Giving, Serving, Drippin’
Lots of newfangled language, a.k.a. “slang,” has popped up recently in my world, onstage, backstage, and offstage. New words and slang are fun to explore, and I continue to rigorously adhere to the scientific rule for research: consult young people.
Gives/Giving
During a February Gondoliers rehearsal with the Italian quartet, one of the leads, Ayla Shively, said, “The Gondoliers is giving ‘Love Island.’”
A NY Post review of Alicia Keys’s powerful Broadway musical Hell’s Kitchen says of the director, “Michael Grief gives Ninth Ave’s unique bustle energy.”
On the 2024 Mother’s Day episode of Saturday Night Live, Maya Rudolf struts her stuff and riffs on the theme “I’m Your Muthah” while wearing a skin-tight black and silver body suit. Punkie Johnson interrupts to tell her a group of fans says she’s “giving body-ody-ody.” (For now, focus on the “giving” part, not the “body-ody-ody,” okay?)
According to my young friend Rhianna Ring-Howell, gives/giving provides an image of the general vibe of something. Therefore, the Gondoliers scene we were rehearsing was full of dramatic romance. The Hell’s Kitchen director filled the stage with the spectacle and energy of the streets of NYC. Maya Rudolf’s body suit rocked the screen.
Rhianna provided me an example you can use when you notice someone wearing an outfit that is, as we oldsters used to say, “so yesterday.”
That dress is giving Gramma’s curtains.
Serving/Drippin’
Ariana Keller, a June bride and opera singer friend, recently posted a selfie captioned “serving bridal this season.”
According to my experts, “serving” has little to do with waiting tables. Instead, “serving” describes when a person shows a certain quality or state of being. In her case, Ariana was previewing elements of her bridal attire at her shower. “Serving” is a lot like “drippin’,” which means being super stylish or showing some super-attractive quality.
Remember the calendars that featured NYC’s firefighters? Bare-chested men and scantily clad women posing on firetrucks? Those folks were serving serious heroics and muscles.
Remember the photo of the American Women’s World Cup Soccer team in their glamorous attire for the 2019 ESPYs? Or the spectacular fashion on the athletes at the 2024 WNBA Draft? Those outfits were drippin’.
A Bonus Word: Delulu
I told a friend I had directed three shows pretty much back-to-back this past season. “Are you delulu?” they asked.
Feigning understanding, I laughed—then surreptitiously looked up “delulu” online. Not surprisingly, it derives from the word “delusional.” Basically, it means holding unrealistic beliefs or living in a fantasy world. In other words, my friend accused me of living in a fantasy world, thinking I could handle three shows in a row. I won’t do it again, that’s for sure.
Here’s a campy example of how to use it offstage:
Wearing a clown costume to her sister’s wedding only proves she is truly delulu. *
*This actually happened to a friend of mine at her own wedding. Her sister showed up in full clown regalia. Can’t make this up.
Fear Not the Newfangled Words
Language lives, breathes, and constantly changes, and as they sing in Hairspray, “You can’t stop the beat.” Older generations often balk at newly devised words and phrases, condemning them as bad or broken language or signals of the world’s demise.
In the musical The Music Man, con man-protagonist Professor Harold Hill instills fear of changing language in the parents of young men in 1912 River City, Iowa. In his famous patter song “Ya Got Trouble,” Professor Hill asks, “Are your kids using words like ‘swell’ and ‘so’s your old man’?” The terrified parents gasp. Horrifying, isn’t it?
Use Them!
New words and slang can be entertaining, fun, and immensely useful in writing. Carve your character’s place in the social settings of your narratives with slang. Firm up their qualities with era-appropriate words for their dialogue.
On a personal level, slang comes in handy when you want to feel “in” the with cool crowd. Contemporary. Hip. Happening. No? Maybe I should stick to using slang in writing.
You’ll slay if your writing gives today’s vibe. No cap!
(Note that these words and phrases will be outdated by next week.)