Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the dictionary, along comes a whole new crop of words that you probably should learn, at least if you want to communicate with anybody who’s not yet a teenager.

This particular generation of kiddos, who are known collectively as Generation Alpha, were – or will be – born between 2010 and 2025, and, like all previous generations, they do and they will have their own vocabulary that naturally consists of puzzling words and phrases — at least to us.

This is not to say that all the words and phrases the Alpha kids currently use are baffling. Some actually seem quite normal to most of us adults. For instance, many of us seasoned people already know that the initials OG stand for “original gangster,” or someone who’s respected for being an expert at something.

Similarly, it doesn’t require a lot of thinking to figure out that a “noob” is a shortened version of “newbie,” which is slang for a novice or newcomer.

And you probably wouldn’t be too shook (surprised) to discover that Ms. Noob is actually a sleeper (underestimated) who can absolutely slay (do her job exceptionally well) when she clocks in for work.

Neither would you be too confused to learn that the new guy is a basic (lacking originality) stan (obsessive fan) who is delulu (delusional) about his clout (clout) to the point of making me cringe (feel discomfort or embarrassment).

“Yapping” is also pretty self-explanatory, though you should probably beware the preteen who’s gotten tired of listening to you and tells you to get to the point by saying, “Just put the fries in the bag, bro.”

It’s at this point, however, where most of Gen Alpha’s slang becomes indecipherable by anyone who’s old enough to vote. I’ll do my best to explain. Take the expressions “cap” (a lie) and “no cap” (no lie) for example. Where did they come from?

According to Reddit.com, one of the many theories of where “no cap” originated is that “It’s from hiphop meaning the gold tooth isn’t just a gold cap, the whole tooth is gold. ’No cap’ means ‘the real deal.’”

Many of the terms used by the younger set carry with them negative connotations. For example, a “fanum tax” is stealing part of someone’s food. This term came about because YouTuber Kai Cenat’s friend Fanum used to “tax” people by taking food off their plates.

If you’re planning a trip to mid Ohio anytime soon you might want to reconsider since each of those words carries a negative connotation with the Gen Alpha set. You see, they use “mid” to describe something that’s mediocre or average, while “Ohio” means that something is weird, cringy or odd.

And beware of that salty (upset over something minor) simp (someone who needs attention) whose extra (over-the-top) glaze (praise to the point of being annoying) was probably caused by brain rot (the result of watching too much low-quality content online).

Coming back to slightly more familiar word territory, “zang” (dang) and “sheesh” (to express disbelief) are used in much the same way we would yell “whoa” if we found ourselves in a similar situation. In other words, like the words I yelled that time a strong gust of wind blew my new Red Sox hat away. No cap.

Jim Witherell of Lewiston is a writer and lover of words whose work includes “L.L. Bean: The Man and His Company” and “Ed Muskie: Made in Maine.” He can be reached at [email protected].