Of course, slang keeps changing as new generations come up with their own expressions. And many words that seem brand new have actually been used by particular communities for decades.
Linguist Adam Alexic explained in an interview with Illinois Public Media that popular expressions like “slay” and “serve” have strong connections to Black and Latino queer ballroom culture in New York City. These words gradually spread beyond those communities and became familiar to a much wider audience.
Social media has made that process much faster. A funny phrase can appear in a video, get repeated in thousands of comments, and suddenly become part of everyone’s vocabulary.
Sometimes, people start using expressions without knowing their original meaning or where they came from. And once a phrase gets popular enough, it can take on a whole new life of its own.
So the next time you describe a picture as “going hard” or tell someone they absolutely “ate,” remember that you’re taking part in a tradition that’s been around for hundreds of years. Language has always given people room to have fun with words, and there’s no sign of that changing anytime soon.
Who knows which of today’s ridiculous expressions might still be around a century from now? Do you have a favorite slang phrase, or one that you absolutely can’t stand? Let us know in the comments below!
