Edited by Azizi Powell
This is Part III of a three part pancocojams series on the American vernacular (slang) phrase "clock It" and similar phrases.
This post presents information about the meaning of the slang phrase "clock it" and other "clock" phrases in the context of stomp & shake cheerleading. That post also presents examples of the word clock and current (2026) African American slang synonyms from the discussion thread of a 2026 YouTube stomp and shake cheerleading video.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/05/2025-article-excerpt-clock-it-how.html for Part I of this pancocojams series. That pancocojams post presents an excerpt from a 2025 online article written by Quispe López about the history and meanings of the vernacular (slang) phrase "clock it" and related words/phrases such as 'clock that tea" and "clocking". Please read that entire article.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/05/some-online-examples-of-vernacular.html for Part II of this pancocojams series. That post presents some online examples in 2025-2026 of the vernacular (slang) phrase "clock it" and similar "clock" slang words/phrases.
The content of this post is presented for linguistic, historical, and socio-cultural purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are featured in the YouTube video that is embedded in this post and thanks to all those who are quoted in this pancocojams post.
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WHAT IS STOMP & SHAKE CHEERLEADING?
Stomp & shake cheerleading is a form of cheerleading that originated among African Americans in the 1970s. That cheerleading style is documented to have independently been created first at the Historically Black Greek letter university Virginia State University and shortly thereafter at the Historically Black Greek letter university Winston-Salem State University. However, before the 1970s Black American pre-university high schools and other community cheerleading squads included elements of stomp & shake cheerleading such as stomping alternating with hand clapping as well as planned or improvised cheers that included group bragging and dissing their opposition's athletic teams in their planned or spontaneously created group cheers.
Stomp & shake cheerleading squads are found on the middle school, high school, and university levels. Most stomp & shake cheerleading squads consist of Black females. Some stomp & shake cheerleading squads have had and/or currently have one or a few cheerleaders non-Black female cheerleaders.
Some stomp & shake cheerleading squads have had and/or currently have one or a few cheerleaders who are Black males. As of this date (in 2026) I have never come across any information or videos of male stomp & shake cheerleaders who are non-Black. Male cheerleaders don't perform all of the movements or all of the movements the same way as female cheerleaders in their squads.
Stomp & shake cheerleading focuses on hyping up their athletic teams' fans at football games and at basketball games. However, these squads do so as show entertainment more than leading fan participation in their cheers.
Certain motions such as "high steps" (formerly referred to as "upstomps") and "double shakes" (formerly referred to as "jigga pops") distinguish stomp & shake cheerleading from traditional cheerleading routines or modified cheerleading routines that combine traditional & stomp & shake routines. Unlike traditional cheerleading, stomp & shake cheerleading routines rarely if ever include cheerleading stunts.
In 2026 stomp & shake cheerleading is mostly found on the Black pre-university and Black university levels in North Carolina (USA) and in Virginia (USA). However, those styles of cheerleading can now be found throughout many Black communities throughout the United States. That said, it's historically and currently incorrect to say that stomp & shake cheerleading is associated with every Historically Black College & University (HBCU).
This pancocojams blog has multiple post about stomp & shake cheerleading. Here are links two of those posts:
"When Did Stomp & Shake Cheerleading Begin? (Online Comments & Website Statements)"
https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/06/when-did-stomp-shake-cheerleading-begin.html
and "Examples Of Stomp & Shake Cheerleading Cheers, Part I (A - H)" https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/06/examples-of-stomp-shake-cheerleading.html
[This is Part I of a three part pancocojams series that document some examples of stomp & shake cheerleading cheers. The links to the other posts in this series is found in each post in this series.
Also, read this post that I wrote in 2011: "Race and the Changing Shape of Cheerleading"
https://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2011/07/21/race-and-the-changing-shape-of-cheerleading/
****
WHAT "CLOCK IT" & OTHER CLOCK WORDS AND PHRASES MEAN WHEN USED IN COMMENTS BY STOMP & SHAKE CHEERLEADING FANS
A.
Here's an example of the slang (vernacular) use of the word "clock" that I happened upon in the discussion thread for this YouTube video:
@cavettaj, 2012
"@dizznikkak09 Nooo wat was said was they
pick'd certain schools that were sufficient w/ their budget. But regardless of
that, WEN THEY WERE OFFERED THE CHANCE TO GET ISHH POPPIN-they kept walkin. So
it's not a "seem like" it reality. & that perception of
"worried about them" is only bcuz of originality. If yall did ya own
cheers or didnt bite off us & other squads...then ppl wouldnt CLOCK the
imitation or we wouldnt b "worried about them" #FACT. But see'n is
believin. hope yall "TRAVEL" this yr."
-snip-
This is part of a long and contentious exchange of comments between @cavettaj and @dizznikkak09 that is found in the discussion thread of a 2011 YouTube video about Winston-Salem State University's cheer "You Gets No Respect In Here" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkpOiVssR0s "WSSU
CHEERLEADERS 2010-11 Basketball BATTLE" published by cavettaj, Jun 11,
2011.
In essence in the comment given above, @cavettaj responds to @dizznikkak09, a supporter of (the historically Black College & University) St. Augustine's "Blue Chips" cheerleaders, that the reason why Winston-Salem University's (WSSU) cheerleaders have a problem with St. Augustine's cheerleaders is that two years ago after a formal CIAA league competition ,WSSU cheerleaders challenged St. Augustine's cheerleaders to a cheer battle (then called "a cheer off". However, St. Augustine's cheerleaders made no response, but kept walking past WSSUs cheerleaders without even looking back. @cavettaj also indicated that she and other people believe St. Augustine's cheerleaders didn't want to battle with WSSU cheerleaders because their (St Augustine's) cheers and cheer routines are copies of WSSU cheers and routines. If St. Augustine's cheerleaders had battled with WSSU, then people would have noticed and verified this (clocked it) with their own eyes and ears.
This slang meaning of "clock" derives from its 1960s African American/Latinx Gay ballroom roots and means "to notice, observe, or aggressively point out something about a person, particularly something they were trying to hide"...
from an AI Overview write-up about the origin of the slang term "clock it".
@cavettaj's comment that is given above is the only pre 2026 example of the slang use of "clock" and its related words/phrases that I have found thus far in the context of stomp & shake cheerleading.
Please share any other online or off-line examples in the comment section below of "clock" and its related words/phrases that you have come across or that you remember before 2026. Thanks in advance!
B1.- Explanations of Words & Phrases
This section presents examples of "clock it" (and related "clock" words and phrases from the discussion thread for a 2026 YouTube video of the stomp & shake cheer "All Y' All Cheers Are Boring". Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/05/comments-about-copying-stealing-stomp.html for the pancocojams post entitled "All Y' All Cheers Are Boring" Stomp & Shake Cheerleading Cheer (Discussion Thread Comments: Compliments & Criticisms)" . This video features high school level stomp and shake cheerleaders.
In those discussion thread comments the phase "clock it" and its related "clock" words/phrases (such as "clocked that tea", "clocked that t", and "clocking") are highly complimentary exclamations that are synonymous with the African American originated slang meanings for the exclamations "slay" , "killed it", and "ate' (including "ate it", "ate it up", "ate and left no crumbs, and "ate down")
As of the publication of this pancocojams post (May 23, 2026) I have only come across two YouTube video stomp & shake cheers' discussion threads whose comments include "clock it" or other "clock" words or phrases.* Both of those 2026 videos are for the "All Y' All Cheers Are Boring" cheers. Comments from those two discussion threads are found in the B2 section of this pancocojams post.
*The 2012 comment that includes "Clock" that is given in Section "A" of this pancocojams post is an exception to this statement.
That doesn't mean that there are no such comments, particularly from 2025 and 2026. If you know of such comments, please share them in the discussion thread below. Thanks in advance.
The African American Vernacular English word "ate" and its related "ate" words and phrases are FAR MORE frequently found in stomp & shake cheerleading cheer discussion threads than the "clock it" word/phrases that were written around the 2020 and on. The "slay" words/phrases follows that of the "ate" words/phrases in that same time period in their use in those stomp & shake cheerleading discussion threads.
The slang words "slay" (and its earlier and still used comparable vernacular phrase "killed it") and the slang meaning word "ate" and its related slang "ate" phrases mean that something (or someone/ some group) was/were great, did an exceptional job. These same meanings are given or implied in "clock it" in stomp & shake cheerleading fans' comments. The exhortations to "Slay!" and/or to "Clock it!" mean "to continue to do a great job". These "Clock It!" exhortations are synonymous with the exclamations "Get it!, "Do it!" and "Work it!"
However, on a deeper level, the slang words "slay", "killed it", "ate", and "clock it" - when used by people in the context of stomp & shake cheerleading- almost always* also mean "to totally demolish", "to utterly destroy", or "to totally weaken" a cheerleading squad so that they are unable to continue competing.
*I included the words "almost always" because of the 2012 example that I found that is shared in B1 of this pancocojams post.
I believe that the use of the phrase "clock it" and other high complimentary African American Vernacular English words and phrases usually refers to the entire cheer performance including the words of the cheer and how they are delivered and not just the cheer routine (the movements). That said, certain movements throughout the cheer and not just the entire stomp & shake cheer. An example of this is at the end of the cheer "All Y' All Cheers Are Boring" when the cheerleaders collapsed as if sleeping on their gym bleachers.
I haven't found the word "clock it" or any other "clock" words or phrases in any discussion thread for the stomp & shake cheer "You Make Us Go To Sleep" that was composed and first performed in 2023 by Sparkman High School cheerleaders (Harvest, Alabama). However, the unexpected ending of that cheer when the cheerleaders fell down sleeping on their gym bleachers and covered themselves with a small blanket evoked comments of "Slay!" and "Ate!" (and their similar sayings).
Judging from those comments and from other comments in various stomp & shake cheerleading discussion threads that include or don't include those slang words/phrases, the reason why those cheers and particularly those endings for those cheer routines evoked such audiences responses are because the cheers are creative, original (unique), and were performed very well.
Also, those cheers exemplify the African American traditions of and cultural appreciation of bragging and dissing rhymes, chants, cheers, and songs. Furthermore, the words and particularly the ending routine of those two middle school or high school stomp & shake cheers exemplify the contemporary element of "being petty". using something small and seemingly insignificant to insult another person or group". A pancocojams post on stomp & shake comments positively highlighting cheers being petty" will be published ASAP and its link will be added to this post.
Additions and corrections to these meanings & my conclusions are welcome.
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B2 -Examples Of "Clock It" and other "Clock" words & phrases, & Examples of "Ate" Or "Slay" Words & Phrases from the discussion thread of this YouTube video:
1. https://youtube.com/shorts/pJJ84sqMjAg?si=wRrcUXkSGT-pTs3W "All Y'All Cheers Are Boring", published by @westernguiflordmiddlecheer ; @SAGINAWDANCESHOW, January 23, 2026
Western Guilford Middle School is located in Greensboro, North Carolina.
These are all of the "clock" examples that I found in this discussion thread as of May 23, 2026 at 9:35 AM EDT. I only included some of the other examples of these showcased African American Vernacular English words/phrases that were found in that discussion thread as of that date and time.
These comments are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.
All of these comments were published in 2026.
1 @arisleydis100
"You clocked that tea sis!😁"
**
2.@FroggyLobby-v7s
"Ate and left no crumbs✨✨"
**
3. @Synquis
"Clock that T. Period.❤️❤️😂"
**
4. @BipashnaChettri-c4v
"Nadia ( the one who called the cheer ) ATEEEEEE with the iconic BORINGG 💅💅"
**
5. @Idontknowyoubruh0
"THEY ATEEEE 😛😛😛"
**
6. @RickMoynes
"Clock it girl 💅"
**
7. @Malina-w9j
"They ate and left no crumbs 😮"
**
8. @hikittyys
"SLAY QUEENSS❤️"
**
9. @Synquis
"Clock that T. Period.❤️❤️😂"
**
10. @Marley-c6e
"Yes you guys slayed PERIOD !!!!❤️❤️❤️"
**
11. @smg6_editz
"Clocking"
**
12. @HarmonyTausili-f1h
"ATE!❤️❤️"
**
13. @90414
"Girl clockkkkk itttttt 💅💅💅"
**
14.@aspeflores
"THEY ATE THAT UP 😝😝😝😝😝"
**
15. @AbrielleOtchere
"Cheers SLAY"
**
16. @WaltonBrown-z7p
"Clock it i wish I was one of them ❤️🎉"
**
17. @SandyHunter-z4s
"Clock it! Yall ate!"
**
18. @shark1this
"YOU GUYS SLAYEDDDD🤚🏽🤚🏽"
**
19. @Aldrichxie
"Killin' it gurl 👑"
**
20. @EmmaHamriel-o4l
"They all slayed that"
**
21. @MiasCollection
"slay QUEEEEEENS!!!!!"
****
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9h9x_PYh1Xo "All
y'all Cheers are boring" by Saginaw Dance Show, Mar 30, 2026
-snip-
This example of the "All Y'All Cheers Are Boring" cheer appears was performed by a group of Black American girls who are middle school age and younger as part of a floor performance and not during a competitive basketball or football game. I believe that @SaginawDanceShow wrote that this group is located in Michigan.
These are all of the "clock" examples that I found in this discussion thread as of May 23, 2026 at 9:35 AM EDT. I only included some of the other examples of these showcased African American Vernacular English words/phrases that were found in that discussion thread as of that date and time.
These comments are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.
All of these comments were published in 2026.
1. @janeshagully7019
"Y’all ate that up yes girlyyyyyyy"
**
2. @Ms.Magic94
"Clock it"
**
3. @SenabMohamedAli
"Ateeee"
**
4. @beyenealemayehu5136
"It clocking but y’all copied a school so 😅"
**
5. @user-fv5nk2nw4g
"The girl in the front clocked that fell so good like just
clocked slay"
**
6. @hichamkaou3090
"Slayy girls go lions"
7.
"Did not eat stop stealing cheers"
**
8. @JalesiaAnderson-j7k
"Y'all ate that I see yall"
**
9. @swagdaphne4831
"ATE!!"
**
10. @KrystalKnootenda
"Slay baddies 🎉🎉"
**
11. @narimanmekha5061
"They did good but a high-school cheer team did the same
exact thing as them but they clocked it"
**
12. @SenabMohamedAli
"Ateeee"
**
13. @Higuys-v6x
"Yall ate this down 🤏🏾🤏🏾🤏🏾"
**
14. @JalesiaAnderson-j7k
"Y'all ate that I see yall"
**
15. @mahreenakhtar5089
"Someone else school did this chair they did not eat as much
as they did clock it"
**
16. @playtimew.emarijones5957
"Girl, my cheers is not boring, but y’all did good clock it"
**
17. @gtmirdy8882
"Slayed period😂"
**
18. @lashundanicholson9380
"Clock it kids"
**
19. @JomyrahDavis
"Clock it"
**
20. @RahilaSafi-e1b
"Clock it"
**
21. @Ms.Magic94
"Clock it"
**
22. @beyenealemayehu5136
"It clocking but y’all copied a school so 😅"
**
23. @colleenshange8791
"Y'all ate but you're are just coping"
24.
"They did good but a high-school cheer team did the same
exact thing as them but they clocked it"
24.
"Slayyy clock it❤️❤️"
****
This concludes Part III of this three part pancocojams series.
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