I first came across the expression “swag” when my friends were talking about how much Justin Bieber said it roughly two years ago. When people first started saying “swag,” they were mostly mocking the few who said “swag” seriously to describe how cool someone or something was. The casual usage of “swag” has escalated to the point where mockery is no longer relevant, and people use the word to mean anything they want. Is it a verb? Is it a noun? An adjective? The answer: we don’t care enough to decide.

Scrolling through my Twitter feed I’ve noticed our generation struggles to compose a thought without adding “slay,” “bae,” “thot” or any of the other hundreds of slang words that infiltrate our daily conversations. Being the lazy teenager I am, urban slang slips into my casual conversations all the time. The words just flow off my tongue even when I’m not 100 percent sure of what they mean. I find myself looking up a new expression on Urban Dictionary every other day because I don’t know what “salty” or “based” means.

Twitter addicts are running out of new slang so they have started making up synonyms for pre-existing slang. For example, according to Urban Dictionary, “on fleek” means the exact same thing as “on point.” Apparently, we can’t describe our eyebrows with just one expression.

It’s extremely awkward when someone drops a new slang word they saw on Twitter and no one knows what they’re talking about. Your Chick-fil-a might have been “clutch,” but for all I know you just like gripping your fast food tightly. You may have “slayed” that English essay, but I’m sure you didn’t literally murder the essay violently.

While most teens can control the words that come out of their mouth, the more slang is used in everyday language the harder it will be to put on a filter. The last thing college admissions or managers want to see in your Twitter bio is how “three hunna” you keep it. Even though there’s a low probability urban slang will come out in a face-to-face interview, getting too relaxed with our English reflects poorly on our generation. I don’t like the idea that our generation might be remembered for words like “yeet” and “trill.”

There’s nothing wrong with using these expressions in moderation; I get it, they’re funny. But if every other word in your vocabulary represents a made-up trend, try using a little more Dictionary.com and a little less Urban Dictionary.

Dictionary.com definitions vs Urban Dictionary defnitions of the same word

lean

Dictionary.com:to incline or bend from a vertical position

Urban Dictionary:a popular drink

swag

Dictionary.com:a suspended wreath, garland, drapery, or the like, fastened up at or near each end and hanging down in the middle; festoon.

Urban Dictionary: *could not find an actual definition of the word besides “overused”

scan

Dictionary.com: to glance at or over or read hastily

Urban Dictionary: backstabbing or doing something scandalous

trill

Dictionary.com: to sing or play with a vibratory or quavering effect

Urban Dictionary: an adjective used in hip-hop culture to describe someone who is considered to be well respected, coming from a combination of the words “true” and “real”

ratchet

Dictionary.com: a toothed bar with which a pawl engages

Urban Dictionary: dirty/nasty: ghetto form of wretched

trap

Dictionary.com: a contrivance used for catching game or other animals, as a mechanical device that springs shut suddenly.

Urban Dictionary: The area where drug deals are carried out.

clutch

Dictionary.com: to grip or hold tightly or firmly

Urban Dictionary: exactly what you need, exactly when you need it

slay

Dictionary.com: to kill by violence

Urban Dictionary.com: succeeded in something amazing