Explaining Pop Culture – Slang
Your the bee’s knees, the cats pajamas, slang has been around a long time and it hasn’t ended yet. The bee’s knees and the cats pajamas are both slang from the 1920’s used to imply that something is good or cool. Now though if you wanted to say somethings cool, you might use sicko, clean, or even poggers. It’s commonly believed that if your not a part of the current generation you wouldn’t stand a chance at understanding the slang, but with this list it can become a little easier. Below is an unalphabetized dictionary style list of slang that is used and part of the history behind each word.
The Dictionary of Modern Slang
Sus – the shortened version of suspect or suspicious and is used to express concerns or doubt of someone/thing; the usage of sus in the majorities speech pattern came from the viral game Among Us where players had to figure out who was guilty thus shortening “someone is acting suspicious” to “they’re sus”
Your Done – a way to express exasperation with someone/thing; this phrase along with many others originates from TikTok one of the most popular examples of this is from the TikTok user @kittykatkittykatpur where “Your Done” is used to express distaste with the person attempting to pop his face acne
Mommy – used to refer to someone after you’ve been distracted by their chest area or could also be used to refer to someone who has done a “motherly” task who you may also find attractive; this started with TikTok user @roofjesus, this also draws meaning because of psychologist Sigmund Freud who believed children were attracted to those who look like their parents.
Sheeeeeesh – sheeeeeesh is used to express how strong something is for example an amazing project or even an amazing roast would warrant the word sheeeeeeesh; this has also originated from TikTok the primary user to start this was @meetjulio
Vibes – the atmosphere around you this can either be “good” vibes or “bad” vibes; vibe originally actually comes from 1967 as a shortened version of vibration which was used for the “instinctive feeling” of a place or thing
Sicko – can be used to imply that something is awesome or cool; using sicko in a positive manner was popularized in 2018 by Travis Scott’s song “Sicko Mode” where he used it in way to mean good
Cheugy – is a way to say that something is ugly or dated, some common examples of what could be considered cheugy include chevron, teal, infinity scarves, and Uggs; an article in New York Times by Taylor Lorenz says that cheugy was coined by Gaby Rasson in 2013
Simp – a person who is seen as overly attentive; this term was actually in use in the 1980-90s and was especially prominent in hip hop lyrics, it was used as an insult to imply a man was to dutiful to a woman, it made a reappearance through TikTok in 2019
Tuff – is very similar to tough, it just contains more positive connotations and can also imply something is cool or edgy; tuff was popularized by the book Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, as the gang in the book would use tuff to compliment each other
Bones – Bones or No Bones is way to express what kind of day you’ll have, a bones day implies that you’ll be productive and have a good day while a no bones day implies that you can take a little extra time to care for yourself and rest; the Bones or No Bones day came from TikTok user @jongranz, his 13 year old pug noodle struggles to stand so each day he picks him up if Noodles stands it’s a Bones day if he falls down it’s a No Bones day
Bofa – bofa is a part of a series of jokes that almost always ends in the puncline “deez nuts” this particular joke could be phrased like this, Person 1: Hey, how’s your bofa? Person 2: What’s bofa? Person 1: Bofa deez nuts!; bofa and similar terms was primarily popularized by different social media, TikTok being one of the more notable platforms. I’ll speak more on this in my post about the “Deez Nuts” phenomenon.
Hot Sec – a hot sec is term to imply that you need a minute or two to process or do something; a hot sec originates primarily from shortening other terms, where it used to be I’ll need a couple seconds, it was shortened too give me a sec, and from there shortened to hot sec
Clean – clean is a way to imply that something is cool or stylish; although clean doesn’t have a clear origin or way of popularization the most likely reason for it’s use to mean good or awesome is that saying “I’m clean” implied that you were sober or hadn’t done drugs, as that is a good thing
The “Deez Nuts” Phenomenon
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Origins: The “Deez Nuts” jokes are a series of jokes that frequently end with the punchline deez nuts or something of a similar inappropriate yet still funny level. When traced back the first usage of “deez nuts” appears to come from Dr. Dre’s album The Chronic which was produced in 1992. This song created a trend among hip-hop and R&B artists who proceeded to use it in song titles and lyrics for a couple years. Using deez nuts once again flared up in 2016 when 15 year old Brady Olson entered this name as a presidential candidate, a candidate that showed up in polls with Hilary Clinton and Donald Trump.
The candidate Deez Nuts was kept in polls for a while longer and for more reasons why Brady Olson set this up click the link.
“Deez Nuts” jokes have once again became popular primarily through social media, TikTok being one of the more notable spreaders of the jokes.
My Thoughts: Aside from the origins of the joke it’s also worth thinking about how this joke circulates in peoples’ day to day lives. Personally as a high school student I’ve fell victim to countless “deez nuts” jokes as well as set some up myself. Seeing as this joke is mainly harmless I think it creates a good edition to the slang and everyday speech of the current generation. It’s affect on pop culture will at least make people wary of potentially falling for the joke at any mention of bofa or sugondeese.
Hook, Line, and Sinker: As with any joke “deez nuts” jokes are plenty easy to fall for. So this post will contain multiple examples of potential setups and their punchlines. As more jokes are created this list is sure to be updated.
- Have you ever heard of bofa?…Bofa deez nuts in your mouth.
- Did you hear what happened in Sugondeese?…Sugondeese nuts.
- What’s that one band who sings “Believer” and “Demons”?…Imagine Dragons?…Imagine Dragon these nuts across your face.
- Do you know where ligma is?…Ligma balls.
- What’s that one county with the red flag with yellow stars?…China?…China put these nuts in your face.
- What’s the name of the chef on the ravioli can?…Chef Boyardee?…Boyardeez nuts in your mouth.
Can it Come Back? The Mullet
People say that trends in fashion are a circle, and with that I’m beginning a new mini series amongst my blog where I explore if certain trends should actually be coming back.
A Little Bit of History: For most the mullet seemed to have been created in the 1980s and while it was certainly popularized that is not where it originates from. The mullet has been around as far back as 6th century B.C.. This particular hairstyle was even worn by warriors to keep their necks warm while still making it difficult to grab their hair from the front. For more information on the history click here.
Now though we see the mullet sported by kids of all ages. In this particular image above we can see a high school wrestler. The mullet has even made its way into the elementary schools where multiple young kids are seen sporting this controversial style. It is worth noting though that many people these days will get their mullet permed. Not too dive to far back into history, but the perm and permed mullet were popularized more in the 1990’s rather than the 80s. Mullets aren’t solely popular with the more “hick-ish” population(as seen above), but now they are even making waves in the more alternative groupings. This group tends to lean more towards the wolf or shag cut which I mention a bit in my personal thoughts. An example of the wolf cut is below.
My Personal Thoughts: Generally when I think of mullets I’m immediately disgusted. And for almost anybody with a mullet I’d recommend getting a different haircut. I will admit though that I believe the permed mullet is a little bit better. For those of you insistent on getting a mullet the wolf or shag cut mullet would be a superior choice.
Is TikTok Glamorizing Bad Driving?
If you’ve been on TikTok at all lately it wouldn’t be too much of a surprise to see some sort of video about bad driving or parking. Linked is a TikTok that may help show how bad driving is being highlighted on social media. TikTok This particular TikTok is by user @mallory_price and details how she has hit a normal curb, animal “curbs”, and even a police car shaped “curb”.
Personal Experience: To help normalize bad parking and driving I’ll be detailing my own experience with unfortunate driving situations.
In this particular situation above I felt that parking into a pine tree would be significantly better than trying to park next to another car. I believe TikTok would consider this a tree “curb”.
Now in this picture it may just appear to be my car covered in snow, but this situation occurred after driving home from work in a snowstorm. In this snowstorm I could not see and drove into a large thing of snow that my car could not get out of. Now right before that happened I had seen a stuck semi truck which likely was a sign to choose to pull over, but I believed I could make it home. This turned out to be false and I had to call my mom to come get me.
Another low point in my driving career is in this link. This video has a voiceover of my sister detailing an unfortunate event where I hit my sister’s boyfriend’s parked car. And that was followed up by a bad parking job across from it. To make matters worse I am know well known in my school for being a particularly bad driver.
To expand on that instance I wore a “I’m a Good Driver” shirt for our white lie themed sports night and I kid you not everybody knew what it was about even underclassman. I always have a history of hitting three consecutive curbs while trying to park. I’ve also hit over ten other curbs, a light pole or two, and the Kwik Trip pole that stops you from running into the store.
My Thoughts: I think TikTok popularizing bad driving/parking is really good for those of us who struggle as it serves as a reminder that I may not be the worst driver alive. For those of you more interested in the history of popular trends my next post should be a little more to your liking.
Explaining Pop Culture 