Which ones do you use?

These 10 slang terms came from catchy songs. Which one is your favorite?

Popular music can become a part of popular culture not only through the music itself but also through the introduction of a certain word or phrase into the popular lexicon. Some of the words and expressions we use and hear every day were born in hit songs. In this article, we’ll look at a few popular terms that started as music and ended up in regular conversation. Some became slang; others evolved into full-fledged dictionary entries. Is any of these part of your everyday vocabulary?

Although many people think yada yada yada was invented by Seinfeld, the expression is much older. Variations such as "yatata" appeared in American entertainment as early as the 1940s, including Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II's 1947 musical Allegro, where repetitive syllables represented meaningless cocktail-party chatter. Comedian Lenny Bruce also popularized similar wording in the early 1960s before television made it famous.

The phrase reached worldwide recognition in 1997 with Seinfeld's episode "The Yada Yada," where characters used it to skip over inconvenient details. Today it means "and so on" or "I'll spare you the boring parts," making it one of television's most successful contributions to modern English—even if its musical roots came first.

The word twerk first entered recorded music in New Orleans' vibrant bounce scene. One of its earliest known appearances came in DJ Jubilee's 1993 song Do the Jubilee All, where it described a fast, rhythmic dance involving hip movements. For years, the term remained largely regional, especially in Louisiana clubs and Southern hip-hop culture.

Its meaning exploded into the mainstream during the early 2010s as social media and pop stars introduced the dance to a global audience. In 2013, Oxford Dictionaries even named twerk its Word of the Year runner-up after adding it to the dictionary. Today, the word refers to both the dance itself and the energetic style that helped bring Southern hip-hop vocabulary into everyday English.

The name doo-wop comes from the nonsense syllables sung by vocal harmony groups in the 1940s and 1950s. Although artists had been using sounds like "doo-wop" for years, the genre itself wasn't widely called doo-wop until the early 1960s. Groups such as The Platters, The Five Satins, The Orioles, and The Drifters helped define the smooth vocal style that became one of the foundations of early rock and roll.

Today, doo-wop describes far more than a few catchy syllables. It refers to an entire musical movement born in African American neighborhoods in cities like New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Baltimore. The name has become shorthand for the nostalgic sound of 1950s vocal harmony and remains closely associated with diners, jukeboxes, and the birth of rock and roll.

The word bling imitates the imagined sparkle of jewelry, but it became famous thanks to hip-hop. The turning point came in 1999 with "Bling Bling," a hit by New Orleans rapper B.G. featuring the Hot Boys and Big Tymers on Cash Money Records. The song celebrated diamonds, luxury cars, and success, turning a regional slang term into a worldwide catchphrase.

The expression quickly spread far beyond rap music. By 2002, bling had entered the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, and Merriam-Webster followed in 2006. Today it refers to flashy jewelry—or, more broadly, any expensive, ostentatious display of wealth. What began as hip-hop slang is now understood around the world, even by people who have never heard the original song.

Long before it was named a musical genre, rock and roll was African American slang that appeared in blues and gospel lyrics during the first half of the twentieth century. It referred to movement, dancing, and sometimes romance. In 1951, Cleveland disc jockey Alan Freed adopted the phrase for his radio program, helping introduce rhythm and blues to a much wider audience and giving the new sound a memorable name.

Within a few years, rock 'n' roll described far more than music. Artists such as Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Elvis Presley, and Buddy Holly transformed it into a cultural movement associated with youthful rebellion, freedom, and changing social norms. Today, the expression still evokes an era that permanently reshaped popular music and culture around the world.

The phrase hip-hop entered popular culture in 1979 with The Sugarhill Gang's groundbreaking hit "Rapper's Delight." Its playful opening—_"I said a hip, hop, the hippie..."_—used rhythmic syllables to mimic the sound and flow of early MC performances. Although the culture already existed in New York City's Bronx, the song introduced millions of listeners to its vocabulary.

As rap music exploded worldwide, hip-hop became the name of an entire cultural movement rather than just a musical style. Today, the term encompasses DJing, MCing, breakdancing, graffiti art, fashion, and creative expression. What started as a catchy lyric in one of history's most influential rap songs has become one of the defining cultural labels of the modern era.

When Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan released "Mellow Yellow" in 1966, the title immediately caught listeners' attention. The song became an international hit during the height of the psychedelic era, and its easygoing sound helped reinforce the meaning of the adjective mellow, a word that had already begun evolving from describing ripe fruit to describing a relaxed, pleasant personality.

Although mellow yellow never became a true idiom in the same way as bling or others in this list, the phrase entered popular culture as shorthand for a calm, carefree mood. It has since appeared in advertising, television, films, and product names, while mellow remains one of the most common English words for describing someone with a laid-back, relaxed temperament.

"Purple Haze," released by The Jimi Hendrix Experience in 1967, quickly became one of rock's defining songs. Hendrix described the lyrics as inspired by a dream and a science-fiction story rather than by drugs alone, despite decades of speculation. The song's distorted guitar sound and surreal imagery helped establish psychedelic rock as one of the era's signature musical styles.

Over the years, purple haze has become a cultural shorthand for a dreamlike, confusing, or euphoric state of mind. The phrase regularly appears in books, movies, journalism, and everyday conversation whenever someone wants to describe mental fog or surreal circumstances.

Released in 1994, "Gin and Juice" became one of Snoop Dogg's signature songs and a defining anthem of West Coast hip-hop. Produced by Dr. Dre, the track painted a vivid picture of a relaxed California lifestyle filled with neighborhood parties, cruising, and confidence. Its instantly recognizable title helped turn a simple mixed drink into a pop-culture symbol recognized around the world.

Today, gin and juice is often used as a playful reference to carefree fun rather than the beverage itself. The expression appears in television shows, advertisements, memes, and countless musical references, while the song continues to rank among the most influential rap singles of the 1990s.

Most people assume this expression is an ancient proverb, but it actually began as the title of a hit American song. Songwriters Al Hoffman and Dick Manning wrote "It Takes Two to Tango," which Pearl Bailey turned into a hit in 1952. The lyrics point out that while many things can be done alone, dancing the tango requires two willing partners.

The phrase soon outgrew the song and became a popular idiom meaning that cooperation, or blame, often belongs to both sides. It gained worldwide attention again in 1982 when President Ronald Reagan used it to describe U.S.-Soviet relations. Although inspired by the famous Argentine dance, the expression itself is a modern American creation.

Staples of American cuisine

In a nutshell: The surprising origins of 12 common foods and ingredients

Image: Sergio Arreola

Did you know that the word food comes from the Old English foda, meaning "nourishment or fuel"? Many of American signature dishes and ingredients are borrowed from other cultures, while others are an inescapable part of our idiosyncrasy. The names of the foods we eat the most in the United States have their origins in different parts of the world. In this article, we have selected 12 popular ingredients to find out how and where they got their names. Explore this list of delicious word histories and see if you can spot your favorite foods!

Image: Polina Tankilevitch

The thought of a slice of bacon sizzling on a hot skillet makes anyone's mouth water. Bacon is a key ingredient of American cuisine, present in many recipes, from breakfast to dinner. But you probably never stopped to think about where this word we use so often comes from. Today we're going to fix that.

The word bacon was adopted from French in the 14th century and can be traced back to the ancient German term bakkon meaning "back meat." In its early use, the word could refer to fresh or cured pork and was also used to describe a pig's carcass.

Image: Abet Llacer

Mayonnaise is probably the most popular condiment in the United States. Whether as a sandwich spread or as a salad dressing, mayonnaise is present in many of our traditional dishes. Yet, it is not our own invention: we imported it from Europe.

The origin of the term mayonnaise isn’t very clear. It may have been named after a battle at the city of Mahón, Spain, or it may come from moyeu, an older French word for "egg yolk." Other spellings throughout history include bayonnaise, in reference to the French port of Bayonne. Another theory states that the term may have come from the name of Charles de Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne, who, according to legend, took the time to finish a dish of saucy chicken before a battle.

Image: Leon Contreras

A popular camping tradition and an ingredient in popular snacks, desserts, and cereal, marshmallows are quintessential to American cuisine. So much so that we even have a special day to honor them: 30th August is marked as National Toasted Marshmallow Day.

The word marshmallow comes from the Old English mersc-mealwe, the name of a plant that grows near salt marshes. Back in the 19th century, when was first named, the roots of this plant were used to make early versions of this amazing and versatile confection.

Image: Marina Leonova

Broccoli and cauliflower are two controversial vegetables: you either love them or hate them. Yet, according to a survey from Green Giant in 2022, broccoli was voted Americans' favorite vegetable.

Since it’s one of the most consumed vegetables in our country, let us tell you the origin of its name. The word broccoli was adopted from the Italian term broccolo, meaning "sprout". Cauliflower, the least favorite sibling of the Brassica oleracea family, was originally spelled cole florye in English. The term comes from the Italian cavoli fiori, meaning "flowered cabbage".

Image: ROMAN ODINTSOV

Burritos may be a Mexican dish but in America we absolutely adore them. You probably know that the Spanish word burrito means "little donkey" in English. But where does this name come from?

According to legend, a vendor named Juan Mendez roamed the streets of Ciudad Juarez with his donkey during the Mexican Revolution selling a unique concoction of beans and other fillings wrapped in a huge flour tortilla. By all accounts, people began to call them "burritos". Another theory states that they were named after the animal because they contain many different ingredients, and a donkey can carry big packs filled with many things. Whatever its origin, over the years the burrito has become a favorite lunchtime meal both in northern Mexico and the southern United States.

Image: Yullina D

Oatmeal, chocolate chip, shortbread, or snickerdoodles? Which ones are your favorites? In America, we have an infinite —and delicious— range of cookies. But while these sweet baked snacks are an undeniable part of our cuisine, we have to look for the origin of their name on the other side of the Atlantic.

The word cookie comes from the Dutch koekje, meaning "little cake." Dutch has made significant contributions to English vocabulary, especially in the food and drink department. Since many of the Anglo-Saxons who settled in Britain came from the area now known as the Netherlands, it is not surprising that Old English vocabulary has many parallels in modern Dutch vocabulary. And cookies are no exception!

Image: Hermes Rivera

Succulent, creamy, and popular, Mac & Cheese are as rich as they are legendary. While it is one of America's iconic dishes, the origin of the pasta, as we know, is Italian.

What we refer to as macaroni comes from the southern Italian dialectal maccaroni, a word for a pasty food made of flour, cheese, and butter. In turn, maccaroni goes back to Greek makaria, meaning "food made from barley".

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A beignet is a sweet deep-fried pastry served under a cloud of powdered sugar that tastes similar to doughnuts. Although they have their origin in French cuisine, beignets are a staple of Southern food culture. They were introduced to New Orleans by French immigrants in the 18th century and to this day are a favorite treat among locals and tourists alike.

As you can imagine, the origin of the word beignet —pronounced "bayne-yay"— is French and its literal translation is "fritter". It comes from the Old French buigne, meaning "bump" or "lump", which in turn might have roots in the Celtic term bigne, meaning "to raise".

Image: Tiard Schulz

One out of every two Americans starts their day with a bowl of cereal. In fact, Americans consume roughly 2.7 billion boxes every year. Although cereal has been around since the advent of agriculture about 10,000 years ago, breakfast cereal is a decidedly American staple food.

The word cereal, used to refer both to the breakfast food and grains in general, derives from the Roman goddess Ceres, who represented agriculture, crops, fertility, and motherhood. Her name, in turn, comes from Proto-Indo-European ḱerēs, meaning "to satiate, feed," also the source of "create" and "increase."

Image: Jan Kopřiva

Whether as a breakfast meal or grilled for 4th of July celebrations, sausage is one of our most versatile foods and can be eaten alone or used as an ingredient in other dishes.

This type of preparation has been popular throughout Western cuisine for centuries. Before refrigerators and big supermarkets, people needed to preserve foods to eat during long winters. One way to save meat was to salt it and make it into a sausage. For this reason, the origin of this word is easily found in the Latin salsus, meaning "salted".

Image: Pedro Durigan

Tomato ketchup became popular in the United States in the mid-19th century. Since then it has seasoned our most famous dishes, from hamburgers to french fries. But did you know that in the old days, there were many other flavors of ketchup?

In fact, it is believed it was a word coined in English to refer to various condiments imported from the East. One theory states that the term ketchup comes from a Chinese word for fish sauce which takes various forms in different dialects including kê-chiap and kôe-tsap. Another version says it derives from the name of a Malaysian sauce called kichap, which was made with pickled fish and mushrooms. In any case, it’s a sauce that always makes us happy!

Image: Amber Fisher

Our breakfasts would be a lot more dull if we didn't have this golden delicacy to sweeten our pancakes. Syrup is an excellent healthy source of sugar, and we love it! Although the United States is a major producer of syrup, the origin of the word goes back hundreds of years.

The term syrup comes in part from the Old French sirop, meaning "sugared drink" and the Italian siroppo. But these words, in turn, derive originally from the Arabic sharab, which means "to drink".