Unannounced and Muted: A Guide to “Low-Keying”
The English language is rich with slang terms that can express a variety of things that normal words cannot. Slang terms have been used by all different kinds of people , from Shakespeare to Trump. One of the most popular slang terms in the 21st century is “low-key”. “Low-key” is an effective way to express something that is “not intensive” or “modest” (“low-key”, Oxford English Dictionary). It usually is an adjective that means “quiet” or “private”, but depending on the context, “low-key” can also be used sarcastically. In the 21st century, teenagers and celebrities in pop culture use the word frequently in social media websites, and some journalists have even picked up on the slang term.
Historically, low-key was first used in 1897 as photography jargon. People used it to describe photos of “dark or muted tones” (“low-key”, Oxford English Dictionary), which is actually not far off from the current definition. In fact, low-key photography became so popular that it evolved into a genre of photography. The word in modern times, however, has different connotations. Today, to keep something “low-key” means to not put “too much emphasis” and to “not announce it” (“low-key”, Urban Dictionary).
“Low-key” is one of the most popular slang terms and hashtag campaigns used by teenagers and younger adults in social media. For example, Fehinfei, a twitter user, tweeted “whenever I hear ‘leaves from the vine’…I just wanna low-key cry.” In this situation, Fehinfei uses “low-key” in order to illustrate that his crying is quiet and on the inside, as opposed to open weeping. He may also be using the slang term in order to say that he will not actually cry, but will feel sad on the inside when listening to the song.
In addition to teenagers, many journalists use low-key to describe people and events. For example, The Guardian published an article titled “Philippe Jordan: the low-key maestro who’s taking French opera to new heights. “Low-key” used in this context describes the humility of Philippe Jordan; instead of seeking fame, the maestro seeks only to deliver great performances. The word also suggests that Maestro Jordan is not as famous as he should be, and thus he is a “low-key”, yet still world class conductor. Journalists also use the term to describe events. Bleacher Report posted an article about upcoming NBA games with the caption “don’t sleep on these low-key NBA rivalry games.” The connotation of “low-key” in this caption is that the NBA rivalries are intense, but are relatively quiet with the exception of the rivalry between the Warriors and the Cavaliers.
Finally, if “low-key” means essentially the same thing as “private”, why is it advantageous to use the slang term in certain situations instead of the standard adjective? Primarily, it is because “low-key” has a less serious connotation than the word “private”. In a situation such as the aforementioned Bleacher Report article, it would be quite inaccurate to describe the NBA rivalries as “private”, as many NBA fans know about the rivalries. Instead, by describing the rivalries as “low-key”, the author communicates the idea that the rivalries are kept relatively quiet by the players, but are still known to the fans. Another reason to use “low-key” is that it has a more friendly connotation than “secretive.” For example, if someone were to say, “I am low-key angry”, they don’t usually mean that they are actually angry– instead that they jokingly annoyed. On the other hand, if someone were to say “I am privately angry”, the implication is that they are truly angry at someone on the inside.
“Low-key” is a multi-purpose slang term that is rapidly creeping into teenage and even adult vocabulary. Not only can it be used to express something that is “secretive”, but it can also be used to express sentiments towards a person or an event. Its usage is expanding at a rate, that in the future, it could potentially no longer be considered a slang word.