Slang throughout the years

The phrase “woke” and to “stay woke” is not new — it began appearing in the 1940s and was first used by African Americans to “literally mean becoming woken up or sensitized to issues of justice

DeSantis leverages the woke agenda for his own purposes.

According to an April 2021 article in The New York Times written by Taylor Lorenz, the term cheugy was coined in 2013 by Gaby Rasson, a Beverly Hills High School student, who used it to describe “people who were slightly off trend”; an Urban Dictionary definition appeared in 2018.^[1] Subsequently, it was mentioned in a TikTok video by Hallie Cain in March 2021,^[3] inspiring explainers from various media outlets (including Lorenz’ own article).^[1] The American Dialect Society voted cheugy its 2021 “informal word of the year“.^[11]

She is so cheugy: she’s doing last week’s TikTok trend.

The term possibly derives from the word “grotesque.” Popularized in the song “Valley Girl” in 1982.

Ugh, that smell is seriously grody—I’m practically gagging.

Bae is a slang term of endearment^[1] primarily used among youth in communities. It came into widespread use around 2013 and 2014 through social media and hip-hop and R&B lyrics.

It’s bad when bae doesn’t reply to your texts.

Unknown origin, probably related to boogie-woogie music.

Let’s boogie!

Meh‘s popularity surged after its use on the American animated television series The Simpsons.^[7][27] It was first used in the 1994 episode “Sideshow Bob Roberts“,^[7] when a librarian reacts to Lisa’s surprise that voting records are not classified. It also appeared later in “Lisa’s Wedding” after Marge weaves the words “Hi Bart” on a loom to try to pique her son’s interest in weaving, to which he responds “meh”.

Taylor Swift’s new album is a bit meh.

It’s a fine old American slang term for a jail, still widely known today. Most people would connect it with the nineteenth-century cowboys of the Wild West.

Otis ended the evening in the Mayberry hoosegow.

The origin of skivvies, a North American term for underwear, is unclear.

We stripped down to our skivvies and went into the pool.

The term yuppie originated in the 1980s and is used to refer to young urban professionals who are successful in business and considerably affluent.

He was disappointed in her choice of restaurant, a noisy, yuppie hang-out, the sort of place where design took precedence over comfort.

The most common use of “yeet” is as an exclamation when you’re throwing an object. However, the word isn’t limited to being associated with objects, as you could also say, “I’m going to yeet myself into the pool.”

I just yeeted my cat across the room. (not advised.)