[Pippa Posts: 402 Status: Offline Never give up! WWW]

For what it's worth, I picked up a promising MG last week and the MC said, "For God's sake" and I was so offended by it I put it down.

I grew up with family & friends saying this all the time but seeing it in print really put me off. I'm actually surprised I'm so affronted by it - but I hate hearing OMG too, so maybe I'm overly sensitive

[C. Lee]

For what it's worth, I picked up a promising MG last week and the MC said, "For God's sake" and I was so offended by it I put it down.

I grew up with family & friends saying this all the time but seeing it in print really put me off. I'm actually surprised I'm so affronted by it - but I hate hearing OMG too, so maybe I'm overly sensitive

I think everybody's so afraid of offending others these days that we're all becoming super sensitive about what we read and write as well.

[AnnH Posts: 1,524 Status: Offline I love to read and write! WWW]

I want a short catchy way to refer to a plain, dorky girl for a blurb. I was thinking of just using "an 'Ugly Betty,'" as that sort of fits. Would teens still know that phrase? Is just "plain, dorky girl" okay?  Any suggestions?

 

[Wonky Posts: 404 Status: Offline]

I want a short catchy way to refer to a plain, dorky girl for a blurb. I was thinking of just using "an 'Ugly Betty,'" as that sort of fits. Would teens still know that phrase? Is just "plain, dorky girl" okay?  Any suggestions?

 

I don't think the phrase is really used these days but there IS the TV show, if you aren't familiar with it. I am pretty sure readers would know what you mean.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ugly_Betty

[AnnH Posts: 1,524 Status: Offline I love to read and write! WWW]

Should work if it's in reruns! Thanks.

I don't think the phrase is really used these days but there IS the TV show, if you aren't familiar with it. I am pretty sure readers would know what you mean.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ugly_Betty

[amberturner Posts: 151 Status: Offline WWW]

AnnH, what about "Plain Jane"? People still say that around here.

[dking]

"Homely" is still used.  It is useable in multi-cultural settings and is not gender specific.
 
   "She needs to get a makeover so she not so homely."
 
   "Dawg, she'll never go out with your homely (other word for donkey)."

[Jaina Posts: 2,908 Status: Offline Just keep typing, just keep typing . . .]

Do people still say "way" something (meaning 'very something'), or is that sounding dated?  Suddenly, I'm staring at this line with a "way" in it and it's looking old school.  For example, "I was way tired."

Definitely don't want to sound trendy, so I'm not looking for the current slang word--just want to avoid sounding dated.  I still use "totally" in this respect, but I've heard people say that sounds too 80s, as well.

I think my own child says "way cool" or whatever, but perhaps because she's heard me say it too many times?

[AliceMustache]

@Jaina, way in that context sounds dated, "I was way too tired" sounds better. Totally also fine when used.

Urbandictionary is a good online source but be forewarned a LOT of those words with have raunchy meanings/origins.

I also think homely is a good word to use. I know my friends and I used to get annoyed when an author would try to hard and have an off "trendy"/"hip" phrase. Teens want to feel like adults and most actually appreciate good vocabulary.

btws, I'm 19 so feel free to disregard what I have to say or take it with a grain of salt because I by no means know everything.

[Liz Straw Posts: 1,084 Status: Offline That was a yummy book!]

For what it's worth, I picked up a promising MG last week and the MC said, "For God's sake" and I was so offended by it I put it down.

I grew up with family & friends saying this all the time but seeing it in print really put me off. I'm actually surprised I'm so affronted by it - but I hate hearing OMG too, so maybe I'm overly sensitive

Actually in MG books, as well as in some YA books this bothers me also. Most parents do not want their kids to use this language, so we should be careful what we write.  If the parents do not care, that is up to the parents for the kids to learn that most places do not accept certain language.

I recently read a recent adult book on my Nook that I am seriously thinking of deleting because of the language in it.  I am seriously not that sensitive when it comes to adult books when it comes to some language, but this one had a 13 year old running around in it and part of it was about who would take over being the parent.  All I could think of was "seriously, you would use that kind of language and then just turn it off when the kid is around, I don't think so."  Yet part of the book where the kids were in the pizza place the owner would shoot kids in the head if they used bad language and all parents would smile, including the two adults who were supposed to be talking about paternity.

[Wonky Posts: 404 Status: Offline]

Do people still say "way" something (meaning 'very something'), or is that sounding dated?  Suddenly, I'm staring at this line with a "way" in it and it's looking old school.  For example, "I was way tired."

Definitely don't want to sound trendy, so I'm not looking for the current slang word--just want to avoid sounding dated.  I still use "totally" in this respect, but I've heard people say that sounds too 80s, as well.

I think my own child says "way cool" or whatever, but perhaps because she's heard me say it too many times?

Good question. I don't think I've heard that in a while. Of course, where I live, people usually use "wicked" instead...as in, "That's wicked awesome!"

[AnnH Posts: 1,524 Status: Offline I love to read and write! WWW]

Not looking for slang exactly. I have MC suggesting that her best friend look for a senior for her next boyfriend, but I'm not sure quite how to word it. "Look for" doesn't sound active enough.  Just want something that sounds natural, but a little more interesting than look for. Unless, of course, look for sounds good enough. 

[Luisa Posts: 15 Status: Offline WWW]

Here`s another one my NZ friend says a lot, ` oh stink!` meaning how terrible..she`s got me saying it too.

Luisa

[Wonky Posts: 404 Status: Offline]

Not looking for slang exactly. I have MC suggesting that her best friend look for a senior for her next boyfriend, but I'm not sure quite how to word it. "Look for" doesn't sound active enough.  Just want something that sounds natural, but a little more interesting than look for. Unless, of course, look for sounds good enough. 

Hunt for?

[Liz Straw Posts: 1,084 Status: Offline That was a yummy book!]

Hunt for?

be one the look out for?

[Bobi Martin Posts: 313 Status: Offline Writers open the world to readers. WWW]

Scope out.

[AnnH Posts: 1,524 Status: Offline I love to read and write! WWW]

Scope out.

Ah, sounds good!

[AnnH Posts: 1,524 Status: Offline I love to read and write! WWW]

BTW, do teens say "snag" (as in, after she's scoped him out, she does snag him?).

[Bobi Martin Posts: 313 Status: Offline Writers open the world to readers. WWW]

Not sure about "snag."  That doesn't sound current to me. But in different areas teens use different phrases.

[Liz Straw Posts: 1,084 Status: Offline That was a yummy book!]

catch, win-over?

I have no idea, but snag sounds odd to me also.

[Bobi Martin Posts: 313 Status: Offline Writers open the world to readers. WWW]

Some teens use "hook-up" as in "I caught him scoping me out and two days later we hooked up."  But you could also indicate this in a different way: "I caught him scoping me out and we started talking. A week later I changed my FB status to 'in a relationship.'"

[AnnH Posts: 1,524 Status: Offline I love to read and write! WWW]

It's a reference to a possible future event. Girl A suggests to Girl B that she scope out a senior with the hope that she'll snag/catch/hookup/whatever with him.  (I'm hesitant to use hook up.)

[Bobi Martin Posts: 313 Status: Offline Writers open the world to readers. WWW]

I know what you mean about hook-up, lol. But the phrase has a deeper connotation to us than it does to most of today's teens. Maybe you can use "get him to notice you" or something along that line.

[AnnH Posts: 1,524 Status: Offline I love to read and write! WWW]

That could work.

Or, I was wondering, what about just "hook" without the "up."

"You could hook a senior." ?

[Bobi Martin Posts: 313 Status: Offline Writers open the world to readers. WWW]

I asked one of my middle-school grandsons what they say in a situation where people are scoping someone out and then they get together. He said they don't really have a word or expression for it. "You just, like, you know, get together." 

I like: "You could hook a senior."  It sounds natural and timeless.

[AnnH Posts: 1,524 Status: Offline I love to read and write! WWW]

Ah, thanks. I think "hook" it is. Nice to know that "get together" would work too.

It's interesting trying to keep dialogue current enough and natural enough without getting too slangy.
I think Sarah Dessen does a great job of that. Nothing in her books jumps out as slang and yet nothing jumps out as too "back when" either. 

[Bobi Martin Posts: 313 Status: Offline Writers open the world to readers. WWW]

That's the balance we all strive for. Words that sound like slang in the time the book takes place but that don't sound out of place at the time the reader lives in.

[Liz Straw Posts: 1,084 Status: Offline That was a yummy book!]

 : HELP, I need a modern kid's word for "corny."  I am totally drawing a blank.

[Betsy Posts: 2,505 Status: Offline PICKY EATERS WWW]

lame?

[Liz Straw Posts: 1,084 Status: Offline That was a yummy book!]

Lame  - that like totally works!