What means what does mean

What does «what for» mean and where did it come from?»

There is a fight scene in one of my favorite movies in which the main character says

«Give them what for!»

I’ve hear this term many times before (usually from old south-eastern Americans,) but no one has been able to give me good explanation for the phrase. What does it mean and/or where does it come from? The best answer that I have heard so far goes something like this:

People used to say «What for did you do that?» so «what for» refers to their reason for doing something. Saying «give them what for» is another way of saying «Give them a reason. » (to run away, fight, or what ever.)

I’d really like to know how ‘what’ and ‘for’ came together and became a metaphor.

7 Answers 7

What for (Informal):

A scolding or strong reprimand: The teacher gave the tardy student what for.

Source: Collins Dictionary

My grandparents used the term. it means, a reprimand, scolding, etc. «I’ll give him a good «what for»!

The phrase, «give them what for», is an expression that was used much more during the late 1800’s and up through the mid-1900’s. Like so many «slang» terms, phrases & expressions, they become popular with a particular generation, however, as that generation gets older and begins to perish, the usage of that phrase becomes more & more obsolete. That’s not to say that the expression is never used, but the individuals who use the term today, let alone understand the meaning, are few and far in between.

The expression, «Give them what for» or simply, «what for», means to punish, reprimand, castigate, etc.

If someone told u that u were going to be punished, your natural response would be, «what for» a.k.a. (the reason for punishment). There’s always a reason for a punishment. When someone or something is punished for NO REASON, that’s called malevolent, cruel & barbaric (rotten to the core).

So, to properly use the expression, «give them what for», the person(s), that’s being punished, must be aware of their wrong-doing and/or mistake. The perpetrator doesn’t need to be aware of the upcoming punishment or who’s going to deliver the punishment. For example, if you & a friend witnessed an elderly woman being mugged, and you were close enough to help the woman, you might say to your friend, «Let’s go give that prick some what for!» (sorry about corny example) Hope that helps, at least little bit.

What Does ‘Bae’ Mean?

You probably hear this term of endearment often

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Bae is an acronym that stands for Before Anyone Else.

Sometimes the word «Anyone» can be replaced with «Anything» in this acronym, but in general, it’s usually «Anyone» to give reference to an actual person (or at least a living thing, like an animal).

There’s also a second, far less popular meaning for it. Apparently, bae translates to «poop» in Danish. This, of course, is irrelevant for most of us who don’t speak Danish.

Why People Say ‘Bae’

Bae is an acronym that’s typically used to refer to:

The trend is particularly popular with teens and young adults — many of which type the lowercase version of bae as a word itself as an alternative to babe or boo on social media.

How People Use ‘Bae’ Online (And Offline)

People use bae by replacing someone else’s name (or her/him/she/he) with it. Sometimes the word «my» is omitted when referring to a significant other.

For instance, instead of posting a status update that reads: «Hanging out with Sam,» or «Hanging out with my boyfriend,» you would say, «Hanging out with bae.»

You might hear bae pronounced out loud the same way you would say the word bay. It’s weird, but it’s happening. Many of these online acronyms and abbreviations are now officially part of the English language and can be found in the Oxford Dictionary.

Examples of How ‘Bae’ Is Used

Example 1:
«Waiting for bae to come home so we can catch up on the latest episode of OITNB!»

Example 2:
«Me and bae just set our wedding date! So excited!»

Example 3:
«Just had the best date ever tonight with my bae!»

How It All Started With ‘Bae’

According to Know Your Meme, the term bae can be traced to as far back as 2003 from the first user-submitted definition for it in the Urban Dictionary. Its exact origin is unknown, but it wasn’t until 2011 when someone tweeted that the term was an acronym which stood for «before anyone else.»

Why ‘Bae’ Is So Popular Now

If bae has been around for years already, why did we see such a massive surge in its use all over social media and text messaging throughout 2014 and beyond? Unlike other memes that basically go viral overnight, bae took years to grow as a trend before it finally skyrocketed in use. So, why now?

It’s not exactly clear, but the slow build-up in curiosity and confusion over the term’s meaning and pronunciation discussed over social media, which really took off throughout 2013 and the first half of 2014, seemed to have generated enough word-of-mouth spread to reach all corners of the social web. Sometimes that’s all you need to turn something into a big deal online.

The fact that the web is more social and mobile than ever also has a lot to do with how quickly the bae phenomenon spread. It’s been discussed in videos by popular YouTube creators, incorporated into meme photos, captured in text message screenshots and typed into tweets, Facebook statuses, Tumblr posts and more.

‘Bae’ in Mainstream Media

In July of 2014, popular singer-songwriter Pharrell Williams released a song called «Come Get It Bae.» Similar to how Drake’s song «The Motto» turned the acronym YOLO (You Only Live Once) into a trendy new term that people started using everywhere online, Pharrell’s «Come Get It Bae» certainly seemed to really propel the popularity of bae across social media.

Like most memes and trends that go viral, the bae trend happened very quickly after it was quietly built up for years before gaining enough social media traction to start reaching the masses. And of course, any time an influential celebrity has anything to do with the spread of a potential new trend, virality can take off at an exponential rate. That’s just the way it goes sometimes.

What does ‘AS’ mean on TikTok? Here’s why people are using the term!

If you have been on TikTok recently, you would have noticed several videos using the term ‘AS.’ Here’s a look at what does ‘AS’ means on TikTok.

TikTok has become a famous platform where it takes only seconds for videos to go viral. Recently, several users have been using ‘AS’ on their videos and as a hashtag, but this has left many people confused. Here’s everything we know about the meaning of the term.

What does ‘AS’ mean on TikTok?

‘AS’ on TikTok stands for ‘Adult Swim.’ It is a trend that has taken over social media, and several users have been jumping on it.

For the Adult Swim trend, people create their own bumpers or bumps by using snippets of random videos or pictures. This is followed by writing “[adult swim]” or “[as]” over it.

The Adult Swim bumper or bumps are short clips that were played before and after a commercial. It was a simple way for the company to advertise their channel. These bumps consisted of videos like old people in the swimming pool, a video of an old car, and others.

The idea behind the bumps was simple, that is, using everyday things to advertise the Adult Swim channel. It was unique, and that’s what people still love about it.

For Your Pride I #ItStartsOnTikTok

What is Adult Swim?

Adult Swim is an American adult-oriented nighttime programming. It comes under Cartoon Network. Shows like Rock and Morty, Final Space, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, and others fall under this network.

The idea of Adult Swim was to showcase different content that would target teenagers and young adults. In short, Adult Swim became a way for Cartoon Network to experiment with airing shows that did not have to be censored.

With time, the popularity grew and Adult Swim was granted its own separate Nielsen ratings. This was done because the content showcased at night was different from the one that aired in the morning.

The network was finally launched as its own in 2001. It always has a disclaimer that reads: “Parents strongly cautioned—the following programs are intended for mature audiences over the age of 18. These programs may contain some material that many parents would not find suitable for children and may include intense violence, sexual situations, coarse language and suggestive dialog.”

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