Bling (noun / adjective / US Hip-Hop Slang)
(Also heard as: Bling-bling, Blinged out, Blingy)
Definition:
Flashy, expensive jewellery and accessories, or anything sparkly and showy. If it catches the light and makes people look twice, it is bling.
Where It Comes From:
It spread through hip-hop in the late 1990s, helped by the New Orleans rapper B.G. and his song “Bling Bling”. The word is usually explained as an imitation of light flashing off diamonds and chains. By the early 2000s it had jumped from rap into mainstream English and into the dictionaries, and it landed in the UK with the same swagger.
How People Actually Use It:
Used seriously for gold chains, diamond watches and grills, and jokingly for anything overdone, like a phone case covered in crystals or a Christmas jumper with sequins. “Blinged out” means decked in jewellery or decorations.
Examples in the Wild:
- “Look at the bling on him, he’s wearing about three chains.”
Meaning: He is wearing a lot of showy, expensive jewellery.
- “She blinged out her trainers with gems for the wedding.”
Meaning: She covered her shoes in sparkly decoration to make them stand out.
- “Nan’s new mobility scooter is fully blinged out, it’s got fairy lights.”
Meaning: The scooter has been decorated in a gloriously over-the-top way.
Similar Slang:
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