Editor’s Corner: 6-7

Posted by: Jack Henry | November 18, 2025

Editor’s Corner: 6-7

Last week, I brought some current slang to Editor’s Corner, so those of us without kids (or without younger kids) could “be in the know.” Well, there was one item I intentionally left out, because I didn’t really understand it: 6–7

I think I read three articles about the term 6–7 and was still left scratching my head about it. But then Dictionary.com called it “the word of the year,” and many of you said, “What about 6 -7?” The final straw was watching them bring it up on Saturday Night Live. Okay, it’s time to see what the fuss is all about.

First, a brief definition of when or why to use it: “It is often used as a spontaneous interjection, a generic response to any question, or simply as an inside joke.” Hmm. Here are more details from an article I found. I’ve cut a few pieces here and there; for the full article, see WHYY.

If you are around children or are on social media, by now, you’ve probably heard the phrase “6-7” uttered.

The youthful phenomenon, in which kids say “6-7” and move their open-palmed hands up and down for no apparent reason, was recently named word of the year by Dictionary.com. Its origins trace to a song by a Philly rapper with gun-referencing lyrics, but the pop culture use of “6-7” is more playful — even becoming the focus of a recent episode of “South Park,” and companies such as McDonald’s, Pizza Hut and Domino’s have offered promotions inspired by the two numbers.

As the saying has gone global, many people still don’t understand it — or that it’s most likely Philadelphia-based.

What does ‘6-7’ mean?

The phrase comes from a song by Philadelphia rapper Skrilla, titled “Doot Doot (6 7),” released last year. Specifically, the lyrics, often repeated in viral videos, go:

“Shooter stay strapped, I don’t need mine,
Bro put belt right to they behind,
The way that switch, I know he dyin’ … 6-7.”

Multiple lyric interpretations exist, according to the user-aggregated music site Genius. After the reference to a “switch,” or gun, some say “6-7” refers to the police code 10-67, widely regarded as meaning a dead body — but a spokesperson for Philadelphia police confirmed…that city officers don’t use that code.

It could be a reference to 67th Street or 67th Avenue in Philadelphia, or a street in Chicago, where Skrilla has family. The artist himself says the meaning is fluid — in a recent interview, he said, “That’s just what my brain thought of when I was making the song … It means a block … but that’s not what it means to everybody else now. So it’s just like, turn something negative to something positive.”

As widespread and broad as the saying has become, CNN notes, “6-7 means nothing, but using it can make a student feel like a member of a bigger, cooler group of their peers.”

Why did the song (and meme) grow so popular?

The song — and its accompanying up-and-down hand motions — became popular through videos on TikTok and other social media, especially related to basketball….

There is more on that site about Skrilla and the term. There’s also another website that shows various associated hand motions, supplies more explanations, and provides more on this term than you ever wanted or needed: Mashable.

Suddenly, I understand why parents out there couldn’t believe this didn’t make the first cut of my article; I also applaud you for trying to tamp down your kids’ use of it every five minutes.

Editor's Corner