this post was submitted on 20 Sep 2024
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me_irl
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Are you implying that on point is an example of this type of lingo?
A quick search shows me that on point has been used in the military as a way to describe a soldier being stationed at their post or standing guard as far back as the 1880s. It was used in ballet in the early 1900s, and used in legal contexts in the 1930s.
When the “lingo” that the slang is derived from dates back to the 1880s, almost 150 years ago, I think it ceases to be lingo and just becomes language.
Yes, "on point" is slang, but only just recently. Slag is just a little further down the scale in terms of specialized language.
The real test is how accepted a word or phrase is with the larger population using a given language (while keeping a specific meaning in mind). This gets a little muddied with the lingo used by larger groups.
For instance the phrases "weird" and "cat lady" have both been co-opted by the major political parties in this election to decide their opponents. Because they each have so many members and because their discourse is covered by media outlets the new connotations of those phrases will be more widely known outside of the group and will stop being lingo much faster than the phrases you use privately with your family or coworkers.
"On point" used to be lingo in the military once upon a time, but because of the size of the military (and aided by the internet) it has become slang and is no longer a phrase only used by a certain group.