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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

gangsta lean en · NOUN

Pronunciation

Etymology

Originated in the song Be Thankful for What You Got (1974) by William DeVaughn.

Meanings

  1. (qualifier:African-American Vernacular, slang) A driving position in which the driver holds the wheel with the hand nearest the window while leaning toward the passenger seat or sitting in a very reclined position.
    • He projects a slide of a young driver doing a “gangster lean,” slouched in the seat. 2010, Andrew Holtz, The Real Grey's Anatomy, Penguin, →ISBN:
    • This time she's walking with the gangsta lean, she's monochrome in her Yeezy gray sports bra and leggings, she's flanked by admiring sisters as she approaches the camera and, looming above the lens, challenges: “Who the fuck do you think I is? You ain't married to no average bitch boy.” 2018, Omise'eke Natasha Tinsley, Beyoncé in Formation: Remixing Black Feminism, University of Texas Press, →ISBN, page 25:
    • Diamond in the back, sunroof top / Diggin' the scene with a gangsta lean 1974, “Be Thankful for What You Got”, in Be Thankful for What You Got, performed by William DeVaughn:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
gangster lean alternative lexicographic
gangsta leans Number=Plur lexicographic

wikipedia: William DeVaughn · wikipedia: Be Thankful for What You Got