{"id":71991,"date":"2025-11-19T04:34:30","date_gmt":"2025-11-19T09:34:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu\/nll\/?p=71991"},"modified":"2025-11-19T07:48:02","modified_gmt":"2025-11-19T12:48:02","slug":"6-7","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu\/nll\/?p=71991","title":{"rendered":"6-7"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>\"Dictionary.com\u2019s 2025 Word of the Year Is\u2026<\/a>\"<\/p>\n

Each year, Dictionary.com\u2019s Word of the Year and short-listed nominees capture pivotal moments in language and culture. These words serve as a linguistic time capsule, reflecting social trends and global events that defined the year. The Word of the Year isn\u2019t just about popular usage; it reveals the stories we tell about ourselves and how we\u2019ve changed over the year. And for these reasons, Dictionary.com\u2019s 2025 Word of the Year is 67.<\/span><\/p>\n

Macquarie Dictionary's WOTY shortlist<\/a> also included six-seven<\/strong><\/em>; Sam Altman is apparently planning to name his next AI model GPT-6-7<\/a>; and a news search<\/a> will give you plenty of other relevant stories, from basketball scores<\/a>\u00a0 to \"6-7 in the Bible<\/a>\".<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The best explanation that I've seen for the origin and progress of this phrase comes from the local Philadelphia NPR station — Dillon Dodson, \"For those still out of the loop, here is what \u20186-7\u2019 means<\/a>\", WHYY News 11\/17\/2025:<\/p>\n

The youthful phenomenon, in which kids say \u201c6-7\u201d and move their open-palmed hands up and down for no apparent reason, was recently named word of the year by Dictionary.com. Its origins trace to a song by a Philly rapper with gun-referencing lyrics, but the pop culture use of \u201c6-7\u201d is more playful \u2014 even becoming the focus of a recent episode of \u201cSouth Park,\u201d and companies such as McDonald\u2019s, Pizza Hut and Domino\u2019s have offered promotions<\/a> inspired by the two numbers.<\/span><\/p>\n

As the saying has gone global, many people still don\u2019t understand it \u2014 or that it\u2019s most likely Philadelphia-based.<\/span><\/p>\n

So what does \u201c6-7\u201d mean? And why has it become so prevalent? Here\u2019s an explainer.<\/span><\/p>\n

Go on and read the whole thing<\/a>\u00a0— which is even more complex and ambiguous<\/a> than pop-culture etymologies usually are.<\/p>\n

Update —<\/strong> Adding to the etymological complexity and ambiguity, Brian in the comments<\/a> points us to Wikipedia's article \"At sixes and sevens<\/a>\", which hasn't yet caught up with Skrilla…<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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