One Wiki-phenomenon is the trout slap.




I suspect, like everything else on wikipedia, it was ripped off from somewhere.

My theory is that it originates from Asterix the Gaul - and the fishmonger Unhygienix, who was always hitting people with fish.






Yes, OK, nearly off-topic - but we're still talking about wikipedia???

See the External Links on The Fish Slapping Dance from Monty Python, 1971.

The phrase was used on IRC many years before WP.

Someone on the WP predecessor everything2 suggests that the idea may have come from the Chilly Willy cartoons of the 50s.

I wonder if it warrants a section at User:MZMcBride/Memes. The practice has always irritated the shit out of me.

It was a built in macro action in early versions of mirc. Newbies couldn't resist right clicking someone's nickname and selecting "slap" from the menu just to see what it does. This annoyed the hell out of many of the IRC old timers. Therefore "trouting" became associated with newbieness on IRC like posting "me too" did on usenet.

I think "trout" was used as either a substitute for the non-feminist friendly "bitch slap" or the too mature "cock slap". I bet it's meaning is somewhere in between the two.

I think this thread is heading for the Annex, although a reference to Richard Brautigan might have saved it.

Trout Slapping in America was actually inspired by Trout Slapping in Britain, per Monty Python, 1971, BBC.

Only through the wonders of time travel.

The first edit to the page was by Radiant! One could always ask him (her?) - but September 30 2006 sounds rather late in the peace...?

Not to be confused with the more prevalent *cod's wallop*.