‘Rizz’ vs. ‘skibidi’: Why some slang words stick around and others fade away

What gives some slang staying power? Linguistic experts weigh in on Gen Z and Gen Alpha slang words.

Perhaps the greatest prank of all time happened in 1992, when a New York Times reporter looking for local color in Seattle’s then-exploding grunge scene interviewed a rep from the city’s Sub Pop Records—who fed him a list of phony slang terms, like “swingin’ on the flippity-flop.” (It supposedly meant: hanging out.) Lately though, whenever I come across some of the many recent articles about popular Gen Z slang, I get a sneaking suspicion a similar prank may be underway right now.