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Today's Word "Bling-bling"

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Published in Vocabulary

bling-bling \BLINE-BLING\ (noun) - (Slang) A self-consciously over-the-top and expensive style, originally in jewelry, but also in clothes, cars and general life-style.

"One-hundred-and-two year old Granny Estep, the sole custodian of the family's jewels, tended to turn up at gatherings bling-blinged to the eyeballs in ancient furs and Victorian jewelry."

 

The word originated in hip-hop culture, and at first referred to a unique hip-hop sense of style: "My son aspires to bling beyond his means." But its adoption by ad agencies and journalists has now generalized its use to the extent that we may dare to venture into strange territories. The word achieved wide circulation in the late 1990s after featuring in the song "Bling bling" by the rapper BG (Big Gangsta), but there is evidence of sporadic rap use dating back as far as 1993. Its origins are said to be onomatopoeic; once you accumulate enough gold pendants around your neck, they begin to make a clinking "bling bling" noise whenever you move. However, a line from the song "Bling bling" suggests that there may also be a link to another essential bling accessory: a tiny, expensive mobile phone: "All day my phone ringin', bling bling bling."


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