In American English, the phrase "Bye, Felicia" (actually spelled "Felisha" in the cast listing) is an informal phrase intended as a dismissive send-off, where the recipient is rendered so unimportant their name is reduced to "Felicia."
The phrase originally comes from a scene involving Angela Means' character Felisha in the American comedy film Friday (1995). According to Ice Cube, who starred in the film and co-wrote its script, "'Bye, Felicia' is the phrase to get anyone out of your face". It was also used in the film Straight Outta Compton (2015) by Ice Cube's son portraying the actor during the hotel party scene when the celebration was unceremoniously interrupted by the boyfriend of a female guest named Felicia.[1]
Origins
Ice Cube (pictured in 2012) starred in and co-wrote the script for the 1995 film Friday, in which the phrase originated.
In 2009, the phrase entered the lexicon of RuPaul's Drag Race, an American reality competition television series. However, People wrote: "[E]ven that wouldn't necessarily account for the phrase extending beyond the cultures that would watch either Friday, Drag Race or both."[1] Furthermore, the magazine said of the phrase: "So when your square friend uses it, take a little bit of pleasure in knowing they're referencing a stoner comedy – or a drag reality show referencing a stoner comedy – even if they have no idea."[1]
In the 2015 movie Straight Outta Compton, Ice Cube (played by his son, O'Shea Jackson Jr.) said, "Bye, Felicia!", when throwing a girl named Felicia out of his hotel room. Naming the girl Felicia was not an intentional reference to Friday, but when Jackson ad-libbed the line as a "coincidental joke", the filmmakers decided to keep it in the film.[2]
See also
Look up bye, Felicia in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
