Another cooking-related slang has arrived on the scene.
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Well, well, who’s surprised Gen Zalpha is using yet another cooking-related slang to annoy the heck out of older netizens? Not us. After cooked, ate, and reheating nachos, we should’ve seen this one coming. Get ready to add “frying me” to your brainrot-infested lexicon.
What does ‘frying me’ mean?
Like many of the other teenage slang from the past couple of years, “frying me” can be used in a few different ways. While you have to be versed in deep internet lore to know what “skibidi” means, or know multi-layered meme slop to get the “hyperpigmentation” meme, “frying me” is not that complicated.
You might hear someone say a situation or scene is “frying” them and all it means is that they find it extremely funny or ridiculous. Of course, it depends on the context. While “frying me” may have been popping up more lately on Twitter and TikTok, the phrase seems to have been at least as old as 2021.
Urban Dictionary lists its definition as “when something is funny or hilarious,” but this isn’t always the case. Sometimes, “frying me” can signify that something is completely stressing you out and causing mental exhaustion. Perhaps the metaphor behind it is that it’s “frying” your brain. It can also refer to feeling extreme second-hand embarrassment at a situation or someone’s faux pas.
How to use ‘frying me’
For instance, on TikTok, many users are mocking artists for their goofy songs by saying “ts [this shit] is frying me.”
“Frying me” is often used to caption videos where someone is doing something hilarious or embarrassing. Other Gen Z slang that is synonymous with this is “this is taking me out” or “this is sending me.” This means something is so outrageous, so ridiculous, that it’s “frying” you.
One viral example on Twitter is someone filming the Shrek character at Universal Studios dancing to a Tyler, The Creator song. Another is a video of a fan walking face-first into a pole while trailing behind her idol. One that recently made the rounds on Reddit post-Oscars was a photo of Ariana Grande and boyfriend Ethan Slater. The Redditor captioned it, “This is frying me,” implying the photo looks awkward and Grande didn’t want it captured.
So the next time you want to convey the intense reaction you’re feeling to something embarrassing or extremely amusing, feel free to say it’s “frying you.”
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Want more Scrolling in the Deep?
Check out our previous explainers:
1) Scrolling In The Deep: ‘Are you reheating someone’s nachos?’
2) Scrolling In The Deep: Are you a goofy ahh?
3) Scrolling In The Deep: Is your outfit eating?
