DISS

verb Also written dis (Youth Culture) In young people's slang (originally in the US): to put (someone) down, usually verbally; to show disrespect for a person by insulting language or dismissive behaviour. Also as an action noun dissing. Etymology: Formed by abbreviating disrespect to its first syllable. History and Usage: Diss originated in US Black English and has been popularized through the spread of hip hop. In Black culture, insults form an important part of the peer-group behaviour known as sounding or playing the dozens, in which the verbal repartee consists of a rising crescendo of taunts and abuse. The concept of dissing moved outside Black culture through its use in rap, and is now widely known among Whites both in America and in the UK; even children interviewed in an Inner London school playground in 1990 practised this trading of insults, referring to them as cusses. The victim, according to detectives, made the mistake of irritating Nuke at a party. 'He dissed him' Sergeant Croissant said. New York Times 15 Nov. 1987, section VI, p. 52 The gladiatorial rapping, the sportswear, the symbolic confrontations ('dissing') are all about self-assertion. Weekend Guardian 11 Nov. 1989, p. 20 While taking a dispute to someone's home is the ultimate in 'dissing'...there are other insults that can be just as deadly...'You dis, you die,' some youths say. Boston Globe 2 May 1990, p. 12