Courtesy of: www.themarysue.com/urban-dictionary-cited-by-courts/%5B/caption%5D

Haecheol Jang |Staff Writer|

Words are alive.

Words change meaning during every situation.

Some words disappear and some words appear.

Even the same words can have different meanings.

For example, think about the word, “cool.” Many people use this word to mean “great.”

However, some people use this word in its intended form, which means “proper low temperature.”

There is a lot of slang in this century.

Urban Dictionary is a useful source for people to understand what new slang words mean.

Traditionally, “lit” means the past tense and past participle of light, according to Longman Dictionary.

How about the slang term of lit?

The most recommended definition is “when something is turned up or popping,” according to Urban Dictionary.

However, lit is mostly associated with drug use like I’m so fxxkin lit.

It is easy to find the slang in songs. In the song “Black and Yellow” by Wiz Khalifa, there are two lyrics related with lit.

“I’ma bumble bee lit up like a crima tree,” and “the champagnes poured… the weeds lit.”

Nas’s song “Daughters” also has a lyric with lit. “Don’t think I’m slow, I know you probably had that chronic lit.”

Both two songs’ lyrics use “lit” as related to drugs.

“Savage” is also an interesting word.

The original definition is very violent or cruel, according to Longman Dictionary.

However, this word is used by slang “Bad ass. Cool. Violent. Awesome,” according to Urban Dictionary.

In “Savages,” by Five Knives, there is a lyric related to the term savage.

“So let me go now, let’s burn our bridge down. Oh-oh, oh-oh eh-oh(*3), we’re savages!”

How about the word, “fire”? Fire has many meanings in Urban Dictionary.

Most people think fire is uncontrolled flames.

Do CSUSB students think fire is just fire? “Fire means really GOOD, and I often use this word when I feel great” student Keith said.

It is easy to find the same meaning in the Urban Dictionary.

There are lots of meanings like “good herb,” “some fxxkin good… weed,” “incredible,” “hot,” “crazy,” “nice,” and “the new word for hot.”

There are lyrics in a song “fire” by Gavin DeGraw. The chorus is, “We are the champions. Setting it off again. Oh we on fire, we on fire. Running our own campaign. Doing the whole shebang. Oh we on fire. We on fire.”

Some people say that slang is just bad, but slang allows for easier conversation.

It is common to hear slang in songs, movies and dramas.

Now, accept slang as part of the culture and enjoy it!