text: what does being a "prep" exactly mean?   isis is partly right. the word is "preppie." it means being in a clique of students in a public school (or in a private one), who are going on to college, as opposed to those who may not be. it comes from "preparatory school," which is usually a private one. other cliques in a public school might be jocks (athletes) or goths (weird, dark-dressers). preppie carries the meaning that the person is richer and/or more socially important than others. some years ago, a young man caused the death ofa young woman in central park, new york city. it was called the preppie murder case, because he was in a private preparatory school, and he claimed that she died because of "rough sex." so the word "preppie" carries a lot of emotional weight.