en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slay_(slang)
1 correction found
possibly originated during the 1100s
This mixes up the ancient verb with the much newer slang. Reliable dictionaries date the base word "slay" to Old English/before 900, while sources on the modern slang trace that usage to 1970s–80s ballroom culture.
Full reasoning
The phrase is inaccurate no matter how it is read:
- If it means the word slay, major dictionaries date that far earlier than the 1100s. Dictionary.com says slay was "First recorded before 900" and traces it to Old English slēan.
- If it means the slang colloquialism, sources on the slang history place that much later. The Daily Californian's history of the term says the modern slang meaning comes from Black and Latine LGBTQ+ ballroom culture in the 1970s and '80s, where it meant "killing it" in attitude and style.
So the article is conflating two different things: the age of the underlying English verb, and the origin of the modern slang usage.
2 sources
- SLAY Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com
Etymology: Origin of slay — First recorded before 900; Middle English sleen, slayn, Old English slēan... Slang. to impress strongly and favorably; overwhelm, especially by humor.
- The origins of "slay" | The Daily Californian
its origins come from the Black and Latine LGBTQ+ ballroom culture in the 1970s and '80s, where it started to be a metaphor for "killing it" with regards to attitude and style.