To most Britons, beef is what you have for Sunday lunch and bare is what you are when you take your clothes off.
But for many members of Generation Z (those born in the late 1990s and early 2000s), they mean something else entirely.
This week, a survey of English teachers showed that foreign students are trying to get to grips with dozens of slang terms they have seen on TV, social media and elsewhere.
The most queried slang terms are ‘beef’ (an argument), NPC (short for non-playable character and meaning a boring person) and ‘pop-off’ (go crazy), the survey of academics found.
But do people living in Britain know what the terms – including Oxford Dictionary Word of the Year ‘rizz’ – even mean?
MailOnline visited the streets of London, Solihull and Sunderland to ask millennials and boomers how much Gen Z slang they really know…
Kevin Kent, 53, from Canada , sells Japanese kitchen knives for a living. He knew the terms ‘beef’ and ‘NPC’ but was stumped at ‘pop off’ and ‘dead’
London
On the streets of Borough Market near London Bridge, Millennials and Gen X were asked if they understand the slang terms used by their Gen Z friends and family.
Kevin Kent, 53, from Canada, sells Japanese kitchen knives for a living.
When asked what his knowledge of young British slang is like he said: ‘I will probably be terrible at it. I have two Gen Z’s at home so hopefully I have picked up something from them.’
Kevin ended up doing quite well , getting 50 per cent of the words correct. He knew the terms ‘beef’ and ‘NPC’ but was stumped at ‘pop off’ and ‘dead’.
Liu, 27, is from Ukraine and said that English slang did cause some confusion when she was first learning the language.
Annaliisa Asbait, 38, from Estonia, said the new slang words are ‘very confusing’
Liu, 27, is from Ukraine and said that English slang did cause some confusion when she was first learning the language
She said: ‘It is kind of confusing some, but luckily for me I have spent some time with teenagers who taught me about some of this stuff.
‘I don’t really use Tik Tok so I don’t need to use these words very often.’
When asked about the words ‘salty’, ‘drip’, and ‘safe’ she added: ‘I am really not good at this.’
Annaliisa Asbait, 38, from Estonia shared the same view on how confusing new slang can be when learning English.
‘I have lived in London for 14 years and before that I lived up North for a while.
‘Northern slang is very different from southern slang so when I moved here, I had to start from scratch again.
‘It is very confusing. It is not at all what you study in school.’
Sisters Caitlin and Shauna O’Hare, ages 29 and 25 respectively, are originally from Ireland.
Sisters Caitlin and Shauna O’Hare, ages 29 and 25 respectively, are originally from Ireland. Shauna said that Gen Z slang is very popular there adding: ‘It is definitely really common in Ireland, especially the phrase ‘no cap’ I hear that a lot back home’
Word of the year ‘rizz’ was of particular interest to James Smith, 42, when he took on the challenge. He said: ‘I am always amused by the word of the year when it comes out. Rizz this year had absolutely passed me by.
Shauna said that Gen Z slang is very popular there adding: ‘It is definitely really common in Ireland, especially the phrase ‘no cap’ I hear that a lot back home.’
Caitlin, who now lives in Glasgow, said: ‘I hear ‘bruv’ a lot in Scotland that one is really popular. It is a whole new language.’
Word of the year ‘rizz’ was of particular interest to James Smith, 42, when he took on the challenge.
He said: ‘I am always amused by the word of the year when it comes out. Rizz this year had absolutely passed me by.
‘I know what it means now but I had to look it up I was clueless.’
Within Gen Z however, these terms seem to be extremely popular. Aaron Burns, 35, was left completely clueless when asked about a list of slang while his friend Jensen Vaughan, 23, was an expert on the topic.
A similar theme was seen when Clay, who would only say he was over 30, was mocked by his friend for not knowing the meaning of any of the Gen Z slang thrown his way.
Aaron Burns (left), 35, was left completely clueless when asked about a list of slang while his friend Jensen Vaughan, 23, was an expert on the topic
Clay, who would only say he was over 30, was mocked by his friend for not knowing the meaning of any of the Gen Z slang thrown his way
Sunderland
For people in the North East, the terms beef, as well as ‘buff,’ meaning strong, were the easiest to get right.
When quizzed with the list, primary education student Maddie Thomson was able to correctly identity almost all of them.
Afterwards, the 24-year-old said: ‘A few of these terms I would maybe expect to be associated with down south.
‘Whereas I’m not sure people in the North East will be as familiar with some of them.
‘I know quite a few of those words through social media.
‘Some do get used by people up here but I some of them I only know through social media sites.
For people in the North East, the terms beef, as well as ‘buff,’ meaning strong, were the easiest to get right. When quizzed with the list, primary education student Maddie Thomson was able to correctly identity almost all of them
‘It doesn’t really surprise me that foreign students are wanting to learn them though.
‘There are so many people in this country who use these types of words that I think it would help them understand our language more.
‘I think it could help them socialise and help them feel like they fit in better.’
Chris Copeland volunteers at Sunderland University and some mixes with foreign pupils.
However, he admitted he hasn’t yet heard many of the students use any of the top 20 words.
The 36-year-old was able to identify over half on the list.
Chris Copeland volunteers at Sunderland University and some mixes with foreign pupils. However, he admitted he hasn’t yet heard many of the students use any of the top 20 words
However, he thought drip was a term for an unpopular person and pop-off meant to shoot someone.
He said: ‘I think that someone very popular has made these words and they have caught on.
‘Everyone has started saying these new words and if anyone dares use the old word they used to be, then they get looked down upon.
‘It’s like wildfire. Once people hear a certain type of slang they start to use it as a respect thing.’
Chris added: ‘I don’t use many of those words on the list.
‘Quite a few of them are words used to describe people so I might think they’re a ‘drip’ but I wouldn’t necessarily say it out loud.
‘A lot of slang are used as insults.
‘But we use different words to people down in London so if a foreign student used a slang term up here it could have a different meaning.’
Retired coal miner Eddie Crockhill knew very few of the terms.
The 82-year-old from nearby Seaham said: ‘I am totally bewildered with the term NPC. I have never heard of the word peng before either.
‘I think fam would mean some sort of family gathering, and salty would associate with the seaside.’
Eddie added: ‘It doesn’t surprise me about all the different slang words.
‘They’ve changed so much from when I was younger – it is beyond recognition.’
Retired coal miner Eddie Crockhill admittedly knew very few of the terms. The 82-year-old from nearby Seaham said: ‘I am totally bewildered with the term NPC. I have never heard of the word peng before either’
Georgina Blakey lives in Sunderland with her partner but is originally from Doncaster, South Yorkshire.
The 25-year-old nurse got most terms correct but also thought drip was a negative and had never heard of the phrase pop-off.
She said afterwards: ‘I am familiar with a few of those but some of them took me by surprise.
‘I don’t use them often but I have definitely heard them used.
‘It surprises me slightly that foreign students are keen to learn them.
Georgina Blakey lives in Sunderland with her partner but is originally from Doncaster, South Yorkshire. The 25-year-old nurse got most terms correct but also thought drip was a negative and had never heard of the phrase pop-off
‘At the same time if I was studying somewhere else I would probably ask my tutor what these words meant.
‘But these aren’t the English language, they’re slang.’
Bank administrator Luca Graham, 21, admitted he didn’t know what the slang for ‘bear’ and ‘pop-off.’
However, he was more confident with words like beef and flex.
He said: ‘If you’re from an English-speaking country then I’d say it’s more than likely you’d be familiar with them.’
Bank administrator Luca Graham, 21, admitted he didn’t know what the slang for ‘bear’ and ‘pop-off’
Solihull, West Midlands
Retiree Colin Bosworth looked dumbfounded when asked what ‘rizz’ means in Solihull, near Birmingham, telling our reporter he had ‘no idea’.
He refused to even hazard a guess, saying ‘I would not have a clue, I’m afraid.’
When he was read the definition – that it means someone who is good at chatting people up – the 65-year-old chuckled and joked ‘that’s probably why I don’t know that one!’
He managed to guess ‘fam’, meaning ‘family’ or ‘familiar’, but thought ‘gassed’ – meaning overcome with excitement – might mean tired.
‘No cap’ was met with a blank expression, with Colin suggesting ‘not wearing a hat’ for the phrase which roughly translates as ‘telling the truth’.
Retiree Colin Bosworth looked dumbfounded when asked what ‘rizz’ means, telling our reporter he had ‘no idea’
Colin admitted that he had not heard of the new phrases, but said ‘it’s just a method of communication that youngsters use today that I don’t need to know about.
‘For them, it’s their own bit of identity that they can use to make themselves different.’
He said of the influx of foreign students who are coming to the UK to try and learn the new words: ‘It will be hard for them if they are looking to learn the traditional English language.
‘It would be an extra set of vocabulary that they would have to learn I suppose.’
John Walton, 78, was not far off getting the definition of ‘gassed’ when he said ‘astonished’.
John Walton, 78, was not far off getting the definition of ‘gassed’ when he said ‘astonished’
Jan, 75, and her friend Catherine, 74, said they had ‘no idea’ what rizz meant, guessing ‘good’ and ‘happy’
He appeared largely unimpressed with phrases like ‘no cap’, predicting that a lot of the slang ‘won’t last – you won’t get them in the dictionary in 20 years’ time.
‘Some will, but some won’t.’
Jan, 75, and her friend Catherine, 74, said they had ‘no idea’ what rizz meant, guessing ‘good’ and ‘happy’.
They also joked ‘we’re past that’ when they found out it was to do with being good at flirting.
They thought ‘salty’ sounded more like it meant ‘cheeky’ or ‘sarcastic’ than ‘upset’, as it has widely come to mean among Generation Z.
They called the words ‘a waste of time’ and said they would ‘just stick to what we know’ and ‘keep Rule Britannia!’
Milennial festival managers Darren and Endija faired a bit better than the Brummie Boomers who were asked
Meanwhile manager Ian, 50, instantly knew what ‘beef’ meant, laughing about ‘having a problem’ with one of his pals
Milennial festival managers Darren and Endija faired a bit better than the Brummie Boomers who were asked.
Darren, 35, managed to get ‘gassed’ and ‘salty’, while Endija, 28, said she knew what ‘no cap’ meant, putting her knowledge down to TikTok and social media.
But the pair called the words ‘rubbish’, with Endija saying: ‘That’s when people start to make up their own language, when they don’t do it properly anymore.
But Darren pointed out that it is nothing new, and that ‘every generation will bring it’s own new words in.’
Meanwhile manager Ian, 50, instantly knew what ‘beef’ meant, laughing about ‘having a problem’ with one of his pals.
But he was stumped by ‘rizz’ and said he would have to ‘ask the kids’.
