explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:3075: Anachronym Challenge

2025-04-12T05:25:32Z

108.162.216.196: Chalk

Shouldn't "Anachronym" be "Anachronism"? The listed items aren't archaic acronyms. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.63.83|162.158.63.83]] 17:30, 11 April 2025 (UTC)
:No, "-nym" means name, so this is names that are outdated [[Special:Contributions/104.23.190.60|104.23.190.60]] 17:36, 11 April 2025 (UTC)
:: (The OP) Ah, I see now. An anachronym is a term used in an anachronistic way (like tin foil which isn't made of tin anymore), where an anacronym is an word that started as an acronym but is now treated as a word (people no longer think of it as an acronym). Neither term being in common parlance, and being only one letter different, my search for a definition got them confused.[[Special:Contributions/172.70.35.94|172.70.35.94]] 00:20, 12 April 2025 (UTC)

I'm not sure why he should be paying with paper money. He can easily pay by credit card ... using virtual debit card on his phone. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 17:46, 11 April 2025 (UTC)
: Paper money might not be made from paper anymore - at least, it isn't in NZ, where I live. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.0.130|172.69.0.130]] 17:53, 11 April 2025 (UTC)

::I think “paper money” is about paper no longer being made from papyrus. US bank notes are printed on rag paper, which is indeed a kind of paper despite containing little or no wood pulp.--[[User:Seakingsoyuz|Seakingsoyuz]] ([[User talk:Seakingsoyuz|talk]]) 18:20, 11 April 2025 (UTC)

:: I don't think 'paper money' should be designated as being made of paper here. Everyone knows that paper money doesn't feel or act like paper. It's incredibly hard to rip. [[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]] ([[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al|talk]]) 18:27, 11 April 2025 (UTC)

:The "card" in credit card seems to come from Latin and Greek for a piece of paper or papyrus. So a credit card, now made of plastic, metal, semiconductors, etc. might be considered an anachronym. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.41.95|162.158.41.95]] 19:20, 11 April 2025 (UTC)

Adults who "enjoy" rubber ducks include programmers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubber_duck_debugging [[Special:Contributions/172.71.95.27|172.71.95.27]] 18:40, 11 April 2025 (UTC)

The word money came from words that meant coin. The word coin evidently came from wedge shaped. Not quite anachronym, though somewhat anachronism. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.41.95|162.158.41.95]] 19:11, 11 April 2025 (UTC)

Surprised "lead pencil" didn't make the list [[Special:Contributions/172.68.12.109|172.68.12.109]] 19:13, 11 April 2025 (UTC)

Duck Tape is no longer made from ducks! [[User:IIVQ|IIVQ]] ([[User talk:IIVQ|talk]]) 19:30, 11 April 2025 (UTC)

"digital money" shouldn't be listed as what "paper money" is actually made out of. Nobody would say "I'm paying with paper money" if they are paying with some digital currency. The anachronism is "paper money" being actually made of linen or whatever hi-tech fibers. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.254.211|172.70.254.211]] 19:49, 11 April 2025 (UTC) anonymous user
:Not even ''fibers''. Sheet-polymers (with loads of complex embedded and pressed-in features) are becoming the new go-to for banknotes, in a number of countries. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.205.135|172.68.205.135]] 23:24, 11 April 2025 (UTC)

My wife suggests that this is much easier if you are tech shopping: Apple, Mouse, Spam, Phish, Cookies.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.78.225|162.158.78.225]] 20:03, 11 April 2025 (UTC)
:"Click mouse to accept cookie" meme - featuring rodent and confection. https://i.pinimg.com/originals/06/e6/7d/06e67d6ee5a2afa112bf548463e97125.jpg [[Special:Contributions/172.70.35.94|172.70.35.94]] 00:20, 12 April 2025 (UTC)

Not sure why "sidewalk chalk" on there and who decides that calcium carbonate is allowed to be called chalk, but calcium sulphate is not. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.196|108.162.216.196]] 05:25, 12 April 2025 (UTC)

2464: Muller's Ratchet

2021-05-17T20:56:38Z

108.162.216.196:

{{comic
| number = 2464
| date = May 17, 2021
| title = Muller's Ratchet
| image = mullers_ratchet.png
| titletext = Who knew you could learn so much about sexual reproduction from looking at pictures on the internet!
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Made with SWORDAPP. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
In this comic, Randall reviews a passage explaining the internet with terms associated with evolution.
==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{{comic discussion}}

115: Meerkat

2019-11-22T20:26:14Z

108.162.216.196: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 115
| date = June 14, 2006
| title = Meerkat
| image = meerkat.jpg
| titletext = Gorilla, yes. Adorable golden retriever, yes. But it says nothing about meerkats.
}}

==Explanation==
The situation is a reference to the {{tvtropes|AnimalAthleteLoophole|animal athlete loophole}} trope, where an animal joins an underdog <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[559|No Pun Intended]]<nowiki>]</nowiki> sports team and saves the day. The other team, which is previously dominant, and usually has an entitled and/or bullying attitude, does not like it, but since there is not a specific rule against it, it has to be allowed.

Randall's combination of animal ({{w|Meerkat}}) and sport ({{w|Rugby football|rugby}}) is particularly unlikely, since meerkats are relatively small, slight animals, whereas rugby is associated with big powerful players, and has not been used in an animal sports movie before{{Citation needed}}.

The title text implies that, as a result of similar instances of animal recruitment in the past, rule changes have been introduced to specifically exclude those animals from taking part, which may be why this team has had to work its way down to meerkats. The governing bodies could probably have avoided this by simply excluding non-human animals.

==Transcript==
:[A Meerkat wearing a helmet and blue jersey, and two guys in the background supposedly on a rugby field.]
:You have to admit--there's no rule on the books saying a Meerkat can't play rugby.

==Trivia==

A golden retriever is at the centre of the basketball film ''{{w|Air Bud}}''.

In the film ''{{w|Mr. Go (film)|Mr. Go}}'' a gorilla becomes a star of the Korean Baseball League.

This concept was revisited in [[1552: Rulebook]].

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Sport]]
[[Category:Animals]]

115: Meerkat

2019-11-22T20:25:47Z

108.162.216.196: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 115
| date = June 14, 2006
| title = Meerkat
| image = meerkat.jpg
| titletext = Gorilla, yes. Adorable golden retriever, yes. But it says nothing about meerkats.
}}

==Explanation==
The situation is a reference to the {{tvtropes|AnimalAthleteLoophole|animal athlete loophole}} trope, where an animal joins an underdog <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[559|No Pun Intended]]<nowiki>]</nowiki> }} sports team and saves the day. The other team, which is previously dominant, and usually has an entitled and/or bullying attitude, does not like it, but since there is not a specific rule against it, it has to be allowed.

Randall's combination of animal ({{w|Meerkat}}) and sport ({{w|Rugby football|rugby}}) is particularly unlikely, since meerkats are relatively small, slight animals, whereas rugby is associated with big powerful players, and has not been used in an animal sports movie before{{Citation needed}}.

The title text implies that, as a result of similar instances of animal recruitment in the past, rule changes have been introduced to specifically exclude those animals from taking part, which may be why this team has had to work its way down to meerkats. The governing bodies could probably have avoided this by simply excluding non-human animals.

==Transcript==
:[A Meerkat wearing a helmet and blue jersey, and two guys in the background supposedly on a rugby field.]
:You have to admit--there's no rule on the books saying a Meerkat can't play rugby.

==Trivia==

A golden retriever is at the centre of the basketball film ''{{w|Air Bud}}''.

In the film ''{{w|Mr. Go (film)|Mr. Go}}'' a gorilla becomes a star of the Korean Baseball League.

This concept was revisited in [[1552: Rulebook]].

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Sport]]
[[Category:Animals]]

Talk:Syndication

2019-11-22T20:12:43Z

108.162.216.196:

Where is this coming from? was this actually online in 2007? Between comics 242 and 243? --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 08:08, 18 November 2019 (UTC)

Can we discuss the jokes in this comic, like Belgium jokingly being considered a swear word?[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.196|108.162.216.196]] 20:12, 22 November 2019 (UTC)

1989: IMHO

2018-09-02T20:57:01Z

108.162.216.196:

{{comic
| number = 1989
| date = May 4, 2018
| title = IMHO
| image = imho.png
| titletext = "Ugh, TMI." "Yeah, that's some tantalizing meat info."
}}

==Explanation==
The conversation begins with a reference to the controversy between whether IMHO stands for "in my '''honest''' opinion" or "in my '''humble''' opinion". Some older Internet users, including Cueball, use the H to mean "humble", which Cueball references as being the norm in the 1990s. However, many younger Internet users, including, apparently, Ponytail, use it to mean "honest", which became the norm after another SMS abbreviation, TBH (to be honest) became popular c. 2011 [https://trends.google.de/trends/explore?date=all&q=tbh,imho]. However, the joke veers into absurdity with Ponytail sharing her unusual opinions on other Internet controversies, including:

*Believing the G in {{w|GIF}} (Graphics Interchange Format) is silent, so she pronounces it "if", as opposed to the two main camps claiming it should be either a soft G (as in "giantess") or a hard G (as in "graphics").

*Believing that the S in SMDH ("Shaking My Damn Head" or "So Much Damn Hate") stands for "swallowing".

*Believing that the G in OMG ("Oh My God" or "Oh My Goodness") stands for either "giantess" or "genitals."

*Believing a viral picture of {{w|the_dress|a dress in very bad lighting}} is actually black and white. For context, the usual perceptions are black and blue to some people and white and gold to others (the manufacturer eventually confirmed it to be black and blue). Though the dress may also appear blue and brown to some people, virtually no individual perceives the dress as black and white. The dress was previously mentioned in [[1492: Dress Color]].

*Believing that the database language {{w|SQL}} (Structured Query Language) is pronounced "squill" as opposed to the two main camps claiming it should be an acronym "sequel" (two syllables) or an initialism S-Q-L ("ess cue ell"; three syllables).

*Using {{w|tab_key|tabs}} after {{w|Full_stop|periods}}, instead of the two main opposing camps of using either one or two {{w|Sentence spacing|spaces}}.

Before the 20th Century, it was common typographical practice to use an em-space (or other similar wide-space) between sentences. In the 1930s, common practice was to use smaller inter-sentence spacing, and by the 1950s, inter-sentence spaces were the same size as inter-word spaces. Although modern style guides all insist on single-spacing between sentences, many people prefer to include two spaces, possibly out of habit from typewriter usage (which commonly used two spaces to mimic the 19th century typographic standards). (See also: [[1285: Third Way]].) Tabs vs. Spaces also refer to the programmers' debate on how to {{w|Indentation_(typesetting)#Indentation_in_programming|indent}} code correctly.

In the last panel, Cueball exclaims "OMG" (meaning "Oh, my God") to which Megan replies "Yeah, mine too", taking the meaning as "Oh, my genitals" from the 5th panel. This leads to the title text "TMI" (too much information). The pun on periods (typographical and menstruation) might also explain the reaction.

In the title text, another incorrect belief Ponytail has is believing TMI to be "tantalizing meat info," as opposed to too much information. (Remarkably, this makes sense in the context of Megan's comment about her genitals.)

The comic also obliquely references the mistaken opinion that Website polling is an accurate measure of anything; selection bias (among many other problems) renders them almost useless for measuring the general population.

;Etymology of IMHO
ESR's Jargon File (later known as The New Hacker's Dictionary) has [http://www.catb.org/jargon/html/I/IMHO.html an entry of "IMHO"]. It's also seen in variant forms such as IMNSHO (In My Not-So-Humble Opinion) and IMAO (In My Arrogant Opinion).

And it has been added into the [http://jargon-file.org/archive/jargon-2.1.1.dos.txt Jargon File v2.1 in January 1990], the first version under Eric S. Raymond. Maybe the acronym "IMHO" was invented by science fiction fans in frequent discussions and used on the {{w|Usenet}} which started in 1980.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball, Megan, and Ponytail stand together, talking.]
:Cueball: I thought the "H" in "IMHO" was "humble," but Buzzfeed ran a poll and "honest" won.
:Megan: That can't be true. Their readers are messing with us.

:[Cueball and Megan look at Ponytail.]
:Ponytail: Are you sure? I always used it to mean "honest."
:Megan: ...What?!

:[Close up of Cueball holding a phone. A box with usage of "IMHO" and "TBH" from Google Trends shows "TBH" suddenly rising in 2011, with a second spike in 2014.]
:Cueball: It was definitely "humble" in the 1990s.
:Cueball: Maybe people who picked it up after the rise of "TBH" in 2011 interpreted it as "honest" and used it that way.

:[Cueball, Megan, and Ponytail as before.]
:Megan: I can't get over this. What other wrong opinions do you have?
:Megan: The "G" in "G-I-F"?
:Ponytail: Silent.

:[Close up of Ponytail, with Megan talking from offscreen.]
:Megan: The "S" in "SMDH"?
:Ponytail: "Swallowing."
:Megan: The "G" in "OMG"?
:Ponytail: "Giantess" or "genitals."

:[Cueball, Megan, and Ponytail as before.]
:Megan: The Dress?
:Ponytail: Black and white.
:Megan: Is the database language "sequel" or "ess cue ell"?
:Ponytail: I've always said "squill."

:Cueball: Okay, the big one: how many spaces after a period?
:Ponytail: None; I use tabs.
:Cueball: OMG.
:Megan: Yeah, mine too.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]

Talk:2038: Hazard Symbol

2018-08-27T20:38:47Z

108.162.216.196:

When on xkcd, the emoji only shows up as an empty square. On this site, it shows up as a sigma, caputal Y with umlauts, tilde, and decree symbol. What is it actually supposed to be? [[User:Smperron|Kestrel]] ([[User talk:Smperron|talk]]) 12:46, 27 August 2018 (UTC)
:It's https://emojipedia.org/face-with-open-mouth-and-cold-sweat/ this emoji. Shows up correctly for me on the actual site on android but not on the wiki [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.28|141.101.98.28]] 13:04, 27 August 2018 (UTC)

It shows up OK (Albeit small) on Mac OSX [[User:BSchildt|BSchildt]] ([[User talk:BSchildt|talk]]) 13:21, 27 August 2018 (UTC)

Does anyone know the source of the slippery symbol? The other symbols seem to be common to most standards, but the slippery symbol seems to have various designs. ☠☢☣⚡︎? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.57|162.158.62.57]] 13:52, 27 August 2018 (UTC)
:https://www.amazon.com/NMC-FS1-Double-Sided-CAUTION/dp/B009RVF1DY <-- This one on Amazon.com seems pretty close. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.58.245|172.68.58.245]] 14:13, 27 August 2018 (UTC)
:[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_7010 ISO 7010] - W011 Sebastian --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.110.70|172.68.110.70]] 14:59, 27 August 2018 (UTC)
: It's meant to represent a "wet floor" or "slippery when wet" sign. There are many versions of it, but that is the most common use of the image (at least, to my knowledge) --[[User:JayRulesXKCD|'''JayRules''XKCD''' ]][[User talk:JayRulesXKCD|what's up?]] 15:21, 27 August 2018 (UTC)

I'm thinking a slimy electric eel with nuclear-powered cybernetic laser eyes...and a post-op staph infection. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.90.64|172.68.90.64]] 17:26, 27 August 2018 (UTC) SiliconWolf

He forgot flammable and inflammable. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.196|108.162.216.196]] 20:38, 27 August 2018 (UTC)

;Transcript
Please just describe the image. What it is or does mean belongs to the explanation. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:24, 27 August 2018 (UTC)

Talk:1803: Location Reviews

2017-02-24T17:04:34Z

108.162.216.196:

;TO ALL EDITORS HERE
Please do not remove the incomplete tag on your first edit. This tag is used to identify all incomplete comics or transcripts here.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 16:14, 24 February 2017 (UTC)

;Further discussions go here
Could he be referencing some other location? Is there enough data on the map to find a real-world map location that would fit the shape of the river, streets and shaded polygon? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.78.34|172.68.78.34]] 16:04, 24 February 2017 (UTC)Martin

I'm surprised that Randall didn't reference the discovery of the Trappist-1 system maybe it will come up soon or in a what-if.{{unsigned ip|XFez}}

The idea behind the website and ordering is probably absurdist humour in that the commenter finds the idea of nuclear missiles good and desirable, but the referenced website for such a facility is confusing in that the commenter cannot find out how to order some for him/herself. --[[User:Toonarmycaptain|Toonarmycaptain]] ([[User talk:Toonarmycaptain|talk]]) 16:39, 24 February 2017 (UTC)

He is actually referring to something that is pretty fun to do, and that is exactly what he says: reading reviews of places that shouldn't have reviews. This one made me laugh in the past: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Tokyo+Electric+Power+Co.+Fukushima+Daiichi+Nuclear+Power+Plant/@37.4213402,141.0258843,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x6020dd3801b3fc69:0xa6090708f3cbc4cd!8m2!3d37.421336!4d141.0280783

1793: Soda Sugar Comparisons

2017-02-01T14:04:19Z

108.162.216.196: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1793
| date = February 1, 2017
| title = Soda Sugar Comparisons
| image = soda_sugar_comparisons.png
| titletext = The key is portion control, which is why I've switched to eating smaller cans of frosting instead of full bottles.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Needs more words.}}

In this comic, Randall compares soda's (a term for carbonated sweet {{w|Soft drink|soft drink}} used predominantly by speakers in the Northeastern United States, California, and the areas surrounding Milwaukee and St. Louis <ref>http://popvssoda.com</ref>) sugar content to some types of candy. The first two panels compare the sugar content of a 20 oz. (591 ml) bottle of soda to three {{w|Cadbury egg|Cadbury eggs}} and a {{w|Snickers bar}} the length of the bottle. Next, he compares one week's worth of soda to a bottle of {{w|Icing_(food)|cake frosting}}. Continuing the estimations, he states that one soda a day for six months will provide the same amount of sugar as four gallons of {{w|Skittles (confectionery)|Skittles}}. Finally, he compares three years' worth of daily sodas contains as much sugar as a {{w|Convenience store|convenience store's}} 20-foot (6.1m) long candy counter.

Below the title is a reference to [[1035: Cadbury Eggs]], which also compares soda's sugar content to Cadbury Eggs.

In the title text, it is stated that the key is portion control, which sounds normal until it is revealed that the portion control is actually for frosting instead of soda. Eating frosting out of cans is also referenced in the title text of [[418: Stove Ownership]].

Of interest in this case is that the American Heart Association recommends less than 20-36 grams per day for a sedentary lifestyle (7.5 to 9 MJ per day) [http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/circulationaha/120/11/1011.full.pdf source].

===Data===
{| border =1 width=100% cellpadding=5 class="wikitable"
! Number of 20-oz bottles !! Equivalent sugar content (Coca-Cola) !! Candy portion !! Approximate sugar content
|-
| 1 || 65 grams || 3 (US) Crème Eggs 1 9-inch Snickers bar (approx. equivalent to roughly 2 [https://www.snickers.com/nutritional-info standard Snickers bars]) || 60 grams 54 grams
|-
| 7 || 455 grams || 1 20-oz bottle frosting || 360 grams (assuming [http://calorielab.com/brands/betty-crocker-decorating-icing/106/2003516 Betty Crocker decorating icing]) 780 grams (assuming [http://calorielab.com/brands/betty-crocker-fluffy-white-frosting/106/2003671 Betty Crocker Fluffy White Frosting])
|-
| 180 || 11,700 grams || 4 gallons of Skittles || 12,000 grams (assuming Skittles are molten/ground) 8,500 grams (assuming [http://mathworld.wolfram.com/EllipsoidPacking.html realistic ellipsoid packing])
|-
| 1095 || 71,175 grams || A 20-foot confectionary counter (the illustration shows four tiers of boxes) || 125,000 grams (assuming 4 tiers of full boxes of Mars bars [https://www.amazon.com/Mars-Bars-Case-of-48/dp/B000JPARZY 10 inches wide])
|}

==Transcript==
<div style="font-size:30px;">Soda Sugar Comparisons</div>
See also xkcd.com/1035
{|class="wikitable"
|In terms of sugar, drinking this much soda...||...is equivalent to eating this:
|-
|One 20oz soda bottle (e.g. Coca Cola) [There is a picture of a soda bottle.]|| 3 cadbury eggs... ...or a Snickers bar the length of the bottle. [There is an image of the eggs and bar. The bar is measured around its respective text.]
|-
|One soda per day for a week [There are 7 soda bottles.]||One bottle of cake frosting [There is frosting being dumped out of the bottle.]
|-
|One soda per day for six months [Soda bottle, and six calendar pages.]||Four gallons of Skittles [There are four milk jugs of Skittles, with a normal sized package and some more Skittles nearby.]
|-
|One soda per day for three years [Soda bottle, and the years 2017, 2018, and 2019]||A convenience store's entire 20-foot candy counter [Picture of the counter, with three cashiers: Megan, Ponytail, and Cueball.]
|}

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]