If you've recently gone home for break or had any friends visit you at FSU, odds are someone has probably pointed out that they have NO idea what you’re saying half-time the time.
Why? Because in a town where no one seems to be above the ripe age of 22, a new language has somehow begun to form within our beloved Talla-nasty. You may have noticed, you may have not, but if you've ever used any of these words or phrases below, you are most definitely a seasoned Tally veteran.
1. “Swoop"
Is it a noun? Is it a verb? Surprise, it’s both. A “swoop,” in its simplest definition, is that person you end up taking home after a typical Derdsday, where your frat brother bartender hooked you up with one too many VWL's.
The morning after “swooping’" is usually characterized by a splitting headache, a sense confusion as to what happened the night before, and that always awkward "do you want me to order you an Uber home?" conversation.
Whether you were a swoop yourself, or the one doing the swooping, there's no denying that the use of this strange noun/verb is something only Tallahassee degenerates are truly familiar with.
2. "Not NOT"
Us Florida State kids always seem to find a way to complicate and turn things around, and this strange play on regular English is no exception. Not only does it violate the simplest of grammar rules, but it’s also just plain hard to understand. Thanks to this new phrase, instead of saying something "IS true" or that we "ARE down" to do something, we say we're "not NOT down" or that something is "not NOT true". Confusing? Just a little. Grammatical errors aside, I'm not NOT admitting I say it pretty often.
3. "Facey"
Ahh... another one of those noun/adjectives that we continue to use, even though it’s not even a real-word in the first place. In the ancient days, we used to say someone who everyone knew, and who knew everyone, was simply popular.
But now, that just sounds lame. Now, they're "facey." FSU face queens are the girls that go out and somehow know EVERYONE, making their way through Clyde's one cheek-kiss and "hey baby!" at a time.
But, not only can people be facey, but places can too! If that boy/girl you’ve been lowkey stalking on Insta for the past 3 weeks, at least 5 potential or past swoops, or any of your friends are not there, then it’s probably not a "facey" place.
The “face” movement doesn’t stop there though. Have you ever gone through the process of deciding whether you really want to damage your liver and dignity at what is probably the third Mandatory Make Out Monday this month?
It’s okay, me too.
At the end of it you probably decided, "I'm just gonna go for a little" which reaaalllly means, you're just gonna go "show face." You see? It’s everywhere. While this concept of "face" itself may seem silly to outsiders, there’s no denying that being facey in Tallahassee goes a long way.
4. "It's always sunny in Doucheville."
The phenomenon of wearing sunglasses inside, particularly inside the bar or club, is something so unnecessary yet also weirdly necessary, that it could only be seen at Florida State.
You may start to defend the trend by saying, "I wore my sunglasses to happy hour because it was sunny," but the thing is.... even when it got dark.... you still kept them on. Inside of Clyde's. Inside of Derd. Even inside of Pots.
Why? Because it’s always sunny in Doucheville.
5. “If you know, you know. #IYKYK”
Now this phrase is not one that specifically started or that is said exclusively at FSU, but the excessive nature in which it IS used is 100% a symptom of Tallahassee.
On a regular basis, people use ”#IYKYK” to describe any inside joke they might have with friends or followers, or to caption and label things only a select group of people would understand. In a way, it’s kind of like subtly “@-ing” a lot of people, without actually having to do so.
For example, an FSU student can post a picture of the hill next to the Williams building with the caption “iykyk,” and all of us would know he’s referring to that horrendous uphill walk that literally feels like you’re walking on a 90-degree angle.
But being the extra people that we are, FSU students will literally caption a picture of ANYTHING with “#iykyk.” It could be a picture of a random fork and someone will find a way to insert a subtle “if you know you know,” as if this fork had some hidden meaning.
But then again.. maybe we just weren’t in on the fork joke, hence we literally “did not know.”
