Buggin' NY Times Reader Blasts Crossword For Use Of Word "Illin'"

(Courtesy Flickr User Little Pixel)

On Saturday freelance writer Julieanne Smolinski was diligently doing the NY Times crossword when she started trippin' on the clue for 28 down, which read "Wack, in hip-hop." According to the Paper of Record, the answer is "ILLIN," but Smolinksi, who identifies herself as "Not Even a Hip-Hop Expert," thought this was a misinterpretation of the word, so she fired off a letter to the Times crossword editor, Will Shortz, insisting that "illin'" is not "wack." Gawker obtained the correspondence, in which Shortz stands his ground:

Thanks for your email regarding the crossword clue for ILLIN ("Wack, in hip-hop"). You didn't mention what distinction you draw between the two words. According to the Dictionary of American Slang, edited by Robert L. Chapman, "illin'" means "stupid, insane." "Wack" is defined as "worthless, stupid."
The Dictionary of Contemporary Slang, by Tony Thorne, defines "illin'" as "bad,
uncool," and says it is a buzzword in the rap and hip-hop cultures. It seems to
me that's roughly the same as "wack" in the sense of worthless or stupid.

In addition, the online Urban Dictionary (which I don't usually use, but I'll
cite as an additional source) provides further corroboration for the clue and
answer. So it seems to me the clue is fine.

Oh no he did not. Smolinski isn't feelin' it, and responds that "in my house" ill has a positive connotation, and someone "illin'" is most likely "chillin"—and most certainly not "acting erratically or inappropriately," as Urban Dictionary defines illin'. Shots fired! Gawker refuses to settle this, but we think this whole debate is pretty retarded, er, stoopid. What do YOU think?

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By John Del Signore in Arts & Entertainment on January 10, 2012 1:05 PM

Comments [rss]

rk

I think of wack as more of an adjective and illin as more of a verb. 'He wack' and 'He illin' come differently to me. As for the crossword? Yeah, sure either could fit. Who cares.

seattlesnow

I'm the illiest N* alive - what is this 1986?

andrew harrison

The thing to remember is that lingo can shift in meaning from one generation to the next.

Take "Freestyling". In my day it meant to kick improvised rhymes - anything pre-written couldn't qualify as a freestyle. Now if a rapper takes a rhyme off his album and delivers it over a different beat (say on radio or at a live show), this generation calls it a freestyle.You can say it's wrong, but slang terms can reach a tipping point where they become what the majority defines them as.

Jax

The NYT crossword has really taken a turn for the worse.

m015094

LL Cool J has weighed in. It's settled.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

He's also bad, but bad means good. I think.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

Timon_8

*sigh* The days when the New York Times was a literate newspaper are now but a dim memory, and the crossword puzzle was one if its most literate features. While that may still be true, with the exception of a couple of op-ed writers, it's now almost indistinguishable from USA Today.

AGWAGW

Damn, woman. Will Shortz is always right. Always.

Wesley Jacques

I thought the clue being "Wack, in hip hop" was referring to both the synonymy (which may very well be antiquated) and to the fact that the word "illin'" is now "wack" in "hip hop." In fact, it's a very good clue if you ask me.

ToastNYC

It can be positive or negative. Essentially it means crazy which can be good or bad. But, ill does not equal wack.

AzzTech

I agree that they're not the same.

I would think wack comes from, "out of wack", meaning that it's not right, correct, or how it's supposed to be.
You know... "that's wack".

diablofreak

ya'll illin wack in the head, son! im'ma choke a bitch!

ToastNYC

improper usage

scoboco

OG's represent. In 1986 we used illin interchangeably, to mean either wack or dope (though much much more often we used wack or dope), spurred on by our musical heroes. Witness:
"But holmes* you did not read it was a can of DOG FOOD! You be illin"
--Run DMC, You Be Illin, 1986

"Most illinest b-boy--I got that feelin!--I am most ill and I'm rhymin and stealin"
--Beastie Boys, Rhymin and Stealin, 1986

*yes, holmes, not homes.

jibbly

Interesting. Maybe because of Beastie Boys popularity into the '90s, but it eventually defaulted to their version at least when I was in high school during the mid 90s.