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THE LITERAL DEPARTMENT

Small words.
Unnecessary drama.

Original little disasters from the group chat. Watch the joke, then get the meaning, examples and sources.

Decode a message ↗Take the five-word Sprint ↗
LITERAL DEPARTMENT / delulu

One “hey” and the wedding printer starts.

An exaggerated, informal version of “delusional”: unrealistically hopeful, imagining a connection, or choosing confidence over the available evidence.

Get the full context ↗
The carousel version
THEY SAID “HEY” — They said hey. One word. No punctuation.ME, 0.4 SECONDS LATER — Anyway, I have booked the imaginary wedding venue.THE PRINTER IS CONCERNED — The printer has produced eighty seating charts.DELULU: CONFIRMED — The relationship is not confirmed. The delulu is.WHAT IT MEANS — An exaggerated, informal version of “delusional”: unrealistically hopeful, imagining a connection, or choosing confidence over the available evidence.SAME CHAT. DIFFERENT MEANING. — Same message. Very different meaning.
LITERAL DEPARTMENT / cooked

One email. Entire nervous system.

In serious trouble, exhausted, defeated, or beyond an easy fix. “Am I cooked?” asks whether the situation is hopeless.

Get the full context ↗
The carousel version
GREAT UNDER PRESSURE — I work amazingly well under pressure.THE PRESSURE: — The pressure is one email saying, quick question.BRAIN.EXE HAS STOPPED — My brain has entered the microwave.I’M COOKED. — I am cooked. Please rotate me halfway through.WHAT IT MEANS — In serious trouble, exhausted, defeated, or beyond an easy fix. “Am I cooked?” asks whether the situation is hopeless.SAME CHAT. DIFFERENT MEANING. — Same message. Very different meaning.

Fictional sketches. Original animation. Synthetic voices. Definitions come from the published SlangLane edition.

How the words are checked ↗
ONE WORD, A LITTLE MORE CONTEXT.

Language moves. Stay in the conversation.

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