There are so many slang terms and expressions that Americans use that have gone viral, thanks to the Internet, Twitter, Vine, Instagram, Facebook and every other form of social media that I am leaving out. People all over the world are now calling their significant others "BAE" and saying their eyebrows are "on fleek."
If you're like me and are unaware of where these expressions came from then here is a list of the top expressions used, and (to the best of my ability) where they originated. You may want to share this with your parents or grandparents so that the next time you use these expressions they can be clued in. Everyone knows the few that have been around for a while like LOL (and no that doesn't mean lots of love, it means laughing out loud, for the few that might not know, like my mother), but here are the newest additions to the list of silly American-made expressions.
"BAE"
It is actually an acronym for "Before Anyone Else." It is commonly misconstrued to be a short version of "babe," but it't not. No one really knows how BAE got started, but it sure has caught on. The hilarious part about BAE is that in Danish it means poop.
"On Fleek"
AKA: on point. It all started with a Vine where a girl is talking about her eyebrows and how great they look before she's ready to go out. Now it is used all the time to describe different things that people see as "on point."
"Bye Felicia"
When someone says that they're leaving, and you could care less, their name then becomes "Felicia", a random person that nobody is sad to see go. They're real name becomes irrelevant because nobody cares what it really is. Instead, they now are "Felicia." (Or, Felipe if it's a guy). This phrase originated in the film Friday, starring Ice Cube.
"Twerking"
Twerking refers to a dance move—consisting of squatting and rump shaking—that's been around since the 1990s, although some erroneously credit the move to Miley Cyrus. The term itself rose to prominence in the early part of this century, due in part to songs by Ying Yang Twins (“Whistle While You Twurk") and Bubba Sparxx ("Twerk a Little").
"Selfie"
This one has actually gotten so big it has been added to the dictionary. It is simply a picture that you take of yourself.
Naturally, here is the Webster definition: an image of oneself taken by oneself using a digital camera especially for posting on social networks
"FOMO"
This word is another acronym. It means having a "Fear of Missing Out." This one seems like it was created by a college freshman (but really it was created by a marketing strategist), because you always want to do more things that you're capable of doing, and inconveniently, they are all happening at the same time. Looks like you're about to find out what it feels like to have FOMO.
"Turn Up"
The real way to explain this expression would include an expletive, so I'll search for other ways. If you're going downtown with friends to hang at the bars and have a grand ole time, then this classic phrase will be use to explain what everyone will be doing. In other words, "Turn down for what?!"
