They so knew who

[KLPNO]

Hello everyone,

From the book Friends forever:

Kauffman and Crane had earned some interest from the Fox network for another pitch, for a show idea they themselves didn’t like as much; they even worried that the networks would pick the wrong show, and they’d be stuck. But when they came to NBC, their pitch for Insomnia Cafe was exactly the kind of twentysomething- ensemble show that Tarses and Littlefield said they’d been looking for. What really sold Littlefield was the well-rounded specificity of each of the six characters. “They so knew who their characters were,” he recalled.

Does "they so knew who" mean they knew so well who?

Thank you.

 

[GoesStation]

Yes. It's a slangy way to say that which you shouldn't emulate.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

It's millenial English. It sounds harebrained to me, but I'm old. It's normal casual conversation to young people.

I think I need to clarify that more often.

 

[emsr2d2]

It's not limited to the younger generation (whatever that is!) Here's a dialogue that genuinely took place between me and my mother recently, when we were doing an online quiz (we were in separate houses).

Mum: Have you got the answer to question four of round one.
Me: Yes!
Mum: Really? I just can't think of it.
Me: You know it. I know you do.
Mum: I don't think I do.
Me: Oh, you so know it!
Mum: OK, I'll carry on thinking about it.

(She got the answer eventually!)

 

[Tdol]

It's millenial English. It sounds harebrained to me, but I'm old.

I'm no spring chicken, but I rather like it.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

It's not limited to the younger generation (whatever that is!) . . . .

Oops! I didn't mean it was limited to anyone. I say it sometimes, too.

May I say it's a youth-propogated neologism?

There are a lot of expressions that sound either sloppier or less natural to me (even though I, like, use them) than they do to young people. Who istead of whom. Myself instead of me or I. There's instead of there are. The singular they. So to begin a narrative. Narrative.

I just meant that I should acknowledge that more offen.