# What does "Oh snap!" mean? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 26, 2011, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-oh-snap-mean/594203 "2011-08-26T18:37:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-oh-snap-mean/594203/41 "2011-08-26T23:01:55Z")
> [@Candyman74](#): > > There are so many colloquialisms, ways of phrasing things, little different choices of words, plus variants in manner and accent between the US and the UK that often it may as well be a different language. I take it then, you’ve never heard the phrase “Two nations, separated by a common language” in reference to US/UK language differences. 🙂 I agree that “oh snap” it is synonymous with “burn!” to mean “my good sir, you have just been mocked and I salute he who mocked you for his apt wit.” ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-oh-snap-mean/594203/42 "2011-08-26T23:09:22Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > Actually, it is an approving, somewhat incredulous response to a witty, clever, and unexpected insult. > [@Bosstone](#): > > It’s an acknowledgment that a burn has been delivered, that the person the speaker was addressing did, indeed, get told. > [@Hello\_Again](#): > > I agree that “oh snap” it is synonymous with “burn!” to mean “my good sir, you have just been mocked and I salute he who mocked you for his apt wit.” These three accurately describe my intent when I used the phrase in the thread the OP linked to. ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-oh-snap-mean/594203/43 "2011-08-26T23:43:54Z")
> [@rogerbox](#): > > When I was a cashier years ago, I was mystified when a customer asked me some questions about a product, and after answering them I asked her “Would you like to pick it up?” she looked at me with the world’s blankest expression and repeated “pick that up?” I couldn’t be sure if she seriously did now know what the phrase meant or if she was just trying to be incredibly obnoxious so I said “would you like to…purchase the _item_?” in a cornball voice. I wouldn’t have had a clue what you meant, and if I were with anyone, you would definitely have been the topic of conversation on the way home. I am guessing that it is a regionalism, like soda and pop, or paper bag and paper sack. ---
**Author:** ![rogerbox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@rogerbox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rogerbox)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-oh-snap-mean/594203/44 "2011-08-27T00:13:45Z")
> [@Pai325](#): > > I wouldn’t have had a clue what you meant, and if I were with anyone, you would definitely have been the topic of conversation on the way home. I am guessing that it is a regionalism, like soda and pop, or paper bag and paper sack. Huh. I am surprised because, I am a native Chicagoan so I occasionally get comments or confusion if I use phrases or slang from home here in Seattle. However, the SDMB is a Chicago based board, so I assumed if someone here in the northwest did not understand a phrase I used, people here would pipe in that they are familiar with it. All of my co-workers back at the grocery store, and my co-worker at a different, nonretail job today all knew exactly what I meant. Let’s say you want this ice cream but you are worried it has transfat (or whatever you can’t eat) in it. You take the icecream with the rest of your cart, and while I am scanning and ringing your stuff up the following exchange takes place: You: I can’t eat transfats, do you know if this icecream has transfats? Me: Actually this store is transfat free, you definitely don’t have to worry. So did you still want to pick it up? Even if you are not familiar with that phrase, I’m surprised that in that context an adult could not figure out that “pick it up” means “purchase the ice cream”. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-oh-snap-mean/594203/45 "2011-08-27T00:26:21Z")
> [@rogerbox](#): > > You: I can’t eat transfats, do you know if this icecream has transfats? > Me: Actually this store is transfat free, you definitely don’t have to worry. So did you still want to pick it up? > > Even if you are not familiar with that phrase, I’m surprised that in that context an adult could not figure out that “pick it up” means “purchase the ice cream”. This scenario gives me more context to figure out what you mean, so I probably would figure out what you meant. In the first situation, though, I would still be wondering why you were asking me to reach down and lift the stuff. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-oh-snap-mean/594203/46 "2011-08-27T00:29:09Z")
> [@rogerbox](#): > > Even if you are not familiar with that phrase, I’m surprised that in that context an adult could not figure out that “pick it up” means “purchase the ice cream”. I’m surprised that the phrase “quarter of [hour]” is ambiguous enough to some people to have been the subject of not one but two threads where several people said they couldn’t fathom a guess as to whether it mean [hour]:45 or [hour]:15. Regionalisms are like that: perfectly understandable to the people who use them, and often baffling to those to who don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Student\_Driver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3da27b/32.png) [@Student\_Driver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Student_Driver)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-oh-snap-mean/594203/47 "2011-08-27T00:35:03Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > That’s how I’ve read it, on the couple of occasions I’ve come across it (never heard it spoken) and it seemed to make sense. But from the other responses it seems that’s wrong. > > I’m British, BTW, and it’s not used over here, but just the sound of it makes me think it _should_ be an expletive substitute. Well, it’s not necessarily wrong, and it _does_ also serve as an expletive substitute sometimes. I’ve occasionally heard “snap” used over the word “shit” in TV versions of theatrical movies-- _Above the Rim_ was the first movie I consciously heard it in, as it was used a _lot_ and in really odd sounding cases. Dave Chapelle has also used “oh snap” in some of his show’s skits in a manner which is pretty clearly “oh shit” rather than the more usual “oh, burn!,” but its use also seems to be poking fun at TV language restrictions. And, then in real world use, I _do_ sometimes hear it where the “burn!” thing is clearly not meant… at the gym a while back, a guy near me said “oh snap” in response to our seeing a lady get hit by a car while walking up to the gym doors. (She was okay, by the way.) It was definitely an exclamation of shock… I think my own utterance was “fuck!” All that said, the preponderance of its usage is the “burn!” thing everyone else has said. ---
**Author:** ![rogerbox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@rogerbox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rogerbox)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-oh-snap-mean/594203/48 "2011-08-27T00:37:26Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > I’m surprised that the phrase “quarter of [hour]” is ambiguous enough to some people to have been the subject of not one but two threads where several people said they couldn’t fathom a guess as to whether it mean [hour]:45 or [hour]:15. Regionalisms are like that: perfectly understandable to the people who use them, and often baffling to those to who don’t. No one I have ever heard has said “quarter OF (hour)”, everywhere I have been it’s “quarter to” (or as I would pronounce it “quarter tuh” 😛 ) or “quarter til”. I would assume quarter of 5 means 4:45 if I heard it though, is that right? I was startled the first time I heard “\_\_\_ needs washed” > [@Acsenray](#): > > This scenario gives me more context to figure out what you mean, so I probably would figure out what you meant. In the first situation, though, I would still be wondering why you were asking me to reach down and lift the stuff. I think I should’ve given the context better originally and less people maybe would’ve been so confused about it, I don’t think I gave enough information. Kind of like you hear a somewhat obscure word on it’s own and can’t define it, but if it is in a sentence you know perfectly well what it means. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-oh-snap-mean/594203/49 "2011-08-27T00:49:19Z")
I always thought of “oh, snap!” as an onomatopoeic representation of someone’s head being snapped around by the metaphorical force of a verbal slap to the face. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-oh-snap-mean/594203/50 "2011-08-27T01:21:54Z")
I have never heard it in conversation. The few times I have heard or seen it have been on TV comedy sketches or on the SDMB. I assumed that it had something to do with the card game Snap: > **[Snap (card game)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snap_(card_game)#Snap)** > > Snap is a card game in which players deal cards and react quickly to spot pairs of cards of the same rank. Cards are either dealt into separate piles around the table, one per player, or (particularly when played with young children) into a single shared pile. The game may be a simplified version of the older Snip Snap Snorem. > The pack of cards is dealt out among the players in face-down stacks as equally as possible. Play proceeds with the players taking it in turns to remove a card from the t... As you can see, one shouts this if one sees two identical cards. I assumed that it means, “Yeah, you’re correct. You see the problem too.” This isn’t too far from the meaning given for the expression in the link I give. That says that it means, “Me too.” ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-oh-snap-mean/594203/51 "2011-08-27T01:34:05Z")
Chrome uses it in some error messages. “Oh, snap! That file isn’t there anymore!” ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-oh-snap-mean/594203/52 "2011-08-27T01:34:08Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > I’m surprised that the phrase “quarter of [hour]” is ambiguous enough to some people to have been the subject of not one but two threads where several people said they couldn’t fathom a guess as to whether it mean [hour]:45 or [hour]:15. Regionalisms are like that: perfectly understandable to the people who use them, and often baffling to those to who don’t. Wow. Means neither to me! I’d have to ask you to rephrase if you said that to me - I only understand quarter to and quarter from. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-oh-snap-mean/594203/53 "2011-08-27T01:38:39Z")
> [@rogerbox](#): > > It was a grocery store though, so i can’t imagine what the ambiguity was, since she had brought the item to the checkout stand and was asking me questions to try to help her decide whether to buy it. I do believe the woman was just trying to make fun of the way I talk. I guess it really comes down to how she looked when she delivered her query. Nevertheless, a short visit “across the pond” showed me several places where normal conversation halted because of a common phrase that was not understood. My wife was baffled the first time some woman said to her “eat in or take away?” and she had to ask her to repeat it. Twice. (Americans say “is that for here or to go?”) On more than one occasion I had a Brit storekeeper give me a puzzled look when I said “I’m all set.” Apparently that phrase is not as universal as I thought. ETA: As for the OP, I only heard my teenagers using it as a gentle replacement for “Aw crap!” or something similar. And they were saying this ten years ago. ---
**Author:** ![GameHat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ed655f/32.png) [@GameHat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GameHat)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-oh-snap-mean/594203/54 "2011-08-27T02:15:00Z")
> [@ecoaster](#): > > Usually used after a “diss”, e.g., “Oh snap, he said you a trifilin’ fool” > > It’s just a simple exclamation that can be used for a variety of purpose ( “Oh snap, I realize I forgot my keys”). The dis usage was, IMO, the original. Minor expletive came later. I still think of it in the dis usage, though I :dubious: at “triflin’”. I don’t think anyone’s linked it yet, so here is a funny picture: [Criteria for the proper tactical usage of the phrase: “Oh, snap!”: A flowchart](http://www.flickr.com/photos/vjornaxx/294168009/) This fits with the “dis” usage. Non-American Dopers, this is “dis” as in “disrespect”, or more properly, an insult intended to put a foolishly and/or cockily arrogant person in their place. “Get told” having the approximate meaning of “get put in their place” or “have their ego challenged and deflated” ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-oh-snap-mean/594203/55 "2011-08-27T02:15:32Z")
> [@Candyman74](#): > > Wow. Means neither to me! I’d have to ask you to rephrase if you said that to me - I only understand quarter to and quarter from. “Quarter from” is new to me. I’m familiar with “quarter after” or “quarter past.” I’ve heard “quarter of,” but I’m never sure whether it means “quarter to/before” or “quarter past/after.” ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-oh-snap-mean/594203/56 "2011-08-27T03:19:41Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > “Quarter from” is new to me. I’m familiar with “quarter after” or “quarter past.” > > I’ve heard “quarter of,” but I’m never sure whether it means “quarter to/before” or “quarter past/after.” I’ve also never heard “quarter from”. “Quarter of” has always meant “quarter to” to me. ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-oh-snap-mean/594203/57 "2011-08-27T04:07:55Z")
> [@rogerbox](#): > > Huh. I am surprised because, I am a native Chicagoan so I occasionally get comments or confusion if I use phrases or slang from home here in Seattle. However, the SDMB is a Chicago based board, so I assumed if someone here in the northwest did not understand a phrase I used, people here would pipe in that they are familiar with it. my husband is from the south side and I am from a northern suburb, and sometimes it was like we were from different countries! I’m sure I would have figured it out, but I would have been one of those who gave you a blank stare! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![rogerbox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@rogerbox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rogerbox)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-oh-snap-mean/594203/58 "2011-08-27T04:30:01Z")
> [@Pai325](#): > > my husband is from the south side and I am from a northern suburb, and sometimes it was like we were from different countries! I’m sure I would have figured it out, but I would have been one of those who gave you a blank stare! 😃 I’m from the south side too so it probably makes sense why you can’t understand us upstanding southside gentlemen. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-oh-snap-mean/594203/59 "2011-08-27T04:46:55Z")
I somehow have the image of a large black woman saying something withering while her head does that side-to-side motion, which she then punctuates by extending her arm to side at about eye level and literally snapping her fingers. That’s where I figured “ohhh SNAP” came from. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-oh-snap-mean/594203/60 "2011-08-27T05:10:42Z")
> [@Koxinga](#): > > I somehow have the image of a large black woman saying something withering while her head does that side-to-side motion, which she then punctuates by extending her arm to side at about eye level and literally snapping her fingers. That’s where I figured “ohhh SNAP” came from. Me, too. And that’s exactly why it always makes me laugh a bit when a guy or otherwise completely incongruent person says it. So thanks, **Mellon**. BTW, Firefox’s spellcheck doesn’t know the word incongruent. So even computers are getting in on this act. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-oh-snap-mean/594203.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-oh-snap-mean/594203.md?page=4)