hecka

adv. very; hella. Subjects: English, Slang

Editorial Note: This term, like hella, probably comes from California. Etymological Note: A milder form of hella.

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Citations: [1985 Tony Cooper Los Angeles Times (Feb. 28) “2-A Boys Defense Does It for Oceanside” p. 15: “We had a hecka season,” Seaman said. “No Mission Bay team has ever been to the CIF finals. Our kids don’t have anything to be ashamed of.”] 1992 Shann Nix San Francisco Chronicle (Nov. 17) “How to Talk Like a Kid” p. A9: For an all-purpose superlative, use “hella” as in “He’s hella fine,” (he’s good-looking) or “that test was hella-hard.” For prudes or freshman girls, “hella” may be replaced by “hecka.” 1992 [Alyosha Bourgea] Usenet: alt.fan.rush-limbaugh (Nov. 22) “Re: Here Are The Undeniable Truths of Life”: Gee, was this more of your hecka-subtle irony? Whoosh, it went right over my head. 1995 Peggy Orenstein Schoolgirls (Sept. 5) p. 201: She told me shyly that she dreamed of becoming a lawyer. “It would be hecka fresh,” she said at the time, “because you get to defend people who are really innocent and help them.” *2004 Crispin Boyer, Dan Hsu, Parker Ames 1Up.com (Dec.) “Child’s Play II”: These controls are hecka hard.

Posted 7 Jan 05 | Permalink | Tell a Friend

Reader comments:

Don’t forget the immortal lyrics to the 1987 single by Prince (featuring Sheena Easton), “U Got The Look”:

“Your face is jammin’
Your body’s hecka slammin’.”

by Ben Zimmer 18 Jan 05, 0945 GMT