this post was submitted on 12 Sep 2025
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TenForward: Where Every Vulcan Knows Your Name

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[–] cm0002@piefed.world 74 points 3 weeks ago (5 children)

And just like that, memes evolve into their own language LMAO

[–] usernamefactory@lemmy.ca 63 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Astronaut, pointing his gun.

[–] angrystego@lemmy.world 26 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Magneto, being finally satisfied.

[–] i_love_FFT@jlai.lu 11 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

So this is finally the way to foil LLMs

[–] JennyLaFae@lemmy.blahaj.zone 24 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Obi-Wan, on the high ground.

[–] svcg@lemmy.blahaj.zone 9 points 3 weeks ago

Jack Nicholson, his head nodding.

[–] EnsignWashout@startrek.website 4 points 3 weeks ago

General Grievous, his delight in his greeting.

[–] 4am@lemmy.zip 4 points 3 weeks ago

A woodsman, nodding slowly

[–] Zuriz@sh.itjust.works 45 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Dicaprio, his wine raised.

[–] OhStopYellingAtMe@lemmy.world 9 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

DiCaprio with a smoke & beer, pointing at tv screen.

[–] wal_kr@lemmy.world 3 points 3 weeks ago

Marty McFly, watching The Honeymooners premiere.

[–] aeronmelon@lemmy.world 37 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

There’s evidence of memeing using Egyptian Hyroglyphs. Hyroglyphs basically being emoji.

Round and round history goes…

[–] angrystego@lemmy.world 27 points 3 weeks ago

Spidermen, pointing at each other.

[–] Rhaedas@fedia.io 27 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Why use many words when one pic will do.

[–] consumptionone@lemmy.world 4 points 3 weeks ago

Kevin, his chili on the floor.

[–] ilinamorato@lemmy.world 17 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

There are a lot of English words that arose from memes. "Toilet," for instance, is like a four-layer-deep euphemism. The big development the internet brought to it was using more detailed imagery.

[–] noughtnaut@lemmy.world 11 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Would you please explain about the ~~fifty ways~~ four layers?

[–] ilinamorato@lemmy.world 8 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Absolutely! I love this stuff. So, etymologically, the English word "toilet" (meaning the fixture where we put pee and poop) derives from the French word "toile," meaning "cloth used for washing." It's actually also the source of the English word "towel." But the way it got from "towel" to "poop hole" is complicated, and basically predicated on the reality that humans are squeamish about poop but have to talk about it kind of a lot (to find a place to put it, or excuse oneself so that they can put it there).

When indoor flush toilets were first introduced, the fixture itself was called a "sanitary basin." The room was called a "water closet," named in contrast to an "earth closet" (which was a... ehm...*non-*flush toilet. Basically, poop in a bucket, burn the contents of the bucket. The "earth" was "night earth," yet another euphemism for "poop"). People would say that they needed to"go to the water closet" instead of saying "I gotta poop."

But over time, the euphemism weakened. Instead of seeming like a polite way to say "I gotta poop," it started to become more rude. This happened around the same time that people were putting the poop fixture into the room where you put on your wig or your makeup or whatever, which was already referred to as a "toilet" (referring specifically to the small cloth used in the process of getting ready in the morning, itself also the result of a bunch of euphemistic and memetic mutation). In that process, the word "water closet" started to apply directly to the fixture itself.

Then, over time, that euphemism also weakened, and the word "toilet" also started to seem rude. But again, this happened as people were putting the bathtub into the room with the poop fixture, so the room became the "bathroom" and the fixture became the "toilet." That particular one happened pretty recently, so depending on your location or your age your grandmother might've still called the fixture the "water closet."

And there are a bunch of other words that have been euphemisms or reverse euphemisms for the fixture or the room or the process (lavatory, washroom, powder room, crapper, commode, throne, drop a deuce, freshen up, see a man about a dog). One of my favorites is "spend a penny:" one of the first flush toilets (not invented by Thomas Crapper, though he would indeed go on to become a major manufacturer of the fixtures) was on display at a World's Fair. You could use a freshly-cleaned one, and even get a shoe shine at the same time, for a penny. They're all memes (ideas with symbolic meaning that spread from person to person), all because people are squeamish about poop but need to talk about it.

Which means that the journey of the word "toilet" is through a bunch of memes: Cloth -> room for makeup -> room with poop hole -> fixture where put poop.

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[–] Jayve@lemmy.world 3 points 3 weeks ago

You don't know how to use the three seashells!?

[–] cm0002@piefed.world 8 points 3 weeks ago
[–] Poik@pawb.social 2 points 3 weeks ago

https://youtu.be/HGaJYG_R-j4 The Cursed Conlang Circus 3 had a few entries last year that were very relevant here.

[–] IcedRaktajino@startrek.website 37 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Geordi, in the bottom-left pane.

Translation

[–] negativenull@lemmy.world 25 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Geordi, asking to have finger pulled

[–] IcedRaktajino@startrek.website 13 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Angry motorcycle guys, a chair thrown.

[–] negativenull@lemmy.world 5 points 3 weeks ago

Peter Parker, crying

[–] rob_t_firefly@lemmy.world 5 points 3 weeks ago

Table cat, screamed and pointed at.

[–] hakunawazo@lemmy.world 2 points 3 weeks ago

Michael Caine distracting the authorities.

[–] acockworkorange@mander.xyz 3 points 3 weeks ago

Geordi, the bottom.

[–] renegadespork@lemmy.jelliefrontier.net 35 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Captain America, his memory ignited.

[–] treesapx@lemmy.world 6 points 3 weeks ago

Old Captain, refuses call

[–] Wilco@lemmy.zip 22 points 3 weeks ago

I am now certain that this is exactly how this alien races language evolved.

[–] Ganbat@lemmy.dbzer0.com 17 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

~~Someone~~ @ummthatguy@lemmy.world posted this a while back. Gold.

[–] ummthatguy@lemmy.world 11 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] Ganbat@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 3 weeks ago

Yo indeed, lol. That makes sense.

[–] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 12 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] ilinamorato@lemmy.world 11 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Bob Belcher, donning his jacket on his way to the Cake show.

[–] EnsignWashout@startrek.website 4 points 3 weeks ago

Gene, his burger costume emitting a worrisome smell.

[–] massacre@lemmy.world 9 points 3 weeks ago

This is the best meme I've seen this year. Congrats OP

[–] Evil_Shrubbery@thelemmy.club 9 points 3 weeks ago

Lemmy is fluent in this.

[–] tomenzgg@midwest.social 7 points 3 weeks ago
[–] jawa22@lemmy.blahaj.zone 7 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Dorothy, annoyed with Blanche.

[–] EnsignWashout@startrek.website 7 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

I have a feeling there's a beautiful day in the future when someone asks "Do all Star Trek fans have an uncanny knowledge of 'Golden Girls'?"

And I'll just say "It's a long story."

[–] jawa22@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 3 weeks ago

On the serious side, in the end O think it is because we tend to be people that enjoy well-written episodic shows and all but the last maybe 2 seasons of Golden Girls really fits the bill. They truly ran out of ideas by that time, sadly.

Kakuranger police officer announcing the weekday.

[–] EnsignWashout@startrek.website 6 points 3 weeks ago

Boimler, his eye first fell on USS Titan's bridge.

[–] Akasazh@feddit.nl 4 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Jeremiah Johnson slowly nodding.

[–] EtAl@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 3 weeks ago

Shouldn't it be Lisa (Simpson) standing in front of a presentation screen? Or am I missing a meme?

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