A poll of a selection of UK adults found 64 per cent of those who are middle-aged regularly use terms they feel someone of their years should never be uttering.
Many confess to using terms like ‘FFS’ or ‘that’s lit’ without being completely confident they are using them in the correct way. While one in 10 use the terms ‘ace’, ‘safe’ and fit’ regularly but don’t know what they really mean.
Just under four in 10 (39 per cent) feel they’re simply too old to use phrases like these, while 37 per cent report it’s ‘just not said’ in their region. And 25 per cent have been told outright they’re too ancient and embarrassing to be using certain words and phrases.
A spokesman for Lottoland.co.uk, which commissioned the research:
“Anyone will tell you that words are incredibly powerful. So, it’s very interesting to see some of the phrases Brits feel too old to use – why should a saying only be for ‘young’ people? Despite there being no real logic to it, feeling too old to say words like ‘cheugy’ or ‘sick’ definitely starts to hit once you reach a certain number of years.”
Across all adults, more than a quarter have been misunderstood when trying to use a trendy slang term. Despite this, 39 per cent like using slang, because it makes talking easier and shortens sentences, and 43 per cent believe it’s a uniquely British trait.
Another third (32 per cent) think it’s important to use phrases ‘the youth’ understand because it helps them communicate with younger generations. One in three pick up their slang from friends and family, but just as many pick up theirs from watching TV, according to the OnePoll figures.
But six in 10 believe the slang in their speech appears naturally, without them having to force it. More than half (57 per cent) also regularly use slang terms for money, with ‘cash’, ‘quid’ and ‘tenner’ the most commonly used. Another 38 per cent frequently refer to it as ‘moolah’ while one in five refer to the ‘paper’ they have been able to collect.
Lottoland’s spokesperson:
“Slang terms for money are among the most common, and there are endless ways of describing it in this way. Some are based in Cockney rhyming slang, like Arthur Ashe for cash – and some are so bizarre they don’t seem to exist for any particular rhyme or reason.
“While there’s no specific slang term for one hundred million, we’re sure there are a lot of other things people will be shouting out if they win our jackpot this New Year’s Eve”
The research was commissioned to promote Lottoland’s Mega 2022 New Year’s Eve £100m draw.
