Street voices
Janna
·
United States
"Pookie is basically just a cute little nickname. It was initially meant to be, you know, like for your significant other, but people have started to use it like in a sarcastic, ironic way too where it's their friends and whatnot. An example would be, oh, you got me the peach iced tea? Thanks, Pookie."
What it means
Pookie is a gooey term of endearment for a partner, a best friend or even a pet, soaked in baby-talk affection. Said with a straight face it is sweet, said with a smirk it is teasing, and online it turned into a whole loving in-joke.
Usage examples
"Come here pookie, I saved you the last slice."
"He calls his cat pookie in the softest voice you have ever heard."
"You good, pookie, or are we crying over that text for the fifth time tonight?"
"That’s my pookie right there, showed up with snacks and saved the whole hangout."
Where it comes from
Pookie has been around in American English for ages as a pet name with that soft, baby-talk wobble to it. It didn’t start with a literal meaning people could point at. It’s one of those cuddly sounds that stuck, then got a fresh turbo-boost online where couples, friends, and meme-posters started tossing it around with extra syrup and irony.
Editors of this term
Your vote counts
Is this real street talk or have we lost the plot? Cast your vote.
We look after this expression together
If they say it where you live and something is missing here, bring it. A magikito looks at it and adds it.
- An example
- Your patch
- Your voice