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Akdom Posted 17 years ago
Vocabulary
Triflin' around
"Most people aren't late paying their credit card bills because they're triflin' around. They are late because they are in financial trouble. They don't have the money. The exceptions being proposed in Congress won't help these folks."
trifling (encarta.msn.com)
1. insignificant: insignificant, trivial, or of little value; trifling matters
2. frivolous: concerned with matters of little importance ( literary )
I guess triflin' is a contraction of trifling, but what does this phrase mean in this context?
trifling (encarta.msn.com)
1. insignificant: insignificant, trivial, or of little value; trifling matters
2. frivolous: concerned with matters of little importance ( literary )
I guess triflin' is a contraction of trifling, but what does this phrase mean in this context?
Top answer
"Triflin'" is one of my favorite African-American slang terms, and a quick Google reveals that this quote was indeed taken from a column written by an African-American, Michelle Singletary. Slang dictionary definitions on the internet are all over the place for the exact meaning of this term, but I've always understood it to mean unserious, lazy, and generally worthless. Some of the internet dictionaries also define it as "deceitful," which makes sense in this context.
- "Triflin'" is one of my favorite African-American slang terms, and a quick Google reveals that this quote was indeed taken from a column written by an African-American, Michelle Singletary.
- Slang dictionary definitions on the internet are all over the place for the exact meaning of this term, but I've always understood it to mean unserious, lazy, and generally worthless.
- Some of the internet dictionaries also define it as "deceitful," which makes sense in this context.
- People failing to pay their bills aren't lying because they're too lazy to earn the money; they really need help.
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1 Answers
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"Triflin'" is one of my favorite African-American slang terms, and a quick Google reveals that this quote was indeed taken from a column written by an African-American, Michelle Singletary. Slang dictionary definitions on the internet are all over the place for the exact meaning of this term, but I've always understood it to mean unserious, lazy, and generally worthless. Some of the internet dict
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