{"id":4973,"date":"2022-06-17T23:23:24","date_gmt":"2022-06-17T23:23:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=4973"},"modified":"2022-06-17T23:23:39","modified_gmt":"2022-06-17T23:23:39","slug":"wsp-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wsp-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"WSP \u2013 Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are you tired of writing out \u201cwhat\u2019s up?\u201d in text messages? You could type the abbreviation \u201cwsp<\/em><\/strong>\u201d to ask your friend what they are up to. This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.<\/p>\n

Meaning<\/h2>\n

The abbreviation \u201cwsp<\/em>\u201d means \u201cwhat\u2019s up<\/em>.\u201d<\/strong> It\u2019s a slang greeting used by young people to ask a friend or acquaintance how they are doing.<\/p>\n

While \u201cwhat\u2019s up<\/em>\u201d is usually a friendly greeting, it can also act as a hostile show of aggression to ward off attackers or people that threaten you.<\/p>\n

The abbreviation \u201cwsp<\/em>\u201d also stands for \u201cWashington Square Park<\/em>\u201d in New York City at 4th Street and 5th Ave. It's the center of the NYU campus, and students use it as a meeting place, abbreviating the words to make communications with fellow students easier.<\/p>\n

Example Usage<\/h2>\n

\u201cHey girl, wsp? How u doin? I was thinkin about u, and I thought I\u2019d holla at u to see how u been?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cwsp? Where have u been the last week? We haven\u2019t seen u in ages. Ru coming back to the youth group again, or r we writing u off?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHey Tina, wsp? I heard u were talking to Matty behind my back again? How many times do I have to tell u 2 back off? Leave my man alone!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHey Greg, wsp? I thought u said u were coming to pick me up for a game of ball this afternoon? Where you at? It\u2019s almost 5 pm now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cwsp with the way he was looking at u? That guy gives me the creeps. Let\u2019s walk over to the group of people over there, so he doesn\u2019t think we\u2019re alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cwsp with the way you\u2019re avoiding me lately? Everyones saying you got some sort of beef with me? So, let\u2019s hear it, what\u2019s ur problem?<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, wsp! The weekend was gr8. I managed to get so much stuff done around the house. I\u2019m ready to head for work today feeling fresh as a daisy.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Origin<\/h2>\n

The origin of the abbreviation \u201cwsp\u201d comes from the advent of text messaging. From the late nineties to the invention of the iPhone and Blackberry devices in 2008, phones didn\u2019t have QWERTY keyboards. To avoid pressing a button multiple times to spell a single word, people save typing time by abbreviating common terms, like greetings.<\/p>\n

There are dozens of examples of these abbreviations. From ROFL (rolling on the floor laughing) to \u201cbrb\u201d (be right back), there are plenty of acronyms and abbreviations to help you save time in your text communications.<\/p>\n

The phrase \u201cwhat\u2019s up?\u201d has unknown origins, but language experts believe it entered mainstream use as a greeting in America in the late 1980s to early 1990s. People would use the saying to greet good friends, asking them how they are.<\/p>\n

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