Internet slang - it can be difficult to track down where it came from due to the sheer scope of social media and world wide web - now we’re not saying that Glasgow came up with these words first, but we did come up with words to express similar ideas far before the internet came around.
Us Glaswegians are great at expressing large concepts in very few words - you only need to check out our article on Glasgow words and phrases to realise that - so it’s not surprise that a lot of the new words
Now we’re not trying to discount the veracity of these words, in fact they’re no less valid than any words, given that many of them have been added to dictionaries since the popped up in the last 10 years or so. We just wanted to expess that Glasgow has the best patter bar none.
These are 12 ‘new’ internet slang words that Glasgow came up with first.
1. ‘Rizz’
If you’re not an avid social media user you’ve likely never heard the word ‘Rizz’ - but it’s a brand new word for real, it was even added to the Mirriam Webster dictionary this year. Essentially it’s short for Charisma, and is used in the context for one’s ability to woo or charm someone. So what’s the Glasgow equivalent? It’s got to be patter. In a sentence: ”He’s got rizz” / “He’s got the patter”. We’ve illustrated Rizz with none other than Jean Claude Van Damme, the ‘rizz-iest’ man we could think of. Photo: u
2. “Cringe”
While not a new word per se, Cringe has gotten a whole new lease of life on the internet. To call someone cringe is to call them embarrassing. The Glasgow equivalent would be red-neck. In a sentence: “His new TikTok is so cringe!” / “Did ye see him getting wide on MSN? Boy’s a red-neck” Photo: Neil Cross
3. ‘Boujee’
Boujee is short for bourgeoisie - a term coined by Karl Marx. Boujee has similar albeit very different connotations from it’s origin word. While bourgeoisie would often be said by a man in the Southside wearing a beret with indignant and righteous class anger - certainly negative - boujee essentially just means fancy or posh in a positive aspirational sense. To call someone boujee is a good thing. The Glasgow equivalent, although not a direct equivalent, would be Gallus - bold, daring, and stylish. In a sentence: “Did you see his fit? That dude is so boujee!” / “Awk check your Senga out - pure dead Gallus.”
4. ‘The ick'
The ick is a concept that has a direct Glasgow equivalent - popularised by people on TikTok talking about their partners/potential partners and how they put them off with their behaviour. The Glasgow equivalent would be ‘boke’. In a sentence: “Zack was so drunk last night, oh my god he was giving me the ick” / “That Decky boy I was seeing was steaming trying to climb that GOMA statue last night - gave me the boke man”.