yurrr/yerrr | Affirmative; call for attention |