I’ve seen a lot of people saying it lately and it’s seemingly out of nowhere. I’m particularly interested because almost 10 years ago a popular Korean LoL streamer popularized the phrase in the League community and it was used in precisely the same way. Until now, I never heard anybody else say it but it really piqued my curiosity when I started seeing it again!
Did it start in a particular region or community? Slang seems like it’s changing faster than ever and it’s absolutely insane haha.
I assume it is a derivative of “for real” which has been in a heightened state of popularity for the last few years as part of Gen Z slang often mocked as “fr fr.” Granted, I work with high schoolers, and I’ve not heard just real. Then again, the slang they use is mostly the same as I used in my high school days with a few that catch me off guard like swerve or yassification that require a quick explanation.