“Coach, those new sunglasses are TOUGH!”

I had actually found these “new shades” underneath my car seat because one of the other kids had accidentally stepped on my usual, “apparently not-as-tough” pair.  So I initially thought this “compliment” was actually a facetious mockery of my fashion.

Recognizing my skepticism, she reassured me that my sunglasses were, indeed, “tough,” but now I needed some clarification.  Were they tough to look at?  Were they tough to actually see through since the lenses were littered with various scratches?

“No, they’re TUFF! T-U-F-F!”

Silly me!  Apparently this phonetically re-branded homophone means “cool, impressive, and stylish” according to the current vernacular.

It’s tough keeping up with modern slang, but apparently I’m doing well enough to be considered “tuff” by at least a small subset of Gen Alphas.  Now if only more than a small subset of them could actually demonstrate some actual toughness, grit, and resilience…that would truly be “tuff.”