Mid (Slang)

About

Mid is a slang term meaning "mediocre" or "mid-tier" quality. The slang word was initially used in cannabis culture to define the grade of marijuana, and later in music discussions to describe albums and artists. In October 2021, the word entered general internet slang following viral discussions of Drake's album Certified Lover Boy and a viral TikTok.

Origin

The word "mid" was originally used in cannabis culture slang as a shorter version of "mid-grade" to denote marijuana strains that are medium in strength and grade above low quality (examples^[1][2][3] of use shown below). While the exact first use online is unknown, an Urban Dictionary^[13] entry for this usage was added on January 15th, 2004, by user deejay.

Starting at least in 2019, the word has been used outside of drug use culture to describe things that are mediocre in quality, primarily artists and music albums. For example, on March 12th, 2019, Twitter^[4] user @ABSTRACTionism1 made a tweet about the late rapper XXXTentacion, describing his music as "mid," with the tweet gaining over 23,600 retweets and 100,800 likes in three years (shown below, left). On May 18th, 2020, XXL Magazine used the slang word in a humorous tweet^[5] that received over 570 retweets and 4,400 likes in two years (shown below, center). On July 17th, 2020, Twitter^[6] user @Seantaneous used the word to describe the film Fatal Affair, with the tweet gaining over 15,500 retweets and 82,700 likes in two years (shown below, right).

Other Meanings

Additionally, the term "mid" has been historically used in MOBA video games such as League of Legends and DotA to refer to the "middle lane," also known as "mid lane." The phrase "mid or feed" has also been used by MOBA players to convey that they demand to be let play on the middle lane, and they will intentionally throw the game otherwise.

Spread

The word did not achieve major prevalence in general internet slang until early September 2021, when multiple tweets using the word to describe rapper Drake's latest album Certified Lover Boy went viral on Twitter. For example, September 3rd tweets^[7][8] by users @EliSeeney and @yvngsyrup received over 12,600 retweets and 55,300 likes and 4,600 retweets and 37,500 likes in seven months, respectively (shown below, left and right).

On September 23rd, TikToker^[9] @this.is.cdub posted a clip of wrestler Maxwell Jacob Friedman saying "it's called Midwest because every single thing in it is mid." The clip (shown below, left) went viral on TikTok, accumulating over 121,000 likes in seven months and spawning a trend in which TikTokers listed mediocre shows, video game maps, video game weapons and other things. For example, on October 26th, TikToker^[10] @johnthedon.3 posted a video in which he listed mediocre Netflix shows, which gained over 1.4 million likes in six months (shown below, center). On October 29th, the official TikTok^[11] account of the wrestling promotion organization All Elite Wrestling uploaded the clip, assisting the spread of the meme on the platform.

Through late 2021 and early 2022, the word achieved general recognition as slang for "mediocre." On March 14th, 2022, Twitter^[12] user @VeryFineHat made the earliest viral wordplay joke using the word, with the tweet gaining over 6,900 retweets and 91,900 likes in one month (shown below).

Related Memes

It's Called The Midwest Because Every Single Thing in It Is Mid

It's Called The Midwest Because Every Single Thing in It Is Mid refers to a viral video and speech by AEW wrestler Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF) made during a wrestling match in Cincinnati, Ohio about how everything in the Midwest United States is mid, meaning of average or poor quality. The speech went viral in lip-dubs on TikTok where users show off things they think are mid between September and November 2021 and inspired numerous viral edits.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References