We’ll do what you do: By the time we finish writing this article about the slang you can expect to hear from school-age kids this year, it’ll already be outdated. That’s the nature of children. Since the early days (I’m guessing), the cycle has been:
- Children come up with strange words.
- Adults express confusion or irritation at the new word, much to the children’s delight.
- The adults finally understood what the children were saying.
- Repeat steps 1-4.
It’s a vicious cycle. But some of the strongest warriors we as parents have on our side in situations like this are none other than our children’s teachers, the adults who are embedded in environments primarily filled with children. They are in a valuable position to observe how children talk to each other, and can therefore glean insight into what is new, what is happening, what will happen, and what it means.
So we asked teachers we know to tell us about 4-1-1/deets/skinny phrases they’ve had to explain or heard to their adult friends. You may or may not have heard of some of these…but even if you haven’t, you’ve probably heard of them. And now you are ready.
It’s worth mentioning that many of these phrases originate from Black and/or Queer culture. So if you’re a Black or queer parent, you have a lot of standing. If you need a guide to navigating the school year with kids who use slang, check this out.
Slang you might hear this year
6-7
“I’ve asked a million kids, including my own, and I still haven’t gotten a convincing explanation of what it means and where it comes from,” says Sarah Y., a teacher in Michigan. “But they say it all the time.”
Specifically, they say it in a very specific way. IYKYK.
Don’t overthink it. Basically, it’s not slang, but a verbal meme that comes from Skrilla’s song “Doot Doot (6 7),” which became popular on TikTok and Instagram.
