[Ads-l] bone breaking, flexing

[Barretts Mail]

In 2015, Bonetics (Shakirudeen Adewale Alade, Jr.) passed the initial audition on Britain’s Got Talent for his contortion performance (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHxsVRM-pS8 <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHxsVRM-pS8>), and in the semi-finals, he said that most people call it “bone breaking” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SHPwR5sOss <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SHPwR5sOss> about 0:35).

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flexing_(dance)) <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flexing_(dance))> traces it as far back as 1992 as a form of street dance from Brooklyn.

Agolde (https://mag.agolde.com/2017/06/13/bone-breakers/ <https://mag.agolde.com/2017/06/13/bone-breakers/>) says it "came from the streets of Brooklyn by way of Jamaica…”

The OLD, Dictionary.com <http://dictionary.com/>, Merriam-Webster, and Wiktionary are silent on “bone breaking” and this meaning of “flex”.

Benjamin Barrett
Formerly of Seattle, WA
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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org