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In Memoriam: Swagger
Seattle: Awhile back, my boy The Black Bruce Wayne said “swagger” being overused and called for a nationwide prohibition. If anything to give some life back to our friend here. But it was too late. After seeing “swagger” appear on a deodorant bottle, on the Grammies and from the mouths of people who don’t have a morsel of the word they’re attempting to use, the word is as tired as Ja Rule’s singing voice. It’s time to put this bad boy to rest. We’d like to offer a few kind, and not so kind, words about this now cliche term before it goes on to join hip hop terms like “bootylicious”, “phat” and my favorite “jiggy” in the slang graveyard.
Slim: I met swagger during my junior year of college. We became good friends immediately after I crossed and became a member of my fraternity. Swagger was my wing man whenever I went out to pursue the ladies or hopped on a long jump runway against feeble competition. He was a great talker and really knew how to put people in their place. If there’s one thing about Swagger that I’ll remember, it’ll have to be his ability to always be so damn cool. It’s really a shame what “those people” did to him. Swagger will not be missed.
Sowhatiff: Swagger is like good sex: everyone wants it, but everyone can’t lay the pipe. And just like good sex, lames claim to have it. When they get called out, their spot gets blown up and feelings get hurt. Ah well. Those with swagger don’t need to talk about it because it’s visible to all. RIP “Swagger”. You tried to be generous, but people took your kindness for weakness. The swaggerless lied and took ownership of you where they had no place to do so. Though you’re gone, l’ll always have you. Cuz I’m fly.
It’s a damn shame what happened to you swagger. You were taken from us way too late. Now I just have to say I have a certain “Je ne said quoi” that can’t be matched. Do you have any kind words for swagger? Or do you know of any other words that should be put to rest ASAP? Step up to the podium and please share your thoughts.
Still Getting Jiggy With It,
The Three Ways Crew
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I personally think that all text language should be removed from the language. I’m tired of ppl omging and calling ppl jeals
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ladebelle Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 9:13 am
what’s jeal?
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Back on the Scene, its PEYSO Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 9:26 am
jealous, the white girls at my job say it all the damn time
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Sowhatiff Jenkins Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 9:16 am
I think “bol” and “jawn” should be buried.
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Back on the Scene, its PEYSO Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 9:27 am
u hush up about my beloved “bol” and “jawn”. because of them i never have to think of proper nouns or correct pronouns
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Katchin05 Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 10:33 am
Nooooooo!
You have clearly had some bad experiences w/ people from the Illadelph, and on thier behalf, I apologize. But, (young)bol will always and forever be ap part of my lexicon.
Aiight, jawn?
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myndseye Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
what do those mean anyway?
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Sowhatiff Jenkins Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 4:49 pm
bol=boy, man or some other description of the male species.
jawn= every part of speech known to the English language
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Back on the Scene, its PEYSO Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 4:54 pm
tiff jenks is in fact incorrect. jawn = when referring to a human is any female. however, women in philadelphia may use it to refer to their sig others (male or female). when referring to inanimate objects, it can take the place of any noun .
bol is correct
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Black & Trapped in Toronto Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 4:57 pm
I’m sayin…y’all need a glossary of 3way terms lol
Pumington???…
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Sowhatiff Jenkins Reply:
March 14th, 2009 at 12:04 pm
Whatever Peyso. The word is still dumb.
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I am sick of the word swagger, although it’s meaning is still real.. I shall replace it with “ambiance.”
The other word I want to bury is “diva.” It’s a word I’ve always hated, and I blame Beyonce for making it cute for girls to yell it out. (am I the only one that doesn’ t think a diva is a female version of a hustla?)
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Slim Jackson Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 8:37 am
I bet I know a particular sorority that would disagree with you on burying the word Diva….
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Nicki Sunshine Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 9:45 am
I think they prolly will too.
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Back on the Scene, its PEYSO Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 9:01 am
i think diva is the female version of a divo
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Nicki Sunshine Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 9:43 am
lol. Do I need to google that?
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Cheekie (A Meeting Kept Me From ThreeWays Yesterday. Die Meetings! Die!) Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 11:26 am
Oh yeah, “divo”. I first heard that term at some music awards show (I’m thinkin’ the Grammys) that Elton John performed at. One of the commentators said he was a “divo”. And I smirked and said, “Naw, he’s a diva”.
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ladebelle Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 9:14 am
yeah… a diva isn’t a female version of a hustler… that’s a prostitute…
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Sowhatiff Jenkins Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 9:16 am
LOL!!
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Nicki Sunshine Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 9:43 am
LMAO!
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Sowhatiff Jenkins Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 9:15 am
Beyonce’s definition of “diva” should be buried for sure. When I first heard that silly song, I was like, um, now a bunch of regular hood rat chicks are gonna think they are divas b/c B was trying to sound tough on a track. Lame.
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Nicki Sunshine Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 9:42 am
THANK YOU! Exactly. They are putting it on ringtones and such.
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Reign Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 9:47 am
I totally said the same thing! Can’t stand to hear that song… who’s the producer? Did they not have a dictionary in the studio?
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Black & Trapped in Toronto Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 9:59 am
I would personally like to burn all cd, a-tracks, casette tapes, records & MP3 copies of Sacha fierce/Beyonce- whoevea!…..u are not alone Nicki def not alone……
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Nyela Goodness Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 10:12 am
co-sign
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Nicki Sunshine Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 1:11 pm
I hate to say it, but that entire CD did suck!!!
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Katchin05 Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 10:34 am
I never know hustler was gender specific pre-Bey, but if I had to define one I’d say Snoop from the Wire is a female version of a hustler.
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OrangeStar616 Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 10:54 am
LOL my take on Diva neva was female hustla but just an overall FLY bad ass brawd, who can be just as sweet as pie or a ball busting bitch when need be LOL..ain’t too many TRUE divas around, thats for sure..LOL
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Robin Monique Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 11:13 am
Haha! I like the word diva. Bey’s definition is just her way of reminding folk that she’s married to everybody’s fav “hustler.”
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I don’t think that swagger is completely dead, I still like it. I personally like to use the word swag instead of swagger. Now as for the word fly, it’s still kinda hanging in there…
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love the satire… but really, a good point. Swagger, unlike sugar, can not be artificially recreated.
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Here’s my take:
Swagger isn’t actually a slang term. Swagger has been in the dictionary for years and was actually in my vernacular before it got beaten to a pulp by the hip-hop industry. Do I hate how often the term is used? Of course. But it’s definition is Webster supported and there are very few words as precise as “swagger” to describe a person’s “it” factor.
Now, the word “swag?” That ish is straight made up ghetto slang and has been banished from my vernacular.
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Nicki Sunshine Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 9:51 am
It took me a lil bit to figure out what, “She like my swag meant.” I thought maybe I just wasn’t hearing the whole verse or something.
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Conversate. Is. Not. A. Word.
Please, let it go.
Now.
Thanks.
Regards.
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Sowhatiff Jenkins Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 9:19 am
Actually, as per Webster’s Dictionary “conversate” is now a legit word in the English language…
Shocking yet true.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conversate
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ladebelle Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 9:20 am
boooo!!! what’s happening to our english language?!?!?! ebonics is sneaking in like a thief in the nite!!!!
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Nicki Sunshine Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 9:52 am
WOWWWW.
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Back on the Scene, its PEYSO Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 9:27 am
I like it, make all the ebonix regualr english and that lets see what words ignorant people come up with
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RightCoastLexSteele, Se Habla Espanol Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 10:07 am
Hold that.
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Nyela Goodness Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 10:20 am
Grrr! This is not okay! Thanks, dictionaries, for perpetuating folks’ unwavering need to completely ignore the rules of the very language we speak. This is an excerpt from one of those online dictionary thangs:
Etymology: back-formation from conversation
Usage: slang
“Back-formation”?! Really?! No. False-formation. Non-formation. I don’t know the real verb-derivative for “conversation,” so I’m just gonna make up a word-formation! And since it’s clearly recognized and identified as “slang,” why is it in the dictionary in the first place?! Please limit such non-words, to urbandictionary.com. Thanks.
::sigh:: Can you tell I’m bothered? ugh.
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Slim Jackson Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 10:22 am
I disagree, we can conversate about this offline.
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Katchin05 Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 10:46 am
“Back-formation”…. like devolution?
That is an all around fail.
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RightCoastLexSteele, Se Habla Espanol Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 12:34 pm
Well the derivative is “converse” like the sneaker. I dont see conversate being that far off.
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well, i think that our dear president will always have swagger per my moms stance however, all this swag surfing and other BS does need stop…
if you would like to surf, seek a beach, get off the dance floor with that foolywang
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I would like to see a 3ways glossary…cuz ya’ll are vury creative…yes i used vury..
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overuse by bamas has killed that word for me a long minute ago, it is banished from my vocab……… altho the true meaning of the term will neva play out, for those that really have it, that certain something, the “it” factor, a je ne sais quoi AND savior faire some folk possess in spades but don’t have to go around proclaiming it because it pretty much speaks for itself!!!!
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“Now I just have to say I have a certain “Je ne said quoi” that can’t be matched. ”
I kinda like how this says “said” instead of “sais”.
Thought it hasn’t been that long since this exploded, I want “bitchassedness” to die a fast yet tortuous death. First, because of the man who it’s associated with. Yes, that’s right, Diddles (read: P Diddy). I hate this word so much because no one has more bitchassed tendencies than this mofo. So, the word has no credence.
It’s way overused and 2520s have BEEN gotten a hold to it. Thus, death.
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Black & Trapped in Toronto Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 11:36 am
“2520s have BEEN gotten a hold to it. Thus, death.”
Thus death indeed….pale like a corpse…
language evolves…I like language…I like Fridays..I like lamp…..
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You know what word or words deserved their death but make me wanna smack ppl when i hear from time to time, “OKKKK!!!!” and “Yeeeeeeaaaaaahhhh!!!” and “Akwhat?!?!?!”
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LOL…brawds that say “OK” on the end of this and that are like a decade late LMAO……..and that sh*t is TARDY and irritating.
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Cant think of any words that need to go away, but I sure am tired of light skin n*ggas…
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Black & Trapped in Toronto Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 12:33 pm
fiyah!!! rofllllllllllllllllllllllllll
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Cheekie (A Meeting Kept Me From ThreeWays Yesterday. Die Meetings! Die!) Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 1:42 pm
“Cant think of any words that need to go away, but I sure am tired of light skin n*ggas…”
Barack Obama doesn’t approve of this message.
Also, didn’t they JUST truly come back? Weren’t the choco brothas in style for a long while and light-skindeded bros are already annoying you? lol
Which, now that I think about the reason why light-skin is back…um, I can kinda see why…haha
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RightCoastLexSteele, Se Habla Espanol Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 1:59 pm
Dont worry about Barack, Michelle has him under wraps for us, mesmerizing him w/ the smell of cocoa butter and motions. Yea, they making a comeback, but wait til another of them swells up ya face like a damn beach ball again, and y’all will be back quickly. God Bless white women for being loyal and giving their unconditional, undying love to the dark skin brothers.
*****RCLS PSA*****
This Saturday March 14th is Steak and BJ’s day. We dont need cards, but ladies, this is our Vday. Make it special. RightCoastLexSteele cares about the community.
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Cheekie (A Meeting Kept Me From ThreeWays Yesterday. Die Meetings! Die!) Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 2:32 pm
“Yea, they making a comeback, but wait til another of them swells up ya face like a damn beach ball again, and y’all will be back quickly.”
And this will happen sooner than later which is why when I thought about it, I see your beef. Usually when a skin-tone makes a comeback it’s someone famous that started it, but the president? Heads are gonna be SWOLE! Ugh, I can imagine…
“God Bless white women for being loyal and giving their unconditional, undying love to the dark skin brothers.”
Uh, you know they’re tryin’ to prove a point when doing this, right? lol
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RightCoastLexSteele, Se Habla Espanol Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 3:59 pm
Yep. Point taken.
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Kill all versions of the word except Websters correct meaning.
Swag
Swaggeriffic
Swagtastic
Turn my swag on
And then you have people beefing with the term; “your swag isn’t as big as mine”
What the hell Bobby?
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I’m tired of the quantifier “real” being attached to gender. A “real” woman or a “real” man. Usually when this is used it is because somebody is venting. ex: Where the real men at? A real woman would treat you like this. I think it’s unnecesary. Either you are a man or woman or you’re not. I prefer quantifiers: good, bad, nice, mean, stupid, smart, etc. If you’re not a real man then what are you? a robot? If not a real woman then what, u were born a man?
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Slim Jackson Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 3:20 pm
Ya know what. I’m with you on this one. I actually feel the same way about “strong” being placed before a Black man or woman, as if most of us are weak and lack muscles or mental toughness.
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RightCoastLexSteele, Se Habla Espanol Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 3:58 pm
That’s real talk, b.
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Swagger should never have to be spoken about..its something you carry..it comes that out of you, to have swag you don’t need to be the loudest in the room.
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I am SUPER LATE…THANK YOU STARBUCKS!!!
THANK YOU FOR FINALLY making note of this!!!
My thoughts of an individual changes when they use the word SWAGGER or even SWAG…individuals over the age of 24 please find another word….Leave it to the 106 and Parkers….
-BBW aka The Prince of Darkness
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