Street voices
Janna
·
United States
"It's giving. Basically when something resembles something else, so let's say someone's wearing like a yellow orange top. Someone else could say, and you know, it resembles like the shade of mac and cheese, orange yellow. Someone could say, oh, it's giving mac and cheese. Can be used as a compliment, could be used as a roast, literally anything. An example would be, ooh, love your striped outfit. It's giving mime."
What it means
You say it's giving when something is serving the energy of something else and the comparison lands instantly. Usually you tack on a noun or short phrase after it, like it's giving auntie at the casino or it's giving haunted Airbnb. It can be hype, playful teasing, or straight shade depending on how you say it.
Usage examples
"Your new sunglasses are giving bodega security vibes, deadass. Pull up to brunch in SoHo like that and everyone’s gonna stare."
"Your new oversized sunglasses are giving bodega security guard at three in the morning of the corner store in the East Village of Manhattan, deadass, pull up to the brunch reservation at the place in SoHo on Sunday at noon dressed like that and the entire table of friends from the agency on Lafayette Street is going to stare for the full thirty seconds of the entrance."
"The new Italian restaurant on Smith Street in Carroll Gardens of Brooklyn is giving Lower East Side circa two thousand and seven from the candle-lit interior of the dining room to the natural wine list of the bar at the entrance, the staff in vintage corduroy from the thrift store of the next block, and the seventeen-dollar pasta of the Friday night menu we cannot quite afford on the side rent of the agency salary."
"That tiny denim jacket over the hoodie is giving early 2000s pop star who just argued with her manager."
"This new coffee spot is giving expensive toothpaste and soft launch dates, I can't even lie."
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Where it comes from
It comes from Black queer and trans ballroom scenes in New York, building on AAVE uses of give to mean putting out a certain look, mood, or energy. Drag culture helped it travel, then social media blasted it into mainstream internet English as a quick-fire vibe call.
Other ways to say it
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