A no cap guide to the bussin Gen Z slang young coworkers use in the office

Gen Zers have entered the workforce and brought with them a vocabulary of generational slang their older colleagues cannot understand.

In the latest TikTok trend, some Gen Z workers have been filming themselves quizzing their millennial and older coworkers on their baffling jargon.

The Gen Z colleagues, who are born after 1997, have also recorded themselves explaining what some of those words - including 'bet,' 'bussin,' 'no cap,' and 'naur' - mean.

For the uninformed colleague hoping to show off with their Gen Z coworkers, here is a study guide to navigate those murky waters.

Some older workers have been left baffled by the slang younger co-workers use in the office

Workers have gone viral on social media as they record their older co-workers attempt to guess the meaning of the youthful slang 

Ick 

Starting with an easy one - ick means what it sounds like. The word 'ick' refers to anything that is unpleasant, gross, nasty, and a turn-off.

Used in a sentence, one might say that something gave them the ick, or that something was ick.

Just this month, some nurses in Atlanta got into trouble for posting a TikTok discussing the icks of dealing with labor and delivery.

You can also get the 'ick' for your job itself - meaning that suddenly working at the company has put you off, made you irritated, followed by an overwhelming desire to quit.  

People have shared the ways that Gen Z colleagues sign off their emails

Instead of the usual 'kind regards' Gen Z are finding new ways to sign off their emails

No cap 

The phrase 'no cap' is used to refer to something that is an absolute truth - that isn't a lie. 

Used in a sentence, one might declare a true statement and then add at the end, 'No cap.'

For example: 'Joey over in HR hasn't blinked for fourteen minutes, no cap.'

It has become a trend for younger workers to ask their 30-plus colleagues what certain phrases mean - and many are baffled 

People have gone viral online by quizzing their older colleagues on the new vocabulary 

Bussin

Something that is bussin essentially means that it is very good. 

A song, food, evening the sunset can all be described as bussin. Bussin is usually preceded by the word 'be.'

The term made a prominent appearance in the Nicki Minaj and Lil Baby song, Bussin, and was largely adopted by the foodie circuit of TikTok. 

People would make their favorite meals, and after trying a bite would declare to the camera that the food was 'bussin.'  

The latest word to baffle older generations is 'naur' which is just the word no in an Australian accent

Workers in their late 20s and early 30s have also found themselves confused at some of the Gen Z terminology 

Sus 

Another easy one. Sus is short for suspicious. It is used in the same way the full word itself is used. 

Colleagues may hear the term in a sentence: 'Janice in legal called in sick for two weeks straight last month, but when she came back she had a great tan. Mad sus.'

The word is also used to describe people or things which one thinks might be dishonest, or they don't trust.

Say less  

This phrase means you understand something in full, and need no further explanation. 

For example, if a manager was giving instructions to a team - but the directions were very similar to a previous task which everyone already understood, one Gen Z may interrupt with the simple phrase 'say less.' 

It can also be interpreted as a shortened version of 'say no more.'  

Naur

The word is just 'no' but said with an approximation of an Australian accent. 

It's really just a silly sort of thing and doesn't mean anything unique, but it's generally used when somebody is trying to be sort of cute or funny about something.

The exaggerated word came back into fashion after clips from the hit 2000s show H2O Just Add Water resurfaced.

In an iconic snippet, the Australian characters used the word 'naur' so emphatically that it caught on and became part of Gen Z's lexicon.

State of confusion: Some older workers have found themselves completely lost with the new slang words

Pur

The word is short for period, and is typically used as a response of affirmation to a statement another just made. 

The friend could reply, 'Pur,' to one of their colleagues to indicate that they approve of what they are saying - bolstering their statement. 

Slay 

If somebody is slaying, they are doing an outstanding job with the task at hand.

The term can also be used just to show approval of something - following a great meeting, outstanding presentation, or simply if your colleagues have gone above and beyond and impressed their manager.