It’s hard to deny the impact Taylor Swift has across the globe. She’s shaken up the touring industry, the music streaming world and the list goes on. But what about the language we use?

On Monday, the singer-songwriter was named Time’s Person of the Year for 2023. In the cover story, Swift mentions her relationship with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. While talking about how it began, she used a term that left some puzzled.

“This all started when Travis very adorably put me on blast on his podcast, which I thought was metal as hell,” Swift said in the interview with Time. So, what does Swift exactly mean? We unpack.

What does ‘metal as hell’ mean?

Calling someone or something “metal” is not new. In slang, “metal” can be used to describe anything as cool, awesome or hardcore. This derives from the metal rock music genre, which is known for its bold styles.

Back in July, on the New Heights podcast, Kelce was asked by his co-host and brother Jason (center for the Philadelphia Eagles) about attending Swift’s Eras Tour.

“I was disappointed that she doesn’t talk before or after her shows because she has to save her voice for the 44 songs that she sings. So I was a little butthurt I didn’t get to hand her one of the bracelets I made for her … I wanted to give Taylor Swift one with my number on it,” Travis Kelce said.

So, in Swift’s case, adding “as hell” as a qualifier furthers the level or degree of coolness of Kelce’s actions. Kelce joking on his podcast about not getting to meet Swift was a bold or “metal” move, but it caught her attention.

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