# News Round-Up: Gen Alpha Slang Decoded

- **Episode:** [121](https://agents.truthliesandwork.com/episodes/121.md) (2024-08-13)
- **Type:** news-roundup
- **Tags:** news, gen-alpha, slang, workplace
- **Time:** 2:00–9:28 (start 120s)
- **Listen:** [https://truthliesandwork.com/121?t=120](https://truthliesandwork.com/121?t=120)

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[2:00] Leanne Elliott: It is, it is time for the news roundup. Al, cue the jingle
[2:05] Al Elliott: So what have you got, Leanne?
[2:07] Leanne Elliott: Gen Alpha are coming, Al
[2:09] Al Elliott: Gen Alpha are coming
[2:10] Leanne Elliott: Gen Alpha are coming. So you remember last week when we, um, embarrassed ourselves by incorrectly guessing the meanings of Gen Z slang?
[2:16] Al Elliott: Oh yeah
[2:17] Leanne Elliott: Stan did the likes
[2:19] Al Elliott: Yeah, yeah, yep, we got it wrong. No cap
[2:21] Leanne Elliott: No cap. Well, it turns out we have a big problem, Al
[2:24] Al Elliott: Go on
[2:25] Leanne Elliott: Gen Alpha are coming
[2:26] Al Elliott: Right
[2:26] Leanne Elliott: So if you thought, um, that maybe after listening last week you're finally catching up with Gen Z TikTok trends, brace yourself. There is a new generation on the rise and they've got a whole new language that's leaving everyone, even the Gen Z, scratching their heads. So yes, Gen Alpha, those born between 2010 and 2024, um, who've introduced a fresh let's be honest, confusing set of slang that has gone viral. So yeah, how did this all come about? So it started with a teacher from Hertfordshire called Kit Brown who posted a TikTok video detailing the language spoken by his 10-year-old pupils. The video has racked up over 1.6 million views, with people flocking to the comments in just pure confusion. Um, so yeah, let's take a listen. I've got the original TikTok, Al
[3:13] Al Elliott: This is slang that the children I teach use that I just don't understand. Number 1 is skibidi toilet. What on earth is a skibidi toilet and why can I not go 30 seconds without saying it?
[3:24] Leanne Elliott: Number 2 on the list is what the sigma
[3:28] Al Elliott: Now I've asked around, but no one can tell me what what the sigma means. This list would not be complete without number 3, which is of course skibidi Ohio rizz
[3:39] Leanne Elliott: Obviously a different variation of skibidi toilet
[3:41] Al Elliott: I know what rizz is, but skibidi Ohio rizz? Just went way over my head. And last but not least is mewing. And what on earth is this?
[3:50] Leanne Elliott: I think I speak for everybody over the age of 18 when I say, what?
[3:56] Al Elliott: Yeah, well, as someone who's approaching 50, I, I say, what the actual fuck are we talk— are you talking about there? I understood about 3% of those words
[4:08] Leanne Elliott: Yeah, yeah. I mean, thankfully, um, a magazine in the UK called Grazia, fashion lifestyle kind of magazine, um, has come to the rescue, um, to try and translate some of this for us. Um, so first up that we heard there, skibidi
[4:21] Al Elliott: Skibidi biddy biddy
[4:24] Leanne Elliott: Skibidi. It is satisfying to say
[4:25] Al Elliott: It is. Do you remember Scatman John?
[4:27] Leanne Elliott: Yeah
[4:28] Al Elliott: I think he started with skibidi boo wee gloo lee boo wee boo wee skatman. Anyway, might cut that bit out. Carry on, Le
[4:35] Leanne Elliott: Skibidi. So the term comes from a viral YouTube series called Skibidi Toilet, which, get this, is about an animated— it's about animated heads Living in toilets
[4:46] Al Elliott: Headteachers or just actual heads?
[4:48] Leanne Elliott: Just heads. Um, yeah, apparently it's a huge hit with the kids under 13 and quickly became a meme sensation. Not in my circle, it didn't. Um, I did actually see this on my nephew's TikTok though, and I thought it was really weird and didn't understand it. And I thought, I'm not going to bring it up in case, like, it's something I wasn't meant to see. Hi, Joe, if you're listening. Now I understand it's just, it's just a TikTok channel. Um, but what does it mean? Well, that's the thing, it doesn't actually have a fixed meaning. It doesn't really mean anything. It could mean cool, it could mean bad. It all depends on the context. How was your weekend? Weekend? It was skibidi. Uh, did you miss your bus? Oh, that's skibidi. What do you think of this podcast? Skibidi, I guess. Um, so yeah, there you go. Skibidi. What the sigma we heard there. Um, now you probably know sigma as the 18th letter of the Greek alphabet
[5:35] Al Elliott: Oh yeah, yeah, of course
[5:36] Leanne Elliott: But in internet slang, it's taken on a whole new meaning. It can describe someone as a lone wolf, popular or dominant, basically the cool kid in school. Um, but the phrase what the sigma is just another way of saying what the hell, what the heck. Um, which I think is what we're all thinking about now
[5:51] Al Elliott: Can I just ask you, when you talk about the Six Sigma, you know, in the whole like management theory and you've got Six Sigma, then a sigma is a gap between the norm, is it not? So the Six Sigma would be the gap from the norm. It would be the, the sixth, like quarter, not quartile, sixthile or whatever it would be. So I'm wondering if it's kind of that, because I think in, in Technology and in maths, you might say that, what's the sigma of this? What's the difference? So maybe it's a little bit more than just a word they've made up. Maybe, maybe the Alphas are just geniuses
[6:21] Leanne Elliott: Probably. Maybe. Maybe
[6:23] Al Elliott: Maybe they just make things up. Carry on. What else we got?
[6:26] Leanne Elliott: Um, so then we've got gyat, spelled G-Y-A-T, pronounced gyat. You've heard this one, haven't you?
[6:33] Al Elliott: No
[6:33] Leanne Elliott: Really?
[6:34] Al Elliott: No, honestly
[6:34] Leanne Elliott: What would you think it is? What would be your guess?
[6:36] Al Elliott: Gyat. Um, honestly, I just don't even know where to start because what's the context? Can you gimme a little bit of context?
[6:42] Leanne Elliott: They have an amazing giotte
[6:44] Al Elliott: Ass
[6:45] Leanne Elliott: Yes
[6:46] Al Elliott: Really?
[6:47] Leanne Elliott: Yeah
[6:47] Al Elliott: Really?
[6:48] Leanne Elliott: Yeah. So apparently it's a shortened version. I'm guessing this is from the American giotte dang, as in like goddamn. And it's, it's used to basically compliment somebody on an impressive bottom. So Gen Alpha has taken this and really run with it. They've actually created levels so you can get a giotte level 1, giotte level 2, giotte level 3. My understanding is the higher the level, the better the bottom
[7:13] Al Elliott: That's what I was going to ask
[7:14] Leanne Elliott: Yeah, my understanding is, but if you're a Gen Alpha, write in and let us know. Um, and then finally we heard—
[7:20] Al Elliott: Can you imagine Gen Alpha posting a letter? Carry on
[7:24] Leanne Elliott: You don't even know what a stamp is, do you? Um, and then finally we had mewing. Have you heard of mewing, Al?
[7:30] Al Elliott: I have heard of it, but I don't know what it means
[7:32] Leanne Elliott: So mewing is actually— it started as a facial exercise to give yourself a more defined jawline. So it's basically putting your— I'm coming off. So we can— you put your tongue at the top of your— the roof of your mouth, make sure your lips are together, and then swallow. So you kind of make a little pout, like a little—
[7:52] Al Elliott: you all right? Yes, just made me gag. I wouldn't be mewing. Go on
[7:56] Leanne Elliott: I guess you kind of make it— it's like a pout, right? And to give you a defined jawline. But Gen Alpha have turned it into a whole gesture. So they do the tongue on the roof of the mouth thing, and then they put their finger over the lips. So I'm gonna do it for you, okay?
[8:08] Al Elliott: You're looking at me. I am
[8:10] Leanne Elliott: So they'll go—
[8:11] Al Elliott: What the hell does that mean? That looks like a Sopranos thing, like you're about to get capped
[8:18] Leanne Elliott: Well, kind of. It's kind of a— it's kind of on that, on that line, I guess. So basically, it's what Gen Alpha will do if their parent or a teacher or somebody in authority asks them a question that they don't want to answer, which basically saying, can't talk right now, I'm mewing. Yeah, I mean, next time your boss asks you to work overtime, hit them with a mewing and see what happens. Crash Course in Gen Alpha. I'm scared
[8:41] Al Elliott: I don't think I'll be using any of those, and I don't think I'm interested. I think, you know, sometimes you just get to a certain age, you go, that's not for me. I'm just not interested. I'm just not even gonna try and understand that
[8:53] Leanne Elliott: I quite like skibidi just because I like saying it, and it also sounds quite like, um, something you'd say like in during like the war times. Skibidi goddamn, that's a great peach pie kind of thing, you know
[9:07] Al Elliott: We should have more impressions of you on the pod. I really like that
[9:12] Leanne Elliott: Apologies to all, um, all Southern Americans there
[9:15] Al Elliott: That was a skibidi impression, which either means it's good or bad, we're not sure. Anyway, right, okay, look, Leanne, I have found something perhaps a little more— I don't want to say highbrow because that sounds like—
[9:26] Leanne Elliott: No, I'm sure it is