"That's really sick, man"...

[boxtops]

I was on the train today with a group of young lads sitting adjacent, and I was fascinated by their youth-speak. I know words adapt and young people use words to mean different things... but one lad was examining another's "ace" mobile phone and admiring it, and he said "that's really sick, man" - by which he meant that it was a really desirable object. I'd not heard this used this way before - has anyone else?

[lilsecret]

That is a result of today's educashun, boxtops

[sara3]

boxy, I'll lend you my 13 yr old son (for a long time!). everything is sick!

hench = very big.

I can't think of any others. he speaks a different language ;o)

[naomi24]

Hiya Boxtops, No, I haven't, but it reminds me a bit of 'wicked', 'cos that's good innit? ;o)

[boxtops]

He also used the word "gay" but not meaning happy or homosexual, I think it meant "cool"?

[Answerprancer]

Yep lots of times.

One that really gets on my t!t-ends is this:

Youth 1 "I'm going into town tomorrow"
Youth 2 "is it"

[naomi24]

Thinking about it 'wicked' is probably out of date now. Just as I caught on too. :o(

[bibblebub]

kids have always (at least for a few decades) used words in the opposite sense to what most people regard as usual - positopnay sesenay anyone?

[donna1901]

yeah, i'm 30 and we used to use that back in the 90's. not many words have changed really since then. if its sick though its super....

[chelle7272]

Yes. like sara my 14 year old says 'sick' and 'hench'# all the time. his new one the last couple of weeks is 'fail' which surprisingly doesn't seem to be an opposite. (Though he says it so much it's hard to tell!)
Not only used when something doesn't go well, but if he doesn't like it, it isn't funny etc.

[swedeheart]

Had it been a Swedish kid he would have deemed it "the worst mobi" - meaning the very best one:)

[sophie_1003]

'Sick' has been around for ages as a different word for good, also 'gay' as a word for rubbish was being used when I was at high school. Peng is a new one on me though; think it means good.