Gen Z’s language might seem incomprehensible but slang has always sounded that way – just look at these five Victorian sayings

By Jordan Kistler, Lecturer in Victorian literature, School of Humanities, University of Strathclyde

All Gen Z slang might sound like “skibidi” to older generations, but every era has had its own confusing slang. For every “gyatt” today (originally a variation of “god damn”, now referring to a curvy woman) there was a “dog my cats” or “od’s fish” in the Victorian era (both also meant something like “god damn”).

Today’s “cake” (buttocks) was the “behindativeness” of that period. In fact, from the bizarre sense of humour apparent in their Christmas…

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