Words and phrases kids say too much

Jonathan and I once got on the topic of certain words that are completely overused and utterly raped with exploitation. These are but some that we discussed:

"TOTALLY" - for some reason, the Y generation believes they completely and absolutely understand EVERYTHING that occurs in their lives. They either "totally" agree with you, knowing exactly everything you meant, saw, heard, smelt, felt when relating a story, or they "totally" don't get it, not knowing how someone could have possibly done that! They literally can not fabricate one reason to understand how! When they "totally" saw that lead guitarist thrash out that wicked solo, they absolutely, no question, completely saw everything that was humanly imaginable to see in that brief moment of time.

"RANDOM" - Chosen without method or conscious decision? Of COURSE kids know what that's all about. Oh my gosh, the faces he makes are SO RANDOM! There's no way he can make that many funny faces for his Facebook profile pics with conscious decision. He's SOOO without method. How many random trips, random sleepovers, random dance parties can one young adult have? Probably some random number between "Not enough" and "Freakin' awesome."

"OH, I KNOW" - Really? You REALLY know? You really know what I'm going through when my car exploded? You really know the band Ratatat even though you called them Ratatatatatat two minutes ago? You REALLY know how it feels to be cheated on? Are you sure you know? Are you sure you.... don't?

"HOLLA!!!" - Normally said outside parties, venues, or makeshift dances as two or more people are closing the distance. No, most chances are, they aren't black.

"AWKWARD" – Used for pretty much anything nowadays. Used to trigger a laugh. Used to break the ice. Used after a first kiss. Used when next to someone at the urinal. Used in lines. Used in cars. Used in (my favorite place) turtleneck sweater parties, when Suzanne's ex shows up with none other than Jesse, who was last heard making out with Jonathan, which is awkward in itself because Jonathan showed up with Jesse's sister Sophie. I don't know what's more awkward: the inter-relation social web or Brendon's haircut.

"FREAK" - Most often accompanied with one of these: ! A particular favorite amongst the Latter-Day Saint communities, to replace a much more naughtier version. And let's face it. We all use it because we LOVE being sassy and defiant, yet not that defiant. Unruly, but not that unruly. Edgy, but not that edgy. Mormon, but not that Mormon. Spin offs include "freakin' ", "friggin' ", and the absurdly lame "flippin' ".

"ANYWAYSSSS" – I'm not even going to mention that "anyways" was once improper English. The actual wording is "anyway", but seeing how "wing nut", "fan boy" and "webinar" were added to the dictionary this year, why not just add "anyways"? The kids are all saying it. Heck, it's in its own world. It has its own ecosystem. "Anyways" fills entire conversations. It clears all doubts. It solidifies opinions and gives birth to shifting eyes and shuffling feet. It comes out of the same bag you can find "Soooo…" and "Well…". It's normal to say one of these and then just let the sentence trail off into forgotten winds. And I realize I DID mention "anyways" was once improper. It's cool though, right? …Anyways…

"WHATEVER" – I don't even want to talk about this one.

"CHILL" – "Just Chillin'", "It's Chill", "Chillax" (A ridiculous mix of Chill and Relax. Ha. Ha. Soooo witty). This word seems to come out mostly in groups that try and maintain a level of coolness yet remain "mellow" and "distant". Chill actually has been, for the most part, associated with feelings such as "gloom", "depression", "unfriendliness", "disinterestedness", and "discouragement". In the past, I don't think the reassurance "Ah don't worry, bro, he's chill," would've given the same impression it does today. Now, a sketchy climb, a rope swing, a steep hill; it's all "chill". Makes sense.

"SERIOUSLY?" – This one's a favorite of mine. It's a favorite, because its usage usually baffles me. It's context is as follows:
"I just got the job!"
"Seriously?!"
...
"Yes."
What did you expect? No, I didn't? You just got Punk'd. It's actual meaning, describing sincerity, earnestness, or genuineness is completely sardonic by its usage. OBVIOUSLY it's serious. If I'm telling you I just got these sweet kicks for 50% off, and you say "seriously?" I don't think I'd respond with "No, I'm just lying to you because I'm bored." I'd probably say, "TOTALLY!"

"LET'S HANG OUT" – This one is a doozy. It's never actually implied that you two will hang out in the near future. You have about just as much an invitation to spend some time with the individual who employs this phrase than were they to say to you, "Do you know if John's here?" At one time, maybe this had some value to it, but those days are long gone.

"HELLA"/ "HECKA" – "Hella" for those with 'tude, "Hecka" for the more self-conscious (or maybe just with a sense of ironic humor). I honestly don't really understand it. That is hell of cool, just doesn't really flow, nor does That is hell cool. I'm not certain on its origin, but one day it was dropped, and about a billion teenagers picked it up and have been using the name of Beelzebub's domain since.

And there are many others. Such as "Surreal", "Right on", "Yeahrrr" (my friend Lyndsay says she hears this a lot and doesn't get it. Must be a Colorado thing.) Go ahead and leave comments with any other words/phrases you want included. And don't worry, we all know from time to time we say them as well.