So what's the deal with this new slang referring to minutes as quick, hot, and cool that seems to be catching on? One of my coworkers was trying to tell me about a friend that she hadn't seen since grade school and told me that she hadn't seen him in a "quick minute," ultimately meaning over a decade. As far as I can tell, a quick minute is the longest duration, followed by hot, then cool. This makes no sense right? If we are talking about cooking terminology, a hot minute should be the shortest right? And the cool minute should be the longer since it would take a while for the hot food to cool down?
I guess what I'm trying to understand is the paradoxical nature of slang. How did "Bad" become a substitute for "good," or "sick" a replacement for awesome? As far as I can tell, a lot of slang tries to defy comprehension by those not in the know, perhaps because those in the know don't want outsiders to know what they are talking about. If someone from, let's say, Orange County heard someone from Long Beach talking about how he hadn't hung out with his sickest, gnarshtiest friend in a quick minute, the Orange County dude might think that the Long Beach guy was just taking a small break from visiting his friend at the hospital.
In short, slang is a huge part of the culture war. It's a code that different generations use to include and exclude certain people from knowing what they're talking about. The trend in slang will ultimately have to change though, for if slang continues the trend of simply meaning the opposite of what is actually said... the narcs will catch on pretty soon.
Stay strong... and stay creative
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