What it means
Means something is too much effort, hassle or takes bare time for what it’s worth. It’s the quick way of saying nah, I can’t be bothered. Drop it when plans turn into admin, the queue’s moving like a snail, or someone’s being jarring and dragging things out. Can be aimed at a situation or a person’s behaviour.
Usage examples
"They want a photo ID, two forms and a phone call just to change the booking. That’s long, fam, I’m staying home instead."
"They want me to fill out four forms and visit the post office to return a six pound t-shirt, that's long, I'll just keep the thing and donate it to charity."
"Going all the way to Croydon for one pint with someone I barely know? That's long, fam, tell them I'll catch them at the next one closer to mine."
Where it comes from
Comes out of MLE, the Multicultural London English that grew on the buses, in the playgrounds and across the school corridors of South and East London. The phrase took the literal idea of long and stretched it from time and distance into pure effort, so anything tedious got the same label, no extra grammar required.
Other ways to say it
Editors of this term
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