Have you seen something (or know someone) that can be described as just giving you the general creeps? The term 'icks' can be used o social media websites like TikTok and Instagram to let other users know what's going through your mind. This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this term.
Meaning
The term 'icks' is a common internet-based abbreviation that has made it into popular tags and conversations on social media websites.
Using the term 'icks' or otherwise 'the icks' on social media can be used to describe an uncomfortable feeling that one gets from a relationship, or an ex that one had a very uncomfortable relationship with.
The use of the term 'the icks' is similar to the use of the colloquial term “the creeps” and describes a very similar emotion that is felt by the person saying it.
If someone gives you 'icks' or 'the icks' then it is accepted by people whom someone is saying it to that someone has made them uncomfortable in some way.
There is no plural version of 'the icks' because it describes a feeling and not a collective.
Sometimes 'icks' can be said as a comment, but the term might also be used a status or appear in a discussion as a tag.
'Icks' is a common term that is sometimes said when users are sharing stories of relationships or experiences that might have given them 'the icks' though this is not always the case.
Someone can also use the term 'the icks' when something has made them generally uncomfortable.
Example Usage
“Don't always believe the things people will tell you about a blind date before you get there, sometimes you meet up with someone and they just end up giving you the icks. That's what you get for using Tinder.”
“If you ask your grandmother about how she married her first husband, then you'll probably hear one of the best stories about how your grandfather gave her the icks on their second date.”
“If you ask around on the internet then you're going to see a whole lot of different ick stories, some of them are so much worse than others.”
“We spent about five minutes in the abandoned hotel before we all decided that it gave me the icks more than my ex and his hairy back.”
Origin
The origin of the term 'icks' can be found by going back to American English, where the word itself is rooted in the term 'icky-boo' that was popularized by musicians in the 1930s jazz crowd.
After the term 'icky-boo' got shortened to the term 'icky' it has been in popular use, which is likely to have happened some time after its first use in the thirties. After this, the term made its way into popular conversation, where it naturally evolved as a term used on the internet.
The term has been recorded in Urban Dictionary since at least the year 2003.
After the term was made popular almost everywhere else in online discussions, the term became popular again on the social media website TikTok owing to the lower character limit necessary for the platform.
Phrases Similar to Icks
- Creeps
Phrases Opposite to Icks
- N/a
What is the Correct Saying?
- N/a
Ways People May Say Icks Incorrectly
There are several ways in which the term 'icks' or 'the icks' can be used in the wrong way.
The term describes a feeling and not a collection of material things, and therefore cannot be used in the singular form since there is no need for it.
Someone who does not understand the context of the term ick can also use it in the wrong way, where others don't understand its meaning.
Acceptable Ways to Phrase Icks
The correct way to use the term 'icks' or 'the icks' is to use it when describing someone (or something) that has made someone uncomfortable.
It can refer to relationships, but it can also refer to other things.