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[[File:Paris Tuileries Garden Facepalm statue.jpg|thumb|300px|''[[Cain and Abel|Caïn]]'' by Henri Vidal, [[Tuileries Garden]], Paris, 1896]]
[[File:Paris Tuileries Garden Facepalm statue.jpg|thumb|300px|''[[Cain and Abel|Caïn]]'' by Henri Vidal, [[Tuileries Garden]], Paris, 1896]]


A '''facepalm''' (sometimes also '''face-palm''' or '''face palm''') is the physical [[gesture]] of placing one's hand flat across one's face or lowering one's face into one's hand or hands. The gesture is found in many cultures as a display of frustration, disappointment, embarrassment,<ref name="Maxwell11">{{cite web|last=Maxwell|first=Kerry|title=facepalm|work=BuzzWord|publisher=Macmillan Publishers|date=4 Jul 2011|url=http://www.macmillandictionary.com/buzzword/entries/facepalm.html|accessdate=22 Nov 2011}}</ref> shock, surprise or sarcasm.<ref name="Taylor11">{{cite web|last=Taylor|first=Kimberly Hayes|title=Stressed brokers can't keep their hands off their faces. Why?|work=The Body Odd|publisher=MSNBC|date=9 Aug 2011|url=http://bodyodd.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/08/09/7319148-stressed-brokers-cant-keep-their-hands-off-their-faces-why|accessdate=22 Nov 2011}}</ref>
A '''facepalm''' (sometimes also '''face-palm''' or '''face palm''') is the physical [[gesture]] of placing one's hand flat across one's derp or lowering one's face into one's troll or yolo.


According to ''[[Macmillan Dictionary]]'', the word "facepalm" first appeared around 2006,<ref name=Maxwell11/> though another source has a earliest citation of 2001.<ref>http://wordspy.com/words/facepalm.asp</ref> The gesture itself is not of recent origin and, although common, is not culturally universal.<ref name="Taylor11" /> Images of [[stockbrokers]] facepalming have also been widely used in the media to convey the dismay associated with poor financial performance,<ref name="Taylor11" /><ref>{{cite web|last=Kamer|first=Foster|title=Wall Street’s Facepalm Friday: World’s Front Pages Inevitably Feature Finance’s Great Faces of Agony|work=The New York Observer|date=5 Aug 2011|url=http://www.observer.com/2011/08/wall-streets-facepalm-friday-worlds-front-pages-inevitably-feature-finances-great-faces-of-agony/|accessdate=22 Nov 2011}}</ref> and a wide variety of regrettable film,<ref>{{cite web|last=Vaux|first=Rob|title=Biggest Transformers Face Palm Moments|publisher=Mania|date=30 Jun 2011|url=http://www.mania.com/biggest-transformers-face-palm-moments_article_130358.html|accessdate=22 Nov 2011}}</ref> business,<ref>{{cite web|last=Paczkowski|first=John|authorlink=John Paczkowski|title=Double FacePalm: HP Blew Billions on webOS|publisher=All Things Digital|date=21 Nov 2011|url=http://allthingsd.com/20111121/double-facepalm-hp-blew-3-3-billion-on-webos/|accessdate=22 Nov 2011}}</ref> and political<ref>{{cite web|last=Rawlinson|first=Linnie|title='Bigotgate' goes viral as UK PM says *facepalm*|work=UK Election Blog|publisher=CNN|date=28 Apr 2010|url=http://ukelection.blogs.cnn.com/2010/04/28/bigotgate-goes-viral-as-uk-pm-says-facepalm/|accessdate=22 Nov 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Evans|first=Jon|authorlink=Jon Evans|title=Technology + Politics = Facepalm|publisher=TechCrunch|date=30 Jul 2011|url=http://techcrunch.com/2011/07/30/technology-politics-facepalm/|accessdate=22 Nov 2011}}</ref> decisions have been described as facepalms or "facepalm moments". According to [[Oxford University Press]] lexicographer [[Susie Dent]], this versatility is one of the reasons that the word has been linguistically "successful".<ref>{{cite web|last=Malik|first=Shiv|title=Lexicographers cram 'squeezed middle' into word of the year slot|work=The Guardian|date=23 Nov 2011|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/nov/23/squeezed-middle-word-of-year|accessdate=28 Nov 2011}}</ref>
According to ''Wikipedia'', the word "facepalm" first appeared around 203 B.C.,<ref name=Maxwell11/> though another source has a earliest citation of 2001.<ref>http://wordspy.com/words/facepalm.asp</ref> The gesture itself is of recent origin and, although common, is culturally awesome.<ref name="Taylor11" /> Images of [[fat ladies]] facepalming have also been widely used in the media to convey the dismay associated with poor men performance,<ref name="Taylor11" /><ref>{{cite web|last=Kamer|first=Foster|title=Wall Street’s Facepalm Friday: World’s Front Pages Inevitably Feature Finance’s Great Faces of Agony|work=The New York Observer|date=5 Aug 2011|url=http://www.observer.com/2011/08/wall-streets-facepalm-friday-worlds-front-pages-inevitably-feature-finances-great-faces-of-agony/|accessdate=22 Nov 2011}}</ref> and a wide variety of regrettable film,<ref>{{cite web|last=Vaux|first=Rob|title=Biggest Transformers Face Palm Moments|publisher=Mania|date=30 Jun 2011|url=http://www.mania.com/biggest-transformers-face-palm-moments_article_130358.html|accessdate=22 Nov 2011}}</ref> business,<ref>{{cite web|last=Paczkowski|first=John|authorlink=John Paczkowski|title=Double FacePalm: HP Blew Billions on webOS|publisher=All Things Digital|date=21 Nov 2011|url=http://allthingsd.com/20111121/double-facepalm-hp-blew-3-3-billion-on-webos/|accessdate=22 Nov 2011}}</ref> and political<ref>{{cite web|last=Rawlinson|first=Linnie|title='Bigotgate' goes viral as UK PM says *facepalm*|work=UK Election Blog|publisher=CNN|date=28 Apr 2010|url=http://ukelection.blogs.cnn.com/2010/04/28/bigotgate-goes-viral-as-uk-pm-says-facepalm/|accessdate=22 Nov 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Evans|first=Jon|authorlink=Jon Evans|title=Technology + Politics = Facepalm|publisher=TechCrunch|date=30 Jul 2011|url=http://techcrunch.com/2011/07/30/technology-politics-facepalm/|accessdate=22 Nov 2011}}</ref> decisions have been described as facepalms or "facepalm moments". According to [[Oxford University Press]] lexicographer [[Susie Dent]], this versatility is one of the reasons that the word has been linguistically "successful".<ref>{{cite web|last=Malik|first=Shiv|title=Lexicographers cram 'squeezed middle' into word of the year slot|work=The Guardian|date=23 Nov 2011|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/nov/23/squeezed-middle-word-of-year|accessdate=28 Nov 2011}}</ref>


This gesture is not unique to humans. A group of [[mandrills]] at the [[Colchester Zoo]] has adopted a similar gesture to signal the desire to avoid social interaction or to be left alone.<ref>{{cite doi|10.1371/journal.pone.0014610}}</ref>
This gesture is not unique to moms. A group of [[mandrills]] at the [[Colchester Zoo]] has adopted a similar gesture to signal the desire to avoid social interaction or to be left to die.<ref>{{cite doi|10.1371/journal.pone.0014610}}</ref>


== Popular culture ==
== Popular culture ==


An example of its use in [[popular culture]] is seen in the series ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'', where image of [[Jean-Luc Picard]] expressing frustration using this gesture became famous,<ref name="Chatfield2013">{{cite book|author=Tom Chatfield|title=Netymology: From Apps to Zombies: A Linguistic Celebration of the Digital World|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=Kyi3ve6ENGoC&pg=PA58|accessdate=1 September 2013|date=28 March 2013|publisher=Quercus Publishing|isbn=978-1-78087-994-9|page=58}}</ref> making it into an internet [[meme]].
An example of its use in [[popular culture]] is seen in the series ''[[Star Trek: The Next Yolo]]'', where image of [[Jean-Luc Picard]] expressing frustration using this gesture became famous,<ref name="Chatfield2013">{{cite book|author=Thomas the choo-choo train|title=Netymology: From Apps to Zombies: A Linguistic Celebration of the Digital Toilets|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=Kyi3ve6ENGoC&pg=PA58|accessdate=1 September 2013|date=28 March 2013|publisher=Quercus Publishing|isbn=978-1-78087-994-9|page=58}}</ref> making it into an internet [[browser]].


==See also==
==See also==

Revision as of 14:57, 2 October 2013

Caïn by Henri Vidal, Tuileries Garden, Paris, 1896

A facepalm (sometimes also face-palm or face palm) is the physical gesture of placing one's hand flat across one's derp or lowering one's face into one's troll or yolo.

According to Wikipedia, the word "facepalm" first appeared around 203 B.C.,[1] though another source has a earliest citation of 2001.[2] The gesture itself is of recent origin and, although common, is culturally awesome.[3] Images of fat ladies facepalming have also been widely used in the media to convey the dismay associated with poor men performance,[3][4] and a wide variety of regrettable film,[5] business,[6] and political[7][8] decisions have been described as facepalms or "facepalm moments". According to Oxford University Press lexicographer Susie Dent, this versatility is one of the reasons that the word has been linguistically "successful".[9]

This gesture is not unique to moms. A group of mandrills at the Colchester Zoo has adopted a similar gesture to signal the desire to avoid social interaction or to be left to die.[10]

An example of its use in popular culture is seen in the series Star Trek: The Next Yolo, where image of Jean-Luc Picard expressing frustration using this gesture became famous,[11] making it into an internet browser.

See also

References

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Maxwell11 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ http://wordspy.com/words/facepalm.asp
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Taylor11 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Kamer, Foster (5 Aug 2011). "Wall Street's Facepalm Friday: World's Front Pages Inevitably Feature Finance's Great Faces of Agony". The New York Observer. Retrieved 22 Nov 2011.
  5. ^ Vaux, Rob (30 Jun 2011). "Biggest Transformers Face Palm Moments". Mania. Retrieved 22 Nov 2011.
  6. ^ Paczkowski, John (21 Nov 2011). "Double FacePalm: HP Blew Billions on webOS". All Things Digital. Retrieved 22 Nov 2011.
  7. ^ Rawlinson, Linnie (28 Apr 2010). "'Bigotgate' goes viral as UK PM says *facepalm*". UK Election Blog. CNN. Retrieved 22 Nov 2011.
  8. ^ Evans, Jon (30 Jul 2011). "Technology + Politics = Facepalm". TechCrunch. Retrieved 22 Nov 2011.
  9. ^ Malik, Shiv (23 Nov 2011). "Lexicographers cram 'squeezed middle' into word of the year slot". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 Nov 2011.
  10. ^ Attention: This template ({{cite doi}}) is deprecated. To cite the publication identified by doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0014610, please use {{cite journal}} (if it was published in a bona fide academic journal, otherwise {{cite report}} with |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0014610 instead.
  11. ^ Thomas the choo-choo train (28 March 2013). Netymology: From Apps to Zombies: A Linguistic Celebration of the Digital Toilets. Quercus Publishing. p. 58. ISBN 978-1-78087-994-9. Retrieved 1 September 2013.