By Ellen Garnett
Staff Writer

We live in two worlds: the real and the digital. However, these two worlds often cross over onto one another, and our digital self becomes part of our actual self. This is often the case for words and phrases that we would normally reserve for our Instagram or Twitter accounts, such as “totes” instead of totally or “lawl”—as in “lol—instead of actually laughing (guilty). Here is a list of the top 15 oddball popular phrases that have plopped themselves into our vernacular:
1. Struggle bus is a verb, which means to have a rough day, according to UrbanDictionary.com. An example of this could be, “I pulled a muscle in my hip while shelving books at the library and now I am struggle bussing all over the place.” Although there are not a lot of sources on the origins of “struggle bus,” it is important to think about the possible implications behind this verb. A friend of the writer’s mentioned that struggle bus could be in reference to the short bus, a bus typically used by special education students. While it can be fun to jump on the bandwagon of viral lingo, we should be mindful of what we say.
2. Space cadet is a noun, meaning a person who has a tendency of spacing out and getting lost in their own thoughts. For example, “John Lennon is such a space cadet…but he’s not the only one.”
3. Douche canoe, a noun, is a person who displays an over-the-top jerky attitude (one that is beyond the average douche). For example, “I cannot believe Jerry dumped that bucket of pig’s blood of Carrie. What a douche canoe!”
4. Dead is an adjective, which typically means not alive, but in this sense, it means that the person is too overwhelmed to handle the scope of the situation. An example of this is, “Look at my puppy’s first time in the tub! I am dead.”
5. Ship is a verb, meaning that the user of the verb wants to link two or more objects/people in a relationship, even if there is not already a connection. For example, “I shipped Ron and Hermione from the very beginning,” means that the user connected these two characters in their brain.
6. FR is an acronym for “for real,” which is used in shorthand. It is a convenient way to shoot a text back to a friend or significant other if you are super busy (hello, senior year). Saving time is important, FR.
7. Low key is an adjective to describe a situation or event that should not be announced. Usually, something that is low key is an embarrassing occurrence. For example, “I low key broke down in tears proclaiming my love for my grandmother during class.”
8. Sus is an adjective, meaning suspicious or scandalous. An example of this is, “I cannot believe Kim Kardashian was robbed of $10 million worth of jewelry. That is mad sus.” True story.
9. Bae is a noun, can be short for babe, stand in for Before Anyone Else, and can also mean “poop” in Danish. For example, “When I walked into the apartment with a bouquet of flowers, bae was so happy to see me.”

10. ELI5 is an acronym for “Explain it like I’m 5 years old.” This acronym would apply to conversations about how to use new technology, like the new iPhone. An example would be, “Dude. I do not understand the new iOS update. ELI5.”
11. HIFW is an acronym for “how I felt when,” and can be used when trying to convey how some situation makes a person feel. It is usually accompanied with a picture as a visual emphasis. For example, “HIFW Donald Trump said ‘bigly’ during the presidential debate,” would include a picture of some sour-looking face.
12. ICYMI is an acronym for “in case you missed it,” which usually refers to a recap of some important news item. An example of this would be, “ICYMI Hillary Clinton killed it at the presidential debate last week.”
13. IMO is an acronym, meaning “in my opinion,” and is typically used in passive aggressive Facebook posts about one’s significant other. For example, “IMO people should not forget about their girlfriend’s birthday.”
14. MRW is an acronym for “my reaction when,” and is also accompanied by a photo of a person’s face. An example of this would be, “MRW Hurricane Matthew may be heading to the eastern coast of the U.S.”
15. TL;DR is an acronym for “Too long, didn’t read,” which is convenient for those of us who do not have time to read a long-winded article, but support the gist of it and want to pass it along to others. For example, “TL;DR Trump should stop avoiding releasing his tax returns.”
In our constantly evolving digital culture, it is essential to stay up-to-date with all of the jargon. IMO, we may all struggle bus a little in keeping up with the latest trends, but it is very important, FR.