Dude! (emphasis added)

Isn’t it amazing how many varied emotions and expressions can be conveyed in a single word? For instance, I remember reading an email that circulated in college about the many uses and meanings for the “F word” the details of which I will not go into right now (use your imaginations if you will). The point is that society, culture, geography, and demographics all have a huge effect on the way we use certain words in the English language. I’m not telling you anything new, though. Anyone who has ever moved from the Midwest to the East Coast has quickly learned that the words “pop” and “tennis shoes” must be replaced with “soda” and “sneakers” respectively in order to avoid strange looks and giggles from the natives. The most comical variations of word usage, I would argue, come from public high schools in the outer boroughs of New York City. Sarah often brings home the latest lingo her kids use such as “ice cream” used to refer to a stylish accessory such as new sneakers, or “twisted” as a synonym for “drunk”. (Feel free to bring these alternate uses to your locality)

What I’d like to draw your attention to now is the use of the word “dude.” I didn’t realize that I tend to use this word much more frequently than most of my peers, but it has been brought to my attention recently. What is most notable about the word “dude”, is its ability to stand alone and yet convey an entire sentence’s worth of emotion and expression! For instance, I was recently visiting a friend in Boston and was instructed to wake up and get ready quickly because he was going to go get breakfast and would return promptly to pick me up. Well, I got up, rushed through my shower and grooming rituals, and sat drumming my finger nails on his kitchen table for a good 40 minutes awaiting his “prompt” return. I decided to pick up the phone and send a single word to him via text message to convey what I was feeling: “Dude”. My friend got the gist and rushed back to the house to greet me.

(if you google image "dude" this is one of the first images that pops up)

With that singled syllable I was able to say, essentially, “Are you f*cking kidding me? You told me to get up and get ready, and I did it but where the F are you? I could have slept in another half hour!” The AYFKM (are you f*cking kidding me) usage of “dude” is admittedly my favorite!

Another common use (at least among my inner circle) is used over text messages and IM conversations as a device to get someone’s attention. A random, unprovoked message of “dude” followed by silence, generally indicates that some big news is about to follow. An appropriate response to such a message would be “yes?” or “what’s up?” When I receive “dude” from a friend I immediately think “wow, I’m about to hear some serious gossip or a major complaint”, and virtually every time I have assumed correctly.

Used as a replacement for an individual’s name in a conversation, dude is usually derogatory or indicates a negative tone by the speaker. For instance, I have used the “watch it, dude” when I’m running on the sidewalk on 5th avenue in Brooklyn, and some bozo is smoking a cigarette outside a bar, and usually talking on the phone simultaneously, not paying attention to foot traffic, and backs up into my path. Clearly, I am annoyed by this dude’s behavior. I’m sure most of us have used the good old “I don’t know, dude” when describing a situation by which you are frustrated or bothered. Here, the “dude” at the end simply indicates to your listener that you are experiencing a certain degree of discontent.

Well, I could probably go on and on about the various ways to use “dude” in your everyday conversation, but I encourage you to be creative and come up with some on your own!

Later, Dudes.