Devious Lick – Meaning, Origin and Usage

Have you seen the term 'devious lick' somewhere on the internet and want to know more about what the term could mean? The term 'devious lick' is a modern colloquialism that has been around since the early 2020s. This post unpacks the origin and meaning of this term.

Meaning

The term 'devious lick' is a modern colloquialism that refers to the intentional theft of something that has been stolen and the subsequent “proof” or “evidence”  that is often posted to social media after this has been done.

'Devious lick' can also refer to a specific TikTok challenge in 2021 that saw high school kids and teenagers copy the trend and post items that were supposedly stolen from school on their social media accounts.

There are several synonyms for the term 'devious lick' including the terms 'diabolical' and 'nefarious' licks.

The term has appeared in comments, statuses and as a keyword or tag on social media websites like TikTok, with heightened popularity in mentions after the 2021 TikTok challenge.

The term 'devious lick' can also be used as a plural when said when it refers to more than one event.

The term 'devious lick' can be used to refer to someone's own actions, or in reference to something that someone else has done.

Usually, the meaning just means a deliberate theft.

Sometimes, evidence of 'devious licks' have led to students' prosecution in cases where actual crimes have been committed.

Example Usage

“We stole 300 soaps from the Hilton Hotel. We feel so fancy, this has to have been one of our best devious licks.”

“There are a lot of different things to nick in the school bathroom at Hogwarts, if you don't mind walking past Moaning Myrtle to get to the soap dispensers or hide in the bathroom.”

“If you want to go to jail and end up in a cell with people that aren't going to be your best friends, you should try doing some devious licks and posting the pictures in social media.”

“Devious licks aren't a good idea, you shouldn't do everything that you see on TikTok. A devious lick could sound fun, but also mean a rap sheet.”

Origin

The origin of the term 'devious lick' can be traced back to the year 2021, when the term gained high-scale popularity on social media websites like TikTok, YouTube and Facebook.

The term 'lick' has been a common slang term that means stealing or something stolen for at least several decades before, but the term 'devious lick' would only achieve popularity in 2021 after a viral TikTok challenge.

The viral 'devious lick' TikTok challenge asked high school students to steal or vandalize something from their school, often the school bathroom, and then post pictures on social media.

'Devious lick' would soon come to mean general slang for anything that has been stolen intentionally, and branch out from the use of only high school students who steal from their bathrooms.

The term made it to Urban Dictionary in 2021, and mainstream news coverage of the term 'devious lick' would make the phrase even more popular with others.

Soon the term would be covered by further news, and public comments would be published from comedians and politicians who voiced their concerns about risky social media, especially TikTok, trends like these.

Phrases Similar to Devious Lick

  • Diabolical lick
  • Nefarious lick

Phrases Opposite to Devious Lick

  • N/a

What is the Correct Saying?

  • Devious Lick
  • devious lick

Ways People May Say Devious Lick Incorrectly

There aren't many different ways to say the term 'devious lick' incorrectly, unless the meaning of the term is misunderstood.

A 'devious lick' refers to either the specific TikTok challenge, or to something that has been stolen.

The term 'devious lick' can be used as a noun (to signify a stolen object) or be used as a verb (to signify an action that resulted in something being stolen).

Acceptable Ways to Phrase Devious Lick

The correct way to use 'devious lick' is to use it in reference to theft as an action, or to use it in reference to an object of theft or vandalism.

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