# Are you familiar with the term "snowclone" **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 7, 2019, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-familiar-with-the-term-snowclone/836687 "2019-07-07T23:28:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2019, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-familiar-with-the-term-snowclone/836687/1 "2019-07-07T23:28:27Z")
I was browsing through the Wikipedia page on [Have Gun Will Travel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Have_Gun_%E2%80%93_Will_Travel) wherein it explains the title is a “snowclone” on a cliche used in personal advertisements in newspapers like The Times, indicating that the advertiser was ready for anything. I’m 64, I’ve never heard that term. Just wondering if it’s actually popular or I’m just out of the loop. [Link.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowclone) Have you heard it? . ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2019, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-familiar-with-the-term-snowclone/836687/2 "2019-07-07T23:36:10Z")
Early 60s. Never heard of it. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2019, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-familiar-with-the-term-snowclone/836687/3 "2019-07-08T00:25:27Z")
Mid-60s, never heard of it. But not surprising, because as the link says “The term was coined as a neologism in 2004, derived from journalistic clichés that referred to the number of Eskimo words for snow.” So pretty recent, obscure, and homemade by some writer. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2019, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-familiar-with-the-term-snowclone/836687/4 "2019-07-08T01:16:21Z")
I’ve heard of it, but I follow linguistics blogs. I think I first heard the term in discussions of the “I, for one, welcome our new \ overlords.” ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2019, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-familiar-with-the-term-snowclone/836687/5 "2019-07-08T01:38:41Z")
I had heard it before. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2019, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-familiar-with-the-term-snowclone/836687/6 "2019-07-08T01:46:16Z")
TVTropes mentions it: > [@](#): > > A “Snowclone” is a form of trope title that relies on imitating an older title’s form with only a small modification. Usually this modification amounts to replacing a word or making a pun. -and in general frowns on using them. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2019, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-familiar-with-the-term-snowclone/836687/7 "2019-07-08T04:03:05Z")
Yet, aren’t those kind of titles all over tvtropes? ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2019, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-familiar-with-the-term-snowclone/836687/8 "2019-07-08T09:04:04Z")
Heard about it because I’m a linguistics nerd. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2019, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-familiar-with-the-term-snowclone/836687/9 "2019-07-08T09:24:25Z")
I found out about them a few years back via a discussion about eggcorns and mondegreens on these here boards. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2019, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-familiar-with-the-term-snowclone/836687/10 "2019-07-08T11:27:33Z")
I’ve heard of it, but I definitely had to look it up the first time I saw it. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2019, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-familiar-with-the-term-snowclone/836687/11 "2019-07-08T12:12:40Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > TVTropes mentions it: > > -and in general frowns on using them. TVTropes is probably where I first heard the term. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2019, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-familiar-with-the-term-snowclone/836687/12 "2019-07-08T12:40:43Z")
Never heard of it. Most TV Trope titles are either clear enough at first reading or make sense after reading the explanation. E.g., “growing the beard” is a good one but only after you read about the origin. This one … just sucks. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2019, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-familiar-with-the-term-snowclone/836687/13 "2019-07-08T13:13:56Z")
I knew the term, from online discussions. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2019, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-familiar-with-the-term-snowclone/836687/14 "2019-07-08T18:19:15Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > I knew the term, from online discussions. Me too. Not from some linguistics academic background, but from discussions of image macros, since many of the captions are snowclones. So I learned about snowclones from 4chan. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2019, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-familiar-with-the-term-snowclone/836687/15 "2019-07-08T19:33:37Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > TVTropes mentions it: > > -and in general frowns on using them. Nope, never heard of it - UK based, but I doubt that makes much difference, given where/how you are likely to come across it. When I saw the definition my first thought was: _But isn’t that just some sort of trope?_ But the more I think about it, it’s specific enough to require its own word - just not _Snowclone_ - that’s a properly awful choice. j ---
**Author:** ![sunstone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunstone/32/3372_2.png) [@sunstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunstone)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2019, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-familiar-with-the-term-snowclone/836687/16 "2019-07-09T02:27:19Z")
Never heard of it. While the “clone” part makes sense, the “snow” part referring to the legendary number of words used by native peoples is not only obscure, but inaccurate, and based on erroneous information. “Eskimos” don’t have 100 words for snow. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2019, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-familiar-with-the-term-snowclone/836687/17 "2019-07-09T11:28:31Z")
> [@sunstone](#): > > Never heard of it. While the “clone” part makes sense, the “snow” part referring to the legendary number of words used by native peoples is not only obscure, but inaccurate, and based on erroneous information. “Eskimos” don’t have 100 words for snow. The creator of the term is well aware that Eskimos don’t have 100 words for snow - the term was created because he saw repeated uses of the phrase “\ have 100 words for \” such as “auto manufacturers have 100 words for beige” etc. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2019, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-familiar-with-the-term-snowclone/836687/18 "2019-07-12T19:00:37Z")
First came across it (and “eggcorn”) several years ago, probably on Language Log. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2019, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-familiar-with-the-term-snowclone/836687/19 "2019-07-12T19:50:25Z")
Never heard it before. Now, reading up on it a little bit, I still don’t think I get it.