“Rizz,” a popular slang term among Gen Z that is short for “charisma,” was recently named the Oxford English Dictionary’s 2023 word of the year. The Onion asked boomers if they could guess what the viral word meant, and this is what they said.
Sasha Day, Teacher
“It’s short for razzmatazz.”
Randy Cadena, Bartender
“It’s short for ‘grizzly,’ and it originated with that Werner Herzog documentary Rizz Man.”
Daryl Staubach, Financial Planner
“I believe it’s a portmanteau for rat jizz.”
Ralph Klein, Retired
“I think it’s shorthand for ‘kill all white property owners’.”
Sara Kirchart, Seamstress
“Whatever it means, it’s not racist enough.”
Patrick Walsh, Surgeon
“It’s when you put on your hat and tap dance around with a cane to prove you have what it takes to be a star.”
Carter Hughes, Veteran
“Rizz was a chemical agent we secretly tested on civilians in Vietnam.”
Jeremy Hawthorne, Retired
“I know it’s slang for charisma, but I’m faking dementia to get out of spending time with my grandkids.”
Suzie Cipriano, Piano Teacher
“A rapper? It’s usually a rapper.”
Robert Jones, Investment Banker
“Rizz is someone’s ability to attract another person through style, charm, or homeownership.”
Larry Durkin, Electrician
“Is that the thing where they pour vodka into their assholes?”
Bob Tallman, Walmart Greeter
“That’s an ethnic term for sex, right?”
Barry Scanlon, Software Engineer
“That would require me paying attention to anything uttered by someone under 60.”
Paula Huang, Professor
“It’s like the magnetism Jim Jones had in the ’70s. He was totally rizzed out.”
Randy Henry, Tailor
“Rizz is short for Rizzoli And Isles fan club.”
Suhail Patel, Biology Professor
“Rizz is what I apparently need to make my granddaughter stop posting TikToks of me walking normally with insulting robotic voiceovers.”
Dory Meester, Nurse
“A slur for charming people.”
