bling, bling-bling

bling-bling

1. slang Jewelry, especially that which is sparkly or flashy. This term can have a negative connotation when describing something deemed gaudy. That dress is so plain that some bling-bling will really jazz it up. Yikes, what's with all the bling-bling tonight? You look like Liberace!2. slang Sparkly or glittery. That dress is so plain that a bling-bling necklace will really jazz it up.

bling-bling

1. n. fancy jewelry, especially chains and the like that sparkle or tinkle when in motion. (Streets.) All that bling-bling’s gonna give you a sore neck! 2. mod. fancy or sparkly, from the glimmer of light. (Streets.) Tiff! Your chains are so bling-bling!

bling, bling-bling

Sparkly, gaudy jewelry. This slangy term refers to the shininess of such accessories and the name for their clinking sound. It originated in the second half of the 1900s and was popularized in the hip-hop community. A 1999 rap song “Bling Bling” helped spread it to mass culture. In 1988, during a campaign appearance, presidential candidate Mitt Romney described a baby wearing gold jewelry, “Oh, you’ve got some bling-bling here” (Michael Powell, New York Times, January 22, 2008). And describing the Boston Red Sox player David Ortiz arriving for the All-Star game, “He was wearing some serious bling . . . including dark sunglasses that had red beads and diamonds that probably cost more than my house” (Nick Cafardo, Boston Globe, July 13, 2010). It is well on its way to becoming a cliché.