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Will we ever see a pause in food-related slang? It seems highly unlikely, with the pace this current generation is slinging around phrases like “you’re cooked,” “let him cook,” and now, “ate.”
For our non-chronically online readers, “ate” has nothing to do with chomping down some food. Part of what we call “slay speak,” the word “ate” is an iteration of the phrase “ate and left no crumbs.” However, if you’ve been a loyal subscriber to Scrolling in the Deep, you know by now that Gen Zalpha likes to adopt phrases from niche subcultures, like the LGBT+ and Black communities, to use them in various tenses and contexts.
What does ‘ate and left no crumbs’ mean?
The popular slang phrase “ate and left no crumbs” is hardly new. Popping off since the early 2020s, this AAVE phrase means someone did something with style. Used interchangeably with “slay,” “ate” means someone excelled at something, usually regarding fashion, music, or talent. Like most of slay speak, it appears “ate” originated in the ballroom club scene. Today, many online users leave out the “left no crumbs” part of the phrase, but it’s always implied. “No crumbs” means that the person made zero mistakes or left no room for the competition.
Online, you’ll come across many fandoms, especially within the gay community, where they praise their idols for “eating” a performance or an outfit. Sometimes, it can be used in the context of someone giving tough advice: “She ate that.” It has even been used ironically to mock others who definitely “did not eat.”
How to use ‘ate,’ ‘eating’
What’s unique–and fun–about the phrase “ate” is the many ways it can be used and written. Most recently, Gen Z has graduated from using “ate that,” to “she ate down,” and now to “she’s eating.” The present tense seems to be the most popular among younger TikTokers, as “ate and left no crumbs” is bordering on cringey millennial territory–and we all know how much Gen Z abhors that.
Last week, one of the many uses of “ate” went viral. It involved a post about former President Donald Trump debating with Vice President Kamala Harris. The clip, where Trump spoke about a certain demographic eating cats and dogs, was clipped to where all he said was, “They’re eating.” The accompanying caption read: “Me when my nonbinary friend has a really nice fit.” The implication is that their friend, who uses they/them pronouns, has a really nice outfit and is “eating.”
So, if your friend happened to win a singing competition and blew all her competitors out of the water, you can compliment her by saying how she “ate and left no crumbs.” If you want to appear cooler, simply leave it at “you totally ate that.”
However, if you want to win some cool points with the teens in your life, simply say “eats.” For example, if your high schooler is leaving the house in an outfit they feel particularly proud of, casually mention how “that fit is eating.”
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