A monthly updated list of sticky words and phrases for creatives, word smiths, strategists, and writers to go to town with. Think internet speak, overheard subway convos, a friend’s made-up phrase, quaint euphemisms, and more! ❀ enjoy ✎

week of jan 19

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week of jan 19 〰️

“I love sitting front row at the boy aquarium.”

1.

💡 it means a men’s hockey game, described like fish in a glass tank.
🔎 spotted first on this TikTok of someone also just discovering that this is what women are saying.
🌏 popularized by BookTok, where this niche subcategory of “rink romance” has found popularity amongst readers.
🍯 sticky because it’s a 1:1 expression of what happens at a hockey game (boy = players, aquarium = the Plexiglass).
🗣️ also used in many many many TikToks // addressed by Heated Rivalry’s Hudson Williams himself (wink).

“I get along so well with my 70-year-old coworker, we’re lowkenuinely best friends.”

2.

💡 it means low-key and genuinely at the same time to express that something is real but it isn’t a big deal. (Source)
🔎 heard first in this recent episode of the Brooke & Connor Make a Podcast.
🌏 coined by @bunnyboyjosh when he spoke about his coach’s advice. (Source)
🍯 sticky because it’s the first evolution of low-key to emphasizes the “low-keyness” of something.
🗣️ also used in this post-truth breakdown // this tweet about Shadow the Hedgehog // this airbending trend

3.

she was raised and born
in Štoj, Albania.”

💡 it means the same thing as “born and raised” but the reverse of it just makes it sound silly.
🔎 heard first
at Christmas when my boyfriend’s cousin read a list of her dad’s made up go-to phrases.
🌏 coined by my boyfriend’s Albanian uncle.
🍯 sticky because it’s a simple switcheroo of the familiar idiom, catching people off guard.
🗣️ also used in…nowhere yet! you could be the first 😉

“my ex’s new
gf is my
choppelganger.

4.

💡 it means doppelganger, but the chopped (hence “chopple-”) or less attractive version of someone.
🔎 heard first
in this recent podcast episode of Giggly Squad.
🌏 coined by…the jury is still out! But @sanjipami claims that her best friend’s boyfriend invented it.
🍯 sticky because it’s old meets new and it just. makes. sense.
🗣️ also used in this TikTok, but most importantly: the comments section // this tweet about Mario & Wario

“The Pitt is basically competency p*rn.”

5.

💡 it means a genre in film or TV where everyone is bright, talented, and successful in their jobs, which becomes a source of comfort and escapism in today’s era of chaos.
🔎 spotted first
in this Washington Post carousel recap of their (sadly) ad-blocked article about the genre. Try the Guardian’s.
🌏 coined by TV & film writer, John Rogers, in 2009. (Source)
🍯 sticky because it makes competency sound hot and heroic.
🗣️ also used to describe the show The Diplomat // in this Letterboxd list of movies

stay tuned for next-next week's list!

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stay tuned for next-next week's list! 〰️

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Did you and your friends make up a better word for “ghosting” over dinner? Is there a Shakesperean phrase that you think deserves a comeback? Let’s get your word out there.

the archives

  • “Y’all bodied this.”

    💡 it means to have done something so profoundly well that nothing else compares.
    🔎 spotted first on my friend’s IG comment on me & my boyfriend’s Nosferatu costume for Halloween.
    🌏 popularized by hip hop culture and rappers to mean “defeat” or “dominate” someone else in a rap battle.
    🍯 sticky because it’s several clicks above “ate” but feels more all-encompassing and visceral.
    🗣️ also used as the title of Eminem's rap battle movie // this kpop stan tweet

  • “My body bluetooth connected to the toilet before I got there.”

    💡 it means your body’s ability to sync up with an object related to that highly anticipated state of being.
    🔎 spotted first
    in a podcast episode of “Brooke & Connor Make a Podcast” when Connor spoke about his need to pee.
    🌏 coined by… the jury is still out!
    🍯 sticky because it encapsulates a primal need in a hilariously modernized way.
    🗣️ also used in this ultra relatable TikTok.

  • “We’re such cidiots for getting lost in this hike.”

    💡 it means a mashup of “city” + “idiot” as an insult to city dwellers who lack rural knowledge. basically the opposite of “bumpkin”.
    🔎 spotted first
    by my friend, Sydney, who saw it in the comments section of a TikTok that made fun of how Fishkill, NY is getting taken over by city people.
    🌏 coined by …the jury is out! But the phrase gained prominence in the Hudson Valley/Catskills region of upstate NY to describe rich people who visit the area seasonally.
    🍯 sticky because it’s a catchy combo of two simple words that gives birth to an archetype.
    🗣️ also used as the title of this podcast hosted by Mat Zucker who embraces his cidiot status himself // a TikTok about labor day // this tweet about someone making jam.

  • “If you’ll just excuse us a clock tick.”

    💡 it means “just a sec” or “wait a moment” in Ozian slang.
    🔎 spotted first
    in the new Wicked: For Good, where almost every character says it.
    🌏 coined by Gregory Maguire in his original Wicked novel in reference to the “clock of the time dragon”: traveling show with mechanized puppets, a clock, and a tik-tok dragon. Elphaba was said to be born inside it, & in the musical, the stage is designed to look like said clock.
    🍯 sticky because there’s just an antiquated charm when you measure time with a tick.
    🗣️ also used in this TikTok and this making fun of it // this thread about Jonathan Bailey // this thread of someone claiming it as their fave measure of “timescription.”

  • “Crazymakers create storm centers.”

    💡 it means someone in your life who stirs up nothing but chaos, drama, and is manipulative beyond belief.
    🔎 spotted first in Chapter 2 of the book I’m reading, “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron.
    🌏 coined by Julia Cameron herself! What a queen. Read more about it here.
    🍯 sticky because it combines two simple words to define disruption in human form.
    🗣️ also used inthis Oprah article // not a lot yet! you could be one of the first…

  • “He’s a jag and you deserve better.”

    💡 it means (or stands for) Just Another Guy or Just Another Girl, someone ordinary/not special, commonly used in sports for average, replaceable players.
    🔎 heard first when a friend used it to describe a guy she was dating.
    🌏 coined by NFL coach, Bill Parcells, who used a system of acronyms to evaluate players in the early 80s.
    🍯 sticky because it’s short and easy acronym with flex to be used in worlds beyond sports, like dating.
    🗣️ also used in this self-help video // how NFL player Steve Smith Sr describes wide receiver Jerry Jeudy.

  • “That story did not make a lick of sense.”

    💡 it means to have any small sense of judgment or common sense.
    🔎 heard first
    in this Nov 19 episode of Ride The Podcast from 22:43 - 23:19!
    🌏 coined by…the jury is still out! But it’s known to be a Southern saying, as seen here and here.
    🍯 sticky because “lick” is a ridiculous yet funny (and uncommon) way to measure how little something makes sense.
    🗣️ also used by this threads post about a woman’s secret superpower // a TikTok about how rare it is to find decent men.

  • “I’m feeling a bit overstimmy.”

    💡 it means to feel overwhelmed through all your sense receptors, like “overstimulated” but said in a more playful way.
    🔎 spotted first
    honestly not sure where. the word came to mind recently when I actually was a bit overstimmy!
    🌏 invented by … the jury is out! “Overstimulated” dates back to the 1800s , and “stimmy” is short for “stimulus”, which became popular in 2020 in reference to the economic impact payments.
    🍯 sticky because it brings a sort of lightness & humor to what is felt as a negative feeling, in a similar to way that “crashout” or “menti-b” is.
    🗣️ also used in this TikTok post about going into monk mode // this cat adoption video // this super valid Threads post

  • “She has a seraphic look to her.”

    💡 it means beautiful in an angelic way, from the Late Latin word “seraphin” = angelic being.
    🔎 spotted first
    on a tweet with a photo of Katseye’s Daniela.
    🌏 coined by (most likely) John Milton in his epic poem “Paradise Lost” in 1667.
    🍯 sticky because it rolls off the tongue beautifully… the “se” and “ph” give it a mystical feel.
    🗣️ also used as inspo for the kpop group’s name “LE SSERAFIM” // this quote about Cosette from Les Misérables

  • “Don’t worry, it’s just water off a duck’s back now.”

    💡 it means to feel no effect on an insult, criticism, or unpleasant moment, like water simply rolling off feathers.
    🔎 heard first when my friend, Meera, said it in reference to brushing off something annoying.
    🌏 popularized by Jinkx Monsoon, who used it as her mantra in RuPaul’s Drag Race to stay strong against harsh judges.
    🍯 sticky because the idiom has a strong (and cute) visual that feels cathartic.
    🗣️ also used in this 1894 newspaper ad for Pearline Soap // Gucci Mane talking about haters // someone describing it as a duck twerk.