# the colloquialism, "burn!" **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 7, 2011, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-colloquialism-burn/566759 "2011-01-07T17:49:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ultraman100](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b77776/32.png) [@ultraman100](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultraman100)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-colloquialism-burn/566759/1 "2011-01-07T17:49:43Z")
Care to reminisce and tell me about when you remember this pop-culture word being used, and where: As in, Person 1 to Person 2: “blah blah blah you are so blah.” Person 3: “burn!” ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-colloquialism-burn/566759/2 "2011-01-07T18:03:14Z")
Popularized on That 70’s Show. ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-colloquialism-burn/566759/3 "2011-01-07T18:18:37Z")
Possibly around 1982, in Juneau, Alaska. I was young. It’s ancient. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-colloquialism-burn/566759/4 "2011-01-07T18:25:21Z")
> [@capybara](#): > > Possibly around 1982, in Juneau, Alaska. I was young. It’s ancient. Seconded. I remember it from junior high in central Illinois, which would have been early 1980’s. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-colloquialism-burn/566759/5 "2011-01-07T18:39:56Z")
We used it in Jr. High as well '90-'92. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-colloquialism-burn/566759/6 "2011-01-07T18:47:34Z")
Yeah it’s old, but I would say That 70’s Show brought it back. I don’t remember hearing it that often until the show. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-colloquialism-burn/566759/7 "2011-01-07T19:00:15Z")
I first heard in elementary school, Chicagoland, mid- to late 70s. I remember it as “burrrrrRRRN!” with an extended rising tone, rather than the punctuated “BURN!” they use in _That 70’s Show_. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-colloquialism-burn/566759/8 "2011-01-07T22:22:59Z")
[moderating] Moved from GQ to MPSIMS. [/moderating] ---
**Author:** ![Heckity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a5b964/32.png) [@Heckity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heckity)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-colloquialism-burn/566759/9 "2011-01-07T22:31:08Z")
I remember it like **Vinyl Turnip** , same era, same inflection, in Southern Ontario. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-colloquialism-burn/566759/10 "2011-01-08T01:27:57Z")
It is another form of the modern term “owned” from my experience. I recall many times hearing or saying something like “Ooooh, buuuurn” in the early 1980’s. I think there was sometimes even the word “Bip” in there too, with the phrase “Ooooh, bip-_burn_” being commonplace. The emphasis was always on the burn, though. ---
**Author:** ![kapri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4491bb/32.png) [@kapri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kapri)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-colloquialism-burn/566759/11 "2011-01-08T01:31:11Z")
In high school, in the 70s. I hadn’t thought about it in years and then watched _That 70s Show_ and when they said “Burn!” I said “We used to say that! I thought it was just us!” This was a high school on the Central Florida Gulf Coast. ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-colloquialism-burn/566759/12 "2011-01-10T01:16:32Z")
Junior and senior high school, mid-70’s, northeastern Ohio. And I said it to someone three days ago… ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-colloquialism-burn/566759/13 "2011-01-10T01:18:53Z")
This thread. Never heard it before. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-colloquialism-burn/566759/14 "2011-01-10T01:19:03Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Popularized on That 70’s Show. We used it constantly in 7th Grade, in 1990. It was our number one thing to yell. Oh, I teach 7th Grade now and the kids use it. They’ve never even seen That 70’s Show. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-colloquialism-burn/566759/15 "2011-01-10T02:21:16Z")
80s, then it disappeared for a good long while and I started hearing it again around 2005. Did anyone else say “oooh, _chin_,” where chin is used exactly like burn? Mid to late 1980s. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-colloquialism-burn/566759/16 "2011-01-10T02:33:18Z")
80’s. I don’t remember _chin_, but many of my friends said _Facial!_ as in fay-SHUL-- with the same meaning. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-colloquialism-burn/566759/17 "2011-01-10T04:15:24Z")
> [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](#): > > This thread. Never heard it before. Me either ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-colloquialism-burn/566759/18 "2011-01-10T04:23:41Z")
I remember hearing it in elementary school in the mid 70’s. Axtually, I remember it as being more long form, like “Ooh, you got burned,” or “burned you to a crisp.” ---
**Author:** ![FrustratedIdiot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/77aa72/32.png) [@FrustratedIdiot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FrustratedIdiot)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-colloquialism-burn/566759/19 "2011-01-10T04:28:46Z")
Don’t forget about Kenny Drebsen, King of the Burn! [http://www.myspace.com/video/vid/43992716](http://www.myspace.com/video/vid/43992716) ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-colloquialism-burn/566759/20 "2011-01-10T10:49:20Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > 80s, then it disappeared for a good long while and I started hearing it again around 2005. > > Did anyone else say “oooh, _chin_,” where chin is used exactly like burn? Mid to late 1980s. I think we’re roughly the same age, but I never heard “burn!” until That 70s Show. “Moded”(?) was the term I remember from elementary school in the early nineties. I don’t remember there being a particular word in high school. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-colloquialism-burn/566759.md?page=2)