The truth about college is that our life is better when we make our jobs as students easier. Examples might be when we take shortcuts to get to class faster on a Monday morning or when making quick conversation by cutting down sentences to either a phrase or just one word. Here, the conversation aspect is the study of interest. As you probably know, walking down Comm. Ave. can be a battle during midday, but it can be an enjoyable stroll at the same time by listening to the small talk happening all around you. The conversations that make me chuckle are the ones when people speak in acronyms or blurt out sayings that seem passé. In this day and age, it seems that young adults tend to make the “convo” more entertaining by effortlessly throwing in one trendy quip after another, yet where is the cut off? I understand that cute little sayings are catchy and amusing, but I believe that some phrases made their grand finale a long time ago.
1. My “B” (My bad)
This reference is commonly used in the event of apologizing to someone after colliding into him or her in one of the hallways in CAS or in lieu of an apology after you voiced the wrong thing to a friend. In general, “my b” is a snappier replacement for the plain old “I’m sorry”. I can understand that “my b” would be more fun to say than “I’m sorry” because the “s” word could make some people feel emotionally awkward in dealing with minor situations. However, people might avoid saying “my b” in open conversation and remain comfortable with saying “oh, sorry” because it sounds more genuine and not as “tutti frutti” as “my b”. That does not mean you should not use “my b” in a text. I personally think it feels weird saying “my b” out loud because it just sounds odd.
Can you imagine certain characters such as a gangster saying “my b” over the phone? Exhibit A: “Yo, what’s up? Out with yo girl? Oh, “my b” dog. “My b”. You follow me?
2. “That’s legit” (That is legitimate)
All through high school, so many girls favored this saying because the word “legitimate” seemed too lengthy. When you shorten a saying, it basically becomes slicker. Now being in college, the saying is not catchy anymore and it has been replaced with “Dude, that’s the sh-t” to refer to an alcoholic beverage or something really terrific. Not so junior high, is it? Judging by the looks of it, the saying “that’s legit” has gone from a PG to an R rating and our generation has evolved by just going with it. Over the course of two years, the saying “that’s legit” has become outgrown and the saying above has become more pop culture-friendly, if you catch my drift.
3. “It’s the bomb.com”
This one is my personal favorite and I employ it in a text message from time to time for giggles with the corresponding emoji of course. Whenever I am texting with my friends or family, I always get a laugh when including this saying because I know that they know this saying is a little dorky. “It’s the bomb.com” is an unusual method of calling something “awesome” or someone “the best”. I would tend to include this saying in a conversation to intentionally sound silly or nerdy, but otherwise I think it is time to let it go and just revert to saying “awesome” or ideally think of something new. Using this quip makes one feel like a kid in the 90’s, which is not cool for school.
4. “Cool beans”
This adage is yet another that takes the place of “sounds good” or “alright”. This can be used at the end of a conversation to wrap things up on a positive note. Also, it can be utilized as a response to a comment that a professor makes that you happen to like. I have no idea where the saying “cool beans” comes from or how it translates to meaning “cool”. All in all, the saying “cool beans” has helped shape a generation, but now it is time to discard the old beans and wake up and smell the coffee.
5. “Suck it!”
I know what you are probably thinking and yes, the context of this saying has gone too far in recent years. Before “suck it” became something of another nature, it meant, “Beat that!” or “I win, you lose” during competitive play. However, I feel squeamish when I say it to another person because I know that other listening parties can twist the saying to represent something rather raunchy. To save the humiliation and embarrassment of it all, perhaps we should close the cap on that one.
6. “It’s as easy as pie”
Those of us who enjoy baking as a pastime are aware of the hard work that comes along with it. Some would say it depends on the baked good. Well, pie is not easy! From my limited experience one has to prepare the piecrust, cool the crust, make the filling, stir the filling, cut equal strips of dough, place the strips in checkered form, put the pie in the oven, take the pie out in a timely fashion to avoid having burnt pie, and then place the pie on the window sill to cool. It’s easier said than done and that’s not even easy! Therefore, people using the idiom, “it’s easy as pie” to refer to something being simple to accomplish frustrates me because I immediately think of all the steps it takes to make a traditional pie. We have to turn off the 50’s sitcoms and tune into programming more suited for our generation. “Easy peasy, lemon squeezy” for you to say!