What it means
Means brilliant, impressive, or just generally class. It flips the original evil meaning on its head and works as a quick bit of hype for anything from a tune to a new jacket. Often said with a grin, sometimes stretched out as wiiicked for extra emphasis. Still sounds a bit cheeky, which is half the fun.
Usage examples
"You coming Friday? The new place in Soho is wicked, decent tunes, cheap-ish pints, and the bouncer actually let us in for once."
"The new exhibition at the Tate Modern is wicked, I went on Saturday afternoon and ended up staying past closing, the staff had to gently move me along to the exit."
"Wicked save by the goalkeeper just before half time, the whole stand was on its feet, even the bloke who had been moaning since kick-off finally cracked a proper smile."
Where it comes from
Started as plain English for evil or sinful, rooted in the old word for witch. The flipped sense of brilliant or impressive grew out of Boston slang in the nineteen eighties, then crossed the Atlantic when American culture exported it through music and television. Britain absorbed it whole and the original meaning slipped quietly into the shadows.
Other ways to say it
Editors of this term
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