Popcorn actress? Zaddy? The 2025 Golden Globes, explained

The Golden Globes are well underway and the night is already predictably rife with teary speeches, missed cues and plenty of fodder for celebrity social media discourse.

Host Nikki Glaser took aim at Timothée Chalamet's nascent mustache, Benny Blanco's "wife guy" vibe and the ever-growing scandal surrounding disgraced rap mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs. Known for being a "nothing off limits" affair, the Golden Globes can serve as a looser-lipped cousin to the Oscars − in particular because the seating arrangement allows celebrity attendees to drink alcohol.

The films nominated this year represent a diverse array of cinematic tastes from body horror "The Substance" to allegorical musical "Wicked."

Their stars, whether presenting or accepting awards, brought out a new lexicon to the show with terms like "popcorn actress" and "zaddy."

Here's a guide to the night-defining moments.

Demi Moore defies insult: What is a 'popcorn actress'?

Moore, who won her first Golden Globe for "The Substance," nabbed the best actress in a comedy or musical honor despite early naysayers.

"Thirty years ago, I had a producer tell me that I was a popcorn actress," she said in her acceptance speech, "and at that time, I made that mean that this wasn't something that I was allowed to have."

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So what makes "The Substance" − a campy-horror film skewering Hollywoo'ds obsession with youth − not a popcorn movie? Despite its popular allure, it is perhaps more thoughtful than some of the big blockbuster films meant to the masses to theaters, at times putting profit before profundity in the eyes of critics.

Moore has been in her share of blockbusters, occupying Hollywood's upper echelon since the 1980s. The Globe represents her first major honor at a non-fan-voted awards show.

"I bought in, and I believed that, and that corroded me over time, to the point where I thought a few years ago that maybe this was it," Moore added in her speech. "Maybe I was complete, maybe I've done what I was supposed to do. And as I was at kind of a low point, I had this magical, bold, courageous, out-of-the-box, absolutely bonkers script come across my desk called 'The Substance.'"

Popcorn or not, the film clearly lent Moore a degree of legitimacy long sought, or a realization that it's no use measuring.

What is a 'zaddy'? Jeff Goldblum doesn't know

Goldblum, who plays the elusive Wizard in "Wicked" presented an award Sunday alongside co-star Michelle Yeoh.

The pair joked about social media reactions to their performances, with Goldblum in particular expressing confused delight over being called "zaddy."

The term is pop-culture-speak for an attractive older man.

Michelle Yeoh is 'serving mother,' 'slaying the house down'

"The same people have been saying that I'm 'serving mother,'" Yeoh joked, feigning surprise as the camera cut to the film's headlining stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. "Serving mother" is another modern internet-ism extracted from gay culture. It essentially means performing well, looking stunning and generally exhibiting a vibe that cannot be matched.

Viola Davis gives revealing unscripted speech at Golden Globes awards gala

Yeoh also joked she was apparently "slaying the house down," a phrase of similar origin that means to perform perfectly, leaving no room for improvement. Given the house-falling incident that anchors both "Wicked" and its predecessor "The Wizard of Oz," Yeoh joked she would never slay anyone with a house.

Their riff poked fun at but also celebrated the young and queer fans who have propelled "Wicked" to box-office glory.

"And while we don't fully understand what these things mean," Goldblum ventured, "we absolutely love it," Yeoh finished.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Popcorn actress? Zaddy? Golden Globes feature pop-culture talk