Entry · catalog no. 1029
drawlin
/ /ˈdrɔː.lɪn/ /DRAW-lin
verb · Philadelphia, Northeast · 2000s
✓ Verified
1.
Acting out of character, cutting up, doing too much — being unreasonable or embarrassing in a way that makes you hard to be around.
“You flaked again? You drawlin.”
Origin & Attribution
Philadelphia Black speech, thought to come from "drawing attention." Documented in the city's slang since the early 2000s and common enough to land in a 2018 Philadelphia School District handbook introducing new teachers to how students actually talk.
2000s
Documented in Philadelphia slang
2018
Listed in a Philadelphia School District teacher handbook
Region of origin
West
Midwest
N.East
South
The Northeast
Philadelphia, Northeast · 2000s
Spoken by
Philadelphia Black speakers
$DRAWLIThe Record · cultural traction
▲ Steady21 yrs
ahead of the mainstream
40/100
peak cultural energy
Introduced to English by the culture — logged here before the mainstream caught on.
Cultural usage — the recordMainstream search interest
First used
2005
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
@bxgriot
The Bronx, NY
@phillyanne
Philadelphia, PA
Contribute your pronunciation
Citations & Sources
■
Mental Floss, "Philadelphia Slang Terms" — article · reference
submitted
■
+ Cite a sourcePhillyVoice, Philadelphia student slang handbook — article · 2018
submitted
See also