LEARN AMERICAN SLANG | MY NIECE TEACHES ME SLANG

Don’t sleep on this video.

I’m 42, I don’t know any  current slang. In this video,  

my nieces and nephews teach me. This  is for all you old people out there.

If someone uses the phrase  “Don’t sleep on something”,  

that means don’t underestimate  something because it’s actually great.

Don’t sleep on the beach sandwich!  Tastes so good down by the water.

Yes.

Don’t sleep on the beach sandwich. Don’t  underestimate how amazing it can be.

Something I like is “Don’t sleep on”.

Oh yeah.

So and so.

Don’t sleep on that movie. That’s good. Like  don’t fall asleep on that. That’s a good one.

So is that like If I’m starting  to say I don’t like something  

you would say that? Or when would you say that?

Ah, just a passing comment, don’t sleep  on that recipe like don’t sleep on crocs.

Right.

Don’t sleep on crocs? Okay. My niece thinks  Crocs are pretty great. Don’t sleep on this  

video. Don’t underestimate it,  it’s a great video. In fact,  

hit the like button and subscribe  with notifications right now.

This next one is confusing because it has two  different meanings which have an opposite feel.

In my bag. What’s in my bag? Well, I got  my mask of course. Wait. This is not what  

it means. We’re not talking what’s in bag but the  phrase is “I’m in my bag” and that means I’m sad.

Do you know “I’m in my bag”?

No.

When you’re really sad or like you’re  just broken up with, you’re in your bag.

Well, it also depends.

Wait, you’re in your own bag?

Yeah.

Like you’re in your feels?

Like if I’ll be like I’m in bag  like how would I use it to describe

If you were like “We're leaving  the beach today, I’m really in my bag.”

Vacation’s over. I’m in my bag or  “I just got dumped. I'm in my bag.”

Sad, bummed out, not a good thing . But it also means  completely focused in your zone,  

a good thing. My nephew quotes  a song where it’s used that way.

This person’s like “I ain’t in  the mood if I ain’t in my bag.”

Okay.

Being in your bag is like you are at the exact  mental emotional state that you need to be in  

that moment. It’s like “I ain’t in the mood if  I ain’t in my bag. Like a feeling like nice.

Are you feeling nice? In the zone? At one  with what you’re doing? You’re in your bag.  

Are you sad, down in the dumps,  feeling crappy? You’re in your bag.

Like oh, we just stopped at Taco Bell at 1  in the morning. I’m really in my bag or like.

It’s like “I’m in my bag” or  like “I’m knee-deep in my bag.”

My nephew is so focused on the  enjoyment of eating Taco Bell  

at 1 in the morning, he’s knee-deep in his bag.

Moving on, my niece posted this photo of  her mother on Snapchat. Note the caption:  

Did her hair. Gas her up y’all.  Gas up, a slang phrasal verb.

“Gas me up” means compliment me?

Yeah.

Oh yeah.

Interesting because gas also means farts.

Right. Which is why that one’s very rude.

But it's like Gas me up is like hype me up.

Okay.

Give you confidence.

Don’t sleep on me.

Don’t sleep on me.

Gas me up, hype me up, make  me feel good about myself.

Gas has a lot of meanings. If something is a gas,  that’s an old-fashioned way to say “A good time”.

“Oh, we had such a gas at your party!”

Like I said, this one is old-fashioned, use with  caution. Gas is short for gasoline and in the US,  

we use that for what we put in our car, fuel.  It’s also one of the states of matter along with  

solid, liquid and plasma. But in that clip I also  mentioned it’s when air builds up in your body,  

ugh, it doesn’t feel so good and well, you fart.

Gas her up means compliment her. I was told  that gas means great. Earlier that week, my nephew  

Ian made a chocolate cake that was perfect. And  someone said, “Ian, that chocolate cake was gas”.

The next time you’re in your bag, I’m  going to gas you up. But don’t be sus.

What is sus?

Ah, I think it’s like from  

suspect or suspicious. It’s like you’re  acting really weird or like suspicious.

I've found that in my texts a lot, I have a group  chat with my two roommates and it’s like,  

my boyfriend turned his location off,  that’s so sus. And we're like, "Oh my gosh, so sus!"

So it’s just like suspect. It’s short for  suspect and it means something is fishy.

Oh, you’re being sus.

You’re being sus like you’re being  like you’re joking or you’re like..

So it’s like cagey? In that  respect or is cagey my wording.

I don’t know what that means.

None of you don’t know what that means?

I guess cagey is outdated because I knew  it and none of them did. If you’re cagey,  

you’re purposely not being clear. You want to  avoid giving direct information and that is “Sus”.

But what's not sus is a new Youtube feature,  “Super Thanks”, this allows you to show  

your support for my channel and help me  figure out which videos are your favorite  

and which kinds of videos you want more of. Do  you love this video? Leave a super thanks. All  

super thanks donations are going to new equipment,  actually a new camera so I can get better clips  

in low-light like in this video. Super Thanks,  try it out and thanks for your support.

We’ve learned “In my bag” but  do you know “Out of Pocket”?  

You’re going to learn a bonus  phrase here: Depop Girl.

Do you know the app “Depop”?

No.

It’s like you’re selling. It’s kinda  like Goodwill Online and girls like,  

Depop girls like you’re Y2K, you’re  two thousand. Vintage baby tee.

What does Depop stands for?

It doesn’t stand for anything, it’s just the app.

Depop?

But they like, scam people, like they’re like $50 for this  

kids t-shirt that was definitely originally $10.

Right.

But you’re calling it baby tee vintage Y2K vibes.

Uhuh.

Depop is an app where you can sell used clothes

and a Depop girl is someone who buys  cheap things and resells them on this app  

for an inflated price. Honestly to me, that just  sounds like basic capitalism. But knowing what  

that means helps set the context for this  next part, the slang term “Out of Pocket”.

So don’t use that app.

No, you can but don’t get scammed by  these Depop girls. They’re out of pocket.

What is that? I don’t know that one.

What does that mean? Okay, explain that.

It’s like you’re out of your lane,  like you are way too much right now, 

or like someone says something  that’s like rude or mean or like

Is it like out of line?

Yeah.

Out of pocket. Slang for rude, out  of line, not acceptable, not okay.

Now I’ve heard and used the phrase “Out of pocket”  

a lot in the context of healthcare, total different use. This refers specifically to  

money. The way that US healthcare system works,  most people have health insurance through work  

which pays all or most of the monthly fee  for insurance which is called the premium.  

An out-of-pocket expense is something you  pay in addition to the premium. For example,  

you might have a copay when you visit your  doctor. You pay twenty bucks or fifty,  

your insurance pays the rest but that twenty or  fifty dollars is out of pocket. You have to pay it  

even though you have health insurance. But it  has this slang meaning too, not acceptable, rude.

We don’t support this one but simp. You know simp?

No.

In case you didn’t get that, it was  

“simp”. A little hard to hear because of  that stop P. Simp What does simp mean?

It’s literally just a guy  being respectful to a girl.

Okay. But like real life experience I was like

to someone, “Can you get my charger?” We’re  watching Bachelorette, Batchelor in the common  

room. I said, “Can you get my charger?” He goes  up, gets his charger, his friends go “Simp!”

Uhuh.

That’s how it started.

You shouldn’t.

Oh my gosh, why are you go getting her charger?

Uhuh.

And like that’s how it started. But now people  are like, “I simp for Cristina Aguilera.”

They explained that basically it seems to apply  to any or all affection or respect that a man may  

give a woman outside of a very macho masculinity.  But you can use the word a few different ways.

But if you do have a crush  on someone, you’re simping.

Okay.

Right, right yeah so it’s like  if you’re crushing on them.

I’m simping so hard right now.

Right. People turn it into a good word.

Yeah, and into a verb.

It can be sweet. I’m simping.

Right. -- we’re simping so hard for each other.

Have you ever heard of the--

A noun getting turned into a verb, simping.  After “simp”, the term “stan” came up.

So stan is like

It’s like a super fan.

Stan is like, I support you like I got your back.

It’s more of a what’s the  word when it’s non-romantic?

Platonic. It’s like a platonic  I like and respect you

And I probably sort of it’s like I die  hard support this like I stan Doritos.

Right.

It started with Eminem’s one song because he  has a fan, a super hardcore fanboy named Stan.

Yeah.

So now stan means really like, support

Right.

Or it’s just like after meeting someone  for the first time like someone’s friend,  

someone brought a friend and you’re  like I don’t know if I’m going to like  

them but then like you hang out with them  you’re like “You know what, we stan Lucy.”

Uhuh.

Stan can be a noun, big fan or a verb,  to really love and support something  

like my niece’s example “I stan Doritos.”

And for me, that is also true. I  stan Doritos. I absolutely love them,  

do not open a bag around me if  you’re not going to share with me.

Okay, last one.

Cheuggy. Has anyone around here  actually ever used cheuggy?

No.

Yes

When did you used cheuggy?

Well, I feel like as millenials, we’ve  talked about what cheuggy means.  

Cheuggy is anything that millenials  do that gen-z rolls their eyes at.

You don’t want to be called basic or  cheuggy. Cheuggy is someone who follows  

trends that are no longer  cool; the opposite of stylish.

So, millennials. The generation below me.  

Now old enough to be made fun of and considered  out of style by the generation below them, Gen Z.

My friend recently bought jeans  and said to the sales person,  

“Help me find a pair of  jeans that aren’t cheuggy.”

I’m Gen X, so you could be pretty sure  that I’m cheuggy most of the time.

It’s so funny because like I get  everything you guys are saying  

but I would never be able to use any of these words successfully.

Yeah. (laughing)

You know what I mean? But it’s  enough to at least know  

and it’s so interesting to hear how they  evolve like at first it’s negative and  

then use ironically and then it’s also  positive and you turn it into a verb.

Right.

And all these things.

And I love it when you’re talking when  you’re using them you don’t even realize  

it and they’re like, “Oh wait, that’s a good one.”

Right.

Massive thanks to my nieces and nephews for  teaching me slang that I didn’t even know  

existed. If you want to pick up some good slang,  

follow some Gen Z on social media like  my niece Ana who is in this video. She’s  

on Instagram and Tiktok. You can use Urban  dictionary to look up terms you don’t know.

Be sure to subscribe with notifications to  catch all of my English language learning videos  

and keep your learning going now with  this video. I love being your English  

teacher. That’s it and thanks so  much for using Rachel’s English.