So now that we have totally deconstructed squeee, what’s up with snap? I might add that I never say snap! out loud, as you need to be Jaime Pressly or Ricki Lake Show Audience Lady to pull that off.
As I understand it, snap! is a reaction to a really good wisecrack or to a sudden twist of fate? For instance, after Marie Dressler insulted Jean Harlow at the end of Dinner at Eight, Billie Burke might have walked by and said “oh, snap!” Or when Burgess Meredith’s glasses fell off and broke at the end of that Twilight Zone, instead of moaning “it isn’t fair!,” he might have gone “snap!”
The only time I’ve heard “snap” used is in those priceless “VeeDub in ze House” commercials. When the manic German auto engineer trashes some idiot kid’s ricer, he says “Oh, snap!”.
So I guess the equivalent meaning is “sucks to be you” or “gotcha!”?
I’m not sure, myself. I’ve only ever heard it since moving to Seattle, and my husband and brother-in-law use it, though infrequently. It seems to be the thing to say when there’s really nothing much left to say - a shocking moment, a particularly good zinger to which no one can respond to with any amount of wit on the spot (but “oh, snap” should be said by someone not involved in the situation), or witnessing an amazing feat of some sort, such as the moment in which I first heard it, when Mr. Stasaeon and his brother were playing… well, not basketball, but basically they would pick an obscure spot from which to heave the ball in a vain attempt to get it to go through the hoop. My BIL picked a totally impossible spot, from which you could not even see the net, made the attempt, failed miserably, and my husband took his spot. He made the shot, and, amazingly, of course, made it. That was when I first heard the phrase, “Oh, SNAP!” and this was uttered by my BIL.
Subsequent viewings of the Chappelle Show have confirmed my belief that this is probably the standard usage, though I’d like to hear from someone who knows what they’re talking about.
In your first example, yes, “snap” would correctly mean “Oh, good one!” at someone else’s expense.
I don’t think Burgess Meredith himself would say it, but someone else might say it to acknowledge how crappy the situation is, but usually because a third party had broken the glasses.
I’ve always heard it used where “Oh shit” or “Holy crap” might otherwise be used, though it seems to have opposite meanings based on context.
Example 1: Kids 1 and 2 are dissing Kid 3. Kid 1 makes a particularly impressive insult against Kid 3, to which Kid 2 admiringly exclaims, “Oh, snap!” (equivalent to the 80s “Burn!” as expressing admiration for the quality of the insult hurled at the same time as rubbing it in to the person insulted.)
Example 2: “Wait, if this is my thesis CD, then that means I just gave my prof a disc full of porn! Oh snap!” (This would be the “Oh shit!” context)
Example 3: “Oh, snap, check out the ghetto booty on dat ho!” (This would be the “Holy Crap” context)
Why does this post sound like a white suburban 1950s educational video about street slang?
It’s kinda like saying "Oh Sht". Only it’s “acceptable” to the grandparents of hip-hop cultured young men who originated it. I think they just felt that "Sht"would tick off Grammy, and “Crap” seemed too “white” or “dorky”.
What say you to my inexplicable expounding of amazing facts?
Hrrmm…you just said what I just said, only I typed slower, and you’re funnier. I’ll concede this time, but just you wait…just you wait. You’ll have yours!!!
I’ve heard it used in most exclamatory places I’d use “Oh shit!”.
If you’ve been dissed and I witness it, I might say: “Aw, sheee-it!” or “Oh, snap!”
If I see you’re about to haul out a can o’ whoop-ass on someone else, I might say: “Shit, y’all started it now!” or “Oh, snap! Eve’s gonna break you in two without tearing a nail.”
If you say something to start an argument with me, I might say: “Oh, shit, Eve, get out of here with your plaids and your stripes!” or “Oh, snap! Lose that tacky dollar store brooch and go buy yourself a clue!” (This is a warm up to a tirade. Jaime Pressley does a wonderful job with this usage.)
If I have a sudden idea, I might say, “Oh, shit, listen you guys!” or “Oh, snap! Listen up!”
It’s a verbalization of a finger snap. It’s to get or draw attention.
All I know on the topic is every time I hear Kirstie Alley say it at the end of that fricking Jenny Craig commercial, two words run through my head: Justifiable Homicide.
“Snap” is kind of like the punk kid of ‘Oh Buuuuurrnnnnnnn!’.
My favorite use of ‘Oh Snap!’ was The Daily Show predicting the headline on the NY Post after Saddam would be executed.
Here (Australia), “Snap” is a kids card game, and the object is to get all the cards. Each person puts down the top card from their hand as quickly as possible, and unseen till it is turned over at the centre pile, so all players see it at the same time. If 2 of the same card are put down one after another, the first person to put their hand on the pile and call “snap” gets that pile.
So to me, saying “Snap” means acknowledging you are saying/doing/wearing/showing the same thing as someone else at the same time. And the expression is used here that way - turn up at a party wearing the same outfit as someone else, you could go up to them and say “snap”.
[African American cultural tour guide hat on]
That’s exactly correct, Mindy. In a lot of Black families, there is a need to come up with euphanisms for expletives, as Big Momma or Daddy will promptly smack the hell out of any child that dares to curse. Hence, “darn,” “bullcorn,” “sucka,” and “snap.” I’ve heard variations like “snip,” but that would probably get you a smack as well, because it sounds too much like the actual thing.
It’s as old as the hills. I heard it coming up all the time, but probably outside of Black folks in the past ten years.
Used correctly, it is signifying some event, usually when someone is experiencing humiliation, like in a game of the dozens. When someone busts out with a truly excellent “yo mama” dis, members of the crowd may say “oh, snap!” indicating that the dis was excellent and/or going to far. Usually this indicates that the stakes are going up a notch. (Fisticuffs and hair-pulling are probably not far behind.)
It is not used exactly like “shit.” You would never say “I gotta take a snap” or “Snap!” when you hit your elbow on the door.
