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sigma
six seven
cooked
girlypop
rage-bait
broligarchy
chud
SYBAU
mukbang
4 20
41
abrosexual
AFAIK
agentic
AGI
almond mom
ate (and left no crumbs)
auntie
aura
aura farming
babygirl
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bloatware
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Slang & Trending
broligarchy
noun
an oligarchy of tech bros
What does broligarchy mean?
A broligarchy is a small group of extremely wealthy men, particularly those in technology, who wield significant political and economic power. A man who is a member of the broligarchy is a broligarch.

Examples of broligarchy
I’ll say this about the broligarchy (Elon Musk and his pals even have their own word now, the lucky chaps) – they are exactly the sort of people who might believe they were driving us all smoothly in the right direction when, in fact, they were steering us into the mother of all pile-ups.
—Sophie Heawood, The Independent (London, Eng.) 8 Nov. 2025

Tech Broligarchs Are Lining Up to Court Trump.
—Carole Cadwalladr, The Guardian, 20 July 2024

But its appointed task of reorganizing the federal bureaucracy and slashing its spending heralds a new political arrangement in Washington: a broligarchy, in which tremendous power is flowing to tech and finance magnates, some of whom appear indifferent or even overtly hostile to democratic tradition.
—Brooke Harrington, The Atlantic, 24 November 2024

Where does broligarchy come from?
Broligarchy is a portmanteau combining bro (slang for a young man, especially one who is part of a group) and oligarchy (a group or organization that is controlled by a privileged few).

How is broligarchy used?
Broligarchy is not a complimentary word. It is often used to critique the concentration of power among male tech billionaires.

Last Updated: 14 Nov 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
chud
noun
a fool, jerk, troll, etc.
What does chud mean?
Chud is a generalized term of disparagement used somewhat synonymously with fool, troll, and jerk, to suggest that someone (usually a man) is rude/boorish/regressive/unintelligent/etc. In online political discourse, chud is often used specifically as a left-wing insult for someone (again, usually a man) on the far right.

Examples of chud
Joke’s on this chud for travelling all the way to Spain—a land of genuinely amazing food—and ordering onion rings.
—@Devilligan, X (formerly Twitter), 9 June 2025

The 24-year-old was inundated with cruel comments from trolls about her weight, with countless men online attacking her appearance. … Another fan commented, ‘It really is always the chuds with no profile picture spewing their bile at beautiful women.’
—Jacques Peterson, The Daily Mail, 8 July 2025

… the kinds of chuds who get angry when female video-game characters aren’t “feminine” enough …
—William Hughes, AV Club, 25 Jan. 2024

The added lie that eliminating civil rights reforms is solving ‘invidious discrimination’ is a nice bit of dipshit doublespeak from the kind of right wing chuds who make savvy references to George Orwell’s 1984, but clearly never actually read the book or understood any of its warnings.
—Karl Bode, TechDirt, 13 Feb. 2025

… conservative pundit and noted chud … who was one of the loudest voices encouraging the critical race theory panic …
—Ky Henderson, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2022

Where does chud come from?
It has been theorized that chud comes from the 1980s sci-fi horror movie C. H. U. D.

“They’re not staying down there anymore!” shout the ads for “C.H.U.D.”, which stands for “Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers.” … the Chuds are bums, made radioactive and real mean by secret stashes of nuclear waste material.
—David Elliott, The Village Voice, 31 Aug. 1984

How is chud used?
With scorn (which is often somewhat humorous scorn).

Last Updated: 25 Sep 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
SYBAU
abbreviation
an angrier way to say ‘shut up’ online
What does SYBAU mean?
SYBAU (or sybau) is an abbreviation for “shut your bitch ass up.”

Examples of SYBAU
SYBAU its a movie not a documental [sic] you weirdo lmao
—X (formerly Twitter), 17 Nov. 2025

Blocking TikTok accounts who bring performative heterosexual humiliation into foodtok. “I made my situationship dinner to convince him to make us official” “marry me chicken to convince my bf of 7 years to finally propose” “my bf packed me dog food for lunch” Sybau, I’m here for recipes.
—BlueSky, 14 Oct. 2025

“google me” …girl, sybau
—X (formerly Twitter), 17 Nov. 2025

Where does SYBAU come from?
Evidence of SYBAU dates back more than 20 years.

How is SYBAU used?
Sometimes with tongue in cheek, but usually with no small amount of vituperation in the midst of online arguments.

Last Updated: 24 Nov 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
mukbang
noun
a video of someone eating large amounts of food
What does mukbang mean?
Mukbang refers to a video shared on social media in which the creator films themselves eating large quantities of food, often accompanied by a review of the food. Mukbang can also refer to the genre of such videos.

Examples of mukbang
The internet is currently obsessed with drive-thru mukbangs, with many people avoiding the chill of winter by indulging in their favourite fast food from the comfort and warmth of their cars. Now, social media influencers are going viral for sharing videos of themselves devouring fast food in their vehicles.
—Becca Monaghan, Indy100.com (United Kingdom), 10 Jan. 2025

Mukbangs went viral on TikTok in the 2020s after they made their mark on American YouTube channels, where shorter video time limits require TikTok creators to consume large amounts of food in a smaller time constraint.
—Isabella LaRue, The Arkansas Traveler (University of Arkansas), 21 Nov. 2025

Since opening the channel in 2019, she has uploaded a diverse range of content, including dance and song covers, mukbang, in which streamers showcase themselves eating huge meals, and ASMR, using the platform to actively connect and engage with fans. She films and edits all of her videos.
—Park Jun-hee, The Korea Herald, 18 Nov. 2025

Where does mukbang come from?
Mukbangs became popular in South Korea after 2010 and have since gone global. The word comes from the Korean meokbang, which is a portmanteau of that language's words for “eating” (meok) and “broadcasting” (bang-song).

How is mukbang used?
The videos are referred to as either mukbangs or sometimes mukbang videos, using the word for the genre attributively.

Last Updated: 12 Dec 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
4 20
cannabis, or the act of using cannabis (marijuana)
What does 4 20 mean?
4 20 is a slang term with a range of meanings, all related to cannabis. It refers broadly to the consumption of cannabis, specifically to a quantity of the drug, and also to a time of day at which many people might choose to smoke cannabis, or a date on which its use is celebrated (the 20th of April). It has many variant spellings, including 4-20, 4:20, 420, four twenty, and four-twenty.

Example of 4 20
Calling all stoners: 4/20 is just around the corner. The unofficial marijuana holiday is April 20, and yes, it's on Easter Sunday.
—USA Today, 19 Apr. 2025

Four twenty whatcha smokin?!
—bsky.app, 28 July 2025

Made for a legendary 420 sesh. Just the two of us, rehashing that wild ass experience we just shared.
—Reddit, 20 Apr. 2021

Dee died a month to the day before his 75th birthday. "He passed at 4:10 in the morning," Massey says. "And as much as he smoked cannabis? He could've waited 'til 4:20."
—Arizona Republic, 17 Aug. 2025

Weedstock fans will tumble down a 420-friendly rabbit hole with this year's "Alice in Wonderland" theme.
—The News Journal (Wilmington, DE), 12 Sept. 2025

Where does 4 20 come from?
4 20 is believed to have been coined in California in the early 1970s when a small group of high school students began using it in reference to the time of day at which they typically would gather to smoke marijuana.

How is 4 20 used?
4 20 is used with a degree of semantic flexibility. As noted above, it can refer to specific things (a quantity of cannabis), to broad things (cannabis culture itself), and to times of the day or year. It can also be used simply as an acknowledgement that cannabis is in some way part of a conversation.

Last Updated: 23 Sep 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
41
interjection
a nonsense expression used by teens
What does 41 mean?
41 is a nonsensical expression, adopted late in 2025 by younger teenagers, perhaps to serve as a way of signifying a form of shared knowledge or interest.

Examples of 41
67? Yeah bag it up gng 41 is th enew one come on unc no way you're still at 67
—Minecraft Discord, 5 Oct. 2025

Most kids who say "41" are just repeating what they hear from friends.
—Annabelle Canela, Yahoo.com, 22 Sept. 2025

And now she's saying 41 like it's the next big thing lmao
—bsky.app, 7 Oct. 2025

Where does 41 come from?
41 comes from a song by rapper Blizzi Boi, in which he enumerates a number of things of which he owns 41. It bears a striking resemblance to six seven (another numerical expression popular among teens), which also was rooted in a rap song (“Doot Doot (6 7)” by Skrilla).

How is 41 used?
With playfulness, irreverence, and a decided lack of semantic content. There is a very good chance that if you are asking how it is used you are too old to use it.

Last Updated: 13 Oct 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
abrosexual
adjective | ab-roh-SEK-shuh-wul
Having a fluid sexual orientation
What does abrosexual mean?
Abrosexual describes someone whose sexual orientation is not fixed. The sexual orientation of an abrosexual person may shift, for example, between asexuality, bisexuality, and pansexuality. Abrosexuality is thought of as unrelated to a person’s gender identity and is typically marked by irregular shifts in who one is attracted to (and by how much).

Examples of abrosexual
Specifically I'm what's called an abrosexual lesbian. It's like the sexuality equivalent of genderfluid. I'm predominantly lesbian, but I sometimes fluctuate between that and pansexual.
—@deadguybob, Threads, 27 Apr. 2024

Being abrosexual isn’t about “changing your mind” or simply using a different label to describe your orientation. It means that your actual experience changes over time.
—Sian Ferguson, Healthline, 27 May 2022

Hi, my name is Jaimie and I'm an abrosexual … My sexuality randomly changes from asexual, heterosexual, bisexual, pansexual, homosexual, etc.
—botanywildfowl (user), Asexual Visibility and Education Network (Internet forum), 20 Sep. 2016

Where does abrosexual come from?
The abro- in abrosexual is based on the Greek habros, meaning “delicate, graceful, beautiful, pretty.” It is modeled on other similar words naming sexual orientation, such as bisexual and heterosexual. The use of abro- in the word is apparently meant as a representation of the flux or fluidity that characterizes this sexual orientation. While its exact origins are unknown, abrosexual has been recorded online since 2013.

How is abrosexual used?
Abrosexual is mainly used as an adjective, describing a person’s sexual identity or relating to the state or experience of being abrosexual. It is most commonly used as a self-identifying label in the LGBTQ+ community and sometimes shortened as abro, just as bi or pan are abbreviated from bisexual and pansexual. Occasionally, it is used as a noun for a person who is abrosexual, although calling a person “an abrosexual” could be offensive, depending on speaker and context. A related term is abromantic, referring to fluctuation in one’s romantic—as distinguished from sexual—attraction.

Last Updated: 22 Jan 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
AFAIK
initialism
as far as I know
What does AFAIK mean?
AFAIK stands for “as far as I know.” As it is overwhelmingly found in written use, there is no agreement yet on whether it should be pronounced as an acronym (ah-FAYK), or if it is an initialism, and therefore each one of its letters is fully pronounced.

Examples of AFAIK
Is Intonation and Stress the same thing in French? AFAIK its not the same in other languages, but since French barely has stress, I find it extremely difficult to separate these two concepts specifically for French.
—@SufficientHeight63, Reddit, 10 Apr. 2024

I do wonder whether superheros are modern mythology, because AFAIK the figures of religious belief … and superheros are just not in that category.
—@skottkle, BlueSky, 5 Sept. 2024

The UK is different from (AFAIK) all current EU member states in that it does not have a constitution.

—SDfromBerlin (letter to the editor), The Independent (United Kingdom), 18 June 2024

Where does AFAIK come from?
AFAWK, AFAIK has been written about since at least the early 1990s and was surely used before then on bulletin board and other computer systems.

AFAIK, computer buffs are the only people who write mainly in capitals. And if you immediately translated that opening into ‘as far as I know’, you probably are one.
—Jack Schofield, The Guardian (London), 17 Jan. 1991

How is AFAIK used?
Although informal, AFAIK has broken the confines of texting and other online forms of online communication to appear even in more formal publications. It is also sometimes styled all lower case as afaik.

Warranties are fantastically profitable for the manufacturer, and I claim this means they area bad deal for you. … A warranty’s sole value is cash. (AFAIK, they rarely give you better treatment when you have a warranty; rather the reverse, in fact, since you’re a cost center.)
—Megan McArdle, The Atlantic, 17 Jan. 2008

Last Updated: 10 Oct 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
agentic
adjective | uh-JEN-tik
Able to accomplish results with autonomy, used especially in reference to artificial intelligence
What does agentic mean?
Agentic describes someone or something that is capable of achieving outcomes independently (“functioning like an agent”) or possessing such ability, means, or power (“having agency"). It is especially used with a type of artificial intelligence (AI), often referred to as an AI agent, designed to execute complex tasks autonomously or with little human involvement. In social sciences, agentic is more specifically used to describe people’s self-assertive behaviors or actions directed towards individual accomplishment, status, and independence.

Examples of agentic
You've heard the buzz about agentic AI—autonomous, adaptable, and ready to tackle complex, multi-step tasks. But how much of it is real, and how much is just hype?
—Kathleen Perley, LinkedIn, 20 Nov. 2024

Agentic AI goes beyond simple prompt-and-response chatbots and content generation to provide more sophisticated, interactive and autonomous AI agents that can act on behalf of users …
—David Ramel, Visual Studio Magazine, 18 Nov. 2024

Agentic workflows are structured processes that allow AI to handle complex tasks by breaking them into smaller, manageable parts.
—@theturingpost, Threads, 27 Oct. 2024

In what we call agentic feedback, teachers provide opportunities for students to independently revise their work, making the student an active partner in the revision process rather than a passive recipient of feedback.
—Camilla Mutoni Griffiths, Scientific American, 15 Jun. 2023

Agentic narcissism is a personality trait characterized by self-centered focus on one’s personal achievements, success, and dominance in social interactions, often at the expense of others.
—Vladimir Hedrih, PsyPost, 19 Sep. 2023

Where does agentic come from?
Agentic is formed from the noun agent, “one that exerts power” or “something that can produce an effect,” and the adjective suffix, -ic.

In reference to artificial intelligence, the word has been used since the 2010s, gaining prominence in 2024 following developments in technology. Here, agentic is based on the specific use of agent to describe computer applications designed to automate certain tasks. Technological advances in the 2020s engineered AI agents programmed to carry out increasingly sophisticated forms of automation. The capabilities of such AI are often described in the terms of human agency: making decisions, taking actions, solving problems, reasoning, etc., on its own. An agentic AI, for example, might be designed to receive and resolve a customer service issue, such as refunding money or resetting a password, without any human oversight in any step of the process.

Earlier uses of agentic can be found in chemistry and social sciences based on specialized senses of the word agent or agency in those disciplines. In chemistry, starting in the 1800s and with some usage up to the mid-to-late 1900s, agentic described certain chemical agents (e.g., agentic oxide) involved in reactions. In psychology, sociology, and related fields starting especially in the latter half of the 1900s, agentic has characterized behaviors, personality traits, emotional states, etc., seen as motivated by individualistic desires for mastery, success, and power.

How is agentic used?
Agentic is primarily used today as a technical term, in reference to AI agents and their applications. It is still used in social sciences (although less widely), especially as influenced by the work of American psychologist David Bakan (1921–2004), for certain kinds of self-seeking or self-assertive behaviors, especially in contrast to relationship-building ones (which are described as communal). Agentic is also specifically associated with the work of American psychologist Stanley Milgram (1933–1984), who used the word in reference to a psychological state where people are compelled to act on behalf of authority figures.

Last Updated: 22 Jan 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
AGI
noun
a theorized version of AI that can match or exceed human capabilities
What does AGI mean?
AGI stands for “artificial general intelligence” and refers to a theorized version of artificial intelligence that can match or even exceed human capabilities.

Examples of AGI
It fits into their overall mission to accelerate human potential through the symbiosis of AGI, neural prosthetics, robotics, clean energy, resilience solutions, and fundamental scientific research.
—Sterling Crispin, quoted in VICE, 1 Nov. 2023

In a post on X, [Sam] Altman pushed back against a post that accused him of “launching AI slop videos marketed as personalized ads” instead of building AI to cure cancer. “We do mostly need the capital [to] build AI that can do science, and for sure we are focused on AGI with almost all of our research effort,” he wrote.
—Andrew R. Chow, Time, 2 Oct. 2025

The US technology company’s AI division, Google DeepMind, argues that world models are a key step to achieving AGI, a hypothetical level of AI where a system can carry out most tasks on a par with humans – rather than just individual tasks such as playing chess or translating languages – and potentially do someone’s job.
—Dan Milmo, The Guardian (London), 5 Aug. 2025

Where does AGI come from?
Both artificial general intelligence and AGI date at least as far back as the early 2000s.

How is AGI used?
As both an abbreviation and a noun. Some publications may style AGI with periods:

… their companies are pursuing artificial general intelligence, or A.G.I., shorthand for a machine that can match the powers of the human brain, or an even more powerful technology called superintelligence.
—Cade Metz and Karen Weise, The New York Times, 29 Sept. 2025

Last Updated: 10 Oct 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
almond mom
noun
A mother who pushes her daughter to be skinny, through diet
What does almond mom mean?
Almond mom refers to a mother who imposes unhealthy eating habits and harmful expectations about weight and body image onto her children, especially daughters.

Examples of almond mom
The thing I hate about Josh’s parents house is that, it’s an almond mom type of house. I’m always questioning when we will get food. I’m always starving. I need F O O D.
—@Thestoryofbrit, X (formerly Twitter), 7 Oct. 2024

I have really healed my relationship with food over the last year. The healing came through unlearning all the diet culture “almond mom” things I absorbed growing up in the early 2000s and learning what truly nourishing my body looks like.
—@bewellwithjasmine, Threads, 7 Nov. 2023

In the world of an almond mom, diets reign supreme, being skinny is highly valued, and if you’re hungry, a couple of almonds should do it.
—Fortesa Latifi, Teen Vogue, 1 Feb. 2023

Where does almond mom come from?
The almond in almond mom is a reference to a 2013 clip from the reality TV show The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills in which Yolanda Hadid advises her daughter, fashion model Gigi Hadid, to consume a few almonds after Gigi shared feeling weak from a diet. The clip spread online in the early 2020s, and, by fall 2022, the term almond mom went viral as part of a social media trend where young women satirized harmful behaviors associated with it, especially practices like commenting on weight gain or using expressions like “nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.” The trend opened up a larger discourse on the damage restricted eating (and a preoccupation with thinness) can have on young people, particularly women.

How is almond mom used?
Almond mom is still commonly used as an informal pejorative term, appearing in the serious and complex contexts of diet culture, fatphobia, and eating disorders (although its tone is often humorous, as a way of making its point). For example: “Am I becoming an almond mom because I measure out exact portions of food for my dog?” However, the term has also broadened to refer positively to a concern for nutrition and fitness, as in “Every time I visit, my parents make sure they have my favorite almond mom foods, always stocking up with fresh veggies, sugar-free yogurt, and organic snack bars.” The evolution of the phrase, ironically, reinforces negative stereotypes the phrase originally criticized.

Almond mom is frequently used to modify another noun (a noun that modifies another noun is called attributive), not just in reference to a person but to characterize various actions or attitudes (‘almond mom behavior’). A male counterpart to almond mom is almond dad. Other relations, such as brother or wife, perceived to impart unhealthy eating or body image habits can be described as almond.

Last Updated: 22 Jan 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
ate (and left no crumbs)
phrase
performed or did perfectly or impressively
What does ate (and left no crumbs) mean?
If it is said that someone ate or ate and left no crumbs, they have performed or done something perfectly or impressively, whether that be singing, dancing, or dressing fashionably and looking good, etc. In other words, they’ve done something flawlessly, as well as it could possibly be done.

Examples of ate (and left no crumbs)
These pictures prove Cynthia Erivo ate and left no crumbs on the ‘Wicked’ press tour
—(headline), Out Magazine, 19 Nov. 2024

I’m sorry but my baby sister ate in her staff photo. A natural beauty!
—@AshTheDonLeon, X (formerly Twitter), 26 Dec. 2021

I forgot how bad my sister ate on that ‘Put It on Da Floor’ remix verse for a second.
—@itsKenBarbie, X (formerly Twitter), 9 Aug. 2024

“The best man and I were kind of seeing who could outdo each other with their speech,” she added. “When I made the joke, the front row erupted in laughter, and the best man made it even funnier by pointing to the aunties in the audience.” The video gained some serious attention on TikTok where people shared their thoughts in the comments. “SHE ATE and left no crumbs,” said viewer jay.e …
—Alice Gibbs, Newsweek, 17 Nov. 2024

Where does ate (and left no crumbs) come from?
Ate and ate and left no crumbs originated (as did the verb slay used with a similar meaning) in New York City’s Ballroom scene, a Black and Latino LGBTQ+ subculture, and began appearing on social media in the mid-2010s.

How is ate (and left no crumbs) used?
All uses are highly complimentary. As a verb, ate sometimes takes an object (as in “ate that up”) and sometimes does not (as in “she really ate with that one”). There are also many variations on the fuller phrase ate and left no crumbs.

Just saw Gladiator, Joe Quinn ATE and left not a single crumb. Not a one.
—@skylark-soars, Bluesky, 23 Nov. 2024

The fit is fitting. Ate that up and left zero crumbs.
—Reddit, 16 Nov. 2024

Sometimes ate is omitted altogether, leaving only left no crumbs.

One fan tweeted, “Beyonc; knew exactly what she was doing”, while another added, “BEYONC; LEFT NO CRUMBS.” We have to agree.
—Lucy Morgan, Cosmopolitan, 6 Aug. 2021

Present-tense uses are less common, but possible.

My nail tech will eat and leave no crumbs every time!
—@kellenah, X (formerly Twitter), 14 Feb. 2025

AoC did eat and leave no crumbs
—@ChefBecs, Reddit, 14 Sept. 2024

Ate down is another related construction used especially in African American English slang.

This is why, even though we’ve mostly seen Serena rocking lengthy braids or other protective styles, this collab still hits such a unique niche for Black girls who have layered requirements when it comes to our hair. … Her beau, Kordell, also ate down, giving us some of the most varied male hair looks we’ve seen on the show.
—Tayler Adigun, Ebony, 18 Sept. 2024

Embracing more of a casual New Yorker, at-home aesthetic with his patented NYC starter kit: Brown Advisory Board Crystal sweats, a durag and hyper fly black shades, Brooklyn’s own Joey BadA$$ ate down and devoured his performance with grace and humility.
—JaJuan Malachi, Blavity, 14 Jun. 2023

Last Updated: 13 Mar 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
auntie
noun
a term of affection/respect for an older woman
What does auntie mean?
Auntie, sometimes spelled aunty, is used in some cultures as a term of affection and respect for an older woman, whether or not she is the sister of one’s father or mother, or the wife of one’s uncle or aunt.

Examples of auntie
Auntie is used frequently in countries such as India and throughout Africa, where age signifies dignity and the elderly are considered an asset to the community rather than a burden. In Black culture, younger people sometimes use the title to signal respect toward an older woman who has proven to be audacious and wise.
—Dahleen Glanton, The Chicago Tribune, 28 Jan. 2020

His [Zohran Mamdani’s] campaign has also worked to engage Black voters that other Democratic campaigns often neglect, like Black Muslims and West African immigrants. Organizers with those groups said that Mr. Mamdani’s identity as an African-born Muslim helped capture the attention of those voters, who were also inspired by his message about affordability. “The aunties are calling and saying, ‘I want to go door-knocking,’” said AjiFanta Marenah, vice president of the Muslim Democratic Club of New York, who helped organize for Mr. Mamdani. “That’s never happened before.”
—Maya King et al., The New York Times, 10 Aug. 2025

In my desi community, aunties and uncles are pleased to note, pedantically, that Mahatma Gandhi inspired Martin Luther King Jr.
—Sanjena Sathian, The San Francisco Chronicle, 26 June 2020

The notoriously outspoken Democrat [Representative Maxine Waters], who sports her Millennials-bestowed moniker “Auntie Maxine” like a Yankees cap pulled low – is also unapologetic about telling Black women to take their seat at the throne of the table of Democracy, once and for all.
—Tomika Anderson, 9 May 2019

I started working on the show on Zoom in the pandemic, thinking that we would never return back to civilization. I just basically wrote up until the moment we were at that day. The show would end with for example, ‘day 180,’ in parentheses ‘today.’ And then I would stand on my bed and bow. We’d do a Q&A, and all the aunties who are sewing remotely from their homes turned their cameras on. Because basically I was just entertaining them.
—Kristina Wong, quoted in The East Bay (California) Times, 2 Apr. 2024

Where does auntie come from?
This use of auntie is an extension of auntie as used for the sister of one’s father or mother or for the wife of one’s uncle or aunt. Auntie was formed by adding the diminutive suffix -ie (“little one” or “dear little one”) to aunt, which traces back to the Latin amita.

How is auntie used?
Although auntie is usually intended as a term of endearment and respect, some women do not find the term endearing, and may even find it disrespectful, overly familiar, or ageist in some if not all contexts, and for a variety of reasons.

No woman wants to be disrespected—and Black women know when they are being dissed. At its best, “auntie” is reverential, but that doesn’t mean you can always use it for someone who isn’t family. Nikole Hannah-Jones Jones, creator of the New York Times’ The 1619 Project, is the latest public figure to say she doesn’t want to be referred to in that way. On March 4, she tweeted, “Please don’t call me auntie unless I am actually your auntie.” The comment re-exposed a cultural divide over intent versus action and the role that language plays in the devaluation of Black women. … Additionally Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King expressed disdain for the slang term as well, with Winfrey saying to Oprah Daily, “I cringe being called Auntie or Mama by anybody other than my nieces or godchildren, except if I’m in Africa, where it’s the custom for everybody to refer to anyone older as ‘Sister,’ or ‘Auntie,’ depending on the age difference.” Racialized gendered ageism can lead to Black women being stereotyped and shut out of opportunities, particularly around employment.
—Brooklyn White, Essence: Girls United, 1 May 2024

If you’re an Indian American, you’ll probably just call her “aunty.” “Aunty” and “Uncle” have become easy fallbacks when addressing people including distant associates, neighbors, acquaintances, and even total strangers who are older than oneself. … As an adult woman who has also been called “aunty” one too many times by too many adults who I barely know, I have a bone to pick with what I believe has become a hapless naming practice.
—Shobha Tharoor Srinivasan, IndiaCurrents, February 2009

Though each woman has described her own reasons for rejecting the term, the common thread is the history of older Black women being referred to as Auntie by white people during slavery and Jim Crow. It was, in that context, at once a sign of age and a mark of diminishment. Black women were deemed unworthy of being called Mrs. or ma’am, or, as we say in U.S. Black English, “putting a handle on their names.”
—Imani Perry, The Atlantic, 6 Apr. 2022

Last Updated: 26 Aug 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
aura
noun | OR-uh
‘Cool’ factor; star power; stylish swagger
What does aura mean?
Aura is a slang term meaning “stylishness; confident and suave excellence.” In sports and entertainment, an athlete or performer is said to have aura when displaying exceptional talent, charisma, or other inspirational qualities. On social media, one is said to gain or lose (metaphorical) aura points when doing something impressive or embarrassing, respectively.

Examples of aura
At Paris 2024, the athlete possessing the most natural aura might be the irrepressible Sha’Carri Richardson, a track phenomenon boasting a personality the size of a small planet, an indomitable sense of self-belief and a fierce determination to succeed …
—Ben Jhoty, Esquire (Australia), 29 Jul. 2024

Nobody will ever have aura like Michael Jackson
—@PicturesFoIder, X (formerly Twitter), 18 Jul. 2024

how many aura points did i lose when i let him tell me time and time again i wasnt a priority in his life but i always made it a point to make him one of my top priorities, even above myself.
—@angelicaaachacon, TikTok, 25 Jun. 2024

Greatest Aura Fluctuations … Toilet paper on shoe (-3500 aura) … Falling into a push-up (+9000 aura) …
—@kade.grothem, TikTok, 30 May 2024

Where does aura come from?
The slang meaning of aura stems from the word’s sense meaning “a distinctive atmosphere or quality someone or something is felt to emanate”—that is, the energy or ‘vibe’ given off.

It spread online in the early 2020s, especially in reference to athletes exhibiting prowess in their sport. In summer 2024, aura went viral on social media, especially TikTok, often in connection to a video trend in which people playfully quantified how many so-called aura points someone gained or lost relative to variously smooth or awkward social scenarios.

How is aura used?
In sports and entertainment, aura is widely used in reference to athletes or performers seen as demonstrating charismatic excellence. A football player, for example, who is not only dominant on the field but also a leader in the locker room may be said to have aura.

On social media, aura often appears in reference to gaining or, especially, losing aura points, typically as accompanied by an arbitrary numeric evaluation of everyday incidents and interactions (e.g., ‘+10,000 aura’ for making a hilarious joke or ‘-3,500 aura’ for tripping in public). The resulting tally is sometimes called an aura count. While this practice of assigning positive and negative aura points is typically humorous, instances centered solely on losing aura points or experiencing negative aura range in tone and intent, variously earnest, emotional, self-deprecating, or mocking.

Last Updated: 22 Jan 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
aura farming
noun
the act of doing something to look cool, impressive, stylish, etc.
What does aura farming mean?
Aura farming refers to the act of doing something to look cool, impressive, stylish, etc., especially—and importantly—without trying too hard. One can also “farm aura,” that is, do something in order to enhance one’s coolness.

Examples of aura farming
“Mad Max” is known for having some absolutely bonkers motorcycles throughout the franchise. … First and foremost, Dementus’ Biker Horde gets points for aura farming alone. Whenever there’s a wide shot of all the bikers together, you get a great look at all the ways they’ve customized their rides with animal skulls and other parts they may have come by in the Wasteland.
—Mike Bedard, Slashgear.com, 25 Feb. 2025

Aura farming 101 — Lesson #1: Dress well and bring a book
—@JamilVanGuard, X (formerly Twitter), 12 Mar. 2025

What’s the most epic “aura farming” moment in all of fantasy book history? I’m talking about those scenes where a character’s training, cultivation, or power-building feels so intense and legendary that it becomes one of the most unforgettable moments in the story. Could be magic, energy cultivation, ... or any system, just that pure build-up of strength. What’s your all-time favorite?
—@BuddyOk1342, Reddit, 15 Aug. 2025

Where does aura farming come from?
Aura farming combines the slang use of aura meaning “the quality of being impressively cool, charming, or appealing” with a slang use of farming, referring to often repetitive actions to acquire something (such as points or items in a video game). Anime fandom is often credited for the surge in popularity of aura farming, using it often to depict various characters in the act of looking particularly cool.

How is aura farming used?
As mileage can and does vary on what constitutes “cool,” invocations of aura farming can range from positive assertions that it involves behaving like a sigma to dismissals of any/all behaviors that smack of farming aura as silly and pretentious. You do you, though (as always).

Last Updated: 24 Oct 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
babygirl
noun or adjective
an attractive, charmingly sensitive man
What does babygirl mean?
Babygirl refers to a man who is both attractive and charmingly sensitive (or brooding/self-possessed/quirky) as opposed to stereotypically macho. It is also often used as an adjective to describe a man possessed of such qualities.

Examples of babygirl
kaveh is so babygirl he’s like a ten on the babygirl scale (which is a lot) in fact babygirl is the best word to describe him
—@wiistef, X (formerly Twitter), 6 Feb. 2023

No because why is he so babygirl every time he’s with actresses ; ;
—@L_james_P_, X (formerly Twitter), 10 Sept. 2025

So what makes a man into a babygirl? It’s a fairly intangible thing, but it’s somewhere at the nexus of charming, adorable and stylish in a quirky, individual way. He’s the kind of guy that teens and 20-somethings adore, but so do their mothers (a significant tranche of [Harry] Styles’ fans are middle-aged women). In the context of acting roles, they’re less action heroes, more tortured souls.
—Tamara Abraham, The Telegraph (United Kingdom), 29 Jan. 2024

A lot (but not all) of the ‘babygirls’ have ‘feminine’ tendencies/behaviors but that’s not what makes them babygirl. It’s the vibe. The attitude. They exude ‘I wanna do it my own way’ stubbornness mixed with ‘royal treatment’ by others.
—@mnf123, Reddit, 21 Feb. 2024

Where does babygirl come from?
Babygirl has long been used as a term of endearment, but this specific application appears to have arisen online in the early 2020s.

How is babygirl used?
Often followed by one or several emojis, such as the one with hearts for eyes.

Last Updated: 3 Oct 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
baddie
noun
a confident, stylish, and attractive woman
What does baddie mean?
Baddie refers to someone, usually a woman, who is confident, stylish, and attractive.

Examples of baddie
In the late 2010s, being a baddie meant you looked good, got to the bag and stood on business if things got tough.
—Kenyatta Victoria, Essence, 1 May 2024

As she continues to push boundaries in music and fashion, Latto reminds us all to stay true to ourselves—because that’s the real baddie energy.
—Victor Vaughns, Ebony, 16 Dec. 2024

Founded by legacy YouTuber and influencer De’arra Taylor, Lorvae’s sunglasses elevate any look and help anyone “exude [their] inner baddie on any day.” The brand’s female-led team prides itself on creating durable, high-quality products that embody “self-expression, individuality, and creativity.”
—Haniyah Philogene, The Grio, 29 Nov. 2022

Where does baddie come from?
In its suggestion of self-assuredness and self-confidence, baddie (which began appearing online in the late 2010s) is similar to an older term bad bitch, whose second element is a positive reclamation of that word. Both uses of baddie and bad bitch originated in African American English slang.

A bad bitch is a woman, black or white, who knows who she is, knows how to get what she wants, can be sweet or evil depending on the situation, who can take care of herself without begging nobody for nothing.
—Daisy Voight, (letter), quoted in Common Ground by J. Anthony Lukas, 1985

A baddie remains confident and beautiful whether in makeup, barefaced, tight clothes or even in sweatpants. A baddie lives the world on her terms, and she’s also known in pop culture as a bad bitch. ... The baddie aesthetic became popularized in the 2010s by African American women, particularly in online communities and social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram as a positive term for women to embrace themselves and accentuate their femininity. This is in the same line as hashtags like #BlackGirlMagic, promoted to boost self esteem.
—Dauda Opeyemi, DocumentWomen.com, 19 May 2023

How is baddie used?
Baddie is a noun, although it is sometimes used like an adjective to modify other nouns, as in “baddie vibes/style/era/etc.” Baddie is positive, complimentary, often celebratory.

A pastel green tie-front bralette bikini top that may give you some interesting tan lines, but is well worth it if you get to set Instagram baddie vibes while kicking it poolside. Now am I right or am I right?
—Tatayana Yomary, Buzzfeed, 24 May 2022

Gone was the dowdy skirt suit; she wore an elegant, fitted black midi dress ... and she accessorized it with an opulent but tasteful gold link necklace and matching earrings. ... In other words, as of episode 4, Gerri entered her baddie era. She’s feeling herself, and her wardrobe reflects that.
—Cady Lang, Time, 23 Apr. 2023

Last Updated: 6 Mar 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
based
adjective
unconcerned with what others think
What does based mean?
Based is used approvingly to describe someone who projects a lack of concern about how others feel about their actions or opinions. It can also describe a thing, such as an action or event, perceived as both bold and commendable, especially if it challenges or flouts convention in some way.

Examples of based
My boyfriend is so based he cut my hair. Also casually made the best aglio e olio of my career and it was better than yours I guarantee it
— Instagram.com, 13 Jan. 2025

… he [Thomas Aquinas] was based for integrating Christianity with Aristotle but cringe for upholding massive sexism…
—@exgenesis, X (formerly Twitter), 1 Jun. 2025

Ngl this meme is so based
—Reddit, 2 Jun. 2022

Where does based come from?
The slang use of based is widely credited to Berkeley, California rapper Lil B, whose 2007 album with hip-hop group The Pack was titled Based Boys, and who counts “The BasedGod” among his aliases.

Based means being yourself. Not being scared of what people think about you. Not being afraid to do what you wanna do. Being positive. When I was younger, based was a negative term that meant like dopehead, or basehead. People used to make fun of me. They was like, “You’re based.” They’d use it as a negative. And what I did was turn that negative into a positive. I started embracing it like, “Yeah, I’m based.” I made it mine. I embedded it in my head. Based is positive.
—Lil B, quoted in Complex, 9 Jun. 2010

The term was later taken up ironically in online circles by the alt-right in the 2010s, which brought it more attention.

The conservative commentator Christina Hoff Sommers was given the nickname Based Mom due to her ardent defense of gamers who were labeled as sexist. Following the anointment of Sommers as Based Mom, this pseudo-title became a commonly-applied ironic honorific for conservatives online. “Based” was particularly popular in the far-right spaces of Reddit, 4chan, Twitter and Discord, where casual misogyny often mixed with ironic racism.
—Zaron Burnett III, Mel Magazine, 24 Nov. 2021

… the word “based,” which is 4chan slang for somebody who agrees to the board’s warped worldview.
—Justin Ling, The Guardian (London), 1 May 2022

The word is still used ironically in such circles, but is not exclusive to far-right communities.

Creating Food forests and feeding your community with it is based af !!
—@ADignifiedLife, Reddit, 17 Mar. 2025

How is based used?
In addition to being used as an adjective, based is often used interjectionally and as a hashtag as an affirmation in response to someone or something that is, well, based.

Ok, I’m now convinced the NYT staff room plays a water cooler game coming up with absurd slang etymologies #Based
—@rolandrood, BlueSky, 21 Apr. 2025

Last Updated: 6 Jun 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
bed rotting
noun
the act or practice of staying in bed all day
What does bed rotting mean?
Bed rotting refers to the act or practice of staying in bed all day (or for a prolonged amount of time), especially when feeling stressed, overwhelmed, etc., but also for the occasional pleasure of doing so.

Examples of bed rotting
Bed rotting doesn’t sound like something you’d do on purpose. But thanks to TikTok, it’s become a go-to practice for the overworked, overtired and perpetually online. Lazing around in bed all day can be a relaxing addition to your self-care routine. It could also be a symptom of an underlying health condition.
—Cleveland Clinic, 19 Aug. 2025

Bed rotting is usually when I know I’m at a low point in my mood/mental health. … Laying around all day, not showering or bothering with clean clothes, and eating whatever junk is the easiest is when I’m full rot mode lol. Self care is also understanding that it’s a cycle, and allowing myself the time to rot bc sometimes it’s needed…just not all the time. I’m also a big object in motion stays in motion kind of person but I give myself grace when I can to know my 100% effort isn’t going to be the same every day.
—@Baking-it-work, Reddit, 30 Apr. 2024

i have not had a bed rotting day like this in a loooong time and i needed it so bad tbh im on strike from life for a day
—@hannahhedgehog, BlueSky, 7 Sept. 2025

No one said bed rotting means living in bed all day every day and not moving. I run half marathons, triathlons, walk daily, lift weights, play volleyball and laying in bed, is still my favorite thing to do.
—@stellar-polaris23, Reddit, 9 Sept. 2025

Where does bed rotting come from?
People have been using the similar noun bed rot to refer to the deteriorating state of one’s body when inactive in bed for too long for over twenty years.

Once I was up and dressed by 7:30 a.m. Now I … have to strain to find reasons why I can’t stay in bed all day (shame, bed rot, starvation) and then finally drag myself out of bed because, well, nature calls, or in today’s case because I have to write …
—Hanna Rosin, Slate, 8 Jan. 2001

“I think I had bed rot,” she said with a laugh. “My first year, I was in a state of depression. I was in my room and I saw the four walls and I just sat there.”
—Tulsa (Oklahoma) World, 31 Mar. 2002

Bed rotting, which refers to the intentional practice of lying in bed for prolonged amounts of time, began showing up on the internet around 2023. We suspect that the practice has existed for quite a while longer.

How is bed rotting used?
In addition to the noun bed rotting (referring to the practice), there is also bed rot, which is used as both a noun (“an instance of bed rotting”) and a verb.

A bed rot once in a blue moon is an indulgent treat.
—Eve Upton-Clark, FastCompany, 27 Aug. 2025

This month Kim Kardashian’s all-powerful shapewear label Skims pivoted from selling Hannibal Lecter-esque face-sculpting wraps to PJs for students to bed rot in.
—Chloe Mac Donnell, The Guardian (London), 28 Aug. 2025

Last Updated: 12 Sep 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
bet
interjection | BET
An informal affirmative, sometimes used facetiously
What does bet mean?
Bet is a slang term used as an interjection in several ways. It can express enthusiastic affirmation, agreement, or approval, similar to “For sure!” or “Great!” It can accept a challenge, often humorously, similar to “Try me!” It can also convey exasperation or disbelief, usually sarcastically, equivalent to “Give me a break!” or “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Examples of bet
So you mean I’ll have to wait until the Super Bowl to see the Ravens vs. Lions? Ok, bet!
—@tippmajor, X (formerly Twitter), 21 Oct. 2024

Slowing down the economy and making life miserable for everyone just so rich people can get richer? Ok, bet.
—@theashrb, X (formerly Twitter), 19 Oct. 2024

Bet! See you there!
—@bakingsteele, Threads, 15 Oct. 2024

Alright bet! Thank you for this
—@cikefit, Threads, 14 Oct. 2024

Where does bet come from?
Bet originated in African American English slang in the 1980s. It was likely shortened from much older expressions such as you can bet on it or you bet, especially when these were used as exclamations meaning “of course” or “certainly.” Some of these, including you bet, are recorded in American English as far back as the 1850s, and are based on the verb bet, “to wager, stake, risk.” The current slang sense of bet gained prominence in the late 2010s and early 2020s as it spread on social media, and was employed with more playful or ironic uses. When used as a way to accept a challenge, bet may also allude to flippant expressions like “You wanna bet?”

How is bet used?
Use of bet is very context-dependent. As an affirmative, it is generally used as a single-word response to another statement. If one person says, “Let’s go out for tacos tonight,” another could reply, informally, “Bet. How about 7pm at our favorite spot?”

When meant ironically, it is also used as a response, often as introduced by OK or similar words to emphasize its tone or intent, as in “You don’t think I can beat you in chess? OK, bet!” or “My company wants to give me a promotion without increasing my salary? Yeah, bet.” Bet can also be used in a neutral affirmative way, especially in African American English. In such cases the meaning is similar to “okay” or “all right.”

Last Updated: 22 Jan 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
; Black Heart
emoji
A digital black-colored heart, usually expressing affection
What does the Black Heart emoji ; mean?
The Black Heart emoji (;) is a digital representation of the conventional symbol for a heart, colored black and used in electronic communication to convey, like other colored heart emoji, love, affection, sympathy, etc. It is also often used to add emphasis in connection to things associated with black. In general, the emoji does not have a specific, set meaning one should avoid using wrong or offensively.

Examples of the Black Heart emoji ;
Black Lives Matter. All Black Lives Matter. ; PERIOD.; / That means straight, gay, queer, trans, mentally ill, rich, poor, and everyone in between.; YOU matter.
—@NBJContheMOve, X (formerly Twitter), 17 Oct. 2024

;; Spooky season is my favorite next to Christmas. Anyone else love to show off their slightly wicked side for the holiday?
—@seasons4home, Instagram, 15 Oct. 2024

I'm so sorry. ; much strength to you and her!
—@OriginalGoldCat, X (formerly Twitter), 30 Sep. 2024

Let’s Go Steelers, LET’S GO!! ;;;;; #pittsburgh #pittsburghsteelers
—@deeandtplusthree, TikTok, 8 Oct. 2023

Happy birthday honey, I love you very much. ;
—@laceymmark, Instagram, 13 Jun. 2023

Where does the Black Heart emoji ; come from?
The Black Heart emoji ; first appeared as part of Unicode 9.0, a 2016 update to the universal text and character encoding standard maintained by the nonprofit organization Unicode. It is a black-colored version of the Red Heart emoji, ;;, which is based on non-colored digital heart symbols originating in Japanese technology in the late 1980s and 1990s.

How is the Black Heart emoji ; used?
The Black Heart emoji ; is among 12 other colored heart emoji, among other emoji that incorporate the heart symbol, and are often used in combination together: Red Heart ;;, Pink Heart ;, Orange Heart ;, Yellow Heart ;, Green Heart ;, Blue Heart ;, Light Blue Heart ;, Purple Heart ; , Brown Heart ;, Grey Heart ;, and White Heart ; .

Despite differences in their use based on color, all of the heart emoji are used in similar, wide-ranging ways to convey various forms of affection and related positive emotions and behaviors, such as gratitude, happiness, and showing support. Compared to the Red Heart ;; and Pink Heart ; emoji, the Black Heart emoji ; is used somewhat less for direct expressions of romantic or familial love and affection.

Notable uses of the Black Heart emoji ; include support of the Black Lives Matter movement alongside the Brown Heart emoji ;. It is also applied to various symbolism associated with the color black, including sorrow, grief, horror, evil, and dark humor. It is used in countless, idiosyncratic other manners to add emphasis in messages about people and things connected in some way to the color black, from sports teams to social causes to fashion.

Last Updated: 22 Jan 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
blep
noun
a case of an animal with its tongue sticking partway out
What does blep mean?
Blep refers to an instance of an animal with its tongue sticking partway out.

Examples of blep
Cute fox does a blep!
—@sweetstarcosmic, X (formerly Twitter), 9 Dec. 2023

Zoom for tiny blep [Alt image description: Tabby Siberian cat wearing a cute little black and red plaid fleece, laying on her side on a heated blanket. She faces the camera, a small sliver of tongue peeping from her mouth]
—@kindofstrange, Blue Sky, 20 Mar. 2025

Has your dog perfected their ulti-mutt toothy grin? Is their tongue blep on another level?
—Daily Star (London, Eng.), 27 Nov. 2020

Where does blep come from?
Blep is possibly based on a sound a human might make sticking their tongues out in imitation of their pet or another animal.

How is blep used?
Blep is used affectionately and highly approvingly.

Last Updated: 27 Mar 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
bloatware
noun | BLOHT-wair
unwanted pre-installed computer software
What does bloatware mean?
Bloatware refers to pre-installed computer software that is unwanted, usually because it takes up a large amount of memory and impedes functionality, is difficult to remove, or is generally substandard and unasked for.

Examples of bloatware
Often one of the reasons a PC is inexpensive is that, as with broadcast TV and “free” cell phones, some other entity is subsidizing the price. Bloatware consists of all those trial software applications that are designed to tempt you into buying programs that didn’t come with your PC. … It can be hard to remove bloatware completely from your system, and leaving it in place can even compromise performance. Although many desktops come with some bloatware, manufacturers tend to put more of it into lower-end consumer models.
—Matthew Buzzi, PC Mag, 17 Feb. 2025

… bloatware—software with minimal usefulness that eats up tons of a computer’s memory and disk space.
—Zephin Livingston and Rachel Williams, Forbes, September 27, 2024

… lol if I wanted AI tools I’ll purchase them third party and shop around for one with no privacy issues. I don’t want AI bloatware in my computer taking space for no reason when I didn’t request it.
—@Bloodthistle, Reddit, 22 May 2024

Bloatware is a term for software that comes preloaded on a device but is not needed in any way, shape or form. It could be software that someone paid to be on there, or it could be something the manufacturer put on, or whoever sold it to you added. You find it by looking at the device and going “Why the hell is this thing on here? I don’t need an app for this, and if I wanted one I’d download one of the good ones!”
—@sterlingphoenix, Reddit, 1 Oct. 2016

Where does bloatware come from?
Bloatware has been in use in print since at least the early 1990s, and combines the noun bloat (“unwarranted or excessive growth or enlargement”) with ware as in software.

We can complain about “bloatware.” Or we can ask developers to utilize processing speed in ways that can make us all more productive.
—Michael J. Miller, PC Computing, 22 Sept. 1998

Software from Microsoft or San Mateo, CA-based e-business specialist Siebel Systems is stuffed with features and benefits customers may say they want. But it’s clear that this kind of innovation-laden “bloatware” imposes unique costs of its own, as the overwhelming majority of customers use only the tiniest fraction of all that functionality.
—Michael Schrage, Technology Review, April 2002

How is bloatware used?
There is little evidence of software companies using bloatware as a positive descriptor of their own products. It is generally used by consumers, with a mixture of disdain and exasperation.

Last Updated: 13 May 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
; Blue Heart
emoji
A digital blue-colored heart expressing types of affection
What does the Blue Heart emoji ; mean?
The Blue Heart emoji (;) is a digital representation of the conventional symbol for a heart, colored blue and used in electronic communication to convey love, affection, sympathy, etc. In general, the emoji does not have any specific, set meaning that one should avoid using wrong or offensively.

Examples of the Blue Heart emoji ;
Mets fans, it was a fun, wild, and unforgettable season. Thank you for being such a big part of it. ;;
—@Mets, X (formerly Twitter), 21 Oct. 2024

Thank you! If you'd like any other patterns, I'll set up a code for 50% off for you to even out the 25% discount. ;
—@things.beth.makes, Threads, 16 Oct. 2024

Thank you guys for wishing me a happy birthday ;;
—@WS10YT, YouTube, 24 Sep. 2024

I love you ; so much ;;
—@itslakshmi2, TikTok (comment), 22 Sep. 2024

This Father's Day, let's remember the strength and resilience of all dads and father figures. We are sending all the love to you! ;
—@elliementalhealth, Instagram, 18 Jun. 2023

Where does the Blue Heart emoji ; come from?
The Blue Heart emoji ; first appeared as part of Unicode 6.0, a 2010 update to the universal text and character encoding standard maintained by the nonprofit organization Unicode. It is a blue-colored version of the Red Heart emoji (;;) which is based on non-colored digital heart symbols originating in Japanese technology in the late 1980s and 1990s.

How is the Blue Heart emoji ; used?
The Blue Heart emoji ; is one of 12 colored heart emoji (and there are other emoji that incorporate the heart symbol in some way), which are often used in combination together: Red Heart ;;, Pink Heart ;, Orange Heart ;, Yellow Heart ;, Green Heart ;, Light Blue Heart ;, Purple Heart ; , Brown Heart ;, Black Heart ;, Grey Heart ;, and White Heart ; .

Despite nuances in their use based on color, all of the heart emoji are used extensively across digital communication in similar, wide-ranging ways to convey various forms of affection and positive emotions and behaviors, such as gratitude, happiness, and showing support. The Blue Heart emoji ; is used somewhat less for direct expressions of romantic or familial love and affection than the Red Heart ;; and Pink Heart ; emoji are.

It is used in countless, idiosyncratic other manners to add emphasis in messages about people and things connected in some way to the color blue and its symbolism, from sports teams to social causes to fashion.

Last Updated: 22 Jan 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
blue-pilled
adjective | BLOO-pild
A right-wing insult for being delusional and ‘woke’; willfully ignorant of the supposed truth
What does blue-pilled mean?
Blue-pilled is a slang term meaning “having taken the blue pill,” the blue pill being a metaphor for the mindless acceptance of an illusory reality (blue pill stands in contrast to the red pill, which awakens someone to actual truth). It is primarily used in disparaging people associated with left-wing or progressive ideologies.

Also bluepilled, blue pilled.

Examples of blue-pilled
Just got called a blue-pilled cuck because I want a wife
—@viper_vfr, Threads, 28 Nov. 2024

Europeans are literally blue-pilled and are mostly concerned with climate change, immigration and the Ukraine war
—@levelsio, X (formerly Twitter), 29 Apr. 2024

I shouldn’t have to tell any of you the state of things today do not seem so great. Even the most blue pilled normie who mistakenly watches the mainstream media for their “news” gets it to a certain degree.
—James Whitaker, Healthy Division (blog), 28 May 2023

He's a blue-pilled Democrat. He still thinks that the Hunter Biden laptop was fake and that the media didn't cover up the lab leak hypothesis.
—u/Ehronatha, r/GayConservative, 1 Dec. 2022

Where does blue-pilled come from?
Blue-pilled is based on the Internet slang blue pill, or the condition of remaining comfortably unaware or in denial of a purported deeper truth or ‘real’ state of reality. Blue pill originated in a scene in the 1999 film The Matrix where the main character is given the choice between taking a (literal) blue pill that would return him to a state of ignorance and a red pill that would show him the truth that humans are enslaved in a simulated reality.

The concept, and term, spread in the 2010s as a metaphor for a blind faith in or being brainwashed by mainstream thought and values. It was particularly popular in online communities who viewed the mainstream as liberal. These communities—associated with conspiracy theories and extremist ideologies, including racism, homophobia, and misogyny—used the term red pill as a metaphor for seeing, and being freed by, the supposed truth. By the 2020s, following the rise of far-right politics in online media, critics of progressive viewpoints began using blue-pilled as a form of derision, meant to describe people who unthinkingly supported them as delusional and ‘woke.’

Blue pill was then made into a verb, “to remain in a state of ignorance,” taking the past tense and past participle forms of blue-pilled. Red-pilled _and _blue-pilled yielded the suffix -pilled, usually humorously attached to stems characterizing a sudden fixation or indoctrination. For instance: “I tried to resist the appliance because I thought it was such a trend, but I finally used one to cook chicken and now I’m totally air fryer-pilled.”

How is blue-pilled used?
Blue-pilled is primarily used to denigrate someone or something seen as politically and socially liberal, mainstream (construed as liberally biased), or otherwise in opposition to beliefs of those who have metaphorically taken the red pill.

It occasionally appears in the construction to get or become blue-pilled, which refers to the process in which a previously free-thinking individual becomes indoctrinated by leftism, such as through exposure or persuasion by the mainstream media. Less commonly, blue-pilled is used ironically to counter its use as an insult or positively by individuals associated with social liberalism.

Last Updated: 22 Jan 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
body count
noun
The number of sexual partners a person has had
What does body count mean?
Body count refers to the number of sexual partners a person has had, sometimes—but not always—with the gendered implication that a high count is bad for women and/or good for men.

Examples of body count
When it comes to sex, many people are quite open about their body count. Others, however, like to keep their intimacy tight-lipped.
—Christine Younan, The Daily Star [UK], 22 Apr. 2023

My sister just asked my mom her body count … Thanksgiving is insane
—@24kGoldn, X (formerly Twitter), 23 Nov. 2023

I had this conversation with a man. his body count was 17 and told me he wouldn’t date a girl who’s count was over 4.
—miaunknown__, X (formerly Twitter), 23 Jan. 2025

Where does body count come from?
The non-spicy and original use of body count most people are familiar with refers to the number of persons killed usually in a battle or war. This led to body count being used more broadly for the number of persons involved in a particular activity. The slang use of body count simply makes that “particular activity” explicit in more ways than one, though it’s not exactly new:

In “Seeing Other People,” Alice (Julianne Nicholson) and Ed (Jay Mohr), an attractive, comfortably monogamous couple about to be married, decide to try belonging to everyone as a premarital treat before they settle down. Alice, all fired up after spying on a couple enjoying furtive, quickie sex at her engagement party, persuades her reluctant fiance that having more notches in their respective belts will fortify their union. Her body count of three lovers simply isn’t enough, she insists.
—Stephen Holden, The New York Times, 7 May 2004

However, its increasing popularity may be due in part to its prevalence in the manosphere: male-centered websites, Internet communities, and other digital media regarded collectively as espousing anti-feminist views, typically involving misogyny and associated with far-right ideologies. In such online communities, women with high body counts, whether real or perceived, are regarded with extreme contempt.

How is body count used?
While the noun body count can be used judgment-free and matter-of-factly, there is often judgment attached, depending on the user’s level of prudishness or double standards, or both. As one Redditor put it succinctly:

Usually “body count” is used as a reason to devalue women based solely on their dating history.
—@Peebles8, Reddit, 15 May 2023

It usually features in conversations about people’s different preferences in potential partners, and attitudes toward sex and the importance (or unimportance) of one’s sexual history.

Once a man’s body count hits double digits, he becomes so unattractive to me
—@roverette, X (formerly Twitter), 24 Jan. 2025

Last Updated: 7 Feb 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
bomboclat
adjective | bom-bo-clat
A versatile Jamaican vulgarism; Internet slang for something weird or excellent
What does bomboclat mean?
Bomboclat is a Jamaican profanity similar in meaning and function to the f-word. In Internet slang, it is a nonsense term, captioning images, videos, or other content thought of as unusual in some way. It sometimes means “attractive” or “impressive.” The word is also commonly spelled bumboclaat.

Examples of bomboclat
My flight was suppose to land at 2:15 and I’m just getting off my flight!! Wat in the bomboclat!!!
—@dearryen, Threads, 7 Jul. 2023

Dem bomboclat government brutalising de people! We need change #ZimbabweanLivesMatter
—@tarielissa, X (formerly Twitter), 7 Aug. 2020

“I’m coming back to deal with this shit myself since you’re TOO BUMBOCLAT STUPID TO GET THE JOB DONE!!” Dex yelled, hanging up the phone.
—Sharifa D., Her Loves Saved Him, The Streets Made Him 2: Hailee & Dionne, 17 Sep. 2019

Where does bomboclat come from?
Bomboclat comes from Jamaican English. The term has been recorded since the 1950s but likely was in use before then. It is based on bumbo, a coarse patois term for female genitalia, and claat, a Jamaican type of cloth. Combined, the words literally mean “menstrual cloth,” but early evidence for bomboclat suggests it has denigrated someone or something as “contemptible” from or close to the start. (Associated with taboo subjects, hygiene has long been a source of profanity.) Functioning as an adjective, noun, and interjection, the word has the same range and intensity in Jamaican English as English swear words such as the f-word.

Bomboclat received mainstream attention in 2014 after Rob Ford—then mayor of Toronto, which has a large Caribbean population—controversially used the word in a rant. In September 2019, it went viral on social media after a then-Twitter user posted “bomboclaat” as a seemingly random caption to a meme image. Discussion ensued about apparent confusion of bomboclat with sco pu tu mana, an Internet nonsense phrase popularized by a Ghanaian musician in April of 2019. In this way, it likely influenced subsequent Internet gibberish terms associated with Generation Alpha and sometimes called “brain rot,” including gyatt, skibidi, and Fanum tax.

How is bomboclat used?
Bomboclat remains a vulgar slang term in Jamaican English (as well as other English-based creoles throughout the world). Thanks to its popularity in 2019, bomboclat is also commonly used in Internet slang as a nonsense term and meme, frequently appearing as a single-word caption to content (often in the form of a series of related images) that the user finds weird, bizarre, jarring, or funny in some way. Often, it is posted randomly on its own. The popularity of the online use of bomboclat has caused its meaning to broaden to include “attractive, impressive, excellent.”

Of course, as a vulgarism, it can be considered very offensive. Use of the term without regard for its Jamaican English origins may also be seen as culturally insensitive or appropriative.

Last Updated: 7 Feb 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
bop
noun
An offensive term for someone (usually a young woman) seen as promiscuous.
What does bop mean?
Bop is a slang term for a person who has had many sexual partners, or who presents themself online in a way that is thought of as immodest (such as posting pictures or video with revealing clothing). Bop is often used with another word, such as lala bop or school bop. While it can be used to describe men, the majority of use is in reference to women. The word is considered harmful, and its use is typically an example of cyberbullying.

Examples of bop
I get called the school bop - When in reality, im just a lover girl fr :(((
—Reddit (title of thread), 5 Apr. 2024

Wow so he calls Brook a bop playfully but is with an actual bop. I saw her Instagram page and she’s half naked in all of her pictures — no clothes on, no decorum about her.
—youtube (comment), Apr. 2024

when he’s highkey a bop but it’s ok bc i js want him for bop activities
—tiktok, 23 Mar. 2024

basically called him a bop and he got mad like what
(comment) tiktok, 4 Apr. 2024

this is currently happening to my daughter too. I have reached to the school already and these girls have been picking on her since middle school and now in freshmen in HS they continue to doing it. They scream in the hallways "lalabop" every time she pass the hallway.
—(comment) Quora.com

Where does bop come from?
This current slang sense of bop is thought to have begun shortly after rapper Almighty Rexxo released a song in 2021 titled "Lala Bop." In 2023 a trend spread on TikTok and other social media platforms, in which people would tag users, generally young women, with lala bop, in an implication that the person was sexually promiscuous, or overly immodest in the way that they presented themselves online. Following the introduction of lala bop the word began to be used as simply bop, or as school bop (implying that the person had many sexual partners at a particular school).

This slang sense of bop is distinct from another recent use of the word, which is in reference to a catchy and enjoyable song, especially one that is upbeat and invites dancing.

How is bop used?
In its current slang sense bop is not a friendly word. Its use is considered offensive, hurtful, and often misogynistic.

Last Updated: 28 Mar 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
borg
noun
a gallon water jug filled with water, alcohol, and flavoring
What does borg mean?
A borg is a gallon water jug that has had some portion of its water replaced with a clear alcohol, such as vodka, and contains some kind of electrolyte-enhanced flavoring added (think of those little squeeze bottles of fruity flavors marketed as water enhancers). Occasionally they have caffeine added as well.

Examples of borg
Daytime parties – commonly known as “darties” – are filled with costumes, borgs, and wild memories. They can be found across off-campus housing options in the morning of Marathon Monday.
—Maya Shavit, Boston.com, 18 April. 2025

In a typical borg, the gallon container is half full of water, with a whopping fifth of alcohol (about 17 shots), and a liquid flavor enhancer like Liquid I.V. Hydration Multiplier. The person who creates the borg labels it with a fun name, and holds on to it throughout the party.
—Rick Sobey, The Boston Herald, 7 Mar. 2023

That night, students were seen “carrying plastic gallon containers, believed to be ‘borgs.’”
—Fortune.com, 7 Mar. 2023

Where does borg come from?
Borgs originated as a sort of drinking game on college campuses around 2018 and gained widespread popularity as a personalized sort of drink in subsequent years (imbibers will sometimes give their gallon container a cutesy name). The term is said to be an acronym for "blackout rage gallon," although, as with many etymologies that are supposedly acronymic, this explanation lies somewhere between unconfirmed and unlikely.

How is borg used?
Borg is neither a technical unit of measurement nor a name of a drink one might order in a dining establishment. It is a slang word for a kind of drink that generally falls within the province of the young and resilient.

Last Updated: 14 Nov 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
boujee
adjective | BOO-jee
Fancy, swanky, associated with wealth or indulgence
What does boujee mean?
Boujee, also spelled bougie, is a way of describing something or someone as fancy, luxurious, or high class. Depending on context, boujee can be complimentary or disparaging.

Examples of boujee
I love going out to a boujee dinner and having a bottle of red with my partner. I love celebrating small business wins with my friends at a Friday lunch.
—Jessica Pinili, Threads, 1 Mar. 2024

Another way to be boujee on a budget is to shop at discount stores. Discount stores have many stylish items that you can use to mix and match with others you have created in your wardrobe to look fashionable. As a result, you will spend less money on high-quality items you love.
—Ryan Mutuku, Toku, 8 Feb. 2022

But when I got to the baby shower, I thought this was a bit much. You got ballerinas running around and she had classy society women in there. But we all know when you have the down home crowd and those that are known to be a little uppity, you look at them and think they are trying to be bougie!
—Kandri Buruss, quoted in Essence, 29 Oct. 2020

Where does boujee come from?
Boujee is an alternate spelling of bougie, which is shortened from bourgeois (and refers to the middle class and a desire for wealth, status, and possessions stereotypically associated with it). Emerging in the 1960s, this new sense of bougie originates in African American English, first used to criticize richer or more upwardly mobile Black people seen as middle class. It has since broadened to mean “pretentiously middle-class” or “overly lavish” more generally.

In 2017, the hip-hop group Migos released a song called “Bad and Boujee,” which celebrates being a newly rich and successful Black person enjoying a high-class lifestyle. The lyrics and music video feature women presented as bad (in the sense of "good-looking, attractive, sexy") and boujee, implied as classy without being snobbish. The song was a massive hit, and helped popularize boujee as a slang term for “fancy.” Superstar Megan Thee Stallion cemented associations of the word with empowered women (thanks to lyrics in her own hit song 2020 song “Savage”), especially Black women, and with their deserving to enjoy life and live it to the fullest.

How is boujee used?
Boujee (and bougie) can still be a put-down when someone is seen to be acting above their social status. However, boujee is now primarily used as an informal, positive term for when, say, everyday people treat themselves to something a little nicer or fancier than usual. So, put on your boujee best for a boujee night on the town—and live it up a little.

Last Updated: 7 Feb 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
braggadocious
adjective
boastful, braggy
What does braggadocious mean?
Braggadocious describes someone or something as boastful or braggy (or in other words, expressive of excessive self-pride).

Examples of braggadocious
The Harlem musician’s [Kelis] 2003 hit, “Milkshake,” boasts a dirty, distorted funk-R&B beat from the Neptunes—paired with an infectious hook featuring confident lyrics that ooze both feminine mystique and braggadocious swagger.
—J’Na Jefferson, Rolling Stone, 8 Oct. 2025

A braggadocious big cat, accustomed to easy victories, finds himself challenged when he enters a plant-growing contest.
—Kirkus Reviews, 1 Sept. 2025

The writing community matters a lot to [Siang] Lu. He expresses it in his own idiosyncratic way through what he calls “Silly Bookstagram”, where he Photoshops fellow authors’ book covers to be about himself. Lu stresses that the braggadocious nature of the posts is an exaggerated persona but he enjoys connecting with, and promoting, other writers through this tongue-in-cheek project, which has had a real-life impact.
—Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen, The Guardian, 24 July 2025

Where does braggadocious come from?
Likely from braggadocio, which entered English in the late 16th century, first referring to a person given to bragging, and later took on such meanings as “empty boasting” and “arrogant pretension.” Braggadocious hasn’t been around quite as long, but it’s still fairly old, appearing the U.S. in the mid-1800s. Our Unabridged dictionary records the existence of the adjective braggadocian, “given to or of the nature of a braggadocio.”

When we first started together he never intended that I should be paid for my labor. He has since said so, unequivocally said so, and that in a braggadocious and taunting manner …
—William A. Richardson, Justice Suppressed by a Combination of Individuals Headed by John G. King of Salem, 1847

His kindness quite encouraged me, and I was growing perfectly braggadocious.
—Act;on, “Memoirs of Sporting in France,” The Sporting Review, Volume 32, 1854

How is braggadocious used?
As brimming with self-confidence is not necessarily a bad thing, braggadocious often—though not always—has a complimentary flavor. It has also spawned an adverb, braggadociously.

Check out this spitfire duet with Cardi B, who braggadociously identifies as “como Al Pacino.”
—Lindsay Zoladz, The New York Times, 25 June 2024

Last Updated: 16 Oct 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
brain rot
noun
Mindless digital content; the fixation on it and harmful mental effects of it
What does brain rot mean?
Brain rot refers to material of low or addictive quality, typically in online media, that preoccupies someone to the point it is said to affect mental functioning. Both the state of preoccupation and resulting mental degradation are known as brain rot.

The word is also spelled as brainrot, brain-rot.

Examples of brain rot
So yeah, I done got myself addicted to my first phone brain rot game.
—;@hulkhoquinn.bsky.social;, Bluesky, 27 Nov. 2024

In hair and makeup for another photo shoot, [actor] Greta Lee read extremely brainrot-y phrases aloud — “Mother’s face card never declines! Queen is in her lunch era!” — from an iPhone screen with confusion.
—Dylan Kelly, Hypebeast, 19 Jul. 2024

Y’all, I have Bridgerton brain rot. Ever since season 3 dropped, I eat, sleep, and breathe Bridgerton content.
—@abgaily1, Threads, 30 May 2024

Where does brain rot come from?
Brain rot combines brain (in the sense of “mind, intellect, critical faculties”) and rot (meaning “a state of disease or decay,” as in food or wood).

The term gained mainstream attention in 2023 and 2024 in connection to several trends involving repetitive, nonsensical use of content about such Internet slang terms as Fanum tax, gyatt, sigma, skibidi, and rizz. Around this time, brain rot became the popular name for this content—often absurdist, ironic, and intentionally poor in quality—as well as for an unhealthy state of being addicted to and addled by it.

While newly prominent, the term it is not itself new, and can be found in several independent cases since at least the mid-1800s. The earliest known example comes, notably, from Henry David Thoreau in his 1854 book Walden: “While England endeavors to cure the potato-rot, will not any endeavor to cure the brain-rot, which prevails so much more widely and fatally?” As a term in specific reference to digital media production and consumption, brain rot has been in use since the early 2000s.

How is brain rot used?
Brain rot can be used as a noun itself (‘Stop looking at that brain rot’) as well as attributively, to modify another noun (‘My brother wouldn’t stop using all this brain rot YouTube lingo at the dinner table’). Depending on speaker and context, its tone can range from dismissively pejorative (‘worthless brain rot’) to ironically playful (‘just published some new brain rot for my fans’).

Brain rot is not itself an official medical condition. However, some healthcare practitioners or related experts may use the term colloquially in association with a phenomenon known as Problematic Interactive Media Use, involving symptoms of cognitive impairment resulting from overconsumption of digital media.

Last Updated: 7 Feb 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
bruzz
plural noun
bros or brothers
What does bruzz mean?
Bruzz, like huzz, chuzz, and gruzz, is one of a number of rhyming -uzz words that have gained popularity on social media, each standing for a different collective group of people. Bruzz, for example, means “bros” or “brothers.”

Examples of bruzz
20 seats. 10 very important books. The 2 best Black-owned bookstores in Houston. Facilitated by me. First 20 bruzz to sign up via the link in my bio.
—@theblackmanproject, Instagram, 4 July 2025

anyways i have to go bruzz brb
—@bakabakabaka677, X (formerly Twitter), 30 Oct. 2025

TWENTY BUCKS AND A BRUZZ KISS IF THE RUMORS OF POTC 6 END UP BEING LEGIT
—@coolboisilver, _X (formerly Twitter), 29 Oct. 2025

Where does bruzz come from?
Bruzz is thought to come from huzz, which has been credited to YouTuber Kai Cenat, who is said to have had a friend say it in a video in 2023, after which it spread like wildfire and spawned a number of variants.

How is bruzz used?
Even though bruzz often stands for “brothers” or “bros,” it is also sometimes used a singular noun, like bruh.

Last Updated: 31 Oct 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
butthurt
adjective & noun
upset or offended in a way that seems over-the-top or silly
What does butthurt mean?
Butthurt describes being upset or offended—usually in a way that seems over-the-top, silly, or unwarranted. The word can be a noun ('I don't know what caused this butthurt') or an adjective ('I don't know why he was acting so butthurt').

Examples of butthurt
People getting all butthurt when someone asks a question they could’ve googled
—@GreysonRey, Reddit, 28 Dec. 2024

The researchers did not investigate why men get so butthurt when their girlfriends are funnier than they are, nor why they end up ruining the night by pouting in the corner at parties where she makes other people laugh more than he does.
—Erin Gloria Ryan, Jezebel, 19 Oct. 2011

I mean, this review-bombing has happened so much now, cause of butthurt people with too much time on their hands, that IMDb on a whole has become pretty much completely untrustworthy
—@evan796, Bluesky, 31 Mar. 2025

10 of the most butthurt tweets about Blake Bortles making the NFL Top 100
—(headline), BigCatCountry.com, 2 Jun. 2016

Where does butthurt come from?
Although some online sources suggest that butthurt alludes to anal sex, the likelier explanation is that the word was used originally to refer to a child’s sore backside as a result of spanking. Various sources date the first-known use of the adjective—with its current meaning—to the late 1990s.

How is butthurt used?
Usually mockingly or antagonistically. Use of butthurt to describe someone’s emotional state almost always implies that they are overreacting. Butthurt is sometimes used (often with the same implication of overreaction) as a noun meaning “hurt or angry feelings.”

Investigating your in-the-moment feelings when imperfection seizes you will undoubtedly uncover some old emotions and experiences. Deal with these, and you may find an improvement in your tolerance for imperfection and a reduction in your level of butthurt.
—@CrackYourCodependncy, Reddit, 26 Apr. 2024

I do truly hope that he will consider the effect his words have on others, and entertain the idea that devoting an entire column to a whole lot of butthurt is far more on the “divide and conquer” side of the equation than actually responding to the issues that were raised ...
—Amy M. McMullen, letter to the editor, The Silver City (New Mexico) Daily Press & Independent, 20 May 2020

Last Updated: 2 May 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
California sober
adjective
abstaining from alcohol but using cannabis
What does California sober mean?
California sober, often styled Cali sober, describes someone who does not drink alcohol but instead uses cannabis (sometimes in addition to psychedelics such as LSD).

Examples of California sober
The rehearsal room backstage is choked in the damp smell of cannabis. It is LA after all, where “California sober” is a thing. Hemp drinks and gummies are de rigueur, and getting lightly stoned takes the edge off for many gathered here.
—Jane Rocca, The Age (Melbourne, Australia), 4 July 2025

I’m content with being cali sober. Alcohol had severe negative consequences for me. Weed doesn’t affect me the same way.
—Reddit, 20 June 2024

Last Sunday, Dinner At Mary’s, a cannabis-focused event company, celebrated High January with a slow-flow yoga class and complimentary Levia brand cannabis-infused seltzer (served before the downward dogs start, but available throughout the class). “I’ve been Cali sober for going on a year,” said owner Sam Kanter.
—Beth Teitell, The Boston Globe, 21 Jan. 2025

Go Brewing makes the best [non-alcoholic] beers out there, and as somebody who’s California sober, I’ve tried most of them.
—@jasonbenefield, BlueSky, 8 Mar. 2025

Where does California sober come from?
Use of California sober is often credited to journalist Michelle Lhooq, who wrote about her lifestyle choice in 2019.

I decided to quit all drugs, including alcohol, except weed and psychedelics for a year. (Psychedelics encompass a wide spectrum of drugs, but for my purposes, I’m limiting them to LSD, psilocybin, DMT/ayahuasca, and other trippy varietals; I am definitely not doing molly.) I call this “Cali sober,” a term some people also use when they quit everything but weed. I’d experimented with month-long stints of total sobriety before, so I knew I could survive it.
—Michelle Lhooq, “Getting ‘California Sober’ Showed Me a Kinder, Gentler Way to Do Drugs,” VICE, 29 Apr. 2019

How is California sober used?
California sober may describe someone who chooses to use cannabis instead of alcohol for any number of reasons (such as personal preference or to overcome alcohol addiction).

The medical definition of sobriety is abstinence from intoxicating substances, so California sober is a bit of a misnomer. When people identify as sober, they usually do so in the context of overcoming addiction to alcohol or other substances. Sometimes, people who say they are California sober (such as Demi Lovato, who identified as California sober in the docuseries Dancing with the Devil before later opting for total abstinence) mean that they use weed while attempting to stop using a different substance. They may not be “capital S” sober, but they’re using the California sober life choice as a method of harm reduction.
—Adrienne Matei, The Guardian, 11 Apr. 2024

Last Updated: 12 Sep 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
canon event
noun
A formative life experience; a relatable episode of good fortune or hardship
What does canon event mean?
A canon event is an experience in a person’s life that comes to shape or define who they are. On social media, it is commonly used to refer to relatable, often embarrassing, incidents that happen to people in the course of everyday life as a playful comment on personal growth.

Examples of canon event
i think my october canon event was someone spreading a rumor that i died and then having someone i knew for 3 days confess their love to me
—@simonthepuertorican, TikTok, 29 Oct. 2024

Somewhere a twelve year old girl’s mom is giving her a copy of Pride and Prejudice. We cannot interfere; it’s a canon event.
—@literaryhub, Threads, 18 Apr. 2024

So would I be who I am without sickle cell disease? Was a sickle cell diagnosis my canon event?
—Dunstan Nicol-Wilson, Sickle Cell Disease News, 14 Aug., 2023

Where does canon event come from?
Canon event was popularized by Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, a 2023 animated film featuring different versions of the superhero Spider-Man, set in a fictional multiverse. In one scene, a Spider-Man explains to another that, despite their differences, every Spider-Man undergoes similar painful experiences in their lives—which the film calls canon events—that form their shared, distinct identity as Spider-Man characters, and that attempts to interfere with these events have disastrous consequences. The death of Spider-Man’s uncle, for example, is one such canon event. This scene of the film sparked a social media trend immediately after its release in June 2023. The trend, which went viral on TikTok, featured people making humorous exaggerations of minor embarrassing episodes or awkward phases, and describing them as canon events pivotal to their growth and development. Many videos of the trend used music from the specific scene in the Spider-Man film, captioning the observation they are sharing with “I can’t interfere, it’s a canon event.”

The canon in canon event refers to sanctioned or accepted plot points, characters, and other aspects of storylines that govern fictional worlds, especially in multimedia franchises adapted from comic books, science fiction, or fantasy. Canon, originally meaning “a rule or law, especially decreed by a church,” evolved as a term for other officially recognized books or other creative works. While similar uses of the specific phrase canon event do predate (and likely influenced its use in) Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, the film and subsequent Internet trend spread general use of the term and cemented its meaning in reference to specific events in fictional media.

How is canon event used?
Canon event is primarily used on social media to refer to incidents that have happened to a person. It might refer to a commonplace setback, such as getting a cold, or a more intense trial, such as experiencing a breakup. The term can also be used in describing a positive development in one’s life, such as earning a promotion at work. The term has evolved from its original use, and now informally (and often playfully) captures various highs and lows that a person experiences, and which provide a universal observation on a common human experience.

Last Updated: 23 Jan 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
caught in 4k
caught doing something wrong or embarrassing, with irrefutable evidence
What does caught in 4k mean?
Caught in 4k refers to being exposed doing something wrong or embarrassing with irrefutable evidence, typically captured in high-resolution video or screenshots. The term is a reference to 4K video resolution, which provides exceptionally clear imagery. The expression functions as the digital generation's equivalent to caught red-handed, emphasizing that the evidence is crystal clear and beyond dispute.

Examples of caught in 4k
Bro got caught in 4K flipping the switch and you still don’t think he did it?
—X (formerly Twitter), 14 Nov. 2025

my girlfriend told me i snored sometimes and i never believed her and now pokemon sleep caught me in 4k ; laughing my ass off lmao
—bsky.app, 22 Spet. 2025

The image is fine he was just caught in 4k _Ultra-HD cloaking smh
—Reddit.com_, 3 Oct. 2023

Where does caught in 4k come from?
The phrase originated from a 2019 comedy sketch titled "How Lawyers Always Get Rappers Off" by YouTube group RDCWorld1, in which a lawyer incredulously questions how his client was recorded committing crimes in 4K resolution (“How did they get you in 4k???”)

How is caught in 4k used?
Caught in 4k is a way to call out problematic or embarrassing behavior, implying someone has been caught in the act with no possibility of denial. While it often involves actual video evidence, the term can also apply to screenshots, messages, or personal observation; actual video is not required, and neither is a high degree of resolution.

Last Updated: 14 Nov 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
Chad
noun | CHAD
A stereotypical alpha male; a man, admired or scorned for brazen self-confidence
What does Chad mean?
The Internet slang term Chad (or chad) is a generic name used to refer to several types of supposedly dominant male figures: a strong, handsome man who attracts women; an obliviously entitled man; an effortlessly formidable man, and an exceptional instance referred to as a Gigachad.

The development and use of Chad is closely associated with an online community known as incels, involuntarily celibate men associated with misogynistic beliefs and extremist ideologies.

Examples of Chad
She would rather have unhygienic Chad than a clean incel.
—@IncelsCo, X (formerly Twitter), 15 Nov. 2024

wait, [actor] peter dinklage isn't vegan anymore? good, what a chad. glad he decided to finally eat like a real man instead of eating the food my food eats.
—@soulkeever, Threads, 6 Sep. 2024

“This isn’t customer service. This is customer abuse.” Oh what a chad. This guy on my flight. LOL
—@diningonstyle, Threads, 17 Jul. 2023

The anime industry is filled with some of the most glorious chad and masculine characters who get more attractive as the series progresses, eventually transforming into a Gigachad by the end of the show.
—Abhishek Mallick, Sportskeeda, 10 Jul. 2022

Channeling your “inner Chad” means not being afraid to make yourself the priority.
—Kevin J. Ryan, Inc., 4 Oct. 2021

Where does Chad come from?
The slang term Chad is based on the male given name Chad. In the early 2000s it began to be used as a humorous generic term for a stereotypical frat boy or jock, and also as a slang insult with the meaning “loser, idiot, jerk.” By the 2010s, the Internet incel community adopted Chad as a stereotype for a particular kind of so-called ‘alpha male’: built, handsome, swaggering, and unjustly irresistible to women (who were referred to using a sexist counterpart stereotype of Stacey). In this subculture, Chad and Stacey became used in memes and other content, bitterly attacking their perceived antagonists.

In the early 2020s, the word developed a positive sense, used to praise a man seen as impressive—though often traditionally masculine—in some way. This sense development may have resulted from an ironic reappropriation or decontextualization of the term based on its diffusion from the incel community to the Internet mainstream; it may have also been influenced by the popular term sigma, or “a coolly independent, successful man.” This ‘reclaimed’ Chad generated the slang term Gigachad, for an especially exceptional man; the term metaphorically uses the combining form for “billion,” giga-, to mean “great.” Relatedly or separately, use of Chad as an insult evolved to refer to arrogant, privileged man more generally than its original ‘frat boy’ stereotype.

How is Chad used?
The use of Chad varies greatly based on speaker and context. While often used as a noun, it is also sometimes used attributively (‘chad behavior’), functioning more like an adjective. Within the incel community online, Chad remains used to disparage men and women blamed for various grievances. For example: “Women say they are attracted to sensitive guys, but they all just want Chads.” This use of Chad may be considered offensive due to this community’s connection to misogyny and violent extremist incidents.

Outside of the incel community, it may be used as a mild insult for behavior associated with a hypermasculine or heedlessly cocky man (“That Chad took credit for my idea in the meeting”). Conversely, Chad and Gigachad are also used to praise a commandingly self-confident and successful man, sometimes for stereotypically ‘manly’ actions or attitudes (“Total chad—he did 50 more pushups than I did”) or as a humorous characterization of nonchalant independence (“This Chad here only ate chicken for a week”).

Last Updated: 23 Jan 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
cheugy
adjective | CHOO-ghee
Makes fun of being uncool
What does cheugy mean?
Cheugy is a slang way of calling someone or something uncool or unfashionable, especially when seen as slightly cringeworthy or trying too hard. It’s mainly used as a jokey put-down of trends stereotypically associated with millennials.

Examples of cheugy
Sydney Sweeney may star in HBO’s Euphoria — aka Gen Z’s style bible — but IRL, she’s “cheugy” and proud. The Anyone But You actor’s sartorial sensibilities are so millennial-coded and could not be further from Gen Z’s tastes. Thus far, she’s rocked Y2K-era handkerchief tops and styled Canadian tuxedos one too many times. Her favorite dreaded cheugy trend, however, is also one of the most despised: the peplum.
—Alyssa Lapid, Bustle, 3 Sep. 2024

I don’t care how cheugy it is, I’m sharing my favorite quotes!
—Andra Liemandt, X (formerly Twitter), 12 Aug. 2024

If I know anything about Gen Z it’s that they can smell any falsity or any little tiny cheugy thing from a million miles away. Honestly, I think my use of the word ‘cheugy’ is now cheugy.
—Quinn Shephard, quoted in the Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2022

Where does cheugy come from?
Cheugy was first used by a group of young women in the 2010s. They used the word to poke fun at other young women whose taste, fashion, and self-presentation they found to be outmoded and overearnest enough to be considered uncool, basic, or cringy.

In March 2021, a young woman named Hallie Cain posted on TikTok about her and her friends using the word. That post went viral. Covering the story for the New York Times in April, journalist Taylor Lorenz traced cheugy back to Gaby Rasson, a twentysomething woman from Los Angeles who said she coined the term and used it with her friends in high school in 2013. Why cheugy? It’s a nonsense formation, but Rasson has said it simply sounded right.

How is cheugy used?
Taylor Lorenz’s story itself went viral in its own way, resulting in widespread media coverage of the term cheugy. The sudden popularity gave the slang word mainstream attention, but use of the term became widely self-referential—that is, about how cheugy is itself a word and trend or having fun calling different things cheugy on social media. By summer 2021, a common joke was that the word cheugy was cheugy.

Examples and use of cheugy tend to center on the lifestyle associated with millennials, particularly women and what clothing they wear, what things they buy, and how they act and present their lives online. Use of the word remains both self-aware and self-deprecating, with cheugy not being a wholly bad quality and one that people like to claim for themselves. Someone thought of as cheugy is humorously called a cheug. The connotation is a little judgy but ultimately joky. As trends shift, what’s considered cheugy shifts—including the word itself, which has seen some playful but slightly more genuine uptake since its 2021 peak, especially in women’s lifestyle and fashion media.

Last Updated: 11 Apr 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
chibi
noun | CHEE-bee
A cute, baby version of a cartoon character stylized with a big head
What does chibi mean?
Chibi is an illustration style popularized by anime and manga that depicts adorable, child-like cartoon characters with disproportionately large heads and eyes on small bodies, often in a simplified design. A character drawn in this style is called a chibi.

Examples of chibi
… the Vatican … has announced a brand-new mascot created to pique the interest of a younger demographic: an anime girl. The chibi-style mascot is a blue-haired girl named Luce, who sports a yellow raincoat, a pair of muddy green boots, and a shepherd's staff.
—Naledi Ramphele, Game Rant, 3 Nov. 2024

Whether you're looking for adorable chibi (your character or fan arts), cute pet and animal chibis, or need help with design and layout, I’ve got you covered.
—@peacherryart, Threads, 3 Oct. 2024

The chibi versions maintain key characteristics of the original designs, but the overall cuteness factor adds a layer of endearment, making the characters more approachable and relatable.
—Purplebubblestudio (user), “Titans to Chibis: A Playful Transformation of ‘Attack on Titan’ Characters” (Medium), 23 Jan. 2024

Where does chibi come from?
Chibi is a transliteration of a Japanese word referring—often affectionately, though occasionally pejoratively—to a small child, person, or animal (similar to such informal addresses as shorty or diminutive designations like little in English). As an illustration style, chibi spread in Japan in the 1980s through baby- or child-like caricatures of existing anime and manga characters, often used for comic or emotional effect in a story. The style, and word, was popularized by the global rise of Japanese animation and comics in the 1990s, including chibi-styled characters in such hit series as Sailor Moon and Dragon Ball Z. Western media has since embraced the popularity of the chibi style, as exemplified by Disney’s Chibiverse, an animated TV series starting in 2022 that features chibi versions of many of the company’s popular characters.

How is chibi used?
In English, chibi is widely used to designate chibi-styled versions of proprietary, fan-art, and original characters and related objects (‘Chibi Godzilla’). More generally, chibi is also used like an adjective to refer to this style (‘chibi dinosaur plush toy,’ ‘chibi design’).

Last Updated: 23 Jan 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
chode
noun
a contemptible jerk, loser, etc.
What does chode mean?
Chode is a slang term of abuse, usually (but not always) encountered online, used to refer to a contemptible jerk.

Examples of chode
“Get Ty Masterson to quit being a chode and allow legalized marijuana to be grown and sold in Kansas,” wrote an individual who identified themself as Blake F, of Wichita.
—Sherman Smith, The Kansas Reflector, 6 May 2025

Even on the terms of his most generous depictions, Batman is a dingus. He is a trust-fund billionaire who puts on a balaclava with ears so that he can do technology-enhanced karate at pickpockets and muggers; who sinks his fortune into paramilitary hardware in support of his one-man campaign to punch a major city into peace. … He is a choad.
—Albert Burneko, Deadspin, 21 July 2015

“There’s so much that’s winning and funny up this film's sleeve,” writes the Telegraph’s Tim Robey. “I loved the various weird coinages of man-speak, such as ‘frosty-haired chode’ to describe someone you don’t like.”
—Ben Child, The Guardian (London), 20 Apr. 2009

Where does chode come from?
The use of chode/choad as an insult stems from earlier, usually vulgar uses, namely “a short, wide penis,” or “a perineum" (aka a taint), though these uses have also appeared in polite publications. Chode’s earlier origins are as yet uncertain, but it has appeared in English since at least the mid-20th century. While chode shares much of its meaning with chud, the two words are not etymologically connected.

One of the last things a motorist might expect to see alongside Babcock Road, a major Northwest Side traffic artery, is an infrastructure contractor’s electronic sign bearing a vulgar message about someone’s genitalia. But there it was: “Mark has a chode,” in orange lights on the marquee-style display normally used to warn about road hazards.
—Riley Carroll, The San Antonio Express-News, 14 Mar. 2025

Men ... find that being seated can often be quite uncomfortable; one of my lunch companions, a recent convert to the pleasures of the saddle, explained that a really good riding instructor would explain to a male novice that he should, against all base instincts, relax—or surrender—the perineum, known in horsey circles as the chode.
—Jane Fraser, The Weekend Australian, 8 Dec. 2001

How is chode used?
Like many insults of an anatomical nature, contemptuously, if humorously.

Last Updated: 16 Oct 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
chopped
adjective
unattractive or undesirable
What does chopped mean?
The slang use of chopped means “unattractive” or “undesirable.”

Examples of chopped
I’m chopped … and no one loves me i’m addicted to vaping
—@MissEIIa, X (formerly Twitter), 27 May 2025

You’re not chopped … Everyone has their bad days and everyone feels insecure <3 I promise
—@AffectionateShame333, Reddit, 14 May 2025

why was the I love fashion-line of mh so chopped? Like these are easily some of the worst outfits in g1
—@wormywoman, BlueSky, 3 June 2025

Where does chopped come from?
The slang use of chopped is believed to have roots in African American English (some online commentators further specify that it originated in the NYC/New Jersey area) and has been around for decades, but has recently seen a marked increase in usage by young people.

How is chopped used?
Chopped is used of both people and things, and while its current popularity is primarily driven by the Internet, there is evidence that more people are adopting it in everyday conversation.

Stella Wang, 24, who posted a video on TikTok about what she called the “chopped man epidemic” (voicing her observation that she had not been seeing many men she thought were attractive), said the term was “chronically online.” In her case, however, chopped is creeping into casual conversation with friends. “Like, ‘That guy’s chopped’” she said of how she and her friends used the word. “Basically, just like unattractive, ugly, not good looking,” she added.
—Nicole Stock, The New York Times, 13 Aug. 2025

Last Updated: 25 Sep 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
chronic
adjective & noun | marijuana (especially when of high poten
What does chronic mean?
In slang use chronic refers to high-quality, potent marijuana. The word can also function as an adjective, meaning "excellent" or "outstanding" (probably due to the association with premium cannabis).

Examples of chronic
It's back on the track / With big money, big nuts, and a big fat chronic sack.
—Dr. Dre, The Chronic, 1992

When i was 10 a guy with this tattoo came up to me and my friends on the playground and asked us if we liked smoking chronic
—X (formerly Twitter), 23 Dec. 2023

All I know is I bought some Chronic from a new dealer and with one hit I was out!
—Reddit.com 2 Mar. 2012

Where does chronic come from?
Chronic gained widespread popularity from serving as the title of Dr. Dre's widely popular and influential 1992 solo album The Chronic. According to Snoop Dogg, the term originated as a mispronunciation of hydroponic, which describes a method of growing marijuana using irrigation systems rather than soil. In Snoop’s retelling, when he and Dre first encountered hydroponically grown cannabis, they were so affected by it that they slurred hydroponic into hydrochronic, which was eventually shortened to chronic.

How is chronic used?
Chronic is typically used for extremely strong or high-quality marijuana strains rather than simply any type of cannabis. The word has also seen occasional use beyond cannabis culture as a general descriptor for anything excellent or impressive.

Last Updated: 14 Nov 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
chuzz
plural noun
ugly people
What does chuzz mean?
Chuzz, like bruzz, huzz, and gruzz, is one of a number of rhyming -uzz words that have gained popularity on social media, each standing for a different collective group of people. Chuzz is sometimes glossed online as “chopped hoes,” or “ugly people (of any gender).”

Examples of chuzz
Ever mindful of fashion, Futa said the girls figured out that they could braid their hair and fit it through a hole in the back of the helmet. “At least we don’t look ‘chuzz,’” Luther said.
—Jim Peters, The La Porte County (Indiana) Herald-Dispatch, 16 Sept. 2025

Showing up chuzz to the gym as an act of #/Resistance
—@sshennzz, X (formerly Twitter), 30 Oct. 2025

hinted at my halloween costume on ig now chuzz in the dms asking for a sneak peek like nah bro this ain’t for you ;;
—@tiffanyjoe11, X (formerly Twitter), 30 Oct. 2025

Where does chuzz come from?
Chuzz is a variant of huzz, a word that has been credited to YouTuber Kai Cenat, who is said to have had a friend say it in a video in 2023, after which it spread like wildfire.

How is chuzz used?
In addition to functioning as a plural noun, chuzz is also frequently used as an adjective meaning “chopped” or “ugly.”

Last Updated: 31 Oct 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
clanker
noun
A derogatory term for robots and AI
What does clanker mean?
Clanker is a derogatory term for robots and AI technology.

Examples of clanker
When I'm applying for Jobs and I have to talk with a clanker first before I can start on the application
—X (formerly Twitter), 30 July 2025

Calling AI models "clankers" doesn't demonise them, it makes me want to take them home and put blankets on them and hoard them with the rest of my useless trash.
—bsky.app, 25 Aug. 2025

Rust bucket nail eating oil drinking CLANKER
—Minecraft discord channel, 27 Aug. 2025

We may already have the word of the year, if not the decade: clanker. Originating from the Star Wars universe, it has become a catch-all term used to refer to robots and AI. Any technology can be referred to as a clanker.
—Catherine Prasifka, Irish Independent, 14 Aug. 2025

Where does clanker come from?
As noted in the Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction, clanker has been in regular use since 1958 in science fiction writing, with the meaning of "robot." It achieved more mainstream attention after its appearance in the Star Wars franchise (first in a 2005 video game (Republic Commando), then in 2008 in an animated series (The Clone Wars)).

The widespread use in 2025 may have been influenced through its use by players of Helldivers 2 (a futuristic video game released in 2024) as an insult for a class of robots called Automatons.

Im sorry this stupid thing called work outside of the cyberspace is kicking my arse and i have no time/energy to kill these clankers im sorry go fourth without me. Kill some extra bots for me!
—reddit (r/Helldivers), 13 May 2024

How is clanker used?
Clanker is often used quite broadly, with a meaning that encompasses everything from artificial intelligence as a whole, to specific robots or technological systems, to imaginary forms of technology in video games.

Last Updated: 7 Oct 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
clout
noun
Attention, fame, or popularity, especially on social media
What does clout mean?
The slang sense of clout refers to attention, fame, popularity, and sometimes notoriety, especially the kind one may achieve on social media, whether by posting a controversial hot take or performing a stunt on video in the hope that it goes viral.

Examples of clout
The amount of roundabout ways people look for clout to score social points lmao
—@jstnurmind, X (formerly Twitter), 11 Feb. 2025

Going to try to block all these bad actors going forward instead of seeing these dumb posts trying to get people angry for clout.
—@joyouspanther, Bluesky, 31 Dec. 2024

Therapist told me to “stop crudely editing images for internet clout” but I don’t think that’s possible for me tbh (I’m a leo).
—@jadeixiscool, Reddit, 2 May 2023

Where does clout come from?
Clout is an ancient word, with most of its meanings throughout history related either to cloth/handkerchiefs/sails/etc. or a bop/wallop/smack with one’s hand. In the mid-1900s, clout began to be used in American English to refer to a person’s power to influence or sway the actions or opinions of others. This type of clout (as in “political clout” or “box-office clout”) was something that a person amassed usually through achievement and success and could then leverage for some other purpose or goal. With the rise of social media and its metrics such as likes, follower counts, etc., individuals were able to measure—in a way—their relative online popularity, or at least the attention received by their various postings, perhaps contributing to this developing sense of clout.

How is clout used?
While traditional clout is often written about as something one earns and then uses, the new clout is usually something one seeks or chases.

On my wedding day, I had a ring, a bride and a smartphone streaming every syllable of my awkward vows onto the internet. To be clear, I wasn’t just chasing clout. Planning any wedding is a pain, but ours came with a crucial wrinkle: Some beloved friends and family were either too sick, or too far away from idyllic Iowa, to attend.
—Chris Velazco, The Washington Post, 5 June 2024

Similar to how virtue signaling is frowned upon, clout chasing tends to be written about with a certain amount of disdain, suggesting that the means of pursuit are frivolous or performative. This isn’t always the case, however, nor is clout chasing something that happens exclusively online (though it usually does):

Though chasing clout consumes many rappers, [Michael] Christmas is content to make music for the uncool kids.
—Julia Oller, The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch, 9 May 2019

Last Updated: 25 Feb 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
CODA
acronym
Child of deaf adults
What does CODA mean?
CODA is an abbreviation of child (or children) of deaf adults. It refers to a person who is typically hearing and has one or more parents or guardians who are wholly or partly deaf.

Examples of CODA
My daughter’s a real-life CODA. She’s hearing. She’s a child of deaf adults. Her first language was sign language before she could speak. And so she was bilingual growing up.
—Troy Kotsur, All About Change (podcast), 18 Mar. 2024

As the author of the seminal book, Mother Father Deaf, Paul [Preston] shared the Coda experience with the world. Until its publication, there had not been research published on the Coda experience. Through his luminous writing, Paul shed a light on parts of us that had remained hidden from the world, and many Codas, for generations.
—Children of Deaf Adults International Inc., Facebook, 16 Oct. 2023

As CODAs, we learned nuances of the culture such as: understanding the politics of the deaf; debates about ASL vs. oral and what best fosters literacy in the deaf; exposure to deaf art, poetry, humor and film.
—David Sorensen, “My Life as a CODA: Someone Made a Movie About It” (Medium), 15 Nov. 2021

Where does CODA come from?
CODA is formed from the initial letters of child of deaf adults. It began to be used as an abbreviation in the early 1990s, based on CODA International, or Children of Deaf Adults International, an organization founded by Millie Brother 1983 to provide support for the CODA community around the world. CODAs, most of whom are hearing, have a distinct experience in navigating between deaf and hearing culture and language, and often have to serve as interpreters for their parents or guardians. The term gained broader awareness after the 2021 film CODA, a coming-of-age story about the only hearing person in her family, won three Oscars at the 94th Academy Awards (including Best Picture) in March 2022.

How is CODA used?
CODA is used as a noun (‘I’m a CODA’) and adjective (‘CODA representation in culture’). Its plural form is CODAs or CODA. Other forms of the term include Coda (proper noun) and coda (lowercase). The term is most widely used within and about the CODA community. Related abbreviations include GODA (grandchild of deaf adults), SODA (siblings of deaf adults), and KODA (kids of deaf adults, referring to CODAs under the age of 18). CODA is sometimes used specifically for adult-aged children of deaf adults.

Last Updated: 23 Jan 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
compute
computational firepower
What does compute mean?
Compute has long been used as a verb, with meanings such as “to determine or calculate by means of a computer” and “to determine especially by mathematical means.” The word has increasingly been used in a new way in recent years as a noun, meaning “the computational power or resources necessary for a computer or computer program to function.”

Examples of compute
“Amazon has the compute for an Alexa, so does Google [for its Home device], but OpenAI is struggling to get enough compute for ChatGPT, let alone an AI device,” a source close to Ive told the FT. “They need to fix that first.”
— Jess Weatherbed, The Verge, 6 oct. 2025

But the point I want to make is not just about OpenAI: the American AI industry as a whole has been built on the premise that AGI is just around the corner. All that is needed is sufficient “compute”, i.e., millions of Nvidia AI GPUs, enough data centers and sufficient cheap electricity to do the massive statistical pattern mapping needed to generate (a semblance of) “intelligence.”
— Servaas Storm, Institute for New Economic Thinking, 2 October. 2025

If a model wants to memorize more information of the input image, it has to increase the complexity of the network, which will produce more parameters. This will be a huge burden to our compute capability.
— Chen, et al, Frontiers in Neuroscience, June 2020

Where does compute come from?
Compute has been used as a noun for hundreds of years (albeit rarely), as a synonym of computation or calculation (as in ‘a number beyond compute’). In the last decade it has increasingly been found used in reference to computers, especially in relation to cloud computing and the field of artificial intelligence.

How is compute used?
Compute is more jargon than slang. It tends to be found in technical literature or discussions about computer technology.

Last Updated: 24 Oct 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
copium
noun | KOH-pee-um
An Internet taunt for a delusional loser
What does copium mean?
Copium is a slang term for denial or rationalization in the face of defeat or failure. It is presented as a metaphorical drug people take when dealing with losing a game or otherwise being disappointed.

Examples of copium
Victors writing history is the biggest lie ever. Frequently the losers are the ones who feel the need to write the history because they are huffing extreme amounts of copium.
—@nrmaggs, X (formerly Twitter), 29 Sep. 2024

I feel like both sides are dealing with maximum copium. Sony fanboys wanting Xbox games and Xbox fanboys in denial about Microsoft wanting to one day go full third party and maximize profits.
—FoxMcChief (user), NeoGAF (Internet forum), 9 Jun. 2024

San Francisco 49ers fans are rationalizing the loss to the Ravens any way they possibly can, and are really mainlining the copium.
—Craft Brewed Sports, YouTube, 27 Dec. 2023

Where does copium come from?
Copium is a blend of the verb cope, as in dealing with adversity, and opium, the highly addictive narcotic drug. The implication of copium is that, rather than honestly accept defeat, someone deals (copes) with it by numbing their pain through denial or the like (as if taking opium).

Various people probably coined copium independently in the 2000s. In July 2019, the word specifically appeared in a meme posted on a 4chan forum featuring an image depicting the Internet character Pepe the Frog breathing with a mask and tube from a tank labeled 'copium,' as if inhaling oxygen or anesthesia. While early instances of copium memes were used in political contexts, the term spread online especially in gaming communities.

How is copium used?
Sometimes, copium is issued as a single-word response in chats or forums to tease or troll someone perceived to be making excuses for losing ('I can't believe we lost!' "Copium') Other times, the word is used in figures of speech that riff on the term as a fictional narcotic ('keep huffing copium' or 'you're taking a massive dose of copium'). As it became more widespread on social media and streaming platforms in the early 2020s, many people started using the word ironically to make fun of themselves. Increasingly, copium is being used more generally as a term for the state of denial or self-justification.

While copium still frequently occurs in gaming, it is also commonly found in discussions of sports and politics and in fandoms, such as for anime. A similar term is hopium, which refers to perceived states of false hope.

Last Updated: 23 Jan 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
cottagecore
noun | KAH-tij-kor
Quaint, cozy, and modest fashion and style drawn from bucolic inspirations
What does cottagecore mean?
Cottagecore is an aesthetic trend, especially among women, marked by clothing, decor, and activities associated with traditional pastoral lifestyles. It is particularly inspired by nostalgic, romanticized conceptions of the English countryside or American homesteading. Some hallmarks of cottagecore include floral prints, flowing dresses, rustic interior design, homey atmosphere, and an interest in gardening, baking, and handicrafts.

Examples of cottagecore
The art of cottagecore is not just pretending we live in the past, but rather taking the more romantic, inspiring pieces of the past and weaving them and weaving them into our modern lives. The same goes for cottagecore fashion.
—Tiffany Francis-Baker, The Cottage Life, 15 April. 2023

Love going into the garden to pick some lettuce leaves for lunch (sandwich). It satisfies all my homesteading and cottagecore urges.
—@VerbingNouns, X (formerly Twitter), 3 Jun. 2021

Take modern escapist fantasies like tiny homes, voluntary simplicity, forest bathing and screen-free childhoods, then place them inside a delicate, moss-filled terrarium, and the result will look a lot like cottagecore.
—Isabel Slone, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2020

Where does cottagecore come from?
Cottagecore combines cottage and -core. Cottage alludes to picturesque English country cottages that the aesthetic evokes. The combining form -core originally came from hardcore (when used for a raucous type of punk rock music), but now can refer to fashion and design trends characterized by a distinctive aesthetic. Other examples include Barbiecore, cluttercore, goblincore, grandmacore, normcore, and tenniscore, as well as countrycore and farmcore (both of which are similar to cottagecore).

The word has been in use online since the late 2010s, and spread in popularity in 2020, driven by people’s experience of lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic and the stress associated with contemporary life and technology. Taylor Swift, who had a hit album, Folklore, in the summer of 2020, is widely viewed both as embodying cottagecore and helping fuel its rise in popularity.

How is cottagecore used?
Cottagecore is primarily used in reference to women’s fashion and home decor, especially on social media, including as a hashtag. It is often used to modify another noun (a noun that modifies another noun is called attributive), as in a “cottagecore wedding dress” or “cottagecore kitchen renovation.” The word and style remains associated with activities like gardening, baking, sewing, and foraging (although less so than during its popularity in 2020), as well as valuing a simpler and more natural (albeit idealized) way of living.

Last Updated: 23 Jan 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
crash out
phrasal verb
to become suddenly, uncontrollably angry or distressed
What does crash out mean?
To crash out is to become suddenly, uncontrollably angry or distressed.

Examples of crash out
actually going to crash out because what do you mean Caitlin Clark is out for 2 weeks ???
—@Morgan19Emma, X (formerly Twitter), 26 May 2025

there’s a dude crashing out on twitter because he can’t understand why so many colleges found him stuck up and rejected him, it’s so funny
—@arabellawrites, BlueSky, 2 Apr. 2025

literally just crashed out at 11pm because my husband got Taco Bell and didn’t get me anything. He said he was going somewhere else that I wouldn’t eat but it was closed and he came back with Taco Bell. He knows it’s probably my favorite fast food place and didn’t get me anything and then tried to give me his half eaten food…
—@Ordinary_Coconut, Reddit, 12 May 2025

Where does crash out come from?
Though earlier evidence of this usage exists, several online sources credit a 2017 song by Baton Rouge rapper NBA YoungBoy featuring the lyric “crash out if I’m nervous” with popularizing it.

How is crash out used?
Somewhat synonymously with snap (“to give way suddenly under emotional stress or strain”) and freak out (“to react with extreme or irrational distress or discomposure”). Crash out can also be used as a noun to refer to a specific instance of crashing out.

Well, well. Guess who came back around after her crash out saying she should’ve listened to me to start?
—@Ariannnyy_, X (formerly Twitter), 27 May 2025

Crash out has other, previously established meanings as well (related to vehicular accidents and sleeping, to name two examples), which can sometimes cause confusion.

If I hear that someone else crashed out, my first thought is to hope they had a nice nap.
—@TheToastyWesterosi, Reddit, 1 May 2025

Last Updated: 30 May 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
creepshot
noun & verb
a sexualized photo taken of someone in public without their consent
What does creepshot mean?
A creepshot is a photograph taken surreptitiously of a person (usually a woman or girl) in a public place without their knowledge or consent; it generally focuses on sexualized body parts such as the chest, buttocks, or legs.

Examples of Use
That is especially important in this age of technology when sexual voyeurs can review photographs and videos in the privacy of their home or upload them to what are known as "creepshot" websites, where thousands of others may also view them.
—Toronto Star, 18 Feb. 2019

Someone creepshotted me today :(
—X (formerly Twitter), 12 April. 2024

On Reddit, the so-called creepshots of women (photos or videos captured without the other person realizing it) began circulating more than a decade ago; between 2012 and 2013, more than a score of women filed a joint lawsuit against a now-closed website, Texxxan, for the photos their exes had posted of them, along with personal information, to humiliate them.
—CE Noticias Financieras (Miami, FL), 29 August. 2025

A swarm of users on hyper-popular blogging platform Tumblr are uploading, sharing, and trading so-called creepshots: close-up, revealing images of women, typically taken in public and seemingly without their consent.
—Vice.com, 19 Mar. 2018

Where does creepshot come from?
Creepshot began appearing around 2010, a blend of creepy and snapshot. In the following decade the term saw increasing use, generally (although not always) referring to sexualized images, with such photographs being shared on social media platforms such as Twitter and Reddit.

How is creepshot used?
The word functions as both a noun and a verb. Although it is informal, creepshot is commonly used in legal and ethical discussions about privacy violations and online harassment, particularly within contexts addressing women's safety in public spaces and on social media platforms.

Last Updated: 24 Nov 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
cruft
noun | KRUFT
unwanted and unnecessary (computer related) stuff
What does cruft mean?
Cruft refers to unwanted/unnecessary/leftover/useless stuff, aka “junk,” and is used mainly in the context of computers, coding, software, video games, etc.

Examples of cruft
I have upgraded through several releases over the years and my /etc/config directory has gained some cruft. Some haven’t been touched for over seven years!
—@N0NB, Reddit, 17 Feb. 2023

Somewhat more behind the scenes are so-called embedded devices: set-top boxes, home routers, smart television sets, gaming consoles and even quite a few refrigerators, all running a descendant of Unix. But tucked within the sprawling bits of code in these gizmos is a great deal of cruft—vestigial programs and routines that perhaps have no function in a router or a smartphone, but that ostensibly are not doing any harm.
—The Economist, 24 Oct. 2014

The word sources are not perfect, but they are not full of the usual cruft that accumulates in the majority of public-domain wordlists.
—Rex Gooch, Word Ways, 1 Aug. 2004

There is a a lot of cruft in this game. They even break their own Nintendo “Rule of Three” by having you do FOUR back-to-back fetch quests of little consequences.
—@carygolomb, X (formerly Twitter), 23 July 2025

Where does cruft come from?
In An Abridged Dictionary of the TMRC [Tech Model Railroad Club of M.I.T.] Language written by Peter R. Samson in 1959, cruft is defined as “that which magically amounds in the Clubroom just before you walk in to clean up. In other words, rubbage.” Samson himself notes that “The word was in use at the club when I wrote this definition. The sense is of detritus, that which needs to be swept up and thrown out.”

Given the similarities in meaning between the TMRC’s coinage and the computer-related use of cruft (and the TMRC dictionary’s inclusion of another word, hacker, now associated with computing), the two could be linked. Regardless, the computer cruft was used originally for poorly constructed or unnecessary computer code before broadening in meaning.

It was nearly impossible to tell the working code from cruft, Kent said.
—John Sundman, Salon, 21 Oct. 2003

How is cruft used?
One related term with some possible overlap is bloatware. Like bloatware and slop, cruft tends to get invoked out of frustration and annoyance.

Cruft has also spawned an adjective, crufty:

I’ve been updating the crufty old code I use to generate graphs to help me (and colleagues) think about river flows.
—John Fleck, Inkstain.net, 2 Feb. 2024

Last Updated: 29 Jul 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
cuffing season
noun
a period when single people begin looking for relationships
What does cuffing season mean?
Cuffing season refers to the time of the year when single people begin looking for short-term partnerships to pass the colder months of the year. This period usually begins in October and ends just after Valentine’s Day.

Examples of cuffing season
I think I’m ready to be in a relationship again. The weather is getting colder. Cuffing season is nearly upon us
—@TheSkxtchBook, X (formerly Twitter), 19 Sep. 2025

With cuffing season — the time of year which typically starts in mid-October and ends after Valentine’s Day — well underway, you may suddenly see an influx of matches or newly formed couples on your Instagram feed. That’s not a coincidence, and you’re not imagining it. Finding love (or wanting to) during cuffing season is well-documented …
—Ria Wolstenholme, Mashable, 16 Jan. 2025

As the weather cools down, dating heats up as people secure a cuddle buddy for “cuffing season,” but for some, taking a slower approach may be the best strategy.
—Sara Moniuszko. CBS News, 14 Nov. 2024

Cuffing season is upon us – a time of the year when people tend to settle down, finding someone to cuddle up with during the cold winter months …
—Spencer McKee, The Denver Gazette, 3 Dec. 2024

Where does cuffing season come from?
The term cuffing season appeared in college newspapers in 2011 and was popularized by its use in rap and hip-hop songs, including the title of the 2013 song Cuffin Season by rapper Fabolous. Cuffing has origins in African American English, with the verb cuff meaning to commit to someone and enter into a relationship with them. The cuff in cuffing season also alludes to handcuffs, which reference the idea of being connected or tied to another person.

How is cuffing season used?
Cuffing season is used as a noun to reference this period.

Last Updated: 25 Sep 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
cuz
noun
a friend or acquaintance; a form of address
What does cuz mean?
Cuz is a term used to refer to a friend or acquaintance. It can be likened to the term bro.

Examples of cuz
“What happened was my daughter, who didn’t know that I had already run a background check on her boyfriend, he comes to the crib and Snoop [Dogg] happens to be there. I said, ‘Snoop there he is right there. Shake him up,” [Jamie] Foxx told [Jimmy] Fallon. “Snoop walked over to my daughter’s boyfriend and just said, ‘Hey what’s up? What’s up cuz. Hey, look here you know. We [are] her uncles, you know what I’m saying. So act accordingly homie.’”

—Ryan Shepard, iheart.com, 16 Oct. 2021

Where does cuz come from?
Cuz has been used as a shortening of the word cousin since at least the 16th century; however, the current slang sense has origins in African American English. Use of cuz to refer to a male friend or acquaintance can be traced back to African American speech communities and began appearing in print in the early 1960s. The term’s use as a form of address is attributed to its use among members of the Los Angeles Crips gang. Cuz is also frequently used in rap or hip-hop lyrics, which may be contributing to its increasing popularity.

How is cuz used?
Cuz is most often used as a way of addressing someone, especially a man or a boy.

… we say, what’s up, cuz? …
—unidentified speaker, Corpus of Regional African American Language, 2015

Last Updated: 8 Oct 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
DARVO
abbreviation
a manipulation technique used to avoid accountability
What does DARVO mean?
DARVO is an abbreviation of “Deny, Attack and Reverse Victim and Offender,” and refers to a manipulative technique whereby someone, especially an abuser, reacts to another’s attempts to hold them accountable for wrongdoing/harm by denying the alleged behavior, attacking and shifting the blame to the accuser, or reframing themselves as a victim.

Examples of DARVO
… I think it’s quite clear that the folks working on this are hiding behind calling advocates adversarial in an attempt to excuse their bad actions. The actions they’ve taken provoked these responses. They’re literally pulling a DARVO.
—@cycling.city, BlueSky, 16 May 2025

Look for DARVO in your workplace. It might show up in a hostile message like the VC received. It might be more subtle: I didn’t mean any harm; they’re making a big deal out of nothing. If they were more of a team player, I’d be better able to complete more of my work on time.
—@BetterAllies, X (formerly Twitter), 22 Aug. 2023

Every one of the leaders of integrity, (whistleblowers), I have had the great honour to help, and every one of the hundreds I have met, was subjected to DARVO by those whose criminality or corruption they exposed.
—@nigelmaclennan, X (formerly Twitter), 15 June 2024

Where does DARVO come from?
DARVO was coined by psychologist Jennifer Joy Freyd in 1997.

My proposal, currently very speculative, is that a frequent reaction of an abuser to being held accountable is the ‘DARVO’ response. ‘DARVO’ stands for ‘Deny, Attack and Reverse Victim and Offender’. It is important to distinguish types of denial, for an innocent person will probably deny a false accusation. Thus denial is not evidence of guilt. However, I propose that a certain kind of indignant self-righteous, and overly stated, denial may in fact relate to guilt.
—Jennifer J. Freyd, Feminism & Psychology, Vol. 7 (1), 1997

How is DARVO used?
Most often as a noun, but sometimes as a verb.

DARVO is an effective tactic, her [Jennifer J. Freyd’s] research suggests, in that people who “get DARVO’d” may be more likely to blame themselves for what happened. Prior research shows self-blame is associated with silencing.
—Anna Orso, The Philadelphia Inquirer, 15 Oct. 2019

DARVO is a technique we may well encounter in our daily life when dealing with sociopathic personalities. This type of person-to-person psychological warfare is designed to deflect any penalty for misbehavior, and turn it instead into an opportunity to gain power over you. For a well-adjusted, mentally healthy person, to be DARVO’d is a bewildering and unsettling experience.
—Arthur C. Brooks, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2025

Last Updated: 17 Oct 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
dead rose emoji (;)
emoji
a dead or wilting rose (;), signifying heartbreak
What does the dead rose (;) emoji mean?
The dead rose (;), also known as the wilted rose or wilted flower, is an emoji commonly used to signify heartbreak, or romantic loss. It has often been used as a replacement for the broken heart emoji (;), which was seen as overused.

Examples of the dead rose (;) emoji
; became mainstream so we changed to ;
—Reddit, 10 Mar. 2025

That dead rose emoji genuinely makes me lose brain cells every time I see it
—X (formerly Twitter), 23 Sept. 2025

We changed from ;-;-;;-;-;-;
—tiktok.com, Mar. 2025

Where does the dead rose (; ) emoji come from?
This particular emoji has been around since 2016. It had a surge in popularity early in 2025 when it began being used as replacement for the broken heart emoji, which was seen by some internet users as too mainstream.

How is the dead rose (; ) emoji used?
The dead rose emoji is used earnestly by some people, and mockingly by others. While it has been suggested that ; is now preferable to ; to signify romantic loss, internet culture can be fickle, and many people who use such characters have now adopted the low battery emoji (;) as a replacement for the ;.

Last Updated: 10 Oct 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
delulu
adjective | dih-LOO-loo
Delusional; audaciously self-confident
What does delulu mean?
Delulu is an Internet slang term for “delusional.” In some contexts, it refers to an unapologetic, bold, and often joyously self-confident belief in the likelihood of realizing one’s ambitions.

Examples of delulu
Am i delulu or is he just not into me?
—Reddit, 18 Feb. 2025

They believe in and live by a sci fi book, I’m not surprised that they’re this delulu and make up weird scenarios.
—@kimmysoko_, Threads, 10 Oct. 2024

I am convinced I could make them fall in love with me given the chance (I am delulu)
—@gabbykaulitz001, X (formerly Twitter), 7 Oct. 2024

As the kids say, you need to be a little bit delulu (or a lot delusional) to get where you want to be. You have to keep believing in yourself and in the possibility.
—Evie Woods, quoted in Image, 17 Jul. 2024

Where does delulu come from?
Delulu is shortened from delusional. To get technical, it features a reduplicated -lu- for expressive effect. The word emerged in the early 2010s among K-pop fandom online (although it may have been coined elsewhere and earlier), where it was especially used as a mild rebuke of opinions about celebrity “stanning” (being an obsessive fan) and “shipping” (hoping for romantic relationships between famous people) seen as irrational, obsessive, or otherwise ridiculous. It spread outside K-pop as a more general term for “delusional” across social media in the early 2020s.

Especially among young women on TikTok starting in 2023, delulu shifted to characterize confidence in achieving one’s aspirations in life—no matter how delusional it may be to think so. This sentiment was playfully captured in the phrases delulu is the solulu (“delusion is the solution”) and may all your delulu come trululu (“may all your delusions come true”), with solulu and trululu modeled on delulu. In this context, it is associated with popular practices such as manifestation and positive psychology.

How is delulu used?
Delulu is commonly used as an adjective much in the manner of calling someone or something “crazy,” as in “My boyfriend is delulu to think he can get away with that behavior,” “I’m so delulu about that actor and her new movie,” or “It’s delulu, but I’m going to apply for that dream job anyways.” Sometimes it can function as a noun, especially in its expanded, positive “self-confident” sense. The word still has currency in the context of fandoms, including K-pop, especially for expressing intense affection towards stars or fictional relationships. It also often appears in the phrase delulu land, akin to la-la land.

Last Updated: 20 Aug 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
dermaplaning
noun
a skincare routine involving shaving the face with a scalpel
What does dermaplaning mean?
Dermaplaning refers to a cosmetic skincare treatment in which a surgical scalpel is used to scrape away the top layer of dead skin cells and fine facial hair from the face.

Examples of dermaplaning
Dermaplaning, a form of shaving that removes peach fuzz from the face, can improve the health and look of your skin, experts say. But there can be downsides to trying it at home.
—The New York Times (online), 5 Oct. 2025

In the last year, many women have been unafraid to show off their facial hair, which has typically been seen as "gross" or "unfeminine," as well as their dermaplaning routines.
—USA Today (online), 15 Mar. 2022

Dermaplaning, or face shaving, involves shaving the upper epidermis with a sharp blade. Initially described in the 1970’s as an acne vulgaris treatment, theoretically it reduces the appearance of scars. However, there is a paucity of data regarding its efficacy.
—Practical Dermatology, June 2024

Where does dermaplaning come from?
Dermaplaning comes from adding the combining form derma- (from the Greek derma, “skin”) to plane, meaning “to make smooth or level.”

How is dermaplaning used?
Dermaplaning is most commonly used in beauty and skincare contexts, particularly on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram where videos of the procedure have gained significant popularity. The word appears in both professional medical settings and casual beauty conversations, often accompanied by discussions about whether the treatment should be attempted at home (many experts recommend against this) or left to licensed professionals.

Last Updated: 24 Nov 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
doge
noun | DOHJ
Internet slang for dog; a meme about a Shiba Inu; a cryptocurrency; a proposed ‘government efficiency’ task force
What does doge mean?
An intentional misspelling of dog, doge refers to an Internet meme involving a picture of a Shiba Inu dog captioned with humorously ungrammatical phrases.

The meme inspired a cryptocurrency, called Dogecoin and abbreviated DOGE. The cryptocurrency influenced the backronym Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, referring to a political body advising President Donald Trump on cutting waste and spending in the federal government.

Also Doge. Pronounced d;j or d;zh.

Examples of doge
A key catalyst for Dogecoin’s price could be Bitcoin’s rebound and a move above its all-time high. If Bitcoin achieves this, it is likely to trigger a strong bullish breakout for DOGE.
—Crispus Nyaga, crypto.news, 11 Dec. 2024

I’m excited to chair this new subcommittee designed to work hand in hand with President Trump, Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy and the entire DOGE team. We will identify and investigate the waste, corruption and absolutely useless parts of our federal government.
—Marjorie Taylor Greene, quoted in New York Times, 21 Nov. 2024

I’ve seen so many cute doge in Europe the past two weeks. … Every single one made me smile and talk in a silly voice to greet them. … I hope I keep smiling at every single dog I encounter.
—@lizwarrenaustin, Threads, 10 Jun. 2024

It just goes to show that even though Doge has been considered a stale, old meme for years, it still hasn’t faded from our collective memory.
—Jay Hathaway, The Daily Dot, 11 Apr. 2018

Where does doge come from?
The earliest known evidence for doge, as an intentional misspelling of dog, appears in a 2005 spin-off episode of Homestar Runner, an Internet comedy series.

Doge went viral as an Internet meme in 2013. The playful meme features the expressive face of a Shiba Inu captioned in colorful Comic Sans font with cute, short, and deliberately ungrammatical expressions (‘such happy,’ ‘very eat’) and catchphrases (‘wow,’ ‘amaze’). This lingo itself became referred to as doge. The meme is based on a picture of an actual dog, named Kabosu and owned by a Japanese teacher. This dog was affectionately referred to as doge on Tumblr in 2010. Use of the term here may reference the earlier Homestar Runner joke or be an independent development, drawing on the frequent practice (especially in reference to pet animals, like smol) of misspelling words in digital communication to convey humor, irony, or group identity.

The popularity of the meme inspired Dogecoin, a cryptocurrency created in December 2013. It was originally intended to parody the burgeoning trend of decentralized digital currency—and is widely credited as the first of the so-called meme coins, usually risky cryptocurrencies named after Internet memes. Dogecoin combines doge and coin, modeled after Bitcoin, a banner cryptocurrency. The currency abbreviation for Dogecoin is DOGE, and its visual identity uses the face of the dog from the meme. Elon Musk promoted Dogecoin in 2021, contributing to spikes in its value.

In 2024, Musk significantly donated to, and campaigned for, the reelection of Donald Trump. After winning, President-elect Trump appointed Musk, along with businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, to a proposed advisory body named the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE for short. That name is ostensibly a backronym for—or at least an allusion to—Dogecoin, which has become closely associated with Musk. Not an official department of the federal government, the purpose of the controversial task force is to cut federal waste and spending.

How is doge used?
Doge is still used to refer to subsequent variations on the original meme. It is also an Internet slang term for any adorable dog.

In financial contexts, the cryptocurrency is also widely referred to as doge, although especially in the form of a capitalized abbreviation, DOGE.

Since the reelection of Donald Trump to the presidency, the capitalized abbreviation increasingly refers to the Musk-headed advisory body in political speech and writing.

References to all senses of doge sometimes incorporate jokes that use doge lingo. For example, the official Dogecoin website has described new releases as “Much upgrade, plz!”

Last Updated: 7 Feb 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
doomer
noun | DOO-mer
an extreme pessimist
What does doomer mean?
Doomer refers to a person who is extremely pessimistic, whether in general or regarding a particular issue (such as AI technology or the climate), often to the point that they believe nothing can be done and that efforts to solve problems are futile.

Examples of doomer
Worries about overpopulation aren’t only about the environment. Overpopulation doomers like Thomas Robert Malthus in the 18th century and Ehrlich in the 20th warned of famine and scarcity. But on every continent, more and better food is available per person than when humanity numbered half as many. In every country, life expectancy now is greater than 50 years ago.
—Michael Geruso and Dean Spears, The New York Times, 29 June 2025

I swear half of doomers just want to avoid responsibility for helping find solutions.
—@mellifera-crash, BlueSky, 13 Dec. 2024

I’ve been a mile underground in a Pennsylvania coal mine and in the middle of the Atlantic in an ocean research vessel. I’ve dove down to coral reefs in Australia that are bleached out by hot, acidic ocean water, and I’ve hiked through forests in Colorado that are being eaten alive by pine bark beetles. I’ve talked to scientists, politicians, activists, emergency room doctors, urban planners, clean tech entrepreneurs, and climate doomers who think we are all cooked anyway, so who the hell cares.
—Jeff Goodell, Rolling Stone, 29 Oct. 2024

GPT-4’s release inspired several open letters signed by AI researchers and tech executives warning of potential extinction-level risks posed by advanced artificial intelligence. One of the letters, reminiscent of fears about nuclear weapons or pandemics, called for a global pause on AI development. Around the same time, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman testified of AI dangers in front of the US Senate. A year later, California legislator Scott Wiener proposed a bill to regulate AI, backed by prominent figures that critics labeled as “AI doomers”—those who feared the uncontrolled progression of machine intelligence.
—Benj Edwards, Ars Technica, 11 Jan. 2025

Where does doomer come from?
Our Unabridged dictionary defines two older senses of doomer. The first refers to someone who pronounces a legal sentence, such as a judge (the oldest senses of doom in English refer to statutes, laws, judgments, and etc.). The second is “a prognosticator of doom,” someone who foretells bad outcomes for people, as by reading signs and omens (by the 15th century doom was also being used to mean “destiny,” and usually “unhappy destiny”):

Fond Ate, doomer of bad-boding fates,
That wraps proud fortune in thy snaky locks,
Didst thou inchant my birth-day with such stars,
As lighten’d mischief from their infancy?
—Robert Greene, Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay, late 16th century

Today’s doomer also incorporates meanings of doom including “judgment day” and “death or ruin” to refer to someone who believes all is doomed—that is, certain to fail or be destroyed. Its use has probably also been influenced by such as coinages as boomer, as in OK boomer, and Zoomer.

How is doomer used?
Doomer tends to be used negatively for someone who is seen as having given up on fixing things, or who is overly pessimistic about something that isn’t entirely bad or entirely hopeless. There is also the related noun doomerism, referring to the philosophical outlook of doomers.

“I talk about three different kinds of doomerism. One is the despair that arises from misunderstanding the science and thinking we’re absolutely on the path to collapse within 20 or 30 years, no matter what we do. That is not true. Second, there’s a kind of nihilistic position taken by people who suggest they are the only ones who can look at the harsh truth. I have disdain for that position. Finally, there’s the doomerism that comes from political frustration, from believing that people who have power are just happy to burn the world down. And that to me is the most reasonable kind of doomerism. To address that kind of doomerism, you need to say: ‘Yes, this is scary as hell. But we must have courage and turn our fear into action by talking about climate change with others, by calling our elected officials on a regular basis, by demanding our workplaces put their money where their mouth is.’”
—Genevieve Guenther, quoted in The Guardian (London), 24 June 2025

Last Updated: 20 Jul 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
elevens
plural noun
vertical wrinkles between one’s eyebrows
What does elevens mean?
Elevens refers to a pair of wrinkles that sometimes form on one’s glabella—that is, on the otherwise smooth space between the eyebrows—when one frowns, furrows their brow, etc., and is sometimes viewed as a sign of aging.

Examples of elevens
… while I can stack up four horizontal lines across my forehead when I lift my brows, I just don’t get the vertical ‘elevens’. Instead, when I try to frown, my brow goes into a kind of thick pleat. I’m told that I have the wrong sort of brow lines. For the eye mask to work, your elevens need to be the classic vertical kind.
—Alice Hart-Davies, The Scottish Daily Mail, 2 Aug. 2021

I had really deep elevens and just pronounced wrinkles at a younger age in general.
—@ OuiBitofRed, Reddit, 22 Aug. 2023

Using a mix of plants found in traditional herbal medicine (including ginseng, sanguisorba officinalis, and turmeric), the formula targets signs of aging—i.e. five different types of wrinkles around the eye, including the “elevens” between the brows.
—Emily Orofino, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2024

Where does elevens come from?
Elevens comes from the resemblance of these wrinkles to the number 11.

How is elevens used?
Elevens appears in online articles and conversations centered on beauty, beauty products, aging, and plastic surgery (among those who wish to prevent or erase their elevens).

As noted above, Daxxify (daxibotulinumtoxinA-lanm), or Daxi, is a new Botox alternative that’s used to treat and prevent wrinkles and, more specifically, severe frown lines. “Daxxify is FDA-approved to treat moderate to severe glabellar lines, otherwise known as frown lines,” says Bare Aesthetic founder Vanessa Coppola, a board-certified family nurse practitioner and injector specializing in facial aesthetics. “These are the facial lines we commonly refer to as the ‘elevens,’ which form in between our eyebrows by the action of frowning.”
—Danielle Sinay, Glamour, 1 Sept. 2023

Last Updated: 9 Apr 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
enby
noun | EN-bee
A nonbinary person; relating to or being nonbinary
What does enby mean?
Enby is an informal term for a person whose gender identity is nonbinary (neither entirely male nor female). It is used to refer to a nonbinary person or to nonbinary gender identities.

Examples of enby
Just a reminder to our queer/trans/enby community, Redwing Cafe is a safe space for you and we strive for a future where that is true everywhere
—@redwingcafe, Instagram, 23 Feb. 2024

As a transfeminine enby, I find myself feeling excluded and erased in both transfeminine spaces AND enby spaces.
—@itsafrickinmoon, Threads, 1 Aug. 2024

The Last of Us star Bella Ramsey has shared a heart-warming message to themselves as a child on social media, and trans, enby and “gender funky” fans everywhere are loving it.
—Harriet Williamson, PinkNews, 1 Apr. 2023

Where does enby come from?
Enby is based on the pronunciation of NB, an abbreviation of nonbinary. The term is thought to have originated on the social website Tumblr in 2013, when a user named revolutionator suggested it as an nonbinary alternative to gendered terms like boy and girl. Some people feel that the word enby should be used as an abbreviation for non-Black (in distinction from the use of NB for nonbinary), in reference to non-Black people of color.

How is enby used?
Enby is often in use as a noun, to describe nonbinary people (‘enby authors’). Like the term nonbinary itself, it is also used as an adjective, as in “The director sought to increase enby representation in film.” Its plural form is enbies or enbys.

Not all people who identify as nonbinary refer to themselves as enby, and some object to it as cute or childish. As with other such identity terms, labeling someone enby when you do not know their feelings on the word may be offensive.

Last Updated: 23 Jan 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
enshittification
noun | in-shit-uh-fuh-KAY-shun
When a digital platform is made worse for users, in order to increase profits
What does enshittification mean?
Enshittification is an informal word used to criticize the degradation in the quality and experience of online platforms over time, due to an increase in advertisements, costs, or features. It can also refer more generally to any state of deterioration, especially in politics or society. Similar forms include enshittify and enshittified.

Examples of enshittification
I think the worst part, truly, is the enshittification of Google. Search engines put the Internet on the map, it was the tool that allowed normal people to start using it. Now, it’s just AI hallucinations, fake news, and slop.
—;@roanokemarxist.bsky.social;, Bluesky, 20 Jan. 2025

Enshittification is everywhere you look. The collapse of liberal society and the hegemony of wealthy overlords is nearly complete. Los Angeles is burning but people in Oklahoma want to ban any actions designed to address the results of an overheating planet.
—Steve Hanley, CleanTechnica, 11 Jan. 2025

Xbox Game Pass remains one of the best deals in gaming, but it is getting worse. This week, Microsoft completely upended its pricing structure for its game subscription service … Once you start raising prices and restricting common features, you’re already on the path toward enshittification.
—Kyle Barr, Gizmodo, 12 Jul. 2024

Where does enshittification come from?
Enshittification is an archly elaborate formation for “having been made shittier,” or “worsened.” It combines the vulgarism shit, the prefix en- (“cause to be”), and -ification (a noun combining form meaning “making” or “producing”). Several independent coinages of enshittification are found online in the 2010s, with evidence for the similar shittification seen even earlier.

The term was popularized by the Canadian writer Cory Doctorow starting in 2022, when he suggested a patterned decline in the quality of online platforms resulted from capitalistic incentives. Doctorow explained the decline as a process in which a platform first offers value to users, then to other businesses, then back to themselves and shareholders after it dominates the market. He notably applied the word enshittification in critiques of Big Tech companies and social media sites.

Enshittification received considerable attention in 2023, after the American Dialect Society chose it as its Word of the Year (followed by Australia’s Macquarie Dictionary doing so in 2024).

How is enshittification used?
Enshittification is most commonly used to call out degraded user experiences of tech platforms, especially social media, streaming sites, and on-demand services. The word is also used to voice concerns about the erosion of social conditions, especially when thought to be worsened by capitalism or conservatism.

Its similar form, enshittify, is widely used as a transitive verb for the action of enshittification (“The new CEO enshittified the site with distracting AI tools”), as well as an intransitive one for this process (“The service kept enshittifying so I stopped using it.”) Something that has undergone enshittification is described as enshittified. Enshittification is subject to other playful formations, too, such as enshittificatory (“causing or serving to enshittify”).

Because of its vulgar roots, enshittification may be considered offensive or inappropriate in many contexts.

Last Updated: 30 Jan 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
everyday carry
noun
the collection of items one carries on a daily basis
What does everyday carry mean?
Everyday carry, sometimes abbreviated EDC, refers to the items that one carries on a daily basis (as in one’s pockets or purse). It can also refer to the practice of carrying such things.

Examples of everyday carry
This gift will become a part of his everyday carry, ready to help him take on the little, unexpected projects that come up without him having to get up to head to the tool room or junk drawer.
—Brandt Ranj, The San Francisco Chronicle, 30 May 2025

For me it’s mostly keys, wallet, phone, flashlight and a Swiss Army Knife (some days I add a dedicated folder or a multitool) but not always. EDC doesn’t have to include a knife, gun, prybar, multitool, etc. Carry what you need and add what you want to it. Not everyone needs all of the extra stuff.
—@ReptilianOver1ord, Reddit, 3 Sept. 2023

Whether you're looking for a flashlight for everyday carry, camping, or hunting, this is a great time to grab one at a discount.
—Amanda Oliver, Field & Stream, April 2025

… discussions about magic conventions and what was in our “everyday carries,” the items we keep with us in case the opportunity arises to perform a magic trick.
—Cliff Haddox, The Presbyterian Outlook, 1 Apr. 2025

Where does everyday carry come from?
The earliest uses of everyday carry referred specifically to the act or practice of regularly carrying guns, with everyday modifying the noun carry the way concealed and open do in concealed carry and open carry. Its use has since expanded to all kinds of tools that people find useful to have on them at all times, as well as the act of carrying them.

How is everyday carry used?
Everyday carry is often used attributively, that is, to modify another noun similarly to an adjective.

I still use a sleek black pouch … to organize everyday-carry toiletries in my purse …
—Fran Sales, Forbes, 23 May 2025

Meantime here are my vintage Montblanc fountain pens. I used the 420 and the unknown model at the bottom as everyday-carry (EDC?) pens for many years.
—@philstrachan, BlueSky, 5 Feb. 2025

Last Updated: 3 Oct 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
FAFO
abbreviation
an expression of warning or schadenfreude
What does FAFO mean?
FAFO stands for “F*** Around, Find Out” (or more politely “Fool Around, Find Out”). As it is overwhelmingly found in written use, there is no agreement yet on whether it should be pronounced as an acronym (FAFF-oh), or if it is an initialism, and therefore each one of its letters is fully pronounced.

Examples of FAFO
Since a lot of them voted for the dude screwing them over do not expect empathy from me. FAFO.
—@denisonscience, Blue Sky, 14 Feb. 2025

The National Weather Service is part of those cuts as it is part of NOAA. I recently read one meteorologist describe the cuts as not cutting fat or waste in the agency, but cutting bone. “These cuts will make it harder to keep your family safe when skies turn threatening. Hype? Wait for it. This isn’t efficiency. It’s insanity. A potentially deadly edition of FAFO.” That's what Paul Douglas, a Minnesota-based meteorologist recently posted on X (formerly Twitter).
—Rachel Brougham, The Petoskey (Michigan) News Review, 29 Mar. 2025

Throwback: The iconic scene [from Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing] when Sal’s pizzeria got rekt after he FAFO’d
—@Iggaitis, Reddit, 23 Mar. 2025

Where does FAFO come from?
The origins of FAFO are debated, with some online commenters suggesting that it arose from motorcycle gang culture, from parodies of the Gadsden flag, or as the slogan of the Proud Boys, a neofascist, white nationalist organization. It seems to have first been used online in the late 2010s before becoming more widely adopted in the early 2020s.

How is FAFO used?
Despite its adoption as a slogan by far-right groups, it is also used widely by people across the ideological spectrum, often as an expression of schadenfreude when someone (or multiple people) receive negative consequences for doing something that the user feels they shouldn’t have. It’s somewhat of a pithier version of another popular online admonition: “play stupid games, win stupid prizes.” FAFO is used as an adjective (“a FAFO moment”), a verb, a noun, and interjection, and as a hashtag.

—Jody Stallings, The Moultrie News (Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina), 26 Mar. 2025

Patterson said the workers threatened and intimidated the driver of the truck, saying workers said “they would slash the truck” if it left the site with the equipment on Monday. He said that a police report has been filed and that the company is receiving email threats warning them “FAFO,” a term that means “f---around and find out.”
—CBC, 3 Apr. 2025

Last Updated: 9 Apr 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
failson
noun | FAIL-sun
a mediocre adult son of a prominent family
What does failson mean?
Failson refers to an adult son of a wealthy and/or famous family who, despite being mediocre and lacking any real talent or determination, succeeds in life (or at least floats by). His success comes primarily because of family money and connections.

Examples of failson
… the reckless and impetuous failson of an electrical dynasty ...
—Peter Hughes, AutoWeek, 16 July 2018

… a rotating crop of affluent failsons were pulling down exorbitant salaries and burning significant piles of cash on ridiculous ideas, wasteful brand parties, and quarterly strategic pivots that rarely made sense.
—Karl Bode, Techdirt, 29 Aug. 2024

Who are the great failsons of cinema? Fredo Corleone tops the list obviously but who else
—@shadowtodd, Bluesky, 12 Mar. 2025

Talentless Billionaire Nepo Baby Failson Remains Safely Employed By The Company His Daddy Bought For Him
—(headline), Jalopnik.com, 27 June 2024

Where does failson come from?
The coining of failson is sometimes attributed to Will Menaker of the podcast Chapo Trap House, who was described as using the word in a November 2016 New Yorker article in reference to who he considered the average Chapo Trap House fan. While this podcast may have brought failson to prominence, the word had already appeared elsewhere in print earlier that year.

How is failson used?
Although failson is most often applied specifically to wealthy individuals (and shares some semantic overlap with nepo baby), it is sometimes used more broadly for disappointing adult sons from any family, regardless of economic class. It is nearly always used as an insult, but occasionally the broader sense is self-applied.

… resentful failsons sweating from video games and chicken fingers …
—Sam Kriss, Politico, 16 Aug. 2017

Faildaughter and failchild are significantly rarer at the moment, but used in similar ways.

my cousin is the bigger failchild though. … he made a bunch of money once via a scam and now he just smokes weed all day …
—@oliveoilmilf, Reddit, 31 Oct. 2023

I am a fail daughter and the favourite. In fact, being the favourite may have made me the fail daughter.
—Reddit, 14 July 2024

Last Updated: 7 May 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
Fanum tax
noun | FAN-um-TAKS
Taking someone else’s food; an Internet gibberish term
What does Fanum tax mean?
Fanum tax is a humorous Internet slang term for stealing someone’s food (or other item) or being entitled to some of it. It is widely used as a nonsensical expression and meme online.

Examples of Fanum tax
…all the parking got fanum taxed at my apartment
—@SmvWillis, X (formerly Twitter), 21 Aug. 2024

Skibidy toilet rizz, my sigma. Fanum tax my gyat, because you look sus af. Don’t make me flex on you with my drip, down in Ohio.
—@nikkibashawlewis, Threads, 13 Aug. 2024

Colin's friend Layne ate dinner with us tonight and I hit him with the Fanum Tax.
—@kml23956, Threads, 17 Jun. 2024

Where does Fanum tax come from?
Fanum tax began in 2022 as a comedic bit performed by popular Internet gaming streamer Roberto Escanio, who goes by the name Fanum online. During videos, Fanum would charge friends who were eating a joke “tax” in the form of a bite or portion of the food they were otherwise enjoying for themselves. They called this behavior the Fanum tax. The phrase and gag spread massively in 2023 on gaming platforms and social media, especially after Fanum “taxed” friends who were also popular streamers, including Kai Cenat, known for popularizing the slang term rizz, meaning “charm, attractiveness.”

In October 2023, Fanum tax went viral—and into mainstream attention—after TikToker @ovp.9 featured the phrase in the lyrics of a song and video, called Sticking Out Your Gyatt for the Rizzler (Fanum Tax): “Sticking out your gyatt for the Rizzler / You're so Skibidi, you're so Fanum Tax / I just want to be your Sigma.” The lyrics are intentionally unintelligible, meant to parody memetic Internet slang terms, like gyatt and skibidi, seen as overused by young people to the point of meaninglessness.

How is Fanum tax used?
Fanum tax is still used in its original sense of stealing a portion of someone’s food, although this usage remains closely associated with the content and personality of the streamer Fanum. This usage is also subject to puns and other wordplay, such as Fanum tax evasion or a 10% Fanum tax. It is sometimes extended metaphorically to refer to anything felt to be taken unfairly or aggressively diminished in some way. In these senses, the phrase is often used as a verb, as in “My wife’s french fries looked so good that I just I had to Fantum tax her” or “The quarterback totally got Fantum taxed when the wide receiver batted down his pass.” Occasionally, drawing from its use in the lyric “you’re so Fanum tax,” the term can mean “attractive” or “excellent.”

More commonly, due to its sudden and extensive popularity online in 2023, Fanum tax is used ironically—and with a kind of performative randomness, absurdity, and impulsivity—as a complete nonsense expression. The intent of this use is varied: it can signal in-group identity, mock Internet culture, or sometimes be a way to joke around and baffle people not in the know. In this way, the term frequently appears with other Internet slang terms, again such as gyatt and skibidi as well as rizz and Ohio, that have evolved into a form of gibberish sometimes referred to as “brain rot” and stereotyped as part of Generation Alpha’s unhealthy digital lifestyles. That’s so skibidi fanum tax sigma of those Ohio rizzlers!

Last Updated: 23 Jan 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
femboy
noun | FEM-boy
A young man presenting himself in a feminine way
What does femboy mean?
A femboy is a man, often young and cisgender, who expresses himself in a conventionally feminine manner, especially through his style of dress and mannerisms. The word is sometimes spelled femboi.

Examples of femboy
I'm 40. I dress fully fem about 1/10th of my time, I still consider myself a femboy when I do. I wear knee high socks 100% of the time, because I love them. … When I dress fem now, compared to when I was 20, all that's really changed is I have to shave more, and use foundation.
—Xoast, r/feminineboys (Reddit group), 7 Oct. 2023

Ms. Carstens said she was inspired by the “femboy aesthetic” — using makeup to accentuate one’s cheekbones, nose bridges and under-eye hollows to an angular, androgynous effect (think Timoth;e Chalamet).
—Danya Issawi, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2021

Seventeen-year-old femboy Seth went viral on TikTok overnight after posting a video of himself wearing a tennis skirt and nail polish, with the hashtag #femboyfriday. The video now has over a million views and has arguably paved the way for other non-conforming boys to follow suit.
—Dani Ran, Vice, 13 Aug. 2020

Where does femboy come from?
Femboy combines fem, short for feminine, and boy. The variant femboi is based on boi, an alternative spelling of boy used in the LGBTQ+ community. It has been in use since at least the 2000s and is likely older.

The word spread online in the 2010s as a term for young men who adopt a traditionally feminine appearance (including clothing and cosmetics) and demeanor. An aesthetic popularly associated with femboys draws from so-called e-kid subculture, influenced by emo and anime fashion. The word was likely boosted by the popularity of young, gender-nonconforming, feminine-presenting male celebrities in mainstream culture, such as English pop singer Harry Styles, femboy further spread in the early 2020s as self-identified femboys posted pictures and videos of themselves presented as such, often using related hashtags, including #femboyfriday.

How is femboy used?
Femboy is a particular form of gender expression and self-identification commonly used in the LGBTQ+ community. It does not specify a gender identity or sexual orientation. Femboys may identify, for example, as cisender or nonbinary or straight or gay. Outside the LGBTQ+ community, femboy is sometimes used to insult young men perceived to be effeminate and, in that context, is offensive. The term also appears in adult content and contexts.

Last Updated: 23 Jan 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
fridge
verb
to kill/harm a character (in a movie, show, etc.) to motivate another
What does fridge mean?
To fridge a (usually female) character in a movie, television show, comic book, etc., is to kill them off or seriously harm/abuse/violate them in some way (as a writer) for the purposes of motivating or furthering the development of another (usually male) character. Fridging is considered, and widely criticized as, a storytelling clich;.

Examples of fridge
Nat and Gamora getting Fridged was the MCUs greatest sin
—@ToXieRat, X (formerly Twitter), 19 May 2025

call me petty but I'm still annoyed that the first female dr protagonist got fridged for another guy
—@euxeris, X (formerly Twitter), 28 May 2025

Fridging a woman solely for the emotional growth of a male character is beyond unacceptable at this point, and boring to boot.
—Caitlin Rosberg, AV Club, 1 Feb. 2018

Where does fridge come from?
This use of fridge is attributed to comics/television/novel writer Gail Simone, who in 1999 published a list of over 100 comic book characters, all women, who were killed, injured, tortured, etc., on a website called “Women in Refrigerators.” The website’s name comes from an issue of a Green Lantern comic in which the superhero finds that his girlfriend has been murdered by a villain and stuffed into a refrigerator.

How is fridge used?
Fridge is used like any other regular verb, with regular inflections: fridges, fridging, fridged. The noun fridging is used for an example of a character being treated this way.

Viggo Mortensen seems fully aware of the dangers of “fridging”—that cinematic trope whereby violence befalling a woman becomes a man’s motivation to action—so he wisely subverts it in his sophomore feature as writer/director.
—Scott Renshaw, Salt Lake City Weekly, 30 May 2024

Last Updated: 6 Jun 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
fubar
acronym
thoroughly confused, disordered, damaged or ruined
What does fubar mean?
Fubar describes a situation or thing that is disordered, damaged, or ruined beyond any hope of repair or recovery. The word is an acronym, based on the expression ”fucked up beyond all recognition" (or "fouled up beyond all recognition”) and is used to convey a sense of utter chaos. Fubar can be either an adjective or a verb, and can be spelled in lowercase or entirely capitalized (FUBAR).

Examples of fubar
Likewise, if users get completely fubar while filling in the multitudes of fields in all the different pages of your dialog, they may choose the ejector seat and press the Cancel button.
—Dave Edson, Microsoft Systems Journal, October 1994

This is what happens when we hang on to expectations in the face of crisis, and it can turn a snafu into an utterly fubar situation.
—O: the Oprah Magazine, Apr. 2007

I understand the symbolism here, which suggests that if even McDonald's can't make a buck in Iceland, then Iceland's economy is totally fubared.
—Andrew Leonard, Salon.com, 27 Oct. 2009

Where does fubar come from?
Fubar originated as U.S. Army slang during World War II, with its first recorded use in Yank, the Army weekly magazine, in 1944. It is similar in construction to snafu (“situation normal all fucked up (fouled up)”), another acronym that came from the U.S. military in the 1940s.

How is fubar used?
Fubar is used to describe situations that have deteriorated beyond any reasonable expectation of success, often with dark humor. While the word originated in the military, and initially was mainly used to refer to aspects of military life, it now has considerable use in the general population, and may be used to refer to non-military matters.

Last Updated: 14 Nov 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
fugazi
adjective | foo-GAH-zee
Fake, a phony; BS; messed up
What does fugazi mean?
Fugazi (also spelled fugazy) is a slang term meaning “false, bogus, inauthentic.” It can also mean “a counterfeit, sham; nonsense; an impostor.” The word is pronounced with an open ; or long ; vowel sound.

Examples of fugazi
They'd rather tell themselves feel good fugazy than take accountability
—@meghmitra, Threads, 3 Sep. 2024

Five Morris County mayors who say their towns are being overwhelmed by state affordable housing quotas vowed Monday to fight what one of them dismissed as New Jersey's "fugazi" regulations.
—William Westhoven, Daily Record (New Jersey), 11 Jun. 2024

Jalen Hurts’ fugazi QB record is evidence that sometimes numbers do lie
—DJ Dunson, Deadspin (headline), 29 Dec. 2023

Seems like the whole country is moving here and the housing market is absolutely fugazi.
—RiverDog (user), Telecaster Discussion Page Reissue (Internet forum), 23 Jun. 2023

[Chris] Hipkins change in direction is in our view a con, he is a fugazi.
—Marc Spring, Marc Spring (blog), 14 Mar. 2023

Where does fugazi come from?
Fugazi was first recorded in the 1970s, typically written as fugazy. One popular explanation for the word’s origin connects it to Fugazy Continental, a limousine and luxury car service in New York City in the 1970s–80s that was accused of fraud. Fugazi was popularized by its use (referring to a fake diamond) in the 1997 mobster film Donnie Brasco and the 1988 book it was based on, Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia. Although the origins of the word are uncertain, fugazi is commonly associated with (or stereotyped as) English spoken by Italian Americans in the greater New York City area. It’s also closely associated with a 1980–90s punk band that used the word as its name.

Fugazi is also occasionally used to mean “completely screwed up.” This sense is said to come from military slang during the Vietnam War, standing for the initial letters of “f-cked up, got ambushed, zipped in (a body bag).” Evidence for this origin, and historical usage, is scant. This sense—and origin story—resembles the military slang fubar ("f-cked up beyond all recognition"), characterizing something as thoroughly or irreparably damaged.

How is fugazi used?
Fugazi is mainly used as an informal pejorative to denigrate someone or something a person perceives to be phony, fake, or bogus. It is used with the dismissive force of nonsense—or coarser synonyms for it, like bullshit. In this way, it can be used as an adjective (“He misled me with fugazi promises”) or a noun (“The politician was a complete fugazi”). It is also used to call something an actual counterfeit (a “fugazi designer bag”) or sham (“The email saying I won a bunch of money was a total fugazi”). Occasionally, it is used in the construction no fugazi, similar to no joke or no lie, emphasizing the genuineness of someone or something.

Far less commonly, fugazi is used to describe something as—and with the force of—effed up.

Last Updated: 23 Jan 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
gas
adjective
excellent, awesome, great, etc.
What does gas mean?
Gas is used as a slangy adjective to mean “excellent,” “awesome,” “great,” etc.

Examples of gas
tg art is so gas and made me forget that its a 5/10 plotwise
—@blackoo_, X (formerly Twitter), 25 Nov. 2025

Boots are not gas but the rest of the fit is
—@Affectionate_Kiwi730, Reddit, 13 Aug. 2022

They got an email this week from a listener who was very excited to buy a fancy toaster and it’s gas
—@drawboyseanie, BlueSky, 19 Nov. 2025

Where does gas come from?
Gas has been used as a slangy synonym of delight meaning “something that gives pleasure” since the mid-20th century, as in “the party was a gas.” This sense has been used adjectivally since then...

Now here’s a really gas idea for winter
—(headline), Home Living North (Australia), 20 July 2004

... but not with enough frequency—at least in the United States—to be entered in our dictionary. In recent years, however, the adjective use has gained momentum especially among younger generations.

How is gas used?
Because gas is used broadly to mean “awesome” or “excellent,” it can also be used as a synonym of exciting, hilarious, and other positive adjectives.

Last Updated: 12 Dec 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
Gen Alpha
noun
 The generation of people born (approximately) between 2010 and 2025
What does Gen Alpha mean?
Gen Alpha (also known as Generation Alpha) is the group of people born between 2010 and 2025, although not everyone agrees on the start and end dates of this generation. Capitalizing both words is more common, but it is not unusual to find one or both written in lowercase.

Examples of Gen Alpha
I gave birth to three successful Gen X daughters who have produced their own generation: I have three Gen Z granddaughters and one Gen Alpha granddaughter.
—Suzanne Davis, The Australian, 17 Nov. 2011

Alex Beckett, a senior research director at the market research company Mintel, adds that young consumers are prompting their parents to spend. “Thanks to their exposure to social media, YouTube and Netflix, gen Alphas are exposed to trends and dopamine-raising crazes intended for older adults, and they’re emulating them—essentially becoming hyper-informed consumers at an early age.”
—Sarah Butler, The Guardian, 27 June 2025

Enter Gen Alpha, whose eyes are already racing across screens. “I think they’re going to be trend freaks,” Ms. Lewis said.
—The New York Times, 9 Mar. 2025

Where does Gen Alpha come from?
Gen Alpha is a shortening of Generation Alpha, a term widely viewed as having been created in 2008 by Mark McCrindle, an Australian social researcher. The first generation named with a Greek letter (alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet), Gen Alpha comes directly after a series of generations named with the final letters of the Latin alphabet: Generation X, Generation Y (also known as Millennials), and Generation Z (also known as Zoomers).

How is Gen Alpha used?
Gen Alpha is somewhat more informal than Generation Alpha (shortened words often are more informal than the longer words they come from). Both are used in general and specialized writing, and neither is considered vulgar or slang.

Last Updated: 5 Sep 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
Gen Z stare
noun
an unblinking and vacant expression
What does Gen Z stare mean?
The Gen Z stare is a vacant expression that members of Generation Z give in situations where a spoken response would be expected. It occurs in classrooms, restaurants, and other social settings, and often appears judgmental to those on the receiving end.

Examples of Gen Z stare
I think I have the gen Z stare. My mom said I have a “soulless” stare, like i don’t like to look at people when I talk and I take just, like, a second too long to start talking during a conversation She said i look like i’m looking at my phone even when i’m looking at her.
—Reddit.com, 15 July 2025

The Gen Z stare is when a Zoomer is asked a question in a public setting, and instead of answering verbally, they deliver a passive-aggressive stare.;
—Sarah Harte, The Irish Examiner, 23 July 2025

the gen z stare comes out when there’s nothing nice to say…
—ctiktok.com, 9 July 2025;

Where does Gen Z stare come from?
As with much internet slang, the origins of Gen Z stare are somewhat unclear. The term spread widely on social media in the summer of 2025, with some suggesting that it had begun its life, as did many other recently viral words and phrases, on TikTok.

How is Gen Z stare used?
The term has been used to describe two scenarios: when Gen Z workers stare silently at customers they find ridiculous, and when Gen Z customers stare silently at service workers instead of responding in a timely manner.

Last Updated: 14 Nov 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
get sendy
verb
to perform an action with unrestrained enthusiasm; to pretend to shotgun a beer
What does get sendy mean?
Get sendy has a variety of meanings. Its oldest sense is “to perform an action with abandon and daring.” More recently it has been used in a somewhat nonsensical manner, as a phrase accompanying the speaker pretending to shotgun a beer (doing so with something other than a beer, such as a pencil, or a piece of paper). This later use, unsurprisingly, is largely found among younger teenagers. The word sendy by itself has also been used as a synonym for "confident" or "daring." (For those lucky enough to be unfamiliar with the aforementioned sense of shotgun, it describes a certain method of drinking a can of beer: one makes a hole near the bottom of the can, placing one's mouth over said hole, and then opens the beer top, all while holding the can above one's head. This causes the beer to flow down one's throat with considerable rapidity.)

Examples of get sendy
Getting Sendy at the Ozarks
—reddit.com (r/cliffdivers), 26 July 2025

accidentally caught ourselves getting sendy with boba
—tiktok.com, 14 Sept. 2025

my vibe is so sendy, i always outdue myself
—X (formerly Twitter), 14 Sept. 2025

Where does get sendy come from?
Get sendy can be traced to snowboarding lingo, in which the word sendy functions as a synonym of daring or adventurous.

But I do blast side hits and any little bump I can get sendy with and the wide platform of both make these boards super stable for landings and cheek wobbling speed. ;;
—snowboardingforum.com 28 Dec. 2022

As a skateboarder I would say practice on flat till it feels right then go to the lodge get a beer in ya, then get sendy
—Snowboarding (Discord channel), 24 Dec. 2024

Sendy itself is thought to have come from earlier snowboarding jargon, send it, which means “engage in an activity with joyful abandon and without regard to safety or planning.”

Like yesterday, there are about 30 people in the room, mostly older men. "Bob's Mogul Camp" is written in big letters across a whiteboard and next to the bulleted verbiage listing various ski techniques and tactics for proper mogul skiing. In the margin, someone has taken the liberty of scribbling, "if you're a snowboarder, forget these rules and just send it."
—Ski (Boulder, CO), January/February 2019

"Sledding is in our blood," she said. For McNaughton's winning race, he said he didn't have a race plan. He doesn't look at his gauges. "I just send it," he said. "It's just kind of built in.”
—The Whitehorse (CA) Star, 19 Apr. 2017

Focused, fit, and ready as snowboarders say to just send it.
—(transcript) NBC Nightly News, 20 Feb. 2018

Although much of the lexical evidence for send it comes from snowboarding (and related sports), it does appear in other athletic contexts.

Outside hitter Chaz Galloway added seven kills in 14 swings, seven digs and two solo blocks and ended the night with an ace on match point. "The bench was like, 'Just send it,' so that's what I did," Galloway said of the walk-off ace.
—Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 26 Mar. 2023

How is get sendy used?
It can be difficult to say exactly how get sendy is being used: the meaning (and even the form) of the phrase is in a state of flux. It is safe to say that it is being used in a playful and ludicrous way. If you are over the age of 15 and find that you cannot manage to understand the meaning of use of this … well, that is likely the intent of the people using it.

Last Updated: 17 Sep 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
Gish gallop
noun
a debate strategy involving the overwhelming use of false arguments
What does Gish gallop mean?
Gish gallop (sometimes gish gallop or Gish/gish galloping) refers to a rhetorical technique or strategy by which a debater puts forth too many false arguments for their opponent to be able to refute in the allotted amount of time.

Examples of Gish gallop
It reminds me of something from debate: a move called the Gish gallop where somebody just throws a whole bunch of bullshit at the wall and then their opponents end up getting caught up in disputing each one.
—Nicholas Grossman, The New Republic, 20 Aug. 2025

… a textbook example of what’s come to be known in science communication circles as the “gish gallop,” wherein anti-science promoters attempt to overwhelm you with a fire hose of plausible-sounding but fundamentally false claims and talking points.
—Michael E. Mann, The San Francisco Chronicle, 26 Sept. 2025

… the rhetorical tactic known as the Gish gallop or shotgun argument, which presents as many arguments as possible without regard to their validity or relevancy. The point is not to win a debate by making a cogent case, but to overwhelm opponents and tire them out.
—Akina Cox, Salon, 13 July 2025

Where does Gish gallop come from?
Gish gallop was coined by American physical anthropologist Eugenie C. Scott in 1994, referencing a rhetorical strategy often employed by creationist Duane Gish in debates about evolution.

How is Gish gallop used?
Gish gallop is most often used as a noun preceded by the word the, but occasionally is used as a verb, as in “they gish galloped through the entire debate.” It is often invoked in the contexts of political and scientific debates.

Last Updated: 10 Oct 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
glaze
noun & verb
to praise excessively
What does glaze mean?
To glaze someone or something is to shower them with excessive praise. Additionally, both glaze and glazing are used as nouns to refer to an act of glazing (giving someone excessive praise).

Examples of glaze
Look man I understand the S1 glazing, I really do, but let’s not try and glaze S2 now when 99% of yall were complaining when it was airing
—@IdkNtm1, X (formerly Twitter), 26 Feb. 2025

I’ll stop glazing when he stops deserving it, which he won’t, because he’s the best.
—@mpsteidle, Reddit, 8 Jan. 2025

“this is glaze” damn right im glazing it
—@bussaychae, X (formerly Twitter), 10 Mar. 2025

i like the hornets announcers but all they do is glaze even if they’re losing lol
—@babyxheem, X (formerly Twitter), 28 Jan. 2025

Where does glaze come from?
The non-slang definition of glaze is “to apply a smooth glossy or lustrous surface or finish to.” The slang glaze would seem to be a figurative extension of this sense, and started showing up on social media in the early 2020s.

How is glaze used?
Glaze tends to carry a note of disapproval—the word is often used in online fandoms of sports, movies, anime, etc., to suggest not just that someone’s praise is over-the-top, but that it is unwarranted, and even annoying to the individual who does not like the person/thing being glazed.

I was just popping off about his yesterday when one of my students accused me of glazing for being happy that Beyonc; finally got an album of the year Grammy. I was like, “Hey, how about it’s actually just okay to like a piece of art or an artist and talk about how much you like it?” Crazy idea????
—@HaphazardAstronaut, Reddit, 4 Feb. 2025

Last Updated: 14 Mar 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
gleek
verb
to project a stream of saliva from one’s mouth
What does gleek mean?
To gleek is to project a stream of saliva from one’s mouth, whether purposefully or involuntarily.

Examples of gleek
Gleeking is the ability to spray saliva out of the mouth from the glands that sit underneath the tongue in a move that’s been compared to a cobra spitting venom. Medics estimate that about a third (35 per cent) of the population may ‘gleek’ accidentally. In fact, to their horror, many of those who can gleek do so while yawning, leading to an embarrassing spraying of people and objects near them. However, experts add anyone can learn how to do it, if for some reason they wanted to.
—Joe Ely, The Daily Mail (United Kingdom), 27 Jan. 2025

The greens, meanwhile, were well seasoned, delicious and moist. Really moist. As in, I had trouble keeping the juice inside my mouth when I chewed — that moist. I know that’s a gross image, but they tasted so good that I couldn’t make myself chew slowly and carefully. So I gleeked a bit. Luckily, Kirk was well out of harm’s way, across the table from me.
—Kevin Gibson, The Louisville (Kentucky) Eccentric Observer, 12 Nov. 2014

A woman who accused her boyfriend of sleeping with another woman complained to Okaloosa County sheriff’s deputies that he responded by spitting one her. The man’s defense: he didn’t spit at her he “gleeked” on her, the Northwest Florida Daily News reports.
—The St. Petersburg Times, 6 Mar. 2008

In general, gleeking comes from “built up watery saliva” in your sublingual glands, Steven Morgano, DMD, chair of the Department of Restorative Dentistry at the Rutgers School of Dental Medicine, told Health. Then, “pressure on the glands from the tongue [...] causes the saliva to squirt out,” added Dr. Morgano. While sublingual glands and the saliva excreted from them have a purpose while you eat, being able to gleek doesn’t have any benefits, explained Dr. Morgano. “It is a quirk,” added Dr. Morgano.
—Korin Miller, Health.com, 18 Nov. 2022

Where does gleek come from?
This use of gleek dates back at least a couple of decades, and likely earlier. It is unclear whether this gleek bears any connection to the obsolete verb meaning “to gain an advantage over (as by trickery),” or the merely archaic verb meaning “to joke or gibe.” As attested in our Unabridged dictionary, gleek has also been used as a noun in the past to refer to a gibe, jest, or practical joke, as well as to a flirtatious glance—though we imagine such a gleek would be utterly undermined by ill-timed gleeking.

How is gleek used?
Generally, gleek is used as a intransitive verb, meaning it does not take an object. However, once in a while a transitive use does spray forth:

Suddenly mayhem broke out. Chairs crashed. Students shrieked and scattered from the back corner. One of the boys had “gleeked” his friend—spraying him with salivary mist from his throat. Within seconds it had escalated into a spitting match.
—Cecelia Goodnow, The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 28 Mar. 2004

Last Updated: 3 Oct 2025 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
glizzy
noun
a hot dog
What does glizzy mean?
Glizzy is slang for a frankfurter with a typically mild flavor that is heated and usually served in a long split roll, aka a hot dog.

Examples of glizzy
Gonna be in Chicago in less than 24 hours and I cannot ... WAIT to get a glizzy bro oh my GOD !!!
—@xsadxdadx, X (formerly Twitter), 3 Nov. 2025

Perhaps most prominent, though, are the wild Costco food court hacks, like the “forbidden glizzy”: a hot dog stuffed inside a Costco chicken bake (children, shield your eyes).
—Madeline Wells and Jessica Yadegaran, SFGate, 1 Nov. 2025

Horseradish sauce has mayo in it, friend. And mayo itself is great on a glizzy.
—@halforcforge, X (formerly Twitter), 4 Nov. 2025

Where does glizzy come from?
Glizzy originated (and is still used) as slang for a Glock, a particular brand of pistol, and broadly for any pistol, handgun, etc.

I’m an N.W.A. with a 19-shot glizzy ...
—Shyheim & Hell Razah, “Co-Defendant,” RZA Presents Wu-Tang Killa Bees: The Swarm, Volume 1, 1998

Several days later, police examined a Facebook account ... and found the user referring to a Glizzy—street lingo for a Glock handgun—and an extra clip. A Glock handgun and an extra clip were inside the stolen Mustang that day ...
—Ames Alexander, The Charlotte (North Carolina) Observer, 24 Sept. 2019

It is assumed that the phallic aspects of a pistol led to glizzy being used for both hot dogs and, well, penises.

How is glizzy used?
Just don’t put ketchup on one (kidding). The plural of glizzy is glizzies.

... Dollar Dog Nights appeared to be over for the season (for the uninitiated, that's when glizzies go on sale for a buck).
—Nick Vadala, The Philadelphia Inquirer, 23 May 2022