lolcat

(Internet, neologism) An image macro of, usually, a kitten or a cat with a humorous caption.

lolcat

image macro of a kitten or cat with a humurous caption


dry humor

Humor that is presented with no change of expression; deadpan.


thalian

en-adj

thalian (comparative more thalian, superlative most thalian)

more thalian (comparative)
most thalian (superlative)


paraprosdokian

From Ancient Greek παρά (pará, “against”) + προσδοκία (prosdokía, “expectation”).

This style of comic poetry, a kind of parody of the Ballad, a series of quatrains generally leading up to a paraprosdokian or surprise in the fourth line, was initiated by [Oliver] Goldsmith in this merry tale.

1906, J. C. Stobart, The Johnson Epoch (Epochs of English literature), volume VII, London: E. Arnold, page 144:

Figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected, often humorously.


rickroll

en-verb

rickroll (third-person singular simple present rickrolls, present participle rickrolling, simple past and past participle rickrolled)

rickrolls (present singular third-person)
rickrolling (participle present)
rickrolled (participle past)
rickrolled (past)

4chan
Grand Theft Auto IV
Never Gonna Give You Up
Rick Astley
YouTube

The verb is a blend of Rick + duckroll, combining the name of the British pop singer and songwriter Rick Astley (born 1966) with a reference to the duckroll prank on the website 4chan, in which users tricked into clicking on a hyperlink were led to an image of a duck on wheels. The word was coined by the American YouTuber Shawn Cotter (born 1987) who, under the handle “cotter548”, uploaded the music video of Astley’s song “Never Gonna Give You Up” (1987) to the online video-sharing service YouTube and then posted messages on 4chan on May 15, 2007 ostensibly with links to a trailer for the forthcoming game Grand Theft Auto IV. People who clicked on the links instead saw the Astley video with the caption “You just got Rickroll’d” scrolling across the screen. The noun is derived from the verb.

coinage

I try not to get rickrolled by sketchy YouTube links, but sometimes you let your guard down.

YouTube ‘Rickrolls’ Everyone [title] […] Let the Internet pranking begin! YouTube, capitalizing on the resurgence of a popular meme, has booby-trapped each of the “featured videos” on its homepage. Click on any of the showcased clips and you’ll be taken instead to a cheesy video of pop singer Rick Astley singing his late-’80s hit song, “Never Gonna Give You Up.”

2008 April 1, Jenna Wortham, “YouTube ‘Rickrolls’ Everyone”, in Wired, San Francisco, Calif.: Condé Nast Publications, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2020-08-07:

Once you start rickrolling people, and more importantly get a reputation for it, you're heading towards being the Zimbabwean dollar in the link economy: it doesn't matter how many you offer, people just aren't going to buy them.

2008 December 5, Charles Arthur, “Why rickrolling is bad for you”, in Alan Rusbridger, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2022-10-22:

Despite its name, there is one thing the Vote Leave campaign should not have left for so long: registering a domain name. The delay by the anti-EU organisation meant that up to 100,000 people who tried to access voteleave.com, co.uk or .net were rickrolled – redirected to a YouTube clip of Rick Astley's 1987 hit Never Gonna Give You Up. So far, so internet.

2016 April 20, Homa Khaleeli, “How Vote Leave got rickrolled”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2022-11-17:

You send a Web link to someone, promising something exciting or compelling ("Is this you!?")—but the link actually takes your victim to a YouTube video of Rick Astley's 1987 music video, "Never Gonna Give You Up." That's it. That's the joke. Ha! You've been Rickrolled!

2020, David Pogue, “The Internet Celebrity Culture [Internet Memes 101: A Guide to Online Wackiness]”, in Social Media Influencers: Apps, Algorithms and Celebrities (In the Headlines), New York, N.Y.: New York Times Educational Publishing in association with The Rosen Publishing Group, →ISBN, page 14:

(originally Internet slang) To mislead (someone) into following a seemingly innocuous hyperlink, or sometimes a QR code, that leads to a YouTube video of Rick Astley's song "Never Gonna Give You Up".

瑞克搖

to mislead (someone) into following a seemingly innocuous hyperlink, or sometimes a QR code, that leads to a YouTube video of Rick Astley’s song “Never Gonna Give You Up”; to surprise or trick (someone) into hearing this song; to cause (someone) to unexpectedly engage with this song through an indirect method


Pepe

The character's creator, Matt Furie, chose the name Pepe because it reminded him of the term pee-pee, a resemblance he found funny.

One thread filled up with hundreds of Pepes to help meme Florida over to Trump, as if their energy could help Florida stay red.

2016 November 9, Abby Ohlheiser, “’We actually elected a meme as president’: How 4chan celebrated Trump’s victory”, in The Washington Post, Washington, D.C.: The Washington Post Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-01-16:

Alternate iterations of Pepe, including sad, smug and angry Pepes, followed. Pepe memes are ubiquitous across 4chan, Reddit, Imgur, Tumblr, and other social media and image-sharing sites.

2016 October 11, Jessica Roy, “How ’Pepe the Frog’ went from harmless to hate symbol”, in Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, Calif.: Los Angeles Times Communications, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-03-03:

(Internet slang, 4chan) An image or depiction of the Pepe the Frog character.


Scaramouche

From French Scaramouche, a character popularized in France by Tiberio Fiorilli. From Italian scaramuccia (“skirmish”). Doublet of escarmouche and skirmish.

A roguish clown character from the 16th-century Italian commedia dell'arte.


tight five

(comedy) A five-minute set of jokes performed by a stand-up comedian, usually made up of only their best material.


buffoon

From Middle French bouffon, from Italian buffone (“jester”), from buffare (“to puff out the cheeks”), of onomatopoeic origin. Compare Middle High German buffen ("to puff"; > German büffen), Old English pyffan (“to breathe out, blow with the mouth”). More at English puff.

gloss

"to puff"; > German <i class="Latn mention" lang="de">büffen</i>

noncog

To divert the audience with buffoon postures and antic dances.

1810, W. Melmoth, transl., Letters of Pliny:

One who acts in a silly or ridiculous fashion; a clown or fool.

مُهَرِّج

one who acts in a silly or ridiculous fashion


dizzard

Uncertain; perhaps from dizzy + -ard. Compare dotard.


canned laughter

Prerecorded laughter that is edited into the soundtrack of a TV program.

罐頭笑聲

pre-recorded laughter that is edited into the soundtrack of a TV programme


laugh track

You know where you never see a camcorder? At a funeral. Wouldn't that be fun? Especially if you didn't know any of the people there. Why not go to a stranger's funeral, and bring your camcorder? Have a little fun! Zoom in on the corpse's nose hairs. Then pull back, and pan over to the widow's tears. Get a tight shot of that. Do a montage of people wracked with grief. Then go home and put a laugh track on it! Smoke a joint and show it to your friends. That would be a lot of fun.

1997, George Carlin, Brain Droppings, New York: Hyperion Books, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 173:

Possibly a show with no laugh track would improve with a well-done laugh track.

2004, Robert Kubey, Creating Television, →ISBN:

He felt it weird to have this discussion with a laugh track running faintly in the background.

2012, Ridley Pearson, No Witnesses, →ISBN:

There were shows where they let us not use a laugh track ... and portions of shows. Whenever they were in the O.R. or serious surgery, there was no laugh track.

2013, Allan Neuwirth, They'll Never Put That on the Air: The New Age of TV Comedy, →ISBN:

The soundtrack of laughter sounds that accompanies a television comedy show.


comedy of manners

en-noun

comedy of manners (plural comedies of manners)

“The great millennial novelist”—the mantle has been thrust, by Boomers and Gen Xers alike, upon the Irish writer Sally Rooney, whose two carefully observed and gentle comedies of manners both appeared before her twenty-eighth birthday.

2019 April 18, Madeleine Schwartz, “How Should a Millennial Be?”, in The New York Review, →ISSN:

A comic work that satirizes the manners and affectations of a social class, often represented by stock characters.


merryandrew

Alternative spelling of Merry Andrew; clown; buffoon.


black comedy

black comedy (countable and uncountable, plural black comedies)


noncomedy

noncomedy (usually uncountable, plural noncomedies)

(countable) A work that is not a comedy.


sex comedy

Just as the screwball comedy had well-defined elements which the films in the group share, the sex comedy shares conventions of narrative and visual patterning, not only across the originating mid-1950s phase, but observable in later examples, up to the present day.

2007, Tamar Jeffers McDonald, Romantic Comedy: Boy Meets Girl Meets Genre, Wallflower Press, →ISBN, page 44:

(film) A genre of comedy film with sexual content or themes.


lolspeak

The standards are still being fract^H^H^H^H^Hwritten for the language, but the availability of Suitable Wordings from lolspeak verges on the frightening at times.

2007, David DeLaney, “Re: As Others See Us, in this case the DHS”, in rec.arts.sf.written (Usenet):

Study the lolcat version of the book of Genesis, accessible as nltk.corpus.genesis.words('lolcat.txt'), and the rules for converting text into lolspeak at http://www.lolcatbible.com/index.php?title=How_to_speak_lolcat. Define regular expressions to convert English words into corresponding lolspeak words.

2009, Steven Bird, Ewan Klein, Edward Loper, chapter 3, in Natural Language Processing with Python, →ISBN, page 127:

Now, in this first ever feline gospel, they retell 50 popular Bible stories in LOLspeak.

2010, Martin Grondin, LOLcat Bible: In Teh Beginnin Ceiling Cat Maded Teh Skiez An Da Urfs N Stuffs, →ISBN:

Of course, for every feature of LOLspeak we discuss, it is likely that you will find numerous counter examples, as such is the nature of language play. LOLspeak is nothing if not creative.

2011, Lauren Gawne, Jill Vaughan, “I can haz language play: The construction of language and identity in LOLspeak”, in M. Ponsonnet, L. Dao, M. Bowler, editors, Proceedings of the 42nd Australian Linguistic Society Conference, →ISBN:

(Internet slang, neologism) The speech of lolcats, consisting of spelling variations of English, imitating the speech of children and some regional accents.


whoops, there go my trousers

/ˈʍʊps ðɛː ˈɡəʊ maɪ ˈtɹaʊzəz/

/ˈwʊps ðɛɚ ˈɡoʊ maɪ ˈtɹaʊzɚz/

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-whoops, there go my trousers.wav

A reference to a gag in slapstick comedy theatre plays where a character’s trousers fall to the ground, exposing his underwear, to elicit laughs from the audience.

Four Rooms is the latest attempt to combine multiple directors' skits into one film. It is also an attempt to mix "whoops!-there-go-my-trousers" farce with the slick kitsch pop-art comedy.

1995 December 29, Chris Wright, “Four Rooms [TV review]”, in The Boston Phoenix, Boston, Mass.: Boston Phoenix, →OCLC, section 3, page 19:

But what's this? A play about a Carry On film by Terry "Whoops, There Go My Trousers" Johnson, the man responsible for the National's revival of The London Cuckolds, an 18th-century version of Run For Your Wife?

1998 June 13, “Carry on up the National”, in Alan Rusbridger, editor, The Guardian, weekend edition, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 10, column 1:

The bolts have to be opened and closed in the right combination to avoid scenes worthy of a French farce. But I feel less a character in ‘Whoops! There go my trousers’, and more like something miserable by [Samuel] Beckett or [Franz] Kafka about the meaningless of life, and the fatuity of communication.

2002, Simon Calder, No Frills: The Truth Behind the Low-cost Revolution in the Skies, London: Virgin Books, →ISBN, page 45:

Instead this relies on the supposedly comical misunderstandings that have been a feature of sitcoms since the 1950s. [...] The children are smart arses, the laughter is canned, the parents befuddled and every line delivered as if they're on stage starring in "Whoops, There Go My Trousers".

2009 January 9, Andrea Mullaney, “TV Review: The Life of Riley, The Green Green Grass, Dexter”, in The Scotsman, Edinburgh: Scotsman Publications, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2009-02-16:

(comedy, theater) Used to describe a genre of farcical theatre plays.


Pantagruelism

Eponym from French character in the novel Gargantua and Pantagruel, + -ism.

burlesque comedy that has an underlying serious purpose; a form of satire


miles gloriosus

miles gloriosus (plural milites gloriosi)

Borrowed from Latin mīles (“soldier”) + glōriōsus (“glorious”).

[I]t of course ought not to be said that the General who assumes the responsibility behaved "generously" on one occasion and "magnanimously" upon another. About such expressions there is a reminiscence of the classical "Miles gloriosus" of the British Nelson, or of the American Winfield Scott.

1898 September 8, “The Army against the War Department”, in New York Times, retrieved 2010-12-04:

He placed Falstaff in the tradition of the miles gloriosus, the type of rascally braggart soldier borrowed from Roman comedy.

1932, John W. Draper, “Sir John Falstaff”, in The Review of English Studies, volume 8, number 32, page 414:

It is possible, then, to read the text of 1 Henry IV as exploiting Hotspur's contradictions for maximum effect, producing a figure who is neither tragic hero, comic miles gloriosus, nor historical reenactment but exuberantly all three at once.

2003, Roberta Barker, “Tragical-Comical-Historical Hotspur”, in Shakespeare Quarterly, volume 54, number 3, page 303:

(literary, performing arts) A standard character in ancient comedy and in modern comedy depicting ancient military figures: the bravado-filled, self-important, swaggering soldier.


laughathon

Oh, I had a jolly time in South Dakota, all right, a regular laughathon of nonstop fun and entertainment

They were already into that raucous rhythm that made their show a TV landmark. Nonstop jokes, topping each other, full speed ahead, no holds barred laughathon.

2000, Mike Douglas, Thomas Kelly, Michael Heaton, I'll Be Right Back: Memories of TV's Greatest Talk Show:

No, not what you'd call your standard laugh-a-thons. But not too grim, I hope.

2002, Paul Auster, The Book of Illusion (page 208, ff)

It was a laughathon at Headquarters.

2002, Terrence D. Haynes, Desert Norm: A Journal/Novel About the Gulf War, page 169:

What if they were having a big laughathon over Heaven and her stupid crush?

2004, Carrie Asai, The Book of the Shadow, page 36:

(informal) Something very funny; a comedy session or period of great amusement.


image macro

What were the various image macros? ... [img-foo]: See Image Macro. A list of official [img-foo]s are above, but any common image that's used often can replace foo. [img-motorcycle.jpg] for instance.

2001 August 25, anotherone, “Something Awful forums FAQ By anotherone”, in http://anotherone0.tripod.com/, archived from the original on 2001-08-25:

That would make such a good image macro, could i use it sometime?

2001 September 25, Guest, “Meddling kids!”, in 3D Realms Forums, archived from the original on 2007-02-07:

2001 October 22, <deleted user>, “Ill advised image macros never intended for use”, in Something Awful Forums, retrieved 2013-09-11:

Now, the term Image Macro refers to any frequently used image, usually with text proclaiming "YOU SUCK AT THE INTERNET!" or something.

2002 February 22, anotherone, “Something Awful forums FAQ By anotherone”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), archived from the original on 2001-08-25:

(Internet) An image with superimposed text, often humorous.


clown car

From a comedy routine first invented by the Cole Brothers Circus during the 1950s.

Kids of all ages have been applauding the clown car trick for more than 60 years, ever since it was first introduced in 1950 by master clown Otto Griebling at the Cole Brothers Circus.

2012, Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Vroom!:

It looked as if around fifty people got out and it reminded me of a clown car at a circus.

2014, Allen Laycock, Hereditary Decision, page 9:

Sometimes clowns do a trick called “clown car,” where a bunch of clowns squeeze into a car and come out, one by one. ... If you go to a circus with a clown car, you'll see they have suitcases, beach balls, and other items to make it funnier.

2016, Stephanie Faris, Piper Morgan Joins the Circus:

(comedy) A circus clown routine in which an implausibly large number of clowns climb into or out of a small car.


I see what you did there

Book a tabla now (te-he) www.electromancer.com/artists/squishmusic [Yes, very good, I see what you did there - Ed].

Leonard Hofstadter: Of course, we're in different departments. He's an engineer and I'm an experimental physicist. You know, one of guys who examines the building blocks of creation and says: "Hello, maker of the universe. I see what you did there. Good one."

2010 November 4, Bill Prady, Steven Molaro & Steve Holland, "The Apology Insufficiency", episode 4-7 of The Big Bang Theory, 00:05:03-00:05:19

"Wait. I see what you did there. You turned my comment around on me so that it would be an insult. You are one clever gal, Dr. Rodgers."

2011, Grant R. Jeffrey, Alton L. Gansky, The Scroll, WaterBrook Press, →ISBN, page 103:

Oh, I see what you did there! You made a little "bacon" joke at moi's expense. You got a death wish or something, buster?!

2011 November 19, “Fast chat: Miss Piggy of 'The Muppets'”, in Newsday:

(informal, humorous) An expression used to point out that another person's joke or cleverness has been recognized or understood, either to acknowledge its cleverness or alternatively to communicate a lack of amusement.


dad joke

Indicative of the type of bad jokes that might be told by one's father. Possible calque of Japanese おやじギャグ (oyaji gyagu, literally “dad joke”), although it is not clear which came first.

cal

Here is an oldie but a goodie: When does a joke become a dad joke? When it becomes apparent. Wocka wocka.

2021, Shannon Carpenter, The Ultimate Stay-at-Home Dad […] , Penguin, →ISBN, page 32:

(colloquial) A (usually deliberate) unfunny or corny joke, typically containing a pun and often in question/answer format.


anticomedy

In the usual comedic parlance, “anticomedy” is a self-aware performance that mines laughs from its utter lack of conventional punch lines.

2019, Ken Jennings, chapter 8, in Planet Funny: How Comedy Ruined Everything, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN, page 186:

A form of comedy that deliberately avoids the typical conventions of comedy.


clownery

en-noun

clownery (countable and uncountable, plural clowneries)

Defensive clownery by the Mets at certain points of the game ultimately cost the 22-year-old Niese his first major league win in eight months.

2009 May 9, Joshua Robinson, “Five-Run Inning Gives Mets Room for Errors”, in New York Times:

The behaviour of a clown; clownishness, tomfoolery.

խեղկատակություն

the behaviour of a clown; clownishness, tomfoolery


Groucho glasses

Joe handed Groucho glasses to each of them and then indicated the guns.

2000, Chloe Green, Going Out in Style, New York: Warner, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, LCC PS3557.R363 G65 2000, page 58:

I felt like I was going down on a pair of Groucho glasses.

2004 May, Gus Mattox, “Fuzz Down Below”, in Out, →ISSN, page 93:

Dan Menaker handed me a pair of Groucho glasses as I entered the room.

2006 October 17, Joe Klein, “Afterword”, in Primary Colors: A Novel of Politics, Trade Paperback edition, Random House, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, LCC PS3550.A1 P75 2006, page 378:

And there on the wall with trick sunglasses you can use to look behind you, Groucho glasses, and the glasses with the eyeballs on springs was something very, very creepy.

2011, David Anderegg, Nerds: How Dorks, Dweebs, Techies, and Trekkies Can Save America and Why They Might Be Our Last Hope, New York: Penguin, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 21:

A novelty pair of horn-rimmed glasses with attached eyebrows, plastic nose, and bushy mustache, caricaturing Groucho Marx.


beaglepuss

From Franco-American Novelty Company's brand name "Beagle Puss Disguise Kit", apparently from beagle + puss (“face”).

Vonnegut did not write the book, and the photo on the book jacket of Trout looked suspiciously like Farmer, wearing Boss Mule work gloves, beagle puss and mustache, sunglasses, mufflers, etc.

1990, Howard Waldrop, Night of the Cooters: More Neat Stories, Kansas City: Ursus Imprints, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, LCC PS3573.A4228 N54 1990, page 60:

The punchline: a bewildered Ung wearing a beaglepuss and trying to type with a rubber chicken […]

2004 September 13, George Jones, Maximum PC 2005 Buyer's Guide, Indianapolis: Que, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 23:

Julian Assange personally reads every document to be published, types it up and formats it on his laptop while wearing a beaglepuss.

2010 August 22, JDog, “The Greatest Rube Goldberg Machine: How WikiLeaks Documents Reach Julian Assange”, in Writing Rendezvous, retrieved 2011-11-15:

(uncommon) A novelty pair of horn-rimmed glasses with attached eyebrows, plastic nose, and bushy mustache, caricaturing Groucho Marx.


momic

They should be called "momics," those housewives who climb comedy-club stages and tell jokes about their kids and dirty laundry.

1996 March 2, Dick Kreck, “Everything wacky in 'Momville'”, in Denver Post:

(US, informal) A comedienne whose act focuses on her children and family life.


MSTing

The intent may not have been deliberately malicious; but it was negligent and in bad taste not to ask the author's permission first, which in no way precludes the MSTing from being hurtful.

1995 February 4, Roberta Chi-Woon Kwong, “Re: MSTied fanfic (long)”, in alt.tv.x-files.creative (Usenet):

I love all the discussions and especially enjoy reading MSTings of fan fiction.

2003 April 4, Andrew Mitchell, “Delurking”, in alt.fan.harry-potter (Usenet):

I once did a MSTing of the Power Rangers movie script, and there are MAJOR differences between it and what we see on screen.

2003 August 13, Fish Eye no Miko, “Re: Hermione in COS”, in alt.fan.harry-potter (Usenet):

(fandom slang) A parody fanfic created by inserting satirical commentary into an existing work.


advice animal

Advice Animals are the greatest epic fad of all time [pics]

2009 March 28, Author, Advice Animals are the greatest epic fad of all time, MTG Salvation Forum

— Mixing advice animals i.e. half a courage wolf quote with half an emo dog one. theres a ton of these.

2009 July 17, Richie McNuggets, A list of Memes yet to be submitted., Know Your Meme

Among the Advice Animal memes popularized by 4chan and Meme Generator, Bachelor Frog (aka Foul Bachelor Frog) occupies a unique "it's funny because it's true" space.
Whereas other advice animals (animal heads that give two-line directives), such as Advice Dog and Courage Wolf, emphasize over-the-top humor, Bachelor Frog relies on nuance familiar to anyone (especially dudes) who's ever lived alone. That naturally makes him the perfect internet mascot.

2010, March 25, Cole Stryker, A Guide to Foul Bachelor Frog, 4chan's Funniest Advice Dog Spinoff, urlesque

(Internet, mainly in the plural) A photograph of an animal or human captioned with quotations typical of a stereotype or stock character. The background of the original image is often replaced with a colour wheel.


zitcom

Each of these youngsters was given a TV show — the so-called zitcom — followed usually by a recording contract with Disney-owned Hollywood Records, songs in heavy rotation on Radio Disney and on Disney-movie sound tracks, a concert tour with Disney-owned Buena Vista Concerts and tie-in merchandise throughout the Disney stores.

2009 October 22, Belinda Luscombe, “Making New Mileys: Disney's Teen-Star Factory”, in Time:

A sitcom aimed at a teen audience or revolving around teen characters.


what is this I don't even

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-what is this I don't even.wav

The run-on and fragmentary structure of this phrase is presumably intended to mimic literally being rendered speechless.

My own personal hell came to pass on January 18th, 2012: Reddit and Wikipedia went offline. Yes, the point was to raise awareness about the intrusive, unjust Stop Online Piracy act. And yes, the blackout was politically influential and reached millions over a period of twelve hours…but what was I supposed to do? Play in the snow? Actually talk to humans in real life? What is this I don't even.

2012, Michael Kaemingk, "SOPA bill fails to address actual piracy issues", The Spectator (Seattle University), 25 January 2012

(Internet slang) Used to indicate that something has left one in a state of disbelief or confusion.


what has been seen cannot be unseen

At Dachau he was witness to real rather than abstract suffering; what has been seen cannot be unseen, nor can it be rationalized.

2010, Brad Prager, “Suffering and Sympathy in Volker Schlöndorff's Der neunte Tag and Dennis Gansel's NaPolA”, in Paul Cooke, Marc Silberman, editors, Screening War: Perspectives on German Suffering, Camden House, →ISBN, page 196:

I went into Akira knowing it's considered amongst critics a landmark film for anime and the success of the genre in America, but I was also expecting the type of weirdness that has given anime an infamous reputation in pop culture. Don't know what I'm talking about? Google "hentai." …Actually, no, don't do that. Seriously. Don't fucking do that. What has been seen cannot be unseen.

2011 December, Jay Wallace, “Akira”, in BandWagon Magazine:

Repulsive, disturbing, or horrific sights can never be erased from memory once they have been seen.

that which has been seen cannot be unseen


sight gag

Dragged suddenly before a formal dinner honoring the women's dean of Toledo University, he wowed his audience with a sight gag—he kissed the guest of honor.

1947 October 31, Gene Handsaker, “Hollywood Sights and Sounds: Bob Hope”, in Prescott Evening Courier, retrieved 2012-10-01, page 2:

In the good old ricky-tick days when movie directors wore riding breeches, a favorite cinematic sight gag was to reverse the film, which suddenly sent the actors waddling backwards through doors that closed behind them, putting their hats on instead of taking them off, and shoveling food out of their mouths instead of in.

1969 June 28, “Cinema: Happy End”, in Time:

In the opening sight gag, a guy in leisure wear shows up at his office only to find everyone in S&M clothes.

2005 March 10, Virginia Heffernan, “TV Review: The Hollow Men—Four Well-Groomed Britons, Trying Hard to Be Naughty Boys”, in New York Times, retrieved 2012-10-01:

As he uttered these words, a PowerPoint image of Dr. Möller's face morphed into that of a smiling Pope Benedict. The sight gag had the psychiatrists roaring.

2008 October, Paul Scott, “Was the Prozac revolution all in our heads?”, in Men's Health, volume 23, number 8, →ISSN, page 146:

(film, television, stage performance) A visually presented action or device which causes a humorous response without requiring any accompanying commentary or other speech.


romantic comedy

romantic comedy (countable and uncountable, plural romantic comedies)

Judging from his new movie, the sublimely silly They Came Together, director and co-writer David Wain is a closet connoisseur of the modern romantic comedy.

2014 June 26, A. A. Dowd, “Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler Spoof Rom-com Clichés in They Came Together”, in The A.V. Club, archived from the original on 2017-12-07:

(uncountable) A genre of fiction, especially film, that presents love stories in a humorous and light-hearted way.


Caturday

I had heard of Caturday when I wrote the piece, but I’d understood that it was a proto-lolcats practice that was different from the actual lolcats meme.

2007 July 16, Lev Grossman, “Lolcats Addendum: Where I Got the Story Wrong”, in Time:

Lolcats - images of anthropomorphic felines captioned with mis-spelt web-speak ("im in ur bed zleepin" and so on) - made their first appearance on the site, during its regular "Caturday" slot, but went on to dominate blogs and sites the length and breadth of the internet.

2010 August 31, Jon Kelly, Jude Sheerin, “The strange virtual world of 4chan”, in BBC News:

When he and his wife began to have children, they nicknamed them after Internet memes like the lolcat holiday, Caturday.

2012, Katherine Losse, The Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network, Free Press, →ISBN, page 148:

(Internet slang) Saturday, as the day of the week for posting lolcats or other pictures of cats.


feghoot

From a science-fiction series called "Through Time and Space with Ferdinand Feghoot" by Reginald Bretnor.


flag gun

"I'm going all out with the props. A rubber fish with a big smile, a bang flag gun, and a kazoo. . . ."

2008 October 14, Mike, “Wanna know how I got these scars? They were $3.49 . . .”, in The Sockpuppet Asylum:

I was waiting to be offered an exploding cigar and then shot with a bang ﬂag gun!

2011 September 20, Dennis D’Alesandro, “Belknapʼs bizarro world at Rebekah Templeton”, in The Art Blog:

For Goodnight Moon there is a bit where one of the characters uses an old cartoon-y bang-flag gun.

2011 October 15, Jesse Gaffney, “Bang-Flag gun”, in Theatre Projects:

A humorous prop gun which unfurls a small flag when its trigger is pulled.


triforce

From Japanese トライフォース (toraifōsu), from English tri- + force. First used in the Legend of Zelda video game franchise for a magical artefact in that fictional universe.

A shape composed of three equilateral triangles arranged in such a manner that a fourth triangle of identical size, but pointing the opposite direction, could fit between them.

三角之力

Shape composed of three triangles in a specific alignment


triforce

en-verb

triforce (third-person singular simple present triforces, present participle triforcing, simple past and past participle triforced)

triforces (present singular third-person)
triforcing (participle present)
triforced (participle past)
triforced (past)

(Internet slang) To post three Unicode triangles (▲) arranged in this configuration, especially on 4chan, where doing this correctly was a sign of experience used to weed out newbies.


creepypasta

en-noun

creepypasta (countable and uncountable, plural creepypastas)

→ Polish: creepypasta

→ Spanish: creepypasta

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-creepypasta.wav

After the pattern of copypasta, substituting creepy for copy. Originated from 4chan’s /x/ (paranormal) board sometime around 2007.
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *grewbʰ-der.
Proto-Germanic *kreupaną
Proto-West Germanic *kreupan
Old English crēopan
Middle English crepen
English creep
Proto-Indo-European *-kos
Proto-Germanic *-gaz
Proto-West Germanic *-g
Old English -iġ
Middle English -y
English -y
English creepy
Middle English copien
English copy
Proto-Indo-European *kʷeh₁t-der.
Ancient Greek πάσσω (pássō)
Proto-Indo-European *-tós
Ancient Greek -τός (-tós)
Ancient Greek παστός (pastós)
Ancient Greek παστά (pastá)bor.
Late Latin pasta
Old French pastebor.
Middle English paste
English paste
English copy-pasteblend.
Late Latin pasta
Italian pastabor.
English pastablend.
English copypasta
English creepypasta

etymon

The video is part of a growing phenomenon making its way around message boards and e-mail chains called “creepypasta” — bite-sized bits of scariness that have joined the unending list of things-to-do-when-you’re-bored-at-work.

2010 November 14, “Bored at Work? Try Creepypasta, or Web Scares”, in The New York Times, Austin Considine:

The game was born from the familiar 'Slenderman' image, which you may or may not be familiar with from internet memes and creepypasta horror stories.

2012 September 14, Kaz Scattergood, “Spooked by Slender, Fuse (Sheffield Students' Union)”, in magazine, volume 9, number 49, page 2:

"[…] Listen to the nineteen personal creepypasta-style stories to piece together the mysterious events of that fateful night in 1898, when twelve orphans simply… disappeared!"

2013 September 5, “Huntsman: The Orphanage”, in Adventure Lantern, number 46, page 7:

The eerie “Lavender Town” theme has infiltrated the nightmares of an entire generation of children and has even inspired one of the most well known “creepypastas” on the Internet.

2013 November 14, Joey Dussault, “The 10 Best Original Soundtracks In The Gaming World”, in Tastemakers Magazine (Northeastern University), number 33, page 11:

A friend pointed her to Creepypasta, a collection of user-generated horror fan sites in which written, Photoshopped, and videotaped accounts of encounters with monsters and supernatural evil are presented as “real” in the form of encyclopedia entries, testimonials, and other “documentary” evidence.

2015 August 24, Lisa Miller, “Slender Man Is Watching”, in New York Magazine, page 62:

(Internet slang) Frightening urban legends and short stories in the horror genre, circulated on the Internet.


seapunk

en-noun

seapunk (countable and uncountable, plural seapunks)

From sea + -punk; compare earlier cyberpunk, steampunk. Coined by Brooklyn-based DJ Lil Internet, who tweeted about a surreal dream he had in June 2011 ("Seapunk leather jacket with barnacles where the studs used to be"), and later popularized as a Twitter hashtag.

Seapunk's aqueous adherents, mostly in the Midwest but spreading fast […] have been characterized as goth mermaids, which certainly captures the look and feel: think turquoise-dyed hair and an embrace of all things oceanic, yay for steampunk jellyfish outfits.

2012 January 10, Marke B., “Mermaids vs. unicorns”, in San Francisco Bay Guardian:

Many thought this understandably short-lived meme had died a watery death in 2011, but when Rihanna took to Saturday Night Live to perform Diamonds recently, with a full-on seapunk-influenced production, it got a new lease of life.

2012 December 14, Lucy Stehlik, “Seapunk: scenester in-joke or underground art movement?”, in The Guardian:

She also lashed out at Azealia Banks, who dropped an explicitly seapunk video the same week, but Azealia's fine in my books. She’s always been into seapunk stuff, she “came from the internet” unlike Rihanna, she actually commits to and genuinely engages with the seapunk visuals (e.g riding dolphins) and they at least somewhat fit her song and attitude.

2013, Cameron Welch, "That's That Shit I Don't Like: The Year in Wackness", The Phoenix (UBCO), 7 January 2013, page 11 (online version)

(aesthetic, uncountable) A fashion and visual art style, characterized by aquatic themes and colours, rave culture, and the digital aesthetic of the 1990s.

(neologism, countable) A follower of the seapunk style.


the cake is a lie

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-the cake is a lie.wav

From the 2007 video game Portal, in which a self-aware computer, GLaDOS, lures the player into participating in dangerous experiments with the promise of cake. As the game progresses, the player discovers graffiti left by Doug Rattman, the only known scientist alive since GLaDOS killed all the others with neurotoxin, with the graffiti including the warning "the cake is a lie".

The jokes are cake, and the cake is a lie — fan-service tricking nerds into watching a show designed for adults who vote Republican (Middle America!).

2011 December 15, Nick Martin, “A Hit Sitcom In Just Five Easy Steps!”, in Buzz Weekly, page 6:

The assumption that a degree will vastly improve future earnings is increasingly misleading. By their very nature high paid jobs are exclusive and limited in number. "The cake is a lie."

2012, James Margeson, "The quiet assault on public education", The Sphinx (University of Liverpool), March 2012, page 9

“One shitty leader doesn't mean the cake is a lie. One man's decisions don't invalidate everything else—the ideals, the history, the words etched in marble and the sacrifices of all the people who make the United States a just and safe place to live.”

2012 November 12, J. L. Hilton, Stellarnet Prince, Carina Press, →ISBN, page 320:

(Internet slang) The end being pursued is unattainable or misguided; the reward promised is false.


my body is ready

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-my body is ready.wav

From an impromptu comment made by Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime while volunteering to try the Wii Balance Board during a demonstration of Wii Fit at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in 2007.

I noticed many innuendos that the general children’s audience may not pick up; “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” with Nala and Simba? I sure did, especially when she gave Simba the “my body is ready” face towards the end of the song.

2011, Phaedra Brady, "Hakuna Matata, what a wonderful flick", The Eye (Palm Harbor University High School), 3 October 2011

My grand idea is to slip the handsome James Dean look-alike in my History class a note that says "My body is ready, do me."

2012, Tanya Paz, "February Goes Down The Shitter", The Union Weekly (California State University, Long Beach), Volume 70, Issue 4, 13 February 2012, page 4

Then I found Trent University. Having heard rumours that it was "the gayest school in Canada", I burned with a newfound resolve – the conviction that this was the time and place where I would finally grow to be more than a straight young white guy. Finally I would go beyond the existence of a one-dimensional character in a pre-1960's middle class novel about the racial majority.
Introductory Seminar Week: my body is ready. This is it. This is when everyone lets loose. I can't let this opportunity slip away… […]

2013, Flavius S. Mercurius, "Coming Out of the Closet: A Story", Arthur (Trent University), Volume 47, Issue 13 (satire edition), 7 January 2013

(chiefly Internet slang) Used to express preparation for and excitement over something, especially sex.

Electronic Entertainment Expo
Wii Balance Board


kill it with fire

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-kill it with fire.wav

Presumably a reference to the trope of using fire to kill a monster in horror, science fiction, and fantasy, with a notable example being the 1982 film The Thing.

'Look at this! IS GAY THE NEW STRAIGHT? Jesus – she's like a one woman crap factory. Kill it! Kill it with fire!'

2005, Anna Clare, Make You a Man, Black Lace, →ISBN, page 14:

But we need to give STL [file format] a headshot. We should kill it. Kill it with fire. Whatever switching costs you may have they will pay for themselves in money saved in storage.

2013 July, Joris Peels, “AMF is no longer only for bowling”, in TCT Magazine, page 15:

For me, the victor is the film adaption, which is a masterpiece of one man's conversion. As for the book? Kill it with fire.

2020 January 16, Patrick Ullmer, “The Stack-Up: 'The Hunter'”, in The Spectrum, North Dakota State University, page 7:

(Internet slang) Used to express fear, disgust, or strong objection in reaction to something.


ermahgerd

From a humorously altered pronunciation of oh my God. Popularized by an image macro meme in 2012, which features the text "ermahgerd, Gersberms" overlaid on a photo of a teenage girl making a silly face and holding several Goosebumps books. The girl in the photo has a visible orthodontic retainer. The pronunciation spelling is intended to mimic the speech of a wearer of this device.

PLUS (please brace yourselves, fangirls) he's coming to play at the Perth Arena in a few months – ermahgerd.

2012 October 24, “Livin' A Teenage Dream”, in X-Press Magazine, number 1341, page 11:

Here's a scary thought: I'm a Canadian citizen over 18 years of age and I have lived in Saskatoon for more than three months and in Saskatchewan for more than six months. What does this mean? I can run for mayor. Ermahgerd!

2012 October 25, Travis Homenuk, “Let's all run for mayor”, in The Sheaf, volume 104, number 8, University of Saskatchewan, page 16:

Is that an Alber Elbaz pink-bubblegum macaron you're eating? Ermahgerd! You are so last year.

2013 March 3, Robert Epstein, “Being Modern: Macarons”, in The Independent:

(slang, humorous or sarcastic) Alternative form of oh my God.


memedom

In celebration of all the treasured gems that are internet memedom, a group of Harvard folks are throwing what’s bound to blow up into the the^([sic]) biggest nerdfest outside of a Star Trek Convention.

2007 December 7, Jenna Wortham, “Famous Internet Memes to Gather at ROFLCon 2008”, in Wired:

An inventive joke born of Internet memedom.

2012 March 28, Katherine Boyle, “Peeps Show VI: Power to the Peeps”, in The Washington Post:

GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney has one of his top aides to thank for uttering the words that would secure his place in memedom.

2012 December 29, Samantha Rollins, “The 11 best memes of 2012”, in The Week:


an hero

Originated as a meme on the /b/ board of the 4chan community. Inspired by a grammatical error in a poem written and posted by a classmate to the MySpace memorial page of a teenager who committed suicide in 2006.

In the clip, Dave Mustaine (our hero of the story, yet not yet "an hero") is shown recording "Through the Darkest Hour" a song about wanting to kill yourself because your bird left you.

2007 August 10, the_boy_blunder [username], “Fiddildy Fucking Dee, it's enough to make you not want to kill yourself”, in alt.suicide.holiday (Usenet):

Some of us were beginning to think you'd made yourself into "an hero" for Christmas, but I always knew you'd be back.

2008 December 24, Alex Clark, “Re: Tom Cruise on Kimmel last night”, in alt.religion.scientology (Usenet):

I like how I can tell someone that I want to become an hero and they have no idea that I'm talking about suicide.

2009 August 22, ., “BECOMING AN HERO”, in alt.suicide.holiday (Usenet):

(Internet slang) A suicidee; one who commits suicide.


splatstick

(film, comedy, horror, gore) A genre of film which blends slapstick style comedy with splatfest blood and gore splatter filled horror.


xiangsheng

/ˈʃ(i)ɑŋ.ʃʌŋ/

From the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of Mandarin 相聲／相声 (xiàngsheng).

A traditional style of Chinese comedy, performed in rapid style.


dogecoin

dogecoin (countable and uncountable, plural dogecoins)

/ˈdəʊd͡ʒkɔɪn/

The success of ransomware could be attributed to wide adoption of digital currencies or crypto currencies, such as bitcoin, litecoin ukash, dogecoin, ripple and monero, among others.

2017 August 19, Roderick Abad, “Slow Internet speed helping PHL fend off cyber felons”, in Business Mirror:

The net worth of Markus and Palmer is unknown due to their tendency to stay off social media and online platforms. However, dogecoin was estimated to be worth almost $17billion as of April 14, 2021.

2021 April 16, Jacob Bentley-York, “Who are Dogecoin founders Billy Markus and Jackson Palmer?”, in The US Sun, retrieved 2021-04-28:

(uncountable, cryptocurrencies) A cryptocurrency featuring the Shiba Inu from the "doge" meme as its logo.


marlock

(Australia) Any of various small eucalypts of southwest Australia.


shitcom

I can only hope that someone up there at Fox has enough intelligence to yank this shitcom before mid-season, but given their track record it will probably become their next flagship show.

2006, Alexander Kern, Listen! Listen, Listen, Listen, Listen, Listen!!!: Selected Essays from the Best Blog No One Is Reading, →ISBN, page 203:

Games World was revamped for a second series, and a character from the competition night, Big Boy Barry, was given his own show, a sitcom. Or as it turned out, a shitcom.

2012, David Walliams, Camp David, Penguin, published 2013, →ISBN:

Ed opened the drapes and the sun revealed the grim scene, the filthy drool-stained pillow on the couch where he'd been sleeping, the TV blaring some horrible shitcom ever since he'd left the dial turned to any old thing, the dog food bag left open in the kitchen so Harry could help himself.

2013, Brad Vance, A Little Too Broken, →ISBN:

(slang, vulgar, derogatory) A low-quality or unfunny sitcom.


Polandball

Compound of Poland + ball, coined circa 2009.

One comic, in which Poland flies into space and stops Russia using Crimea as a means of ramming the United States, has shot to the top of the charts in the Polandball sub-forum on Reddit.

2014 March 4, Emmet Ryan, “Polandball is Reddit's answer to Crimea crisis”, in The Daily Business Post, Businesspost.ie, retrieved 2014-11-01:

This Polandball comic sums it up better.

2014 September 11, Arunabh Saikia, “Why Some Calamities Are More Equal Than Others”, in The Newslaundry:

2014, "Mexicoball", The Polandball Book, →ISBN:

It’s also gotten attention from the Polish media. Gazeta Wyborcza reported on it (po polsku), and, on Culture.pl, Wojciech Oleksiak wrote an in-depth English analysis, including a presumably tongue-in-cheek guide to drawing a Polandball.

2015 May 2, Steven Hoffman, “How Polandball can of taking over internets”, in Krakow Post:

international relations
international relations

A user-generated internet meme, where countries are presented as spherical personas (countryballs) that interact in often broken English, poking fun at national stereotypes and international relations; an individual spherical persona from this.


Three Stooges

(idiomatic) A group of three stupid people.


humourful

en-adj

humourful (comparative more humourful, superlative most humourful)

more humourful (comparative)
most humourful (superlative)


vardzak

(historical) a female comedy actor, dancer and singer in ancient and medieval Armenia


MFW

(Internet slang) Initialism of my face when ....


Trololo

Onomatopoeia of how Eduard Khil vocalized "Я очень рад, ведь я, наконец, возвращаюсь домой (Ja očenʹ rad, vedʹ ja, nakonec, vozvraščajusʹ domoj)".

(Internet, neologism, informal) Eduard Khil's vocalized recording of the song "Я очень рад, ведь я, наконец, возвращаюсь домой (Ja očenʹ rad, vedʹ ja, nakonec, vozvraščajusʹ domoj)" and its accompanying music video, which has risen into a meme.


memester

He introduces such colorful and potentially significant groups as the Immediast Underground, Paper Tiger TV, and the merry 'memesters' who have taken the media revolution to the neurons of the worldbrain.

1996, Douglas Rushkoff, quoted on the praise page, in Media Virus!: Hidden Agendas in Popular Culture, Ballantine Books (1996; originally published 1995), unnumbered page

The conflict between the memesters and the creators of the source material ended with the creators throwing up their hands in defeat. It was simply impossible for YouTube to keep the stuff down.

2011, Cole Stryker, Epic Win for Anonymous: How 4chan's Army Conquered the Web, The Overlook Press, →ISBN:

Not all these photo pranks are as simple as planking: In stocking, memesters choose a banal stock photo and try to re-create it as faithfully as possible.

2011 October 30, Erin McKean, “Let’s go owling!”, in The Boston Globe:

A person who creates or enjoys memes, especially Internet ones.


yuckster

Much less ambitious, Sideshow is in effect the north-side version of Avant-Garfielde, the ad-lib comedy these eight yucksters have created weekly for the last three years at Jimmy's Woodlawn Tap in Hyde Park.

1988 May 20, Lawrence Bommer, “Cardiff Giant's Comedy Sideshow”, in Chicago Reader:

Real yucksters, these Bradford boys.

2008, Harlan Coben, One False Move: A Myron Bolitar Novel, →ISBN, page 130:


Plautus

From Latin Titus Maccius Plautus, the latter two names traditionally held to be stage names, from plautus (“flat-footed, flap-eared”).

A Roman comic playwright (c. 254 – 184 BC) of the Old Latin period.


neknomination

From neck (“to drink very quickly”) + nomination. Originated in Australia and gained popularity on social media.

compound

The controversial Neknomination craze has reportedly led to the death of another young British man, after a rugby player mixed two pints of gin with teabags and said to the camera: “This is how you drink.”

2014 February 16, Adam Withnall, “Neknomination: Craze 'claims fifth victim' as young man found dead after downing two pints of gin”, in Belfast Telegraph:

Ontario Provincial Police laid charges against two young men on Thursday after a ‘neknomination’ video surfaced on social media.

2014 February 27, Paul Clarke, “OPP charge two youth after neknomination video surfaces”, in Toronto Star:

She has lipstick on her chin, a ladder in her tights and looks as though she's spent the afternoon creating Neknomination videos.

2015, Jane Costello, The Love Shack, Simon & Schuster (2015), unnumbered pages, published 23 April 2015

(slang) An online drinking game, typically involving a person uploading a video of themselves drinking a pint of an alcoholic beverage (most commonly beer) in one gulp, then nominating two or more others to do the same.


trollface

Compound of troll (“person who provokes others for personal amusement or to cause disruption”) + face.

com+

Geek revelers. This is a very rare antagonism. Maybe it doesn't even exist. But if it exists, Gigablog leaves here a fantasy tip. Carnatroll is a mask with the face of the most famous meme on the internet, the Trollface.

2011 February 28, “‘Troll Face’ mask promises to delight geek partygoers”, in Uol News, Rodrigo Vitulli:

Thanks to the Trollface meme, those with a secret affinity for the hilarious ways of trolling now have a figure to worship.

2011 March 24, “Land of a million memes”, in The Gateway, volume 101, number 42, University of Alberta, page 18:

People took trollface and pasted it into other comics, whenever a character was either being a pest or generally annoying people.

2012, Sean Rockey & Alexander Bevier, "Memes", The Current (Green River Community College), Volume 46, Issue 10, 7 May 2012, page 9

The trollface is a visual representation of what someone might look like when engaging in trolling.

2013, Roger Whitson, Jason Whittaker, William Blake and the Digital Humanities: Collaboration, Participation, and Social Media, Routledge, →ISBN, page 111:

(Internet slang) An illustration of a face with a cartoonishly wide, maniacal grin (from a comic drawn by Carlos Ramirez and originally posted on the 4chan community), typically featured in image macros to convey trolling, mockery, or humorous intent.


spoopy

en-adj

spoopy (comparative more spoopy, superlative most spoopy)

more spoopy (comparative)
most spoopy (superlative)

A photograph of a Halloween sign with the misspelled word “spoopy” (for “spooky”), taken in 2009 and originally uploaded to Flickr, was reposted on Tumblr in 2011, upon which the word become an Internet meme and developed its current sense.

To get into the spoopy spirit, you will exclusively listen to the “Spooky Scary Skeletons” trap remix on repeat from now until Halloween.

2016 October 27, Derek Baker, “Your future is foretold in these spooky horror-scopes”, in The Guantlet, page 17:

It's spoopy season — a time for pumpkin carving, trick or treating and “Hocus Pocus” reruns.

2018 October 24, Amelia Calautti, “Get goosebumps with 'Netflix and Chills'”, in The Rice Thresher, page 8:

Unfortunately, tricks, treats and spoopy shenanigans aren't the only things escalating in the runup to Halloween.

2018 October 29, Sara Serrano, “Where have all the cats gone?”, in The Collegian, page 14:

(Internet slang) Calling upon horror tropes and concepts in cute, nonthreatening or comical ways.


rustle someone's jimmies

en-verb

rustle someone's jimmies (third-person singular simple present rustles someone's jimmies, present participle rustling someone's jimmies, simple past and past participle rustled someone's jimmies)

rustles someone's jimmies (present singular third-person)
rustling someone's jimmies (participle present)
rustled someone's jimmies (participle past)
rustled someone's jimmies (past)

First attested in 2009 (see Citations:rustle someone's jimmies).

It's not that my wide feet are so irresistibly sexy that no man could keep his hands off them — trust me, they're not — but there's just something about feet that really rustles his jimmies.

2014 March 5, Hamarita Jones, “Fetishes, kinks, and paraphilias, oh my!”, in The Cascade, University of the Fraser Valley, page 13:

Should I try find love with someone who really rustles my jimmies?

2014, "True love Tracey", letter to "Letters To The Ductus Doctor", Ductus (University of Newcastle), Edition 2 (2014), page 37

And what, I'm sure you're asking, rustles the jimmies of a highly discerning [turtle] bachelor such as myself? I'm looking for a delectable woman who is interested in long, painfully slow walks on the beach, being dazzled by my utterly stunning shell, and mercilessly abandoning any children of our union to be devoured by birds while they desperately try to scramble from land to the water immediately after hatching.

2017 February, The Moot Times, University of Calgary, page 3:

(Internet slang) To interest or excite sexually or romantically.


memescape

A notional landscape of memes, or units of cultural information.


dank meme

Born too late to explore the Earth; born too soon to explore the galaxy; born just in time to browse dank memes

I should warn you that I could not identify a ‘dank meme’ if the fate of the working class depended on it and that I shall not be ‘shipping’ Lenin and Trotsky. If I tried to speak your marvellous language, I would produce sentences like, […]

2017, Helen Razer, Total Propaganda: Basic Marxist Brainwashing for the Angry and the Young, Allen & Unwin, →ISBN:

(Internet, slang, often ironic) An Internet meme with a humorously tongue-in-cheek tone derived from gaudy or surreal aesthetics.


heyoka

A sacred jester and contrarian in the culture of the Lakota people.


over nine thousand

From episode 28 of the anime TV series Dragon Ball Z ("Goku's Arrival", 1997), referring to Goku's increase in power level.

(humorous, Internet slang, idiomatic) off the charts; through the roof (beyond expectations)

List of Dragon Ball Z episodes (season 1)


antijoke

Coordinate term: antiproverb

Thank Christ for Carlton. My secret. My lifeline. The inventor of the antijoke. I kid you not. He postulated a category of things that don't make you laugh which he called the antijoke.

1999, Eric Idle, The Road to Mars, Knopf Doubleday, →ISBN, page 31:

A sentence or story that subverts the expectation of a joke, often by being deliberately unfunny or surreal.


blackout gag

In reference to burlesque and vaudeville, when the lights were quickly turned off after the punchline of a joke to accentuate it and encourage the audience to laugh.

In some cases, Brooks could construct an entire sequence of nothing but blackout gags, as in the prehistoric sequence of History, which depicts the first artist and first critic, the discovery of fire, the invention of music, and so forth.

2015, Henry Jenkins, “Mel Brooks, Vulgar Modernism, and Comic Remediation”, in Andrew Horton, Joanna E. Rapf, editors, A Companion to Film Comedy, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 159:


tragicomedic

en-adj

tragicomedic (comparative more tragicomedic, superlative most tragicomedic)

more tragicomedic (comparative)
most tragicomedic (superlative)

Both films incorporate tragicomedic elements in their musical production numbers.

Of or pertaining to tragicomedy; both comedic and tragic.


burninate

en-verb

burninate (third-person singular simple present burninates, present participle burninating, simple past and past participle burninated)

burninates (present singular third-person)
burninating (participle present)
burninated (participle past)
burninated (past)

Back-formation from Burninator, from the original character Trogdor the Burninator from the Homestar Runner series of web cartoons.

Burninating the countryside! / Burninating the peasants! / Burninating all the people! / In their thatched-roof COTTAGES!!

2003 January 13, Michael Chapman; Matthew Chapman, “Strong Bad Email #58: dragon”, in Homestar Runner, spoken by Strong Bad (Matthew Chapman):

Although the language may not be going to hell in a handbasket — what is a handbasket, anyway? — some of its speakers appear ready to burninate a noob.

2008, Mark Abley, The Prodigal Tongue: Dispatches from the Future of English, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, →ISBN, page 24:

These wars were often fought by mercenaries' armies who—while going about busily pillaging and “burninating the countryside”—were often more concerned with (a) not dying and (b) looting and carrying off maidens than any particular religious ideals.

2016, Christopher Ben Simpson, Modern Christian Theology, T&T Clark, →ISBN, page 37:

(slang, humorous) To destroy by fire; to burn.


Russian reversal

en-noun

Russian reversal (plural Russian reversals)

Sounds like a Russian Reversal. "In Soviet Japan, life lives YOU!"

2015, TJ Edmister, “Re: Interesting phraseology”, in sci.lang.japan (Usenet):

Decades ago comics like Yakov Smirnoff used to do “Russian Reversal” jokes: “In America you can always find a party! In Soviet Russia, party always finds you.”

2015, Danny Katch, Socialism . . . Seriously: A Brief Guide to Human Liberation, page 35:

Smirnoff's popularity has waned since its high point in the 1980s, but the Russian reversal enjoys a vibrant second act as an internet meme, and it has shaped an image of late Soviet life as harsh and impoverished […]

2016, Choi Chatterjee, Lisa A. Kirschenbaum, Deborah A. Field, Russia's Long Twentieth Century:

A type of joke that reverses the subject and object of an ordinary statement, claiming to describe the situation in Soviet Russia, e.g. "In Soviet Russia, television watches you!"


sicknik

What the sickniks dispense is partly social criticism liberally laced with cyanide, partly a Charles Addams kind of jolly ghoulishness, and partly a personal and highly disturbing hostility toward all the world.

1959 July 13, “The Sickniks”, in Time, →ISSN:

observational comedy
observational comedy

(slang, historical) Any of a group of American comedians, first popular in the 1950s, who employed cynicism, satire, and observational comedy rather than inoffensive traditional jokes.


green joke

(Philippines) a joke about sex (a dirty joke) or feces; toilet humour


milkshake duck

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-milkshake duck.wav

From a Twitter post by Ben Ward (pixelatedboat) on June 12th, 2016: "The whole internet loves Milkshake Duck, a lovely duck that drinks milkshakes! *5 seconds later* We regret to inform you the duck is racist".

(Internet slang) Someone or something, especially on social media, that is widely considered to be endearing, but is then discovered to be or have done something deeply flawed or distasteful.


docucomedy

(film, television) A comedy presented as though it were a documentary.


Columbine

census-designated place
census-designated place

Jefferson County
Jefferson County#English

A census-designated place in Arapahoe County and Jefferson County, Colorado, United States, infamous for the school shooting that happened there in 1999.


DoggoLingo

(Internet slang, neologism) A form of English-language Internet slang related to dogs, using words such as doggo, woofer, bork, mlem, and heckin'.


do someone a frighten

en-verb

do someone a frighten (third-person singular simple present does someone a frighten, present participle doing someone a frighten, simple past did someone a frighten, past participle done someone a frighten)

does someone a frighten (present singular third-person)
doing someone a frighten (participle present)
did someone a frighten (past)
done someone a frighten (participle past)

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Intentionally incorrect grammar for comedic purposes; compare do a listen and can haz. Originated with the “Stop It Son, You Are Doing Me a Frighten” meme; first known use is on 8 November 2015, in an iFunny post by watarimono.

Together they hiked until they came upon a crevasse that was too wide to leap. To get across, they would have to climb down into the crevasse, cross over on a sliver of ice that served as a quasi bridge, then climb back up. Which did Stickeen a frighten. The previously unfazed dog was suddenly very fazed and absolutely, positively refused to cross.

2019 October, Mackenzi Lee, The History of the World in Fifty Dogs, Abrams, →ISBN:

(Internet slang, humorous) To frighten someone.


big dick energy

The Spice Girls had Big Dick Energy in abundance, years before Twitter coined the term.

2018, Lauren Bravo, chapter 5, in What would the Spice Girls do?: How the Girl Power Generation Grew Up, Transworld Publishers, →ISBN:

I didn't really want Brunhild being associated with big dick energy. We were just a fledgling nation, so it’d be bad for our image.

2018, Patora Fuyuhara, In Another World With My Smartphone: Volume 11, →ISBN:

“Told you so.” My brother finished his drink and grabbed both their empty glasses. “He needs to quit worrying about upsetting people and use that big dick energy he’s got for his own good.”

2019, Kristin Harte, Penance: A Vigilante Justice Novel, Kinship Press,, →ISBN:

(slang, vulgar) Unassuming self-confidence.


memeify

memeify (third-person singular simple present memeifies, present participle memeifying, simple past and past participle memeified)

memeifies (present singular third-person)
memeifying (participle present)
memeified (participle past)
memeified (past)

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(Internet slang) To form an Internet meme out of something.


memeification

en-noun

memeification (countable and uncountable, plural memeifications)

“Trump Draws” was one of the earliest memeifications of newly-sworn President Trump, capturing the childlike delight that (at first) attended his signing of fancy documents with spiffy pens.

2017 December 27, Michael Andor Brodeur, “The meme class of 2017”, in The Boston Globe:

“Letterboxd has successfully tapped into the Gen Z phenomenon of ‘the memeification of everything’,” explains Rachel Lee of The Digital Fairy, a creative agency specialising in internet and youth culture.

2024 February 29, Jack King, quoting Rachel Lee, “Why everyone you know is suddenly a Letterboxd head”, in GQ:

(Internet) The process of forming an Internet meme out of something.


memelord

RYAN CHONG Editor & Journalist - Recipe A quirky student who likes food and bubbletea during the day but a punny memelord at night :)

2016 September, The Raven Review, page 3:

“Jesus,” Hannah said, “this memelord in my bio class keeps saying that. Is it from something?” “Oh, yeah, you've got to watch it,” Sebastian said.

2018, Riley Redgate, Final Draft, Abrams, →ISBN:

Elon Musk: Memelord or Meme Lifter? [headline]

2021 May 7, Taylor Lorenz, “Elon Musk: Memelord or Meme Lifter?”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

Which is why it’s easy to understand the draw, particularly when it’s fed by an army of meme lords on Reddit, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Telegram, promising that this is the next big opportunity in crypto.

2021 May 21, Nick Bilton, “Inside the Rise and Fall (and Rise and Fall) of Shit Coins”, in Vanity Fair:

Yeah, this is what’s known as the Elon Musk memelord thesis, basically. And he is the uber memelord. And he can move things like Dogecoin just by tweeting.

2022 April 29, Ezra Klein, “Elon Musk Might Break Twitter. Maybe That’s a Good Thing.” (14:17 from the start), in The Ezra Klein Show (podcast), spoken by Felix Salmon:

(Internet slang) A person known for creating or distributing memes (usually humorous material copied and circulated online).


twoprov

After realizing on their first date that they were both comedians, Alissa and Juliette immediately formed a twoprov team together.

I know you do twoprov with your EmotiStyle partner, Molly Austin.

2014 February 20, Brittani Nichols, “Comedy Crush: EmotiStyle's Shamikah Martinez”, in Autostraddle, archived from the original on 2017-07-10:

Opening the night was We Know Each Other, a fitting name for a married couple. We Know Each Other is a twoprov group that blends silliness, emotionality, and quirky characters in each scene.

2016 June 25, Aly, “Twin Cities Improv Festival X”, in Say Entirely, archived from the original on 2016-07-16:

The solo improv parts are very entertaining and the twoprov parts are very fun because they really play off each others^([sic]) comedy very very well.

2018 July 17, Holly, “Funny At The Fringe – REVIEW – Christian Adore and Eaton Messe DragProv Revue, Edinburgh Fringe Preview”, in Phoenix Remix, archived from the original on 2018-07-19:

improvisational comedy
improvisational comedy#English

(comedy) Improv (usually improvisational comedy) performed by a duo.


monoscene

Her team once did a six-hour monoscene without any breaks!

This process of bringing up new things to talk about is key to making monoscenes interesting. A common problem I see in a monoscene are characters who are so focused on one and only one thing.

2015 March 21, Kevin Mullaney, KevinMullaney.com, archived from the original on 2016-11-04:

Justin Peters and Kelly Buttermore present their experimental improv show, a unique monoscene that is almost entirely silent.

2016 December 1, Elise Czajkowski, “Comedy Listings for Dec. 2-8”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 2018-02-11:

Longform improv sets typically run between 20 and 25 minutes, and Big Baby performs a style known as a "bunker monoscene" in which the entire show is a single scene in a single location.

2017 December 6, Robert J. Moore, “3 Things Improv Comedy Taught Me About Starting a Business”, in Entrepreneur, archived from the original on 2018-07-26:

(comedy) A specific form of improvisational comedy in which scenes are performed without edits.


Pantagruelist

Eponym from French character in the novel Gargantua and Pantagruel, + -ist.


fffffffuuuuuuuuuuuu

Elongated form of fu, a clipping of fuck. The specific elongation length was coined on Reddit in December 2008, in reference to rage comics on 4chan earlier in 2008. 7 "F"s and 12 "U"s are used as a reference to the /r/fffffffuuuuuuuuuuuu subreddit or its community. The term is sometimes shortened to f7u12.

"Fffffffuuuuuuuuuuuu!" I yell. It hurts my ears.

2009, Ryan Collins, Complicated Weather, →ISBN, page 264:

New semester starting, all I have to say is: FFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUU

2011, The East Carolinian, volume 86, number 59, archived from the original on 2023-02-26, page A3:

What, I can't swear while playing video games any more??? #FFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUU

2013 December 12, James Taylor, Bellarine Times, volume 6, number 50, page 94:

(Internet slang) Elongated form of clipping of fuck.


chungus

chungus (countable and uncountable, plural chunguses or chungi)

/ˈt͡ʃʌŋ.ɡəs/

From chunk. Compare humongous (“extremely large”, adjective) or dingus (“any object or thing; a foolish person”, noun), and chonk. Attested from the late 2010s.

Why did i even open my disgusting chungus eyes this morning

Im a fat disgusting unloveable chungus piece of shit

I thought it couldn't get any more chungus. I was wrong.

my final straw. goodbye. fuck my stupid chungus life.

(Internet slang, humorous, attributive) A nonsense word or placeholder, often used incongruously in self-deprecating or doomer-like speech.


burnination

Burnination! O'Meara swore as I rolled up to my feet, pain pricking along my ribs where Feather's claws had found flesh.

A minced oath used to express anger, irritation, disappointment, annoyance, contempt, etc.


galaxy-brain

en-adj

galaxy-brain (comparative more galaxy-brain, superlative most galaxy-brain)

more galaxy-brain (comparative)
most galaxy-brain (superlative)

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From a popular image macro meme in which a series of increasingly absurd or surreal thoughts is paired with images of a human brain expanding and emitting progressively brighter beams of light, thus ironically framing the ideas as too profound for average minds to comprehend.

On the surface, none of this makes sense. Yet it becomes rational once you explore the context—in fact, if you glimpse the bigger picture, the scene crosses the threshold into galaxy-brain logic.

2018 September 20, Barry Thompson, “Heavy Leather Topless Dance Party”, in DigBoston, page 12:

Permatemp, the upcoming album from A. J. Herring's usually one-man band Velma and the Happy Campers, seeks to explore the galaxy-brain realization that the only permanent thing about life is its impermanence.

2019, Natalia Galicza, "For The Record", The Fine Print, Winter 2019, page 10

Hollywood is no stranger to the occasional galaxy-brain take, but this one is pretty out there—as Warner Bros. execs evaluated Todd Phillips’s Joker script back in 2017, they reportedly found themselves in “lively conversations” centered around one jarring question: Does Joker really need to be about, like, the Joker?

2019 October 28, Laura Bradley, “Does Joker Really Have to Be About the Joker? Warner Bros. Execs Reportedly Debated Just That”, in Vanity Fair:

(Internet slang, sarcastic) Appearing to be insightful and profound, but actually absurd, incomprehensible, or nonsensical.


weird flex, but OK

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In an ACU blog written in 2010, GATA's claim to fame is that they are the "oldest continuously named social club on the ACU campus" (weird flex, but OK).

2018, Lauren Franco, "Pink and green since 1919, ACU's oldest club", The Optimist (Abiline Christian University), 12 October 2018, page 10

To the girl who kept sending snapchats during lecture with her front flash on...weird flex but ok

2018, Courtney, quoted in "Shoutout," The Badger Herald (University of Wisconsin), 13 November 2018, page 21

Pencil – Doing assignments in pen? Weird flex but ok.

2019 September, Abby Paul, “What essential school supply did you forget?”, in The Bridge, University of Alberta, page 15:

Much like when an actor in a play breaks the fourth wall and speaks to the audience, but the other characters on stage, who also witnss the actor speaking and acting, don't understand to whom the actor is actually talking, and in this case neither does the actor himself, as it is an unconscious address. One is left asking, "why are you telling me this or doing this?" Or in more modern lingo, "that's a weird flex, but OK."

2020, Bethany Morris, Chase Kelly O'Gwin, Sebasteinne Grant, Sakenya McDonald, Subjectivity in Psychology in the Era of Social Justice, Routledge, →ISBN:

(Internet slang) Used to indicate that one finds an action or statement to be showy and strange.


bone apple tea

From a food photo uploaded on Facebook by Dunta Pickett on 1 August 2016, which was captioned “My BIRTHDAY dinner to myself...bone Apple tea.” It was screenshotted and posted on the Worldstar Hip Hop Facebook page and spread as a meme in a few days.

Whoever gets this car next is going to be pissed because the steering wheel is covered in oily dressing. Bone apple tea!

2016 November, Jesse Standing, “Review: Abandoned Salad”, in The Moot Times, University of Calgary, page 10, column 4:

He takes the other spoon, and we each dig out a bite of this gunk. I’m breathing through my mouth so I don’t have to smell so much of it, but all that means is I’m starting to taste it on the air instead. / “Ready?” Perry asks. / “Sure,” I say. “Bone apple tea.” / Perry laughs, and I hope there’s nothing called a bone apple that can be made into a tea, I’m just trying to be smartass while I can still talk without retching.

2017, L.A. Fields, “King of Fruits”, in Steve Berman, editor, His Seed: An Arboretum of Erotica, Unzipped Books, →ISBN, page 93:

“Bone apple tea,” they say to each other as they grill chicken and saute broccoli.

2022 April 1, Good Boy, “The goodest boy”, in The Bull, volume 97, Searcy, Ark.: Harding University, page 4A, column 3:

(humorous) Misconstruction of bon appétit


soloprov

I think performing soloprov would give me even more stagefright than I usually get doing improv with my team.

She mentioned a 15-minute set of "soloprov" where De La Bruere played all of the characters.

2017 March 16, Brent Hallenbeck, “Check out these up-and-coming comics”, in Burlington Free Press, archived from the original on 2020-03-31:

How do you rehearse for a soloprov show? Do you have any rituals?

2018 July 9, Holly, “Funny at the Fringe – Interview – Peter Marino – Show Up”, in Phoenix Remix, archived from the original on 2020-03-31:

I've also been using that time to put up soloprov showcases, where we have really great rotating lineups of both new and experienced solo improvisers.

2020 January 25, Alex Finch, “Interview: Michelle Drozdick”, in Comedy to Watch, archived from the original on 2020-03-31:

(comedy) Improv (usually improvisational comedy) performed by a single improviser.


oh worm

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Humorous misspelling of "Oh, word?" as it appeared in an advice animal of late 2016. Spread through Tumblr as an Internet meme through early 2017.

I woke up today and I just don't feel like doing anything.
Oh worm. I know what you mean.

(Internet slang, humorous) Yes; I understand or can relate.


memey

memey (comparative memier, superlative memiest)

memier (comparative)
memiest (superlative)

Today his view is essentially that ROFL is just another element of the information cycle: he is the founder of BuzzFeed.com, a news-and-entertainment aggregator that’s partly devoted to these new sources of memey entertainment.

2010 July 16, Rob Walker, “When Funny Goes Viral”, in New York Times Magazine, →ISSN:

It’s true that things that seem very zeitgeisty at the moment may be incomprehensible to future generations,” he said. That’s particularly true these days, as each new word seems more memey than the last.

2015 January 16, Jessica Bennett, “At the Super Bowl of Linguistics, May the Best Word Win”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

While you’ll find a giddy variety of sounds on TikTok – ranging from the classic ('Paint It Black' by the Rolling Stones is currently trending) to the extremely memey (‘Be Gone Thot’ by an alien influencer called Lil Mayo) – the most consistently trending sounds tend to err towards the childlike.

2019 October 31, Emma Madden, “TikTok has broken rap music”, in Wired UK, →ISSN:

(informal) Characterized by or relating to memes.


memery

However, I would like to suggest that option 5, MORE MEMERY, would make alt.religion.kibology a better place. EVERYONE, MAKE UP MORE MEMES, WE MUST INCREASE OUR ROBUST EXPORTS OF NEOLOGIC MEMERY!

1998 November 9, James Kibo Parry, “what do we want poll”, in alt.religion.kibology (Usenet):

For example, “Memery: imitation, memory, and internet culture” at Massachusetts Museum of Modern Art in North ... A very comprehensive list of Ryan Gosling memes can be seen at http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/hey_girl_i_know_ ...

2014, Christopher Schaberg, Robert Bennett, Deconstructing Brad Pitt, Bloomsbury Publishing USA, →ISBN, page 133:

"Figuring out why the internet grew attached to SpongeBob is like trying to figure out why the internet likes (or dislikes) anything. It just happens. But something about Hillenburg's show proved irresistible to memery. The show’s characters—and its titular hero specifically—are expressive enough to communicate a mood in a single frame. The show's wholesome, if slyly subversive, tone makes recontextualizing those faces all the funnier."

2018 November 27, tmc...@gmail.com, “SpongeBob creator Stephen Hillenburg's legacy lives on in countless internet memes”, in alt.tv.nickelodeon (Usenet):

(Internet slang) The distribution of memes (usually humorous material copied and circulated online).


metacomedic

metacomedic (comparative more metacomedic, superlative most metacomedic)

more metacomedic (comparative)
most metacomedic (superlative)


memeable

memeable (comparative more memeable, superlative most memeable)

more memeable (comparative)
most memeable (superlative)

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I fear that a good number of viewers are going to watch the new Twin Peaks eagerly anticipating the charming, consumable, GIF-able, and meme-able elements: the comedy, the flirtations, the quizzical reaction shots, and dry banter; the ritual consumption of coffee, donuts, and pie; […]

2017 May 19, Ubiquitous, “Why Twin Peaks Is Not the Series We’ve Convinced Ourselves It Was”, in alt.tv.twin-peaks (Usenet):

Morwenna enjoying some Monster Munch in a very memeable Emilia Wickstead dress. [image caption]

2019 June 16, Morwenna Ferrier, “What does it meme? The rise and rise of the fashion viral”, in The Guardian:

(Internet slang) Able to be turned into a meme; having the potential to become a meme.


Weird Twitter

You may not be paid, but you've got major cred with Weird Twitter, so enjoy it while it lasts, @pizzahut.

2012, Kevin O'Toole & Nathaniel Edwards, "Abandon All Hope...", North by Northwestern, Fall 2012, page 51

Since being discovered, Weird Twitter has been poked, prodded, analyzed and made merciless fun of.

2013 November 12, Samantha Bares, “We should appreciate 'Weird Twitter'”, in The Daily Reveille, Louisiana State University, page 9:

Oftentimes, the funniest tweets emerge from the peculiar depths of "Weird Twitter," a subculture so twistedly surreal that it could curl Salvador Dali's moustache.

2015, Daniel Konikoff, "140 characters of comic gold", Varsity (The University of Toronto), 22 March 2015, page 18

(Internet) A community of Twitter accounts dedicated to satirical, absurdist, or subversive humor.


cottagecore

If you've ever yearned for an idyllic life in the country, then cottagecore is for you.

2021, Emily Kent, The Little Book of Cottagecore: Traditional Skills for a Simpler Life, page 5:

Underneath the clutter, the twin-size mattress was covered with a patchwork quilt and sheets dotted with tiny pink roses. There was a ruffled mint green bed skirt to match the ruffled gingham valance above the window. It was like standing in the cottagecore Holy Land.

2021, Susannah Nix, Elementary Romantic Calculus, unnumbered page:

I weeded and watered all while being nurtured myself. Working for Granny felt more like a cottagecore vacation than it should at times.

2021, Willa Reece, Wildwood Whispers, unnumbered page:

Each show spans over 180 minutes, including 40-plus songs from at least nine albums; there are 16 costume changes, pyrotechnics, an optical illusion in which she appears to dive into the stage and swim, and not one but two cottagecore worlds, which feature an abundance of moss.

2023 December 6, Sam Lansky, “Person of Year 2023 : Taylor Swift”, in Time:

(aesthetic) An aesthetic that celebrates a return to traditional skills and crafts associated with rural living, such as sewing, gardening, foraging, baking, and pottery.

shabby chic

interior design style favouring worn furniture


over 9000

over nine thousand
over nine thousand#English


dark academia

Reportedly first emerged as an aesthetic tag on Tumblr in the mid-2010s.

Dark Academia has received valid criticism for its Eurocentrism and elitism.

2021, Jacqueline Kipping, "Dark academia", The Issue (Radboud University), Fall 2021, page 21

I thought that dark academia and brownstone mansions were all that Boston had to offer, or at least, it didn’t occur to me to even consider what might be beyond my idealistic vision.

2021, Caitlin Haviland, "Breaking the BU Bubble", The Buzz (Boston University), Fall 2021, page 67

As a recent example of the ‘dark academia’ trend in literature, the novel effectively examines and subverts the romanticised view of so-called ‘prestigious’ universities.

2023, Rebecca van Besouw, "Literature Spotlight: Babel by RF Kuang", PDBY (University of Pretoria), 8 May 2023, page 11

(Internet) An aesthetic popularized in the 2010s, centered on higher education, writing, the arts, and classic Greek and Gothic architecture, as well as romantic longing and death.


meme stock

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Journalists covering the story have tended to gesture towards possible impetuses, and there are undoubtedly many underlying factors that led to r/wallstreetbets’ choosing GameStop as a “meme stock”, which have surely evolved with the saga (screwing Wall Street; making money; a genuine belief in the fundamentals of GameStop’s business model).

2021 January 28, Dan Dixon, “Anarchy, in-jokes and trolling: the GameStop fiasco is 4chan-think in action”, in The Guardian:

Individual YOLO decisions can be chalked up to many factors: cabin fever, low interest rates, the emergence of new get-rich-quick schemes like NFTs and meme stocks.

2021 April 21, Kevin Roose, “Welcome to the YOLO Economy”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

(finance, Internet slang) A company's stock that is hyped up and overbought by inexperienced investors, leading it to be overvalued.


ligma

Used for its sounding similarity to "lick my (balls)" in colloquial speech.
Perhaps reminiscent of Greek terms like sigma, omega, tagma, etc., used commonly in English in various scientific contexts.

"Hey, have you heard of ligma?" "What's ligma?" "Ligma balls!"

If you've been online for the past 24 hours, you may have heard of a mysterious illness called "Ligma". The internet is going crazy after an internet personality, Tyler "Ninja" Blevins supposedly died from the new disease.

2018 July 23, Jasmine Girn, “What Is "Ligma" And Why Is Everyone Talking About It”, in Narcity:

Recent reports said that Youtube^([sic]) and Fortnite content creator Fe4rLess died of a medical condition called Ligma.

2020 June 11, Mohit Kumar, “Fortnite: Fe4rless (Fearless) death rumour that he died of Ligma is fake”, in Sportskeeda:

Later on, Heafy did issue an apology towards Machine Gun Kelly following these comments. "I’d like to publicly apologize for my tasteless comments about MGK," he said. "I just found out he's been afflicted by the Ligma variant. It’s really getting real out there. Thoughts and prayers homie."

2021 September 29, Matt Heafy (quoted), Cillian Breathnach, “Trivium's Matt Heafy "formally disses" Machine Gun Kelly for wearing a "16 year old pop punk cosplay identity on a fucking stage"”, in Guitar.com:

Pranksters fooled some media members into thinking they'd been laid off by Elon Musk soon after his Twitter takeover. In reality, they were making reference to a common internet joke involving testicles. […] one of the pranksters had told reporters their name was "Rahul Ligma."

2022 October 28, Tim Marcin, “Pranksters fool some media members after Elon Musk's Twitter takeover”, in Mashable:

(chiefly Internet, humorous) A fictional ostensible disease coined to sound similar to "lick my balls" (used to trick a person into asking the meaning).


clown world

Emerged from The Honkler, a version of Pepe the Frog meme featuring a red clown nose and rainbow wig, characterized as honking a bicycle horn whenever liberals speak. That meme is associated with the use of honk honk ("HH") as a dog whistle for Heil Hitler.

[…] instead of the young boys growing up to be feminine, weak cry babies like they are in the modern ultra-liberal clown world they live in today.

2020 December 10, James Nicholls, How Uk Should Be, Xlibris Corporation, →ISBN:

"Bloody idiots. But remember, this is an age when hurty feelings come above everything else, especially free speech. Sums up our stupid clownworld backward feminut times, eh?"

2020, P. J. Vanston, Somewhere in Europe, unnumbered page:

But he wasn't a chad. If you are not a chad you are literally an unperson in this clown world.

2021, anonymous, quoted in Martin Robinson, You Are Not the Man You Are Supposed to Be: Into the Chaos of Modern Masculinity, unnumbered page

(slang, derogatory, alt-right) The current absurd and irrational state of global society from the perspective of the alt-right movement.


gigachad

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From giga- + Chad (“a very attractive man”). Although isolated uses exist earlier, the term was popularized by an anonymous poster on the 4chan /pol/ board on October 17th, 2017, who referred to Russian model Ernest Khalimov as "Gigachad". See Gigachad for more.

I heard Robert just donated $500 to Team Trees. What an absolute gigachad!

I have a lot of respect to Tarik for being a gigachad.

2022 March 27, Olivia Richman, “Doublelift calls Tarik "gigachad" for condemning JasonR's sexist behavior”, in Inven Global, archived from the original on 2024-02-05:

As per his IGN interview, LMSH took 242 tries to beat Malenia on his own. After this, he just decided that no other player has to suffer the same fate he did. What an absolute GigaChad.

2022 April 18, RJ Pierce, “Legendary 'Elden Ring' Player 'Let Me Solo Her' Is Now Immortalized In A Mod”, in Tech Times, archived from the original on 2023-03-25:

His meteoric rise from ironic gigachad to actual gigachad is a huge story in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, but he just one-upped his own reputation. In an RMR match against Ecstatic, HooXi scored an insane HLTV rating of 2.21.

2022 October 5, Kenneth Williams, “HooXi just outfragged the rest of G2 against Ecstatic”, in WIN.gg, archived from the original on 2023-09-25:

(by extension, Internet slang, sometimes sarcastic) An extremely admirable man; a Chad among Chads.


fourth wall joke

en-noun

fourth wall joke (plural fourth wall jokes)

(theater, film, television) A joke that intentionally draws attention to the illusion of separation between the audience and the fiction itself.


sir, this is a Wendy's

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One of the comments:
 "I got the whole alphabet right, even the hard part where you have to say LMNOP! The doctors were really impressed!"
 "Sir, this is a Wendy's"

2020 July 24, jthr...@gmail.com, “Re: LOL!”, in alt.guitar.amps (Usenet):

Sir, this is a Wendy's. (Full disclosure: this isn't a Wendy's. This is a sex-advice column, JACKS, and sex-advice columnists are not matchmakers. So you'll have to find and/or hire a phone-sex provider on your own.)

2022, Dan Savage, "When an asexual says 'no', she means no", The Georgia Straight, 17 February 2022 - 24 February 2022, page 17

“You must be in so much pain to keep posting bikini pictures at your age,” a follower commented on longtime supermodel Paulina Porizkova’s Instagram this week. “I pray you can come to terms with your mortality.”
This comment has big “Sir, this is a Wendy’s” energy, or at least, “Sir, if seeing a woman’s exposed flesh compels you to bring up her death, the internet might not be the healthiest place for you right now” vibes. But Porizkova, who is 57 and known for having a good sense of humor, responded with another bikini pic, adding, “As you can see, I’m suffering indeed.”

2022 May 2, Jenny Singer, “Women Are Calling Themselves ‘Old and Ugly’ on Twitter—And It’s Actually Super Heartwarming”, in Glamour:

sir, this is an Arby's
sir, this is an Arby's#English

(Internet slang) Alternative form of sir, this is an Arby's.


sir, this is an Arby's

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From a humorous Internet meme that envisions a character giving a strange, rambling monologue, with the punchline being a fast-food employee reminding them that they are in a restaurant. This format of joke is first attested in a November 2011 tweet by American screenwriter Ethan Hunter (@ethanhunter).

Setting aside the fact that Trump inviting a group of lawmakers to the White House to discuss trade policy only to launch into an out-of-nowhere rant about one of his enemies being fat is the definition of the phrase “ma’am, this is an Arby’s,” Trump’s hatred for Nadler goes way back.

2019 April 9, Bess Levin, “Trump's Radical Anti-Impeachment: Fat Jokes”, in Vanity Fair:

When you’re doing your job as a journalistic commentator in its highest form, you’re drawing new parallels, expanding the Overton Window, opening people’s minds and also ensuring them they aren’t alone in their frustrations with the status quo. When done at its most hacky, however, you’re ranting at people, making leaps and assumptions that gloss over reality, casting yourself as omniscient genius, and generally just pulling real “Sir, this is an Arby’s” shit.

2021 October 13, Blair Stenvick, “If I Ever Run for Governor, Please Don't Vote for Me”, in Portland Mercury:

I wonder if you’re familiar with the “Sir, this is an Arby’s” meme. Let me illustrate it for you:
Person A [with aggressive aggravation]: Can you believe it? The other day, I heard someone refer to the book of Genesis. Surely you KNOW that Genesis is not just “a book,” but the first part of the Pentateuch, and the Pentateuch is a five-fold book, not five books. Do you know what the first word is in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy? It’s and. BOOM. What did Jesus call the Torah? “The book of Moses.” Not the books of Moses.
Person B [laconically]: Sir, this is an Arby's.

2020 September, Alex Duke, “'Sir, This Is a Local Church'— Or, How an Absurdist Meme about a Roast Beef Shop Might Help Heal Our Church”, in 9Marks Journal, page 142:

(Internet slang) Used to indicate that one finds a statement to be bizarre, tangential, or inappropriate for the context in which it is made.


can I speak to the manager haircut

can I speak to the manager haircut (plural can I speak to the manager haircuts)

can I speak to the manager haircuts (plural)

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From a 2014 meme pairing a photo of a white woman with an asymmetrical blond bob with the text "The 'Can I Speak To A Manager' Haircut".

But after a banshee of a woman with a 'can I speak to your manager' haircut howled at us (apparently this was "singing", though we're still yet to confirm it) for an hour we decided it was best to seek the comforts of the motel, its panoramic views of the roundabout and reruns of Midsomer Murders.

2016, Lachlan Sharp, "Lake Placid", The Reef (Beaumaris Yacht Club), Volume 7, Issue 2, Summer/Autumn 2016, page 16

In the first ten seconds of an educational video, Pam, with her double-denim and 'can I speak to the manager' haircut, says ominously: […]

2017, Erin Christie, "Nobody Told Me", Grapeshot (Macquarrie University), Volume 9, Issue 7 (2017), page 29

A middle-aged boomer with a can-I-speak-to-the-manager haircut who has lots of opinions about lots of things but none of them feel all that well thought out.

2020, Portia MacIntosh, Stuck On You, unnumbered page:

(slang, derogatory) A hairstyle associated with entitled middle-aged white women, typically a layered, asymmetrical bob with blond highlights.


Karen haircut

From the use of Karen, beginning in the late 2010s, as a pejorative for an entitled middle-aged white woman. The association of a specific hairstyle with this type of woman began with a 2014 meme pairing a photo of a white woman with an asymmetrical blond bob with the text "The 'Can I Speak To A Manager' Haircut".

There was no misinformation from middle-aged women on Facebook with Karen haircuts.

2020 April 27, Vic Bell, “A Nation In Paralysis”, in Salient, Victoria University of Wellington, page 14:

A woman with a Karen haircut pointed at a hall in the back […]

2020, A. W. Hartoin, Bottle Blonde (published 15 September 15 2020), unnumbered page

The blonde with the Karen haircut had terrible acne, which she concealed with makeup.

2020, Matthew Archbold, American Antigone (published 16 September 2020), page 117


groyper

/ˈɡɹɔɪ.pə(ɹ)/

Unknown. First attested in c. 2015 on 4chan, almost always accompanied with a distinct Pepe the Frog illustration, predating associations with Nick Fuentes.

(Internet slang) A large, green, cartoon toad with a strange mischievous expression, similar to Pepe the Frog.


memeworthy

en-adj

memeworthy (comparative more memeworthy, superlative most memeworthy)

more memeworthy (comparative)
most memeworthy (superlative)

Clips from 1980s cartoons are usually pretty memeworthy.

Facebook's filters are also designed to notice the already popular, frequently clicked items while disregarding other, less memeworthy ones.

2013, Evgeny Morozov, To Save Everything, Click Here: Technology, Solutionism, and the Urge to Fix Problems that Don’t Exist, Penguin UK, →ISBN:

... but they are far from memeworthy. One question that social media can help us ask our students is: what can poetry (and literature more generally) do in ...

2015, Frederick Luis Aldama, Latino/a Literature in the Classroom: Twenty-first-century approaches to teaching, Routledge, →ISBN:

That was kind of memeworthy. I'm impressed.” “Your mum and I were over at Joe's the other night. Twenty years he's been there, Michael.

2017, Randa Abdel-Fattah, The Lines We Cross, Scholastic Inc., →ISBN:

... opened up under the rear wheels of a bus during morning rush hour, producing memeworthy images that have given the city an image it would like to shake.

2021, Justin Starr, Water and Wastewater Pipeline Assessment Technologies: Classification Systems, Sensors, and Results Interpretation, CRC Press, →ISBN, page 19:

(Internet slang) Deserving of Internet memes.


en-proverb

that which has been seen cannot be unseen

what has been seen cannot be unseen#English

Alternative form of what has been seen cannot be unseen


memecoin

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(cryptocurrencies) A cryptocurrency or token that is based on a meme or has a comedic trait.


shocked Pikachu

en-noun

shocked Pikachu (plural shocked Pikachus)

From an Internet meme based on a screencap of Pikachu with a shocked expression from the 1997 episode "Bulbasaur and the Hidden Village" of the animated series Pokémon: Indigo League.

Olivia's shocked-Pikachu face shifts into a full-on scowl.

2020, Anna Meriano, “Just Tell Them You Play Soccer”, in Game On: 15 Stories of Wins, Losses, and Everything in Between, page 180:

I swear to god I had both of my eyes bulging out with my mouth wide open looking like a shocked Pikachu.

2021, Sunehar Aneja, Angela Mathew, editors, And The Dandelions Fell Apart, page 83:

She didn't have to look so friggin' surprised about it. Like a shocked Pikachu.

2021, Yayoi Ogawa, translated by Rose Padgett, Knight of the Ice 7, page 56:

(Internet slang) A Pikachu with a specific open-mouthed, erect-ear expression signifying shock and astonishment, especially regarding something that one should have expected.


gagsmith

A Night at the Opera remains the Marx brothers' finest film, a serendipitous sample of the professional gagsmith's craft allied to preordained characters […]

2002 June 28, Simon Louvish, “Simply the best”, in The Guardian:


Wojak

Etymology tree
Proto-Balto-Slavic *wajas
Proto-Slavic *vojь
Proto-Slavic *-akъ
Proto-Slavic *vojakъ
Polish wojakbor.
English Wojak
From the Internet meme Wojak, a cartoon drawing of a bald man with a wistful or melancholic expression. The original image was posted on vichan, a Polish imageboard, in 2009, and was later reposted to the German imageboard krautchan in 2010 by a Polish user called "wojak"; the username is from Polish wojak (“soldier; fighter”).

etymon

From the original manifestation of a wistful look to the meme of two Wojaks hugging with the tag “I know that feel bro,” he has taken on contexts in male-dominated internet spaces that signify a brotherhood of sorts.

2020, Soham Gadre, “Inside the Male-Dominated Meme Hijacked by Lib-Bashing Trumpsters”, in Daily Beast:

Owing to their coarsely drawn, unyielding masculine outlines, Wojaks are especially compatible with efforts to channel aggression.

2021, Jeffrey Demsky, Nazi and Holocaust Representations in Anglo-American Popular Culture, 1945–2020, page 112:

These figures, which regularly appear as characters in other meme formats, make variants of Doomer (male, female, boy, etc.) one of the most prevalent meme tropes of the early 2020s, with both a vertical reach (as straight copies of the original Doomer format) and a horizontal one (as variants in form, gender, and age, and, since late 2020, race – with Black Wojaks going viral).

2021, Mike Watson, The Memeing of Mark Fisher: How the Frankfurt School Foresaw Capitalist Realism and What To Do About It, page 50:

(Internet slang) An online image of a crudely-drawn person, often with a melancholic expression, with an art style based upon the original Wojak.


deez nuts

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After a bit of back-and-forth, the man suddenly shouts “Deez nuts!”, and since then, it’s become a viral joke.

2021 May 8, “TikTok: What are 'Deez Nuts' Jokes?”, in HITC, archived from the original on 2022-04-14:

Nick Saban is known for his solemn and stern demeanor. So when Alabama safety Jordan Battle revealed his head coach has an affinity for "deez nuts" jokes, it was both shocking and hilarious.

2021 September 21, “Mac Jones confirms Nick Saban's love for 'deez' jokes”, in NBC Sports:

It's got crunchy mixed in frozen fruits and is designed to be eaten with a spoon. Hard to make fun of deez nuts in our mouth.

2022 January 18, “This peanut butter made for gamers actually sounds delicious”, in PC Gamer:

The best part is, of course, when he says “it’s time for love and unity” after flipping everyone off and shortly before telling them to suck “deez nuts.”

2022 March 11, “Kid Rock Is So Unoriginal, He Made the Same Bad Music Video All Over Again”, in Metal Sucks:

(Internet slang, humorous) these nuts (testicles)