(transitive, intransitive, slang, AAVE) To serve a life sentence in prison.
(transitive, intransitive, slang, AAVE) To serve a life sentence in prison.
He's gonna get locked under a cell.
Lock under means: To serve a life sentence in prison.. It is informal slang, fine in casual speech but not suited to formal contexts. It comes from prison or criminal-justice contexts; worth knowing what media your teen is consuming. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
Lock under means: To serve a life sentence in prison.. It is informal slang, fine in casual speech but not suited to formal contexts. It comes from prison or criminal-justice contexts; worth knowing what media your teen is consuming. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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Slang from Black American Vernacular English (AAVE), hip-hop, drag and ballroom culture, the Caribbean, and NYC street vocabulary. The single largest source of new mainstream English slang in living memory.
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(slang) A jail cell; a period of incarceration in such a cell; a facility containing such cells.
(US, slang) To have matters under control.
(transitive) To enclose.
Verb. To focus intensely on a task. Originally gamer / streamer slang for entering a serious competitive headspace; now used by students cramming and anyone trying to get something hard done quickly.
lock under means: To serve a life sentence in prison.. Register: very informal, slang. Suitable only for casual conversation, chat and social media. Do not use in business, academic or news writing. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself.
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(transitive) To lock in.