{"id":7849,"date":"2022-08-11T17:36:30","date_gmt":"2022-08-11T17:36:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=7849"},"modified":"2022-08-11T17:36:30","modified_gmt":"2022-08-11T17:36:30","slug":"omm-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/omm-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"OMM \u2013 Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Did your friend just text you 'omm'<\/em> after trying to convince you of their innocence? This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.<\/p>\n

Meaning<\/h2>\n

The text-based acronym 'omm' <\/em>means 'on my momma.<\/em>' It's a short version of 'on my momma's life'<\/em> and means that you want someone to believe your claim or the information you're telling them. You'll use 'omm'<\/em> in text message applications when trying to validate your statements and declarations and explain to the other person that you're telling the truth.<\/strong><\/p>\n

'On my momma'<\/em> is similar to other slang sayings like 'on my mother's grave,' 'on my life,' <\/em>or 'I swear to God.' <\/em>It's a way to convince people that you're telling the truth and they should trust you. Since most people value their relationship with their mother, we assume they wouldn't want anything bad to happen to her.<\/p>\n

Example Usage<\/h2>\n

\"On my momma doe, can a brother get a little action around here? What do we have to do to get some service up in this piece?\"<\/p>\n

\"My man, omm, why would I try to deceive you? You're my homie, and we've known each other for twenty years. I'm not lying to you when I tell you it doesn't go down like that.\"<\/p>\n

\"Omm, this is the best cup of coffee in New York. I swear, no other barista knows how to make it like these guys.\"<\/p>\n

\"There's no need to go checking up on me. Listen, omm, I'm not doing anything illegal. I just can't talk about it with y'all right now, alright?\"<\/p>\n

\"I swear, omm, we were there until midnight, and we all left in the same car. There's no way any of us could be responsible for that.\"<\/p>\n

\"Omm, I don't have a clue what you mean. What are you talking about? It all sounds like Greek to me.\"<\/p>\n

\"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

Origin<\/h2>\n

The expression \u2018omm\u2019 originates from 1980s street culture in New York City. African-American cultures would use the term to impress how they were being truthful with the claims they made to others. The phrase was popular throughout the 1990s and 2000s, appearing in media like movies and TV series.<\/p>\n

However, the text version of \u2018on my momma,\u2019 \u2018omm,\u2019 appeared sometime around 2010. Text abbreviations are common in the world of text messaging. Users use abbreviations and acronyms to reduce the amount of typing in a message.<\/p>\n

\u201cOmm\" is a universally understood text acronym popular in hip-hop street slang and the African-American community. However, language experts cannot pinpoint when the texting acronym first appeared in media or who coined the term.<\/p>\n