Mic drop
A mic drop is the gesture of intentionally dropping one's microphone at the end of a performance or speech to signal triumph. Figuratively, it is an expression of triumph for a successful event and indicates a boastful attitude toward one's own performance.[1]
History
When laying down his magazine Then Swänska Argus at the end of 1734, Swedish journalist Olof von Dalin ended with the words "as I now throw my pen" (när jag nu kastar min penna), typeset in a slanted manner, as a display of actually throwing his pen. (Possibly this was copied from The Spectator by Addison and Steele or other magazines of the time.)
The gesture with a microphone became prevalent in the 1980s, when it was used by
The gesture gained increased popularity from 2012.
Google introduced a "mic drop" feature to Gmail on April 1, 2016, as an April Fools' Day joke, allowing users to send a GIF of a Minion dropping a microphone as a reply to any email. If used, the feature also prevented the sender from seeing any subsequent replies that the recipient sent.[7] The feature was removed within hours after Google received complaints from some users, with some reporting that they lost their job as a result of accidentally using it.[8][9]
References
- ^ "'Cat café' and other words added to OxfordDictionaries.com". OxfordWords blog. Oxford Dictionaries. 27 August 2015. Archived from the original on 6 June 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
- ^ a b c d Wickman, Forrest (25 January 2013). "When Did People Start Walking Off the Stage Like This? *Drops Mic*". Slate. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
- ^ "Sex Pistols live @ Mafcentrum Maasbree (Netherlands, dec. 1977)". YouTube.
- ^ Smith, David (1 May 2016). "Barack Obama in surprise swipe at Clinton at final correspondents' dinner". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
- ^ "This K-Pop Group Has A New Song Based On Obama's Mic Drop". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
- ^ Roberts, Dan (29 April 2016). "Obamas, Prince Harry and the Queen trade mic drops in comedy sketch". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
- ^ Rogers, Katie (1 April 2016). "April Fools' Undo: Gmail Removes Its 'Mic Drop' Feature". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
- ^ McCormick, Rich (1 April 2016). "Google pulls ill-advised 'mic drop' April Fools' joke from Gmail". The Verge. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
- ^ "Google April Fool Gmail button sparks backlash". BBC News. 1 April 2016. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
External links
- The dictionary definition of mic drop at Wiktionary
- The dictionary definition of drop the mic at Wiktionary
- Drop The Mic Microphone