Entry · catalog no. 2015
ashy
/ ˈæʃi /ASH-ee
adjective · national · 20th c.
✓ Verified
1.
Of skin, dry and grayish-flaky; also, as an insult, shabby or broke.
“Put some lotion on those ashy elbows before you leave this house.”
Origin & Attribution
African American English for the gray, flaky look dry skin takes on darker complexions — the word does work no standard term does. Long current in Black households and communities, it became national comedy shorthand through Chappelle's Show's "Ashy Larry" (2004). As a light insult, "ashy" means shabby or broke — the opposite of "classy."
20th c.
Everyday Black household term for dry, gray skin
2004
"Ashy Larry" on Chappelle's Show
now
Widely used; "ashy to classy" as a phrase
Region of origin
West
Midwest
N.East
South
Nationwide
national · 20th c.
Spoken by
Black American speakers
$ASHYThe Record · cultural traction
▲ Steady76 yrs
ahead of the mainstream
72/100
peak cultural energy
Introduced to English by the culture — logged here before the mainstream caught on.
Cultural usage — the recordMainstream search interest
First used
1950
in the culture
Cultural energy indexed from documented usage, search interest, and citation frequency. The recorded date is the archive’s permanent point of record.
Hear it spoken
By region — how it actually sounds
@auntiereg
Atlanta, GA
@deltasoul
Memphis, TN
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Citations & Sources
■
Chappelle's Show, "Ashy Larry" — TV · 2004
web
■
+ Cite a sourceGreen's Dictionary of Slang — "ashy" — reference
web
See also