{"id":1758,"date":"2022-02-22T04:12:47","date_gmt":"2022-02-22T04:12:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=1758"},"modified":"2022-02-22T04:12:47","modified_gmt":"2022-02-22T04:12:47","slug":"we-been-knew-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/we-been-knew-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"We Been Knew - Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Did someone tell you something that\u2019s blatantly obvious or you knew already? If that\u2019s so, you could reply to them with \u201cwe been knew<\/em>.\u201d This post unpacks everything you need to know about the origin and meaning of this expression.<\/p>\n

We Been Knew Meaning<\/h2>\n

If someone tells you \u201cwe been knew<\/em>,\u201d they are trying to tell you that you\u2019re talking about a topic or subject that they already know about, and they are telling you that you are \u201cbehind with the times<\/em>.\u201d It\u2019s a way of telling someone that what they are talking about is outdated, and you can\u2019t believe they don\u2019t know about it already.<\/strong><\/p>\n

To put it into everyday English, the phrase would translate to something like, \u201csomething was obvious from the outset<\/em>,\u201d or \u201cwe already knew that<\/em>.\u201d It can also be another way of saying the slang word, \u201cduh<\/em>,\u201d or, in some cases, \u201cI told you so.\u201d<\/p>\n

The phrase is part of street slang culture, known as \u201cEbonics,\u201d<\/em> named after the rapper \u201cBig L<\/em>,\u201d who died in the late 90s. Big L was instrumental in bringing Ebonics and street slang into modern culture, and many of the sayings in his track, \u201cEbonics<\/em>,\u201d are in use today in street slang.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe been knew<\/em>\u201d is an example of modern Ebonics, bringing the saying to widespread use after the death of Big L. It\u2019s a popular saying, and there are dozens of memes featuring the expression on chat forums and sites like 4Chan.<\/p>\n

We Been Knew Example Usage<\/h2>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re only catching on to crypto now? Seriously, we been knew<\/em>, and I\u2019ve had my portfolio for years already.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDamn, son, we been knew<\/em> that the crypto market was gonna explode, you need to catch up and buy some bitcoin.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you mean you\u2019re falling for that scam? We been knew <\/em>this was a Ponzi since last year already.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, you\u2019re planning on betting on Cowboy for the title. We been knew<\/em> he was a bum since last year, and there\u2019s no way he beats Gaethje.\u201d<\/p>\n

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We Been Knew Origin<\/h2>\n

No one knows the origin of the idiomatic expression, \u201cwe been knew<\/em>.\u201d The phrase is not grammatically correct, and it\u2019s a form of street slang used in the African American community. The first know use of the term appears in popular culture in the late 90s, but there is no written record of its original use in texting.<\/p>\n

The phrase would gain popularity with the rise of hip-hop culture in the 2000s, and many young people started using the expression to describe that they are ahead of the curve or someone else is behind it. It\u2019s common to hear the phrase in street discussions between young people, but you probably won\u2019t find many adults using the term.<\/p>\n

The first appearance of \u201cwe been knew<\/em>\u201d in the Urban Dictionary dates back to late 2017, with an entry by the user, \u201cboyboyguywillfly<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n