Street voices
Janna
·
United States
"Roast is basically when you make fun of someone. Usually it's in a joking manner, you know, picking at something, usually done between friends in a joking manner, not in a serious way. It could be you bullying someone as well, but a roast is mainly just between friends, all friendly, like banter. An example could be, man, you look like Rumpelstiltskin with those shoes. Oh, you got roasted."
What it means
To roast someone is to mock them with a string of sharp, funny jabs, usually all in good fun among people who can take it. A loving pile-on of well-aimed burns.
Usage examples
"They roasted him for showing up in socks and sandals."
"Birthday roast incoming, brace yourself."
"We didn't even mean to roast her, but she walked in acting famous and the whole group got cooking."
"If you post that selfie in the group chat, you're basically asking to get roasted."
Where it comes from
It comes straight from the literal verb roast, as in cooking something over heat. By the late 20th century, especially in US comedy culture, it had settled into the sense of publicly mocking someone with sharp jokes. The image is simple and sticks: you keep firing jokes till the person is verbally well-done.
