A woman has gone viral for making a gesture with her fingers during President Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech yesterday. A short looped video or gif of the action was shared on social media platforms, and many identified the action as ‘clock it’.
She was identified as Sage Blair, a Virginia teenager. Blair was one of Trump’s special guests at the address. This comes as Sage and her mother, Michelle, are navigating a high-profile legal case involving allegations of school officials making decisions about her gender identity and welfare without informing the parents
“Do you know what she was doing when tapping her fingers? She “clocked it”….in agreement, approval Gen-Z speak! Love it!!,” one person shared on X.
Others also commented on the viral moment. “This young lady now has the unique distinction of being the first person in 250 years to ‘clock it’ during a State of the Union speech,” another post mentioned, sharing a screenshot of the woman in question.
Yet another quipped “detransitioner doing the clock it hand signal at the Trump speech.” However, many were left wondering what ‘clocking it’ actually meant.
One person even asked Grok, the AI chatbot, “what was she ‘clocking it’ about?”. Here’s all you need to know about the Gen-Z slang and the context of its use.
What is ‘clock it’? Meme explained
‘Clock it’ is a GenZ trend which originated from TikTok. It quickly went viral and led to many memes as well. The gesture involves tapping one’s thumb and index fingers together.
TikTok creator and teacher Philip Lindsay was reported saying “I cannot get a solid definition or origin for this word. From what I can figure out it’s actually not a very new phrase, and there doesn’t seem to be just one definition of it,” on a YouTube short. Some kids also reportedly tap their middle finger to the thumb.
“This word is huge right now among teenagers – it’s been trending for quite a while but it’s really starting to uptick in its usage,” the person who often explains TikTok phrases, added.
As per Lindsay, the rise of its popularity may be linked to a viral Justin Bieber video where he tells the paparazzi “It’s not clocking to you right now that I’m standing on business, is it?”.
Most believe it is a sassy and subtle way to call out someone, with many even opting for ‘I clocked the tea’ as a phrase to signify that they’ve exposed or called out the truth. It has little to do with telling time, as per Huffington Post UK.
A dancer and ballroom performer said on TikTok “I’ve been seeing people saying this [*does hand gesture*] is ‘clock that tea’. Come on, you all know this has derived from the ballroom culture … It’s a ballroom community thing. We’re showing the love.” Notably, Parents.com also reported ‘clock it’ has its roots in drag and ballroom culture, where to ‘clock’ someone would be to immediately notice something about them even if they were trying to hide it.
“Thanks to reality shows like Ru Paul’s Drag Race, and its prominence on social platforms, it filtered into Gen Z and Gen Alpha’s vocabulary,” the site noted. Meanwhile, Glamour reported that Love Island reality star Ace Greene’s song helped catapult the phrase into further popularity.
Grok, meanwhile, explained the term ‘clock it’ saying “That’s the Gen Z “clock it” gesture: repeatedly tapping your thumb to your middle finger. It means “I clocked that” – you’ve noticed, agree with, or approve of something (like a subtle “spot on” or compliment). She’s using it here to quietly signal approval during the speech. Popular on TikTok since mid-2025.”
