I was teaching high school Civics, Government and Geography today. Most of the kids were juniors and seniors, and as is usual, I got into conversations with them on various topics.
Come lunch time, I was going down the hall, walking stick in hand because I’ve learned that attempting to rush the healing of a sprained knee only results in having trouble for a longer time, when a little group of kids called out to me. I went over, to find half a dozen seniors in a clump, with a very earnest young woman at the front. “We just wanted to tell you” she said, smiling “that you’re the tightest lady we’ve met.” It was very clearly meant as a compliment, so I smiled back and thanked them.
Then I went and found one of the regular teachers and asked for a translation, the simple fact being that I had not the least idea what she’d really said to me. Turns out it’s the current superlative.
It has been borne in upon me that I don’t speak teen anymore. I guess that makes me officially middle-aged.