Quiz: litty, shook or goat – can you talk tween?

Would these litty kids cancel you? Photograph: Lumina/Stocksy United

A recent Tesco Mobile survey of 1,000 parents found that 46% of them bought their children phones in the hope that they’d communicate with them more. But what if they can’t understand what their child is saying?

Somehow, each generation discovers a new way to say old things, baffling parents, teachers and older relatives in the process. So, in an era of “bible”, “cray” and “salty” having nothing to do with Christianity, crustaceans or culinary seasoning, can you talk tween?

Take the quiz to find out.

1. The work experience student who’s with you for the week (and was born in 2004) smiles at you over the percolator in the staff kitchen and says: “Let’s get this bread.” What do they mean?

   1. They fancy a trip to Pret a Manger.

   2. They want to make some money.

   3. They’ve been watching too much Great British Bake Off.

2. Your 12-year-old daughter has been invited to a sleepover. She says it’s going to be “litty” – does she mean:

   1. It’s going to be boring.

   2. Her friend’s bedroom will be brightly lit.

   3. It’s going to be very good and she’s excited.

3. Ahead of their school disco, your daughter’s friend tells her she’s “looking snatched”. What does she mean?

   1. Your daughter looks attractive.

   2. Her photos make it look like she’s being held hostage.

   3. Her clothes look like they’ve been stolen.

4. You hear your son talking about his “Finstagram” with his friends – does this mean:

   1. He runs an Instagram fan account dedicated to fish.

   2. He is finished with Instagram and no longer uses it.

   3. He has a second Instagram account for close friends, to which he posts only funny or embarrassing content.

5. You overhear two of your daughter’s female friends say they “ship” your daughter and a boy she has a crush on at school. Does this mean:

   1. They endorse a romantic relationship between the pair.

   2. They’ve bought them each a toy boat as a gift.

   3. They don’t think your daughter and the boy are well suited.

6. Your 13-year-old son is attempting to "cancel" his classmate over a politically incorrect Snapchat update – does this mean?

   1. He has reported his classmate to Snapchat’s moderators.

   2. He’s worried about his friend’s excessive Snapchat usage and is encouraging him to take a break.

   3. He’s rejecting his classmate and trying to socially exclude him, rather than engaging intelligently with the offensive comment.

7. Your 11-year-old daughter says she is “shook” after getting her English test results back from her teacher. She feels:

   1. Shocked and amazed at how badly she did.

   2. Unsurprised, given that she has been sending her friends memes on Instagram all week rather than studying.

   3. Quite pleased – she didn’t do well, but at least she didn’t fail.

8. A girl from your tweenage daughter’s netball club has apparently been “spilling tea” during weekly practice. This means:

   1. She was particularly clumsy when serving up the post-match refreshments.

   2. She shot some impressive goals from her goal attack position.

   3. She’s been gossiping and/or spreading other people’s personal information to the rest of the team.

9. Your son describes his friend as the “goat” based on his goalkeeping skills during the day’s football match in the playground. He believes his friend is:

   1. An amazing player. Like, the best ever.

   2. A terrible goalkeeper – like having an actual goat between the posts.

   3. Going to need some more practice but put in a solid effort.

Solutions

1:B - Bread, dough etc. We’ll start easy – it’s all money., 2:C - A play on “lit”, which refers to something being pumped up or exciting (and not to be confused with the 1940s usage, which relates to being intoxicated)., 3:A - Possibly adopted from the gay community. Etymology unknown., 4:C - A compound word, derived from “Fake” and “Instagram”, but really referring to any secondary account., 5:A - Possibly borrowed from the fanfiction community, in which people “ship”, or desire to see, a relationship that doesn’t exist in the original material., 6:C - Pretty straightforward – just a slight semantic reimagining., 7:A - One that’s back in fashion with the kids. Similar usage to in Elvis Presley’s All Shook Up., 8:C - Much like spilling the beans, presumably., 9:A - Literally, the Greatest Of All Time. See also: Lionel Messi.

Scores

1. 7 and above.

   Gucci. That was high key. You’re the goat.

2. 0 and above.

   I don’t want to be salty, but that was just v bad.

3. 4 and above.

   You’re gonna need to finesse your slang. Hundo P.

Visit Tesco Mobile for more information and content on families and mobile