Relax, Parents — Here’s What "Glizzy" Means on TikTok

At this point, we’ve learned that TikTok has its own special vocabulary. “Simp,” “Heather,” “FYP” — these are all things that we would have no idea about were it not for the popular video-sharing app. And now, there’s a new word to add to the list: glizzy.

We’re gonna be honest: We were a little nervous to dig too deep into this one. “Glizzy” just sounds like one of those terms that could end up being… you know… R-rated. But we were curious! And as it turns out, we didn’t have to worry. The term is actually relatively innocent. Without further ado, here’s what “glizzy” means on TikTok.

If you search the #glizzy hashtag on TikTok, you’ll see a variety of videos that don’t appear to have anything in common at first glance. But watch a few #glizzy videos and you’ll soon realize that “glizzy” just means “hot dog.” As in literal, actual hot dogs. The food item and grilling staple.

So, how did the common hot dog come to be known as a “glizzy”? Apparently, the term originated in the DMV aka the DC/Maryland/Virginia area. For years, “glizzy” was simply a slang term for a Glock. In Big Pun’s posthumous 2000 single “It’s So Hard”, he says that he has a “Glizzy in the stizzy,” meaning he has a Glock in the stash box of his car.

Now, last time we checked, a gun is not a hot dog. That being said, “glizzy” apparently became another word for a hot dog due to its similarity in shape and size to an extended clip that one might use with a Glock. It might seem a bit far-fetched, but it’s true. “Glizzy” has been used in the DC area to refer to both Glocks and hot dogs for years. And when the internet-at-large learned about the slang term, they couldn’t resist using it themselves.

Thus, we now have a slew of TikTok videos where people refer to hot dogs as glizzys. We imagine that part of the reason the term “glizzy” has taken off is because it’s just really fun to say. And don’t get us started on “glizzy guzzler” or “glizzy gulper,” which are terms for people who enjoy eating hot dogs. Oh, internet. You never cease to entertain.

While most of the glizzy videos you see on TikTok are completely tame, there are some that are maybe a bit more PG-rated. Which makes sense. Some people are always going to be entertained by the fact that hot dogs are, well, kinda phallic. Add a fun-sounding word like “glizzy” to the mix and the sophomoric humor is kind of inevitable.

There has also been some backlash from people who are actually from the DC area and who are irritated that the word has become so widely popular among people who didn’t grow up calling a hot dogs a glizzy. Alas, once the internet has its hooks in something, there’s no putting that toothpaste back in the tube. There’s a chance that usage of the term among non-DMV natives will die down, but that doesn’t seem to be happening anytime soon.