Meaning of ‘A Little Something Something’ – Pronouns and Slang

contractionspronounsslangspoken-english

This is about something as in "something something" and what I perceive to be variations thereof :

(1) [word] something something [word]
(2) [word] somethin' somethin' [word]
(3) A little something
something
(4) A little somethin' somethin'
(5) A little something

Of course it's about something that is not known. My experience is that (1) and (2) are used when someone is trying to figure out a string of words but knows only one for instance, and uses it a bit like a wildcard (something something café you know; i.e. hard rock).

Another use I'm familiar with is when something is (5) (missing) a little something (top ngram); like when someone tastes what you cooked and says that (it's missing a little something, I don't know, salt maybe…).

Is there a difference in meaning between something something and just something when using little (3 vs. 5) i.e. is one less precise than the other? Furthermore, is there a difference in meaning from using the contracted form (somethin' somethin')? Do we generally use one something per missing term in (1) and (2) or is "something something" for two or more? Finally, is there anything inappropriate, or innuendo with using (a) "little something something" (3&4), as in:

Your performance is not on par with what I expected, it's missing a
little something something which I would like to see showcased in upcoming events.

Best Answer

"Something something" is slang and should be avoided in most professional settings or formal expressions.

See this Urban Dictionary definition and understand many people interpret it as definition #3.

Example #1

Fred: What did you do last night?

Bob: I visited my girlfriend.

Fred: What did y'all do?

Bob: A little somethin' somethin'.

Analysis

In Example #1, "somethin' somethin'" most likely means either sex or drugs. But it could also mean we watched a movie, ate dinner or did anything else two people might do together — in which case the response would be considered coy.

Example #2

You've got a little somethin' somethin' on your chin.

Analysis

In Example #2, "somethin' somethin'" most likely means spilled food (like mustard when eating a hot dog). And you could drop the second "somethin'" without changing the meaning of the sentence.

Conclusions and Recommendations

Points to take away about the use of somethin' somethin':

  • Meaning is highly variable and dependent upon context.
  • Dropping "g"s almost always makes language informal (i.e., slang).
  • A common slang interpretation means (or alludes to) sex or drugs (or both). But not always.
  • Putting "a little" in front of the expression makes it more likely it means sex or drugs. But not necessarily. It moves the expression slightly more toward the slang end of the spectrum.
  • In any professional or formal context, you probably should choose a different way to express your idea. (Like dropping the second "something" and including the "g". i.e., Just say or write "something.")
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