What does \u2018gooner\u2019 mean? Slang goes viral as confusion erupts online The term \u2018gooner\u2019 has become popular slang on social media, but its meaning can be confusing as it varies depending on your location. Thanks to Anne Hathaway, the terms \u2018gooner\u2019 and \u2018gooning\u2019 are going viral on social media. Although they\u2019ve been around for some time, the phrases kicked off on April 24, 2024, after an X post from British news outlet The Guardian labeled the Hollywood star as a \u201csecret Gooner.\u201d Comments under the post are full of American netizens confused as to what the term \u2018gooner\u2019 means in the United Kingdom \u2014 because it has a very specific connotation in the US. Have no fear: we\u2019re here to explain what the word \u2018gooner\u2019 means, and why its definition might change from place to place. \u2018Gooning,\u2019 \u2018Gooner\u2019 definitions explained For the uninitiated, the word \u2018gooning\u2019 has a pretty naughty meaning in America (and in general online slang). We\u2019ll spare you most of the details, but it generally refers to someone who enjoys a \u201cprolonged edging session,\u201d as explained in one of the first recorded definitions of the word from an Urban Dictionary user on February 10, 2012. Over the ensuing twelve years, the word \u2018gooning\u2019 has picked up in popularity. Its definition, in particular, has become somewhat of a meme, as seen when YouTubers The Game Grumps couldn\u2019t contain their laughter reading it aloud during a video in 2023. Other major YouTubers like MoistCritikal have since picked up on the term, as well, who notably gathered a group of five \u2018gooners\u2019 together for a dating show in March 2024. That\u2019s not the only naughty meaning the word has. Other definitions claim the term also refers to someone who is \u201ccompletely and miserably addicted to p*rn, but [who] embraces and loves it.\u201d However, the word \u2018gooner\u2019 doesn\u2019t always mean something so carnal. In fact, it actually has a rather wholesome meaning across the pond, where football fans (soccer, for the Americans reading this) use it to describe someone who\u2019s a fan of the Arsenal football club. This term first gained traction thanks to the club\u2019s nickname, the Gunners, which, over time, became Gooners. Now, when someone proudly says they\u2019re a \u2018Gooner,\u2019 they\u2019re likely referring to their favorite football team\u2026but you might want to ask them to clarify, just in case. Of course, the word \u2018goon\u2019 has other meanings, too. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the term can also refer to a \u201cstupid person,\u201d as well as \u201ca man hired to terrorize or eliminate opponents.\u201d So, while \u2018goon\u2019 might have a few different definitions, the context of the situation and where you\u2019re located might help to inform what someone means when they use it \u2014 although thanks to the internet, the phrase has taken on an entirely different meaning.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
What does \u2018gooner\u2019 mean? Slang goes viral as confusion erupts online The term \u2018gooner\u2019 has become popular slang on social media, but its meaning can be confusing as it varies depending on your location. Thanks to Anne Hathaway, the terms \u2018gooner\u2019 and \u2018gooning\u2019 are going viral on social media. Although they\u2019ve been around for some […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-63815","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63815","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63815"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63815\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63815"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63815"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63815"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}