What in the World Does OFN Mean? (2024)

Humor

Web Humor

OFN can stand for two different things:

1. On Foe Nem
2. Old F***ing News / Old Freaking News

Oh, the confusion! You're going to want to keep reading to find out what exactly that first phrase could possibly mean and how to tell which interpretation is being used.

OFN as "On Foe Nem"

Foe Nem (also spelled Foenem or Foe N Em) is a slang term with its roots in Chicago gang culture. It's said that gang members of the Four Corner Hustlers use the term to refer to each other.

When the word "On" is tacked onto the beginning of the slang term "Foe Nem," it becomes "On Foe Nem," which transforms it into an expression made for swearing. It's used to affirm the serious truth of what was just said, similar to saying, "on my mama," "on my brothers," or "on my homies."

So "Foe Nem" could really represent anybody (or anything) at all that's important to you. If you're interested in knowing more, feel free to check out this YouTube video where rapper and Chicago slang expert Rico Recklezz explains the meaning of Foe Nem.

How OFN Is Used as "On Foe Nem"

You certainly don't have to be a gang member to use OFN. If you simply want to emphasize the urgency, importance or real truth of any given situation that you're talking about online or in a text conversation, you can use OFN to do just that. It can be used at the beginning of a sentence, somewhere in the middle or even at the end.

Examples of OFN as "On Foe Nem"

Example 1

Friend #1: "Ofn sitting next to my crush in class right now"

Friend #2: "Wow good luck!"

In this first example, Friend #1 uses OFN at the beginning to emphasize the seriousness of the situation they're in at the moment.

Example 2

Friend #1: "So tired from last night..."

Friend #2: "Same ofn and I've got work in 30 mins"

This second example shows how OFN can be used in the middle of a sentence. Friend #2 uses it to agree with Friend #1 while confirming the severity of the situation before sharing some extra information.

Example 3

Friend #1: "My stash of cash is missing and you were the last one in my room"

Friend #2: "I didn't take it ofn grave"

In this third example, Friend #2 uses OFN and decides to put the word "grave" after it to basically sear on someone's (Foe Nem's) grave.

OFN as "Old F***ing / Freaking News"

This interpretation is a lot more self-explanatory. When used as Old F***ing/Freaking News, OFN is meant to communicate the fact that news travels fast online and breaking events don't stay current for very long at all.

The addition of the F-word or the word Freaking in the middle of the acronym helps to emphasize how old the news really is. It also has a tendency to make the person using it sound sort of complacent and condescending toward the person they're talking to.

What is considered to be old news, however, is totally subjective. Someone might consider a news story that happened yesterday to be old whereas another might consider it to be current.

How OFN Is Used as "Old F***ing / Freaking News"

OFN is used to tell other people that they're behind with current news and events. It's basically the same as saying, "I know that already and I'm over it."

Examples of OFN as "Old F***ing / Freaking News"

Example 1

Friend #1: "Did you hear about the fire at school yesterday?"

Friend #2: "OFN, I was there when it happened."

Example 2

Friend #1: "Hey do you remember the link for the community blog?"

Friend #2: "No and I don't even bother checking anymore, all that blog ever has is OFN."

Example 3

Facebook status update: "I know this is OFN by now, but I still can't believe that Bill didn't choose Suzy on the Bachelor Finale!!!"

How to Tell Which Interpretation Is Being Used

If you come across the acronym OFN somewhere in the wild and aren't sure which interpretation to use, you're going to need to try to examine the context more closely.

If it seems like someone is trying to make something sound more serious or trying to swear on something, they probably mean On Foe Nem. Try replacing OFN with something like, "I swear on my mama" to see if it makes sense. If it does, they probably mean On Foe Nem.

If the person using OFN is commenting on a story or event from the past, they might mean Old F***ing/Freaking News. Try to look for references to something that has already happened and replace OFN with "old news" to see if it makes sense.