“Be Toast”
ATEEZ — “The Real”
💭 Meaning
To “be toast” is to be in serious trouble, finished, or doomed; it’s often used when someone has no way out of a bad situation or is about to face consequences.
✍️ Examples
Henry warned his student that if she missed the scholarship deadline, her chances at that funding were toast.
If Henry doesn't finish the guidebook chapter by Friday, his publishing timeline is toast.
The moment the interviewer asked about the resume gap, the student knew his chances at that internship were toast.
📜 Origin
The phrase likely gained popularity in the 1980s, often traced to American pop culture (including a memorable line from the 1984 film Ghostbusters: “This chick is toast!"). The imagery draws on the idea of something being burned or finished beyond recovery, much like a piece of bread once it's been toasted; there's no going back to its original form. The phrase quickly caught on in casual American slang as a punchy way to say someone is done for.
