A new internet phrase is making the rounds on TikTok and X (formerly Twitter), confusing some and cracking others up: “What the chile.” The phrase appears to be a reaction to the chaotic overuse of African American Vernacular English (AAVE) and drag slang online, where terms like “finna,” “tea,” and “gag” get mashed together into near-nonsense. While ‘what the chile’ is often used to poke fun at people misusing AAVE, it’s also emerging as part of the evolving lexicon of gay internet lingo, similar to how “slay the house down boots” and “spill the tea” crept into the mainstream lexicon.

Many of these TikTok videos state “When the chile is tea but the finna is gag, sis im dead as a chile” or some variation of this Mad Libs jargon nonsense. At least a few commenters inevitably respond with “what the chile.”

Chile is an AAVE term from the southern regions of the U.S. that means “child.” For many generations, Black Americans, especially in or from the South, have used the word “chile” as a term of endearment. People may use it to refer to actual children or anyone younger than them or as a general exclamation, such as “whew, chile!”

Although some folks may claim that “chile” came from stan culture, it appeared in the 1978 film via the song “You Can’t Win” by Michael Jackson and The Four Crows. Marshall Mathers, better known today as Eminem and the source of the term “stan,” was only six years old that year.