As 2025 draws to a close, it's not just mainstream apps like Spotify and Apple Music sharing their annual user round-ups. The world's largest social networking app for LGBTQ+ people, Grindr, has released its own cultural wrap-up, offering a unique insight into the phrases and trends that defined the year for its global community.
Grindr's 2025 Lexicon: The Phrases on Everyone's Lips
The app's 2025 Wrapped data highlights the slang terms most frequently referenced in user profiles. Topping the list was 'delulu', featured on 17% of profiles, followed by 'clock it' (16%), 'ate' (11%), and 'crash out' (9%). These terms, born from internet and queer culture, have seen widespread adoption.
However, nestled in fifth place, appearing on 8% of profiles, is a phrase causing confusion and curiosity: 'turning 19 in Poland'. At first glance, it sounds like a geographical mix-up, but within queer circles, it carries a very specific and highly complimentary meaning.
Decoding 'Turning 19 in Poland': A Major Compliment
So, what does it actually mean? The explanation, as documented on Urban Dictionary, links to military service. '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,' the listing reads.
In contemporary slang, to 'serve' means to look exceptionally good, to succeed brilliantly, or to exude an undeniable aura. As one social media user elaborated, it's 'a way to tell someone they're serving, eating, c**ty, or just look hot.' The phrase has been lavished upon pop icons like Charli XCX, Dua Lipa, and Mitski on platforms like TikTok, celebrating their peak aesthetic or artistic moments.
The obscure origin of why Poland was chosen is part of its charm, showcasing how niche queer colloquialisms can propagate globally at lightning speed. Language consultant Tony Thorne of King's College London notes that the phrase's first known usage came from a tweet earlier in 2025, yet it was instantly understood by millions in its new slang context.
The Mainstreaming of Queer Slang and Its Historical Roots
LGBTQ+ slang is far more than a linguistic quirk; it has deep historical roots as a tool for survival and covert communication. Polari, a secret language used predominantly by gay men, incorporated terms from Italian, Yiddish, and Cockney Rhyming Slang. It allowed queer individuals to talk openly without fear of persecution in hostile environments.
While Polari has largely faded, its legacy lives on in words that entered common parlance, such as:
- Naff
- Camp
- Zhuzh
- Blag
- Cottaging
Today, as Tony Thorne explains, the dynamic has shifted. '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,' he states. Terms like 'slay', 'queen', and 'king', originating in drag culture, are now ubiquitous in Gen Z and younger Millennial vocabulary.
Social media, particularly TikTok, has accelerated this process through 'multimodality'—pairing slang with specific images, sounds, and memes, cementing their meaning and spread.
So, if you're ever told you're 'turning 19 in Poland', take it as a supreme accolade. In the ever-evolving lexicon of queer culture, it signifies you're not just participating—you're absolutely serving.
Grindr's 2025 Wrapped also highlighted the cities with the most favourited profiles globally:
- Taipei, Taiwan
- Berlin, Germany
- London, England
- Mexico City, Mexico
- Montreal, Canada
