Roxanne Shanté was the brassiest female rapper of the era – “I’m conceited, never beated, never heard of defeated – and Kool G Rap could destroy all-comers: “You can’t replace me, ice me or ace me/ Bass me, face me, slice me or race me/ Bite me or taste me/ I’ll show you I got force./ My rap burns your mouth like hot sauce./ Run for water while I break your tape recorder/ Server to sucker: the order is manslaughter.” Rakim was the first master of the clever lyrical brag (“My intellect wrecks and disconnects your cerebral cortex…”). (“Well, my name is known all over the world/ By all the foxy ladies and the pretty girls …”) As teenagers, we were particularly amused by Big Bank Hank’s brag about wooing Lois Lane away from Superman: “He can’t satisfy you with his little worm/ But I can bust you out with my super sperm.”Īs hip-hop progressed out of its good-time beginnings, the boasting became more skillful and inventive, the verbal flows more dexterous. Half of my schoolmates knew all the lyrics to ‘Rapper’s Delight’ by the Sugarhill Gang (1979), and it was fun to violate English modesty codes by reciting them. Then the first hip-hop records crossed the pond, and we discovered that American boast- ing could be highly entertaining when rhymed by an MC over a beat. A theory circulated among my peers that all Americans were wankers, and that was the reason they found it so difficult to under- stand the meaning of ‘wanker’. They were full of themselves, they were putting on airs, they were posers, wankers, flash gits, show-offs, bigmouths, know-it-alls.Īmericans, by contrast, were known to be loud and boastful and, worse, to take themselves seriously. There was a lexicon for people who showed insufficient modesty. S orry, would you mind… Sorry, do you think I might… Sorry, but you’re standing on my foot. It was poor form to express self-satisfaction after taking an exam, winning a prize, or really for doing anything at all.Īpologising for the inconvenient fact of your existence, on the other hand, was accepted British self-deprecation. Any attempt at ‘showing off ’ was brutally demolished by sarcasm. Send us feedback about these examples.In west London, where I grew up in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the idea of boasting about yourself was almost unthinkable. These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'brag.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. 2021 Lays down brag-worthy numbers, draws every eye, amazing value. Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2021 Extremely familiar forays into bass-heavy brag rap, whooshing R&B, and Afrobeats break up the slog. Times newsletter about the outdoors in Southern California. 2021 The Wild Insulated Water Bottle Allow us to humble- brag about The Wild water bottle with the cool logo of the L.A. 2022 This will also give you a brag bank to pull from when the interviewer asks you to articulate your strengths. 2022 Now, after the latest iteration of Kellyoke on the Kelly Clarkson Show, the host can add performing the knockout collaboration live alongside the country icon herself to her list of brag-worthy accomplishments. 2023Īdjective The benefits of a brag book Part of growing your salary comes with asking for a raise, which Tu believes most workers aren’t asking for often enough. 2023 In some of them, the officers bragged about making up evidence and beating up suspects. Patrick Bedard, Car and Driver, 19 Aug. 2023 Porsche brags of a new way of managing deflection steer in the rear wheels. 2023 With the financial aid office, students shouldn’t brag or boast about grades. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2023 During the debate, DeSantis also bragged about opening Florida’s schools during the pandemic. 2023 So just by the numbers, Biden should have a lot to brag about. Minnah Arshad, The Courier-Journal, 29 Aug. 2023 How to protect yourself While some used to brag about battling through a flu to get to work, that's no longer a badge of pride, Lockard said. 2023 The senior quarterback was not in the mood for any bragging or taking a victory lap. Hillary Maglin, Travel + Leisure, 8 Sep. ![]() Verb Brands are typically proud of their sustainability and brag about it in their product descriptions - so watch out for unsubstantiated claims and non-demonstrated impact.
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