Can you speak youth slang?

Teenagers have used slang from the beginning of time, Daily Post Reporter
HINERONGONUI KINGI talks to youth and finds out the latest sayings and just exactly what they mean.

BLOOD that us hook up tonight at that sick rage and get on it."
If this sounds like a foreign language to you, you're not alone.
It basically means, "Good friend, shall we get together tonight at that cool party and drink alcohol?"
The teenage slang of today can have even those who thought they were still "in" - that's another word for "cool" - scratching their heads in confusion.
Young people are constantly creating their own slang, as a way to either try and disguise what they are talking about or to gain a sense of belonging - that's according to 15-year old Dean Te Riini.
He says using slang is basically a lazy and fun way to speak to friends.
"I guess most teenagers just want to fit in with the crowd and it just becomes your way of talking and connecting with each other," he says.
For instance, he and his friends say "chh" instead of "yes".
"And skux is popular," he says. "They're just easy words to say and we all understand what each other is talking about, even if others don't."
Teenage slang is something that has been around since the beginning of time, with new words becoming uncool just as quickly as they're "in".
Amber Hutchison remembers when saying "shames" and "I got my browns" - both denoting embarrassment - were in vogue.
"Slang is constantly changing all the time, and I laugh about some of the words we used to say in my teenage years and even some words I still say now," she says.
"It's amazing the amount of sayings there can be for the same word."
With nearly 15 years of sales and retail employment under her belt, Amber says the work environment helped her to understand teenagers' slang and she's found some of the sayings ridiculous, at times hilarious.
"One time when I was having a conversation with a teenage worker and she said to me 'lol' (laugh out loud), which I thought was quite funny.
"After a while it just became another word in my dictionary. I try and keep up to date with the new sayings, but some of them I don't understand. Sometimes when people are texting me and abbreviating every word I can get confused," she admits.
"Some of the words are real funny, and I often wonder how they even come about."
The constant evolution of technology has contributed to the shortening of words, among them probably (probs); what are you up to? (up2?); to be honest (TBH); be right back (BRB) and oh my god (OMG).
Amber says the fast-paced lives of "genwire" (generation technology or teenagers who connect constantly through technology) has contributed hugely to the large number of new words and phrases.
She says when you reach your early to mid-20s, slang talk normally becomes a thing of your past, which you can laugh about. "You reach a point where you come out of university or go into the workforce and need to speak proper grammar," says Amber.
"I don't think those in their 40s will appreciate being lol'd at, or even understand what you're talking about."
But Amber says some sayings can be catchy and it's amazing how quickly a new saying can spread.
Rotorua teenagers are speaking in code, giving new meaning to words and inventing new ones - "skux" when talking about an attractive person and "hak mak" for someone who is not so appealing.
Rotorua teenager Sheridan Bryers, 15, says slang words play a huge role when socialising with friends and they often make for a good laugh when making jokes.
"Most groups of friends have their own sayings they like to use and they normally start from something funny.
"Someone might just accidentally say a word wrong or start rhyming words and even combine words together," he says.
"It always starts when you're joking around."
Most Rotorua teens agree some "old-school" words should be left in the past. They cite the likes of "the bomb", "phat", "rank" and "gangster" and say those words can easily be demoted to the "uncool" list.
According to good friends Marama Ngawhika and McKenzie Chadwick, both 15, sayings get "killed" when adults or teachers try to use them.
They say sometimes people use them at the wrong time or pronounce them wrong. "There's always a time and a place to say certain words, you don't just say them at any time," McKenzie says.
She and Marama say their group of friends like to say "ram" to mean gross or horrible. They often use the word "box" when someone is caught being wrong about something.
"You'd say something like, 'you just got caught boxing'," McKenzie explains.
And gone are the days when teenagers address their current partner as "girlfriend" or "boyfriend".
These days it's "wifey" or "miri" and a boyfriend is "your man".
"Sayings will always be around, even if they're always changing," says 14-year-old Sam Carey.
"It's just a part of growing up."
 
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SLANG LIST - test yourself and your mates on these:

Huk Muk - Ugly
True - Said when you're not interested in a conversation
Skux - Hot guy or girl
Miri - girlfriend/boyfriend
Miruk - girlfriend/boyfriend
Nuk - Nothing
WTF - What the heck (edited version)
Low-key - Hard
Shot - Good work
Up2? - What are you up to?
WBU? - What about you?
Jizzed - Excited
Chur - Hi/Thanks, many meanings
OMG - Oh My Gosh
TBH - To Be Honest
BRB - Be Right Back
OMG - Oh My God
ALG - text speak for all good
Ea go on ea - Stop lying, stupid, why would you say that?
Sick - awesome
Woot - yay
Mabes - short for maybe
Totes - short for totally
Probs - short for probably
Maggot as - drunk
Gone - drunk
My man - my boyfriend
Fail - bad
You know it - that's right
1 Out - one-on-one fight
We away/That us - Let's go
Chh - yes
Get on it-get drunk
Find us some game - Look for a potential partner
Hook up - Get together
OTP - Drinking alcohol
Crunk - Crazy drunk
RVS - Rotovegas Styles
Wifey - girlfriend
Man - boyfriend
Bol - Mate
Gangsta - Cool
Jah - yes, cool
Ram - gross
Blood - brother
Box - said when you are caught making an erroneous statement
Pred - uncool person
SLANG FROM THE AGES: The bomb, rad, primo, choice, wicked, super, neat, extra-curly.