Brianna from Jacksonville, Florida, says her family and friends call someone who’s causing a scene or acting foolish a weapon. A blunder or awkward moment is weaponry. The usage, which she picked up from her dad, who’s from Long Island, New York, turns out to have parallels far beyond her circle. In Scotland, Ireland, Australia, and the UK, the word weapon can be a derogatory term for “a foolish person,” similar to calling someone a tool. In sports, though, an absolute weapon is a term of praise for a dominant player, and the phrase academic weapon has become a popular meme for a student who’s crushing it in class. This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Calling Someone a “Weapon” is Insult, Compliment, or Both”
Hi, you have A Way with Words.
Hi, my name is Brianna Green.
Hey, Brianna.
Where are you calling us from?
Hi, I live in Jacksonville, Florida.
All right.
Well, we’re glad to have you.
What’s on your mind today?
Yes.
I was calling about a term that my family and friends use, but it’s something that only my family and friends seem to know about.
And it’s a term that if I were to use it with, new people who I’ve just met, they have no idea what I’m talking about.
So I thought that, it would be, a good, word to call in with, and that is that we call each other weapons.
And we, use the phrase weaponry or the word weaponry in a way that, does not seem to be as common as it is to those of us who are in the know.
Now, what does that mean to you?
Okay, so we call each other weapons.
Like, that means that somebody’s causing a scene or they’re maybe acting a little bit crazy or they’re doing something weird.
Kinda like a weirdo.
Like, you’re being a weirdo.
You’re being a weapon.
Mhmm.
Oh, interesting.
Or if there was a scene of sorts of someone just doing something maybe in public, and afterwards we’re walking away, we might say something like, That was weaponry.
So an instance of being foolish or making a mistake?
Usually, yes.
Any idea how long you’ve been saying this or where you picked it up?
So I’ve been saying it ever since I can remember, and I believe so have my parents.
It comes from my dad and his family who are from Long Island, New York.
And it seems that anyone who has known my dad for a long time or has grown up around my dad Mhmm.
Will know what we mean when we say it.
They’ll know what we’re referring to.
But unless you’re tight with my family Mhmm.
Then the average person who we just met will if if I were to say, ugh, that that person was being a weapon or that was weaponry, wasn’t it?
They will be like, what?
Until I then explain that it comes from my dad in Long Island, New York.
Mhmm.
So, Brianna, let me just ask you.
Do you…
Does your dad have any connection to Ireland or Scotland?
Our family is Irish partially, not fully.
Yes.
But what…
Are we talking first generation Irish or just further…
Much further back?
No, further back.
Okay.
The reason I ask, like, even a trip to Ireland or Scotland, because a very similar use of weapon exists in Scotland and Ireland, sometimes in Australia and The UK.
I’ve got examples of this where people talk about somebody being a weapon.
It’s often derogatory, kind of the same way that in The US, when you call somebody a tool, you know, you’re a real weapon.
They might say you’re an absolute weapon, but sometimes it’s a positive, in sports uses where you call somebody an absolute weapon, meaning that out on the pitch or the field, they’re amazing at whatever position they’re playing.
Other uses of this do exist outside of your family.
Great.
That’s what I was interested in hearing.
Maybe similar to, it has been used by Chuck Norris, as in I don’t need a weapon, I am one.
Love it.
Right.
Clearly a positive use, right?
Exactly.
Right before my stepson graduated from college, he kept describing himself as an academic weapon, and his friends were calling themselves academic weapons.
And apparently there was a meme going around at the time where you can watch this little video on TikTok where this guy is talking about how he’s an academic weapon because he’s on the front row of a big lecture class with 700 students in there.
He’s, he talks about how he’s an academic weapon, and let’s, let’s do this.
It’s very funny.
Okay.
I could see it.
See, and just another great example of how it can be quite a versa versatile term.
Yeah, the emphatic force, the kind of like the emotional impact of the concept of a weapon is kind of carried through, or negative.
Right, of course.
Thank you so much.
I had so much fun.
I really appreciate it.
All right.
Bye bye.
Take care.
Thank Well, what’s the word or phrase that your family uses?
And when you use it, people look at you like, What?
Give us a call and let’s talk about it.
Or send us an email, wordswaywardradio dot org.
