fried, dyed, and laid to the side

phrase

African American English, of hair

: straightened with a chemical treatment or with a heated styling tool (such as a hot comb or flat iron) and sometimes dyed especially blond or red

Growing up spending hours in the salon to get my hair fried, dyed and laid to the side is something my culture is used to doing …

—Christina Goodman

… the understanding that black women had to wear their hair "fried, dyed and laid to the side," was commonplace …

—Naomi Harris and Olivia Sanchez

Word History

First Known Use

1976, in the meaning defined above