Language Log: The entire United States wept

The entire United States wept I recently came across an article in the Mainichi Daily News describing how Tokyo police officers have compiled a glossary of juvenile jargon to help them decipher what Japanese teenagers are saying. Teen slang in Japan involves a great deal of wordplay, such as by shortening words and reversing their syllables (not unlike the veiled slang of many youth cultures, from

[katzchang]

「Zenbei ga naita — literally, "the entire United States wept." Means nothing important.」

[AKIMOTO]

日本では「全米が泣いた」は「全然たいしたことない」という意味だという(Mainichiの)ニュースに衝撃を受けたアメリカ人の感想。2006年。売り文句として機能してないけどMainichiのは言い過ぎ