Has anyone ever said you’re turning 19 in Poland? It doesn’t mean what you think

As the end of the year approaches, it’s not just the likes of Spotify, Monzo and Apple Music releasing its yearly round-ups of users’ consumption habits.

Grindr has also given its two cents on everything from pop culture to kinks, with categories like Mother of the Year (Lady Gaga, obviously), and Daddy of the Year (generously bestowed upon Pedro Pascal).

And on top of that, the app – the world’s largest for LGBTQ+ people, although it’s typically used by gay men has released its gay dictionary of 2025.

The list outlines the phrases on everyone’s lips this year, but more specifically, those most referenced on Grindr.

Delulu came in first place (used by 17% of profiles), followed by clock it (16%), ate (11%), and crash out (9%). And unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last few years, you’ve probably come across most of these.

However, in at fifth – and featuring on 8% of profiles – was a term we imagine will confuse a number of readers: turning 19 in Poland.

If someone told you this, you’d likely assume they’d mistaken you for a young Eastern European. Before you correct them – and make yourself look embarrassingly out of touch – though, let us explain why it’s actually a major compliment.

‘In Poland, when you’re 19, you’re tested to see if you can serve in the military. When someone tells you that you’re turning 19 in Poland, they are saying you are serving,’ reads its Urban Dictionary listing.

Essentially, as another user notes, it’s ‘a way to tell someone they’re serving, eating, c**ty, or just look hot.’

Why Poland? Nobody knows, which in itself attests to the beauty of queer slang, and how even the most hilariously niche colloquialisms can quickly propagate around the world.

On TikTok, the phrase has been used to describe the very best of the pop divas, including Charli XCX, Addison Rae, Dua Lipa, Mitski, and Ethel Cain.

One comment, which is arguably like the final girlboss of slang (and if you can understand it, then props to you), reads: ‘No cause it’s low key Clairo shade that I turned 19 in Poland with Julie Ragbeer and clocked a gag.’

Polari: A historically necessary means of survival

LGBTQ+ slang isn’t just a quirk: it’s historically been a necessary means of survival. Polari (a secret language used mainly among gay men, which then made its way into the wider lexicon of theatres, prisons, and markets) evolved so queer men could communicate without straight people being able to understand.

It marries terms from established languages like Italian, Yiddish, and Cockney Rhyming Slang, and while it’s largely died out these days, there are still some terms which are still commonly used.

Popular phrases which actually stemmed from Polari include:

• Palarver
• Naff
• Ogle
• Scarper
• Blag
• Camp
• Zhuzh (also jeuje)
• Cottaging.

‘Gay slang is no longer confined to the LGBTQ+ community’

As Tony Thorne, a language consultant at King’s College London’s Centre for International Education and Languages, tells Metro, LGBTQ+-specific slang has now officially gone mainstream.

He explains: ‘Gay slang, because of its high level of irony, self-mockery and its insights into the nuances of self-presentation and dating behaviour, is no longer confined to the LGBTQ+ community but has been adopted across the spectrum of younger Millennial and Gen Z slang usage.

‘Many of the familiar exclamations of recent years – slay, queen, king – and relationship catchphrases too originated with drag queen parlance and have been picked up by many other communities.’

Tony believes that social media has also added another dimension to these words, as they’re typically now paired with things images and audio on platforms like TikTok. If you’re interested in the technical term, it’s ‘multimodality.’

When it comes to ‘turning 19 in Poland’ specifically, he says that it illustrates just how quickly slang can gain traction these days, given the first known usage came about thanks to a tweet posted earlier this year.

‘Millions of people immediately connected it to the slang meaning instead, and gay men in particular started to use the phrase to compliment females who were showcasing spectacularly online,’ Tony explains.

So, if you hear this phrase when you’re out and about, fear not: it’s one of the highest forms of compliments you can receive in life. Because if we have one ultimate goal, it’s to serve, to be honest.

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