# It's a trap! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 3, 2007, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-trap/425074 "2007-11-03T01:19:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2007, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-trap/425074/1 "2007-11-03T01:19:07Z")
I always thought that this phrase (as a meme) originated with Admiral Ackbar. In a recent thread though, someone said it came from somewhere else. I can’t find the thread, and I don’t remember the claimed origin. A little help? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2007, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-trap/425074/2 "2007-11-03T01:27:18Z")
I’m amazed that _anyone_ thought that phrase originated with _Star Wars_. Surely it’s a staple of every World War 2 flick where the fighter pilots get suckered into an ambush, which the gloriously win, though not until after Butch and Brooklyn get shot down. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2007, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-trap/425074/3 "2007-11-03T01:35:28Z")
[QUOTE=Bryan Ekers] Surely it’s a staple of every World War 2 flick where the fighter pilots get suckered into an ambush… [/QUOTE] I’m talking about the Internet meme. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2007, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-trap/425074/4 "2007-11-03T01:39:01Z")
I always associated the phrase with the joke from the 6 Day War. Although I’m sure it dates back to the Romans, at least. ---
**Author:** ![Linty\_Fresh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Linty\_Fresh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Linty_Fresh)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2007, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-trap/425074/5 "2007-11-03T01:42:35Z")
It was actually a misprint in the script, and George Lucas decided to run with it. [Here’s](http://blogs.experience.com/technologychannel/uploaded_images/tarp-30198-795894.jpg) what it was originally supposed to be. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2007, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-trap/425074/6 "2007-11-03T01:59:40Z")
According to [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It%27s_a_trap#Pop_culture), it (the internet meme) started over in the [somethingawful.com](http://somethingawful.com) boards. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2007, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-trap/425074/7 "2007-11-03T02:08:11Z")
[QUOTE=silenus] I always associated the phrase with the joke from the 6 Day War. [/QUOTE] Now that’s _funny,_ even though I’ve heard only the punch line. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![H3Knuckles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ba8739/32.png) [@H3Knuckles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/H3Knuckles)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2007, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-trap/425074/8 "2007-11-03T02:48:58Z")
As I understand it (and the purported Something Awful origin would seem to back), the “It’s a trap!” meme started with nerds on the internet jokingly referencing the Star Wars usage to warn of transgendered porn. IE, photos or anime where it was not readily apparent the individual is a guy; hence, it’s a trap. A more homophobic meme, from a more juvenile age.