The Meaning of Dilligaf: What It Is and How To Use It

This article will give you all of the information you need on the word dilligaf, including its definition, example usage, origin, popular culture, and more!

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What does the word dilligaf mean?

The slang term dilligaf is an acronym for “Does It Look Like I Give A F***” or “Do I Look Like I Give A F***,” according to Urban Dictionary and 7ESL. There is very little difference between the two variations of the acronym, with the subject changing in the two sentences but the effect remaining the same. To make the dilligaf abbreviation more family friendly, it could also be said to stand for “Does It Look Like I Give A Flip.”

The phrase “give a f***” means to care deeply about something. On the contrary, if someone “doesn’t give a f***” it means that they do not care about something. If someone says the phrase dilligaf, they are sarcastically asking if they look like they care about something. The answer? They don’t.

This chat speak or SMS textspeak term is fairly commonplace and often used sarcastically. Synonyms for the term could be “does it look like I care,” “whatever,” or, “I don’t care.

Is the term dilligaf casual for formal?

Dilligaf is a casual term and should never be used in polite company, business, or any time when profanity is not appropriate. It’s perfectly acceptable to use it in a casual group of friends, particularly when jabs are being thrown around jokingly.

People should never use dilligaf when addressing someone respectfully. Not only may the profanity offend them, but the general attitude of the phrase could come off as rude. When used in joking company, people know that it is intentded to be cheeky. Never use dilligaf around and elder, boss, or teacher, and certainly do not use it when writing professional emails, resumes, or letters, as it is considered highly inappropriate.

Where is dilligaf seen in popular culture?

According to Know Your Meme, the internet slang term has been used on the internet as chat speak and textspeak on forums and in texts since the early 2000s. The phrase was popularized by Australian musical comedian Kevin Bloody Wilson in 2003. He released an album entitled Let Loose Live in the Outback which features a song titled DILLIGAF. In the song, he explains the acronym.

As recently as July 2019, TikTok users began to learn about the Kevin Bloody Wilson song. This song became a trending audio to use on the app, and users began using it as a soundtrack to illustrate things and scenarios that they do not care about. These thousands of videos have garnered millions of likes combined. Dilligaf has become a popular meme, and people today can buy stickers and t-shirts with the cheeky phrase on them.

Where did the term dilligaf originate?

There is some dispute as to what the possible origin for the term dilligaf is. Some assert that the term comes from the military, where soldiers would use the term to sneakily convey their lack of care for something. Military Acronyms shows dilligaf in its glossary along with plenty of other profanity-laden acronyms.

The other group of people attributes the phrase dilligaf to the song by Australian musical comedian Kevin Bloody Wilson. As of December 2020, the song had over 3.6 million views on its YouTube web page since its posting in 2014.

How can dilligaf be used in a sentence?

Dilligaf is often used jokingly around friends. However, honest use of the phrase may get someone into trouble! Below are a few examples of scenarios where dilligaf may be technically correct – but where it isn’t always appropriate!

Kevin is lying on his bed scrolling through his phone when his father, Eric, enters.

Eric: Kevin! I told you to clean up this room three hours ago.

Kevin: Dad, I can explain, I was—

Eric: DILLIGAF? Get up off your butt and clean it up, now!

In this scenario, Eric uses dilligaf to show that he is not playing around and wants Kevin to clean his room right away. In this second scenario, Sierra and Savannah are getting ready for a dance recital. Their teacher comes into the room.

Teacher: Sierra, I want that bun pulled back tight. No lumps, bumps, or bobby pins this time, do you hear me?

Sierra: Yes ma’am.

The teacher exits the room, and Sierra rolls her eyes.

Sierra: I have one word for her.

Savannah: What’s that?

Sierra. DILLIGAF!

In this situation, Sierra is using dilligaf to discreetly make fun of their teacher to Savannah. She is frustrated by the teacher singling her out. This is a rude circumstance in which to use dilligaf.

What are some other acronyms like dilligaf?

There are plenty of military-based acronyms that are laden with profanity. Some of these are also commonly used in American English speech. A list of these abbreviations and initialisms is below, along with their definitions, according to Military.com and Business Insider.

·      CSMO – This initialism can wither stand for Close Station, March Order or Collect your S*** and Move Out. Both signal soldiers to close stations after a mission.

·      DART – This acronym stands for Dumb A** Radio or Radar Troop.

·      DAT – Similar to DART, this acronym stands for Dumb A** Tanker and is frequently used in the army.

·      FAN – Used to describe the pungent odor of military barracks, this common acronym stands for Feet, A**, N*ts.

·      FUBAR – This acronym stands for F***ed Up Beyond All Recognition, and is used to describe something incredibly messed up.

·      SNAFU – This stands for Situation Normal, All F***ed Up.

·      TARFU – Similar to SNAFU, This stands for Things Are Really F***ed Up

Overall, the word dilligaf is an acronym for “Does It Look Like I Give a F***.” This casual slang word is used as a cheeky reply when someone tells one something that they do not care about. This word has made its way into popular culture by Australian musical comedian Kevin Bloody Wilson and may have originated in the United States Military.

Sources:

  1. https://www.military.com/join-armed-forces/glossary-of-military-acronyms.html#:~:text=An%20Army%20acronym.,Give%20a%20****.&text=A%20common%20acronym%20which%20describes%20the%20smell%20of%20a%20barracks
  2. https://www.businessinsider.com/15-common-phrases-civilians-stole-from-the-us-military-2015-6#:~:text=FUBAR%20stands%20for%20%E2%80%9CF*cked,to%20keep%20from%20offending%20listeners
  3. https://www.military.com/join-armed-forces/glossary-of-military-acronyms.html#:~:text=An%20Army%20acronym.,Give%20a%20****.&text=A%20common%20acronym%20which%20describes%20the%20smell%20of%20a%20barracks
  4. https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/dilligaf
  5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7a6EOyaMdqY&list=LLVrUpuYTGrl7QjPO4WkG_rw&index=123
  6. https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Dilligaf
  7. https://7esl.com/dilligaf/