Category: Dad Life | 11 min read
My daughter walked into the kitchen last week, looked at my outfit, said “mid,” and walked back out.
That was the whole interaction. No context. No explanation. Just a verdict, delivered like a tiny judge, and then she was gone.
I’ve been parenting for ten years. I have a college degree. I once read a 400-page book about the Roman Empire for fun. And I stood there in my kitchen, in my perfectly fine dad jeans, Googling what “mid” means like I’d just arrived from another country.
Which, it turns out, is exactly what being the parent of a tween feels like.
So I did what any reasonable dad does: I went down the rabbit hole. I watched the TikToks. I read the articles. I took notes. And now I’m presenting that research to you because misery loves company and because someone in your house has definitely called you midweek and you deserve to know what that means.
This post covers three things: the everyday funny stuff your kid says, the terms worth a small parental heads-up, and a section at the end specifically for what’s circulating on playgrounds and in group chats that you actually need to know about. I’ll keep it straight.
The Everyday Terms (Harmless, Mostly)
01. Mid (pronounced: mid)
Mediocre. Average. Neither good nor bad, but delivered like it’s the worst thing possible. When a kid calls something mid, they’re not saying it’s terrible — they’re saying it failed to clear even a basic bar of interesting. It’s a one-syllable dismissal with the energy of a shrug and a disappointed sigh combined.
“That movie was mid. The trailer was better.”
👨 Dad Translation: My jeans are apparently mid. My music taste is mid. The dinner I spent 45 minutes on was, according to my daughter after two bites, “giving mid.” I’m learning to live with this.
02. Brain Rot (pronounced: brayn rot)
The mental state you reach after consuming too much low-quality, overstimulating internet content. Oxford’s Word of the Year for 2024. Your kids know they have it. They embrace it like a badge of honour.
“I’ve been watching brainrot videos for an hour. I can’t do homework. My brain is cooked.”
👨 Dad Translation: This is your child accurately describing what happens when they’ve been on a screen too long. The fact that they have a word for it is both impressive and slightly on the nose.
03. No Cap / Cap (pronounced: no kap / kap)
Cap means lying. No cap means you’re being completely honest, no exaggeration. “You’re capping” means you’re lying. Used constantly, in almost every sentence, as punctuation.
“That pizza was the best thing I’ve ever eaten, no cap.”
👨 Dad Translation: “Honestly.” “I’m not even exaggerating right now.” You can use this one. Minimal embarrassment risk. Maybe 20%.
04. Bet (pronounced: bet)
Confirmation. Agreement. “Sounds good.” “Okay.” “I’m in.” One syllable that covers about fifteen different responses.
Parent: “Dinner’s in ten minutes.” Child: “Bet.”
👨 Dad Translation: “Okay.” That’s it. I’ve started saying it back to her. She hasn’t told me to stop yet, which I’m choosing to interpret as a win.
05. It’s Giving (pronounced: its giv-ing)
This situation, this outfit, this vibe — it evokes something. Usually followed by whatever that something is. “It’s giving chaos.” “It’s giving main character.” Creative, flexible, and used approximately forty times a day.
“This park is giving cottagecore. I love it.”
👨 Dad Translation: “This reminds me of…” or “This has the energy of…” My daughter told me my car is giving “old man who drives too slow.” I was going five over.
06. Unc (pronounced: unk)
Short for uncle. Used affectionately — or devastatingly — to describe someone who feels out of touch. Age doesn’t actually matter. It’s a vibe thing, not a birthday thing.
“Dad, you just called it a ‘selfie stick.’ You’re such an unc.”
👨 Dad Translation: This is me. I am the unc. I’ve fully accepted it.
07. Rizz (pronounced: riz)
Charisma. Natural magnetism. You can also “rizz someone up,” meaning actively turn on the charm. Oxford Word of the Year 2023. Now in the Cambridge Dictionary. Completely legitimate vocabulary at this point.
“She walked in and had the whole class laughing. Girl has rizz.”
👨 Dad Translation: My daughter told me I have “dad rizz,” which she clarified means “you’re funny but only by accident.” Taking it.
08. Aura Farming (pronounced: or-uh farm-ing)
Building your cool, mysterious, or impressive reputation quietly over time. Not showing off — just doing impressive things and letting people notice. Saying little, doing well, not explaining yourself. That’s aura farming.
“She never posts but everyone thinks she’s cool. She’s farming so much aura.”
👨 Dad Translation: “Playing it cool with purpose.” Genuinely solid advice with a very strange name.
09. NPC (pronounced: en-pee-see)
Non-Player Character — the background figures in video games who follow the same path, say the same things, never deviate. Used to describe someone who just goes along with whatever everyone else is doing.
“She just does whatever the popular girls do. Full NPC.”
👨 Dad Translation: “Follower.” “Goes along with the crowd.” Useful for a conversation about peer pressure if you play it right.
10. Fanum Tax (pronounced: fay-num tax)
Stealing food from someone else’s plate. Named after streamer Fanum, who became famous for casually grabbing his friends’ food with zero apology. Now the official vocabulary for the person at your table who eyeballs your fries.
“I said you could have one fry, not the whole plate. That’s not a fanum tax, that’s a robbery.”
👨 Dad Translation: My daughter has been fanum taxing me for years. We just have a word for it now, which she uses to justify it, which was not the outcome I wanted.
11. Crash Out (pronounced: krash owt)
To completely lose emotional control over something, usually something small. Spiral publicly. Go from fine to fully unhinged in thirty seconds.
“She crashed out in the group chat because someone said her playlist was mid.”
👨 Dad Translation: “Lost it.” “Had a total meltdown.” You’ve witnessed this. You may have triggered it by serving the wrong snack.
12. Do It For The Plot (pronounced: exactly as written)
Encouraging yourself or someone else to take a risk, because even if it doesn’t work out, at least it’ll make a good story. Life is the plot. The thing you’re nervous about is a plot point.
“I’m scared to try out for the talent show, but also… do it for the plot.”
👨 Dad Translation: “Just go for it.” Use this freely on your kids. It works surprisingly well.
13. Ate (and Left No Crumbs) (pronounced: ate / ate and left no crumbs)
To do something perfectly. Nail it completely. “Ate and left no crumbs” means not only did she do it well, she did it so well there’s nothing left to critique.
“That presentation? She ate and left no crumbs.”
👨 Dad Translation: “Crushed it.” Tell your kid they ate. They will be pleased. This is one of the few things I’ve gotten right.
Quick Reference Cheat Sheet
| Term | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Slay | To absolutely nail something — a look, a moment, a performance |
| Bussin | Really, really good. Usually food. “Bussin bussin” = elite tier |
| W / L | Win or loss. “Big W” = great outcome. “That’s an L” = bad call |
| Lowkey | Quietly, subtly. “I lowkey love that show” |
| No shot | “There’s no way.” Total disbelief |
| 6-7 | So-so. A mediocre rating. Delivered with a wobbly hand gesture. Means essentially nothing but sounds cool |
| Cooked | Exhausted or completely overwhelmed |
| Main character | Acting like life revolves around you — sometimes a compliment |
| POV | Setting up a scenario. “POV your dad uses the word ‘groovy’” |
| Vibe check | Assessing whether someone or something fits the mood |
| Gatekeep | Keeping something to yourself instead of sharing it |
| Cracked | Really good at something. “She’s cracked at math” |
The Part You Actually Need to Read: Playground Terms Worth Knowing
Okay. This is where we shift gears a little. Everything above is mostly harmless — the verbal equivalent of your kid wearing a weird hat. But some terms circulating among kids this age are worth knowing about, not because they’re all dangerous, but because they might show up and you’ll want to understand the context before you react.
I’m not trying to scare you. Most of this stuff lands on your kid’s radar through TikTok or overheard conversations long before they understand what it means. The goal here isn’t panic — it’s just knowing what you’re looking at.
“Pressed”
Means upset, bothered, or worked up over something. “She’s so pressed” = she’s really upset about this. On its own, totally benign. Worth knowing because it’s also how kids describe someone being bullied or targeted — “they’re getting pressed” can mean someone is being deliberately wound up or harassed by a group. Context matters a lot with this one.
“Why is she so pressed? It was just a joke.”
👨 What To Know: If your daughter says someone is “getting pressed” at school, ask a follow-up question. It might be nothing. It might be something.
“Put On Blast”
To publicly humiliate someone — sharing embarrassing information, screenshots, or stories about them in a group chat or on social media without their permission. This one shows up a lot in the middle school and upper elementary years, when social dynamics get complicated and group chats become battlegrounds.
“She put me on blast in the class group chat for absolutely no reason.”
👨 What To Know: If your kid says someone put them on blast, that’s worth a real conversation. It’s the modern version of public humiliation and it can hit hard at this age.
“Pick-Me”
A girl (usually) who seeks attention or approval by putting other girls down or distinguishing herself as “not like other girls.” The term gets used both accurately and as a weapon — sometimes kids get called pick-me just for being enthusiastic or doing well at something, which is its own problem worth talking through.
“She’s always agreeing with the boys to seem cool. Total pick-me behaviour.”
👨 What To Know: This one cuts both ways. Sometimes it describes real social behaviour worth discussing. Sometimes it’s just girls being unkind to each other for no reason. If your daughter is being called this, find out more before drawing conclusions.
“Ghosted”
Being completely cut off with no explanation. Someone just stops responding, stops including you, disappears from your social world without a word. Adults know this from dating. Kids experience it in friendships at this age, and it lands just as hard.
“She just ghosted me after the sleepover. I don’t even know what I did.”
👨 What To Know: This one’s not new vocabulary but it’s worth including because it’s genuinely painful at this age and kids often don’t have language for why it hurts. If your daughter mentions being ghosted by a friend, take it seriously.
“KMS” / “I’m Dead”
Both used casually and constantly as exaggerated reactions — “KMS” technically stands for “kill myself” but is almost always used as hyperbole for “I’m so embarrassed” or “that’s so funny.” “I’m dead” means the same thing: overwhelming reaction to something funny or cringeworthy.
“She tripped in front of everyone. KMS.” / “That video has me dead.”
👨 What To Know: In most cases, this is just dramatic tween vocabulary and means nothing serious. That said, if your kid is using phrases like this frequently in a context that doesn’t seem like humour — particularly around school stress, friendships, or how they feel about themselves — it’s worth checking in. Not an interrogation, just a conversation. Frequency and context are what matter here.
“Looksmaxxing”
Covered this earlier in the post, but it belongs in this section too. It’s all over TikTok and bleeds into playgrounds faster than parents expect. Most kids encounter it ironically — joking about their skincare routine as “looksmaxxing.” Some take the underlying message (that your face is a problem to be fixed and ranked) more seriously than the joke suggests.
👨 What To Know: The self-care side is fine. The appearance-hierarchy and “rating” culture underneath it is where it gets harmful, particularly for girls at an age when how they look is already occupying way too much mental space. Worth knowing the word exists and what’s behind it.
Mmmm takeaways.
The goal here was never to memorise a dictionary. It was to be the kind of parent who doesn’t completely freeze when their kid says something unfamiliar, and more importantly, to know when a word is just a word and when it’s a signal worth following up on.
You don’t need to use any of this vocabulary. Please don’t try to use it at the dinner table to seem cool. You’ll get called an unc, your fries will get fanum taxed, and the whole evening will be mid.
But knowing what it means? That part actually matters.
My jeans are still not mid, for the record. They’re fine. I stand by them.
No cap.
Got a term your kid uses that stumped you? Drop it in the comments.
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