Examples Of "Ate Up", "Ate Down", "Hard", "Clocked Their Tea" & Some Other African American Vernacular English Words & Sayings In The Discussion Thread For A "You Make Me Go To Sleep" Stomp & Shake Cheer

 

@SAGINAWDANCESHOW, December 5, 2025

****
Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases a YouTube video of Sparkman High School (Harvest, Alabama)'s cheerleading team performing the cheer "You Make Me Go To Sleep".

This post also presents selected comments from this YouTube video's discussion thread that include certain contemporary (particularly after 2015) African American Vernacular English words and phrases. Notes about those words and phrases are Included after those comments. 

The content of this post is presented for historical, etymological, and cultural purposes. 

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the composers of this video and thanks to all those who are faetured in this video. Thanks to Saginaw Dance Show, the publisher of this YouTube showcased video. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post. 
-snip-
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/02/the-yall-tiredyou-make-us-go-to-sleep.html for the pancocojams post "The "Y'All Tired"/"You Make Us Go To Sleep" Stomp & Shake Basketball Cheer/s (video, words, and descriptions)".

****
All of these examples are from the discussion thread for the video that is showcased above: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBRgM-iBeow

All of these comments are from December 2024 and January 2025.

Numbers are given for referencing purposes only.

Additions and corrections are welcome.

I. EXAMPLES OF COMMENTS FROM THE DISCUSSION THREAD THE INCLUDE THE WORD "ATE" OR WORDS FROM THE "ATE FAMILY"

1. @eri_iamherr
"They ate that up🤗❤️"

**
2. @AleandraHyde-yf9wz
"They ate and left no crumbs my fav cheer so far and I plan on being a cheerleader when I’m in high school ❤"

**
3. @camilledavis2000
"THE BLANKETSS?? Now y’all know y’all ate down"

**
4. @down-kg8mt
"this cheer is crazy lmaoo!! having blankets out just for this cheer is so funny. they knew it was worth it bc this ATE"

**
5. @TemiPeters-z1h
"You did so good I couldn’t even hear what you were saying, but I saw the move and y’all ate"

**
6. @MiaWilliams-lq2dp
"Omggg what were they saying.. they ate that and the blankets are the best part"

**
7. @kingandcici6639
"Bro nah cause why yall eat that up like that??? The slump over had me but when yall pulled out the blankets boy I screamed cause WHAT??? 🤣❤️🔥"

**
8. @Kim-q1t8h
"The blankets actually ate down"

**
9. @thats_tea
"Ok y’all ate downnnnnnnnn❤"

**
10..@iconicc.mariamm
"this routine is eating so hard especially the end with the blankets! whoever made this routine needs a shoutout"
-snip-
"eating so hard" = doing something exceptionally well

"Shout out" = public recognition and applause 

****
Additional Explanations:
Ate= (past tense, verb) meaning "to do something exceptionally well". "Eat" is the present tense verbalform of "ate".

The sayings "ate [it] up" and "ate and left no crumbs" came before "ate [it] down".  Although some people may disagree, I believe the all of these sayings mean the same thing i.e. none of these sayings are stronger than the other. 

****
II. EXAMPLES OF COMMENTS FROM THE DISCUSSION THREAD THE INCLUDE THE AAVE WORD "HARD" / "HARDEST"

1. @Bixarope
"never been a fan of cheer but this goes hard!"

**
2. @almightyvicc-yt902
"One of the hardest cheers I seen in a long time maybe since I was 9"

**
Reply
3. @Beans2334
"How is this hard??"

**
Reply
4. @CinnamonBrooke
"I’m a cheerleader and I think I’d be able to do that cheer. I’ve practiced for a long time and it doesn’t look too hard. I hope…😂"

**
Reply
5. @reet7060,January 2025
"@Beans2334 hard also means badass or cool in AAVE😂"

** 

****

III EXAMPLES OF COMMENTS FROM THE DISCUSSION THREAD THE INCLUDE SOME OTHER CONTEMPORARY AAVE WORDS OR EXPRESSIONS"

1. @JuaniqueVerde
"YOU LAME AND YOU MAKE US GO TO SLEEP!! 😴 get it girls!!!"
-snip-
"Lame" = not hip, not cool, weak (not up to date with the latest African American urban culture)

"Get it!"= an exclamation of enthusiasm and support meaning "Continue to do what you are doing well  

**
2. @1pastortony
"They clocked that"
-snip-
There are a lot of (old and relatively new) English language vernacular meanings for the word "clocked". My guess is that the word "clocked" in this comment is another way of saying that their cheer really "hit the spot"; They were "on point" - in other words, they did exactly what they were supposed to do, when they were supposed to do it, and they did it very well.

**
3. @Love4family
"They Ateee that all the uppp period, and they clocking their tea, they did real good🔥🔥🔥🔥❤️"
-snip-
"clocked their tea" = told them to their face (clocked them; "told them what time it is") what you thought about them (told them their truth).

**
4. @brittanycross9096
"Girls, y’all ate and took the plates. Kitchen closed boo, we bout to go to sleep."
-snip-
"boo"= an affectionate nickname for a female or male (or-in this example, the entire group of female cheerleaders). In the context of this comment, "boo" is a synonym for "girlfriends" (in the unromantic sense of that word).

**
5. @SandalyHenderson-g1u
"Get it girls! I love this! It takes me back to my high school cheer and step battles. That’s fighting words in cheer form😂❤"
-snip-
In the context of this comment, "step" means "step team" (i.e. synchronized hand clapping and foot stomping routines that were originally performed by historically African American Greek letter fraternities and sororities). Note that in historically African American Greek letter organizations culture, fraternities "battle" (compete) in step shows (and stroll competitions) against other fraternities and sororities battle against other sororities. Fraternities don't battle against sororities and vice versa.

**
6.@exquisite921
"Ughhhhhh the former cheerleader in me LOVEESSSS THIS lmaooo games would be so lit and trust the other team will steal it and try to throw it back in a future game 😂"
-snip-
The word "Ugh" used to mean something that wasn't good, but in vernacular English, it can just be an introductory expression that means "Well" or "You know". "Notice that "Ughhhhhh" is elongated with a number of letters at the end. Elongating words indicates that the word's meaning is strengthened.

"Lit" is part of the hot/fire family of words and emojis (along with "fire!", smoking, the bomb, dynamite etc.). The AAVE meanings of these words are that something or someone does or did something exceptional well. This meaning of "hot" doesn't have any sexual connotation. 

**
7. @naviminnette
"y' all  slayed"
-snip-
"Slayed" means "did something very good" (This has the same meaning as "killed it" and "murdered it").

**
8. @BobaTea-tj2xc
"this cheer is amazing and I would love it if my school did this type of thing bc this is honestly so us lol. You guys r rly pretty and rly good at what you do btww"
-snip-
Here's how this comment is written in standard English: "This cheer is amazing and I would love it if my school did this type of thing because this is honestly so us lol. You guys are really  pretty and really good at what you do by the way"

"Petty"= trivial, unimportant
In contemporary African American Vernacular English, verbal disses (insults) or actions (such as the cheerleaders covering their body and pretending to go to sleep to indicate that their cheerleader competitors were boring is considered to be "petty". Those words and actions may be  applauded for being clever or creative 

**
9. @jahmiahshaffer3413
"Attteee😭😭😭🥰 too cute"
-snip-
"Attteee" = an elongated form of the word "ate"

"too cute" is a compliment that means something is done very well; (It is visually and emotionally pleasing). 

**
10.@ashantionnavibes2804
"You know other team was tight❤"
-snip-
There are multiple African American Vernacular English meanings for the word "tight". 

In the context of this comment, "tight" has the African American Vernacular English meaning of "mad"/"angry".  

**
11. @JBanks333
"🌬📢💨 They 👠eveled all tha way UP."
-snip-
"Leveled up" = moved from one level to a higher level or levels (in the context of this comment, the "levels" refer to cheers and cheer routines.

**
12. @tanyascott253
"Ok they snapped"
-snip-
In the context of this comment "snapped" = did something very well (Their cheer/cheer routine is worthy of "snaps" from others (Nowadays (in the 2000s) giving someone "snaps" means that you approve of what they did. This meaning of "snaps" comes from the 1950s vernacular meaning when people would snap their fingers together to applaud a Jazz performance or a spoken word performance.

**
13. @BaBiieShouShou
"The blankets really made your cheer pop ❤❤❤❤❤❤"
-snip-
In the context of this comment, "pop" means "makes the routine stand out, become more noticeable, more striking, more unique and memorable"

**
14.@DaniDoesItAll
"Baby this is my type of cutting up 😂❤🎉"
-snip-
In African American Vernacular English, "to cut up" ("cutting up") may mean "to engage in lighthearted, mischievous behavior, "fooling around". 

**
15. @jalexissklanaeee
"they ate that up no cap"
-snip-
"No cap" = "no lie" (I (really) mean it. / "I'm (really) telling the truth". 

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.