English is a constantly changing language, with new words entering the lexicon from other cultures, the news, science…and even music.
Word: Bling
Meaning: Expensive, attention-getting jewelry, or any flashy accouterments.
Origin: “Bling” is an example of onomatopoeia—a word made from the sound of something. In this case, “bling” sounds like the “ding” made by shiny objects in TV commercials. It’s now a very common slang word, and its widespread use comes directly from the 1999 song “Bling Bling” by rapper B.G.
Word: Frenemy
Meaning: A portmanteau of “friend” and “enemy,” it refers to that person in your social circle to which you are civil…but whom you also barely conceal your mutual hatred.
Origin: A journalist named Jessica Mitford tossed off the word in an article in the 1970s, but it wasn’t widely used until 1998. That’s when pop band New Radicals used it in its hit, “You Get What You Give.” It was further popularized when a 2000 episode of Sex and the City mentioned the word to describe the concept of friends who are really rivals.
Word: Izzle
Meaning: A nonsense addition to a word.
Origin: “Izzle” has long been a signature speech additive from rapper Snoop Dogg. He even had a sketch comedy show on MTV in 2003 called Doggy Fizzle Televizzle. Rappers love wordplay—it’s their job—but Snoop Dogg didn’t actually come up with “izzle.” Linguists trace its use back to inner-city street criminals in the 1970s. It was still an esoteric concept (the technical term for a middle-of-the-word addition is called an infix) until funk singer Frankie Smith made use of it in his 1981 song “Double Dutch Bus.”
Word: Bootlicious
Meaning: A portmanteau of “booty” (as in the rear end) and “delicious,” it refers to an attractively curvy female figure.
Origin: Snoop Dogg did create this word. In 1992, he rapped a verse on Dr. Dre’s hit “Dre Day,” in which he describes another rapper’s rhymes as “quite bootylicious.” But that just meant “good.” Bootylicious didn’t take on its more familiar meaning until 2001—from the Destiny’s Child hit “Bootylicious.”