“London. Hello, Awesome” is a comparative culture essay written by a writer at large of the New York Times who returned to her post in New York office from England after 18 years, and it wraps up with the following episode she experienced back in New York:
“I was at the Apple store the other day, asking basic technical questions and trying not to take up too much of anyone’s mental space.
I told the salesclerk that I had to change my address, since I’d just moved back.
He asked me a million questions: Why? Where was I going to live? How about my family? How did I feel?
He considered the whole thing for a moment — me, the move, New York, life.
“Awesome!” he said. And I think he really meant it.”
Oxford Living Dictionaries defines “awesome” as an adjective meaning;
- Extremely impressive or daunting; inspiring awe.
1.1 (informal) Extremely good; excellent.
If I take the salesclerk’s reply simply for the latter, what was “Excellent!”—her answer to his questions, or her being back in New York? What does her thought that “he really meant it" mean?
Is this usage of “Awesome” current outside the U.S. as well?
Best Answer
I think the key to understanding that phrase you quoted is another quote from the article:
Twenty years ago, someone saying: "Awesome!" (or also commonly: "Totally awesome, dude!") was, as the author says, something from the surfer/stoner subculture. It would not get much mileage in mainstream use.
Nowadays, particularly among the younger generation, it is very commonly used. You can substitute "Great!" or "Excellent!" and get the same meaning.
However, as the other answers suggest, it can also be used disingenuously, as in "Oh, that's nice." That's why the author feels the need to clarify "And I think he meant it..." to show that the clerk was really saying it was great.
What was the clerk saying was great? It could be open to interpretation. Given that the author uses that line to close the article, which is about moving back to New York, I would say they meant it to refer to the move in general.