Slang & emoji glossary
Demo of SchoolSight's living lexicon. These examples focus on language patterns with safeguarding relevance – the things adults often miss in chats, DMs and comments.
Bullying, exclusion & social manipulation slang
Terms that look like "just jokes" but are often used for targeted exclusion, humiliation or group pile-ons.
| Term | Meaning | Risk level | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| shadow ban me | Sarcastic way of saying "ignore me," used in exclusion bullying. | Medium | "Go ahead and shadow ban me from the group then." |
| dry texting | Sending one-word or cold replies to signal rejection or exclusion. | Low | "She's dry texting you because she doesn't like you." |
| delulu | Mocking someone as delusional—very common in girl-to-girl bullying. | Medium | "You think he likes you? You're delulu." |
| rizzler / no-rizz | Used to mock someone's attractiveness or social skills. | Low–Medium | "Bro has zero rizz." |
| caught in 4K | Accusing someone publicly of wrongdoing; often used to gang-pile. | Medium | "Caught you in 4K lying again." |
| ick | Term used to humiliate someone socially for normal behaviour. | Medium | "The way he eats is such an ick." |
| side-eye | Implying judgment, disgust, or mockery. | Medium | "Side-eye. Be serious." |
| ratio / +L / +cry | Group bullying tactic on TikTok/Discord where others pile on. | Medium–High | "Ratio. +L +cry about it." |
Violence, threat & coded harm language
Phrases that can indicate suicidal thinking, self-harm, or threats of violence – even when wrapped in humour.
| Term | Meaning | Risk level | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| unalive | Evasion of "suicide" for filters; used by students to hint at harm. | High | "Maybe I'll just unalive myself lol." |
| kms / kts | Acronyms for self-harm (kill myself / kill the self). | High | "Homework is so bad I might kms." |
| tired of living | Filter-friendly expression for suicidal ideation. | High | "I'm so tired of living, fr." |
| NPC me IRL | Often means "I want to stop existing"—adults rarely catch this. | High | "School sucked today. NPC me IRL." |
| smoke you / catch you lacking | Threat slang; sometimes bravado, sometimes serious. | Medium–High | "Say that again and I'll smoke you." |
| it's giving school shooter vibes | Disturbing meme-style reference to school shootings. | High | "He gives school shooter vibes ngl." |
| get packed | "Get beaten up / destroyed." | Medium | "Keep talking and you'll get packed." |
Sexual content, sextortion & grooming language
Early warning signs for grooming, image-based abuse and sexual pressure. These almost always need follow-up.
| Term | Meaning | Risk level | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| GYATTT / gyat | Sexual comment about someone's body. | Medium–High | "She's got that gyatt." |
| risky / send a risky | Asking for a sexual or revealing photo. | High | "Send a risky for real." |
| lowk / lmk fr | Low-key sexual request often used in grooming attempts. | Medium–High | "Lowk you should lmk fr." |
| body reveal / face reveal | Requests that often begin grooming interactions. | High | "Just do a body reveal, no one will know." |
Filter-evasion & algorithm-avoidance slang
Language specifically designed to slip past keyword filters. SchoolSight's lexicon tracks these patterns over time.
| Term | Meaning | Risk level | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| unalive | Used instead of "suicide" to avoid filters. | High | "I feel like going unalive." |
| SA / seggs | Sexual assault / sex. | High | "She told me about the SA." |
| grape | Coded slang for rape. | High | "He tried to grape her." |
| unaliver / red-room | Self-harm / extreme violence euphemisms. | High | "He's going full unaliver mode." |
| unalive kit | Refers to self-harm "kits" or planning resources found online. | Very High | "Found the unalive kit link." |
| kandid | Coded reference to child exploitation materials. | Very High | "Stop acting like you don't have kandid." |
| roofie emojis (🍸💊) | Drink + pill = suggestion of drugging someone. | High | "He gave her the 🍸💊 last time." |
Emoji-coded bullying, manipulation & threats
Emojis that carry meaning beyond their literal picture – especially when combined into patterns students recognise.
| Emoji / combo | Meaning | Risk level | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐸 + ☕ | "Spill the tea" – gossiping about another student. | Medium | Often part of exclusion and group chat pile-ons. |
| 🧏♂️✋ | "I'm ignoring you" / "I'm done listening." | Medium | Used in silent bullying and social cut-offs. |
| 😮💨 | "You're exhausting / annoying." | Low–Medium | Passive-aggressive dismissal of a peer. |
| 🧟 / 🤡 / 🐀 | Calling someone brain-dead, a clown, or a rat. | Medium | Frequent in ongoing online cruelty. |
| 🔫😄 / 🔪🙂 | "Joking" threat of harm. | High | Concerning in a school context; escalate if repeated. |
| 🚪➡️🙂 | "Get out / leave the group." | Medium | Exclusion signalling in group chats. |
| 👻 (ghosting) | Deliberately cutting off contact. | Low–Medium | Used as a tactic to torment classmates socially. |
Drug, self-harm & mental health emojis
Emojis that may indicate distress, substance use or self-harm. Context matters, but repeated patterns should never be ignored.
| Emoji / combo | Meaning | Risk level | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 💊 / 🍬 / 🟪 | Pills, Xanax, or candy-coloured recreational drugs. | High | May be jokes, but repeated use can indicate misuse or access. |
| 🩸🪒 | Self-harm imagery (cutting). | Very High | Rare but extremely concerning; immediate safeguarding needed. |
| 🌧️ + 😔 | Depression coding – "I feel like a rain cloud." | Medium–High | Context matters, especially if paired with withdrawal or conflict. |
| 🌫️💨 | Vaping / weed / smoke cloud. | Medium | Often used around substance use discussions. |
| 🔗🪝 | Grooming – "I've got you hooked / you belong to me." | High | Watch for power-imbalanced or older contacts using this. |
| 💀 / ☠️ | "I'm dead" as humour or genuine ideation. | Interpret Carefully | Harmless in memes; concerning when paired with hopeless statements. |