| 1. | pronoun panic | ||
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February 23, 2012 Urban Word of the Day
The state of embarrassed backpedaling following the accidental revelation of a party's gender through the use of a gender-specific pronoun. This slip abruptly ends a series of either gender-neutral phrasings or "pronoun lies." Generally leads to an ineffective self-correction, as there is no further lie that can provide a save. Restricted to certain languages, depending on the grammar of gender. Pronoun panic interrupting gender neutrality:
Brittany: I just found out that it was one of our parents -- I'm not saying which -- who hit Fluffy yesterday, not a neighbor. They were on the phone while pulling out of the driveway and they weren't paying attention. But he feels so...I mean, THEY feel... Brad: AHH I can't believe Dad killed Fluffy! ...and interrupting a lie: Mark: Oh, you're going to Paris? My girlfriend and I went last summer and it was so romantic. She's fluent in French and she's always wanted to go, so I saved up and surprised her for her birthday. What great memories...one night, I took him -- HER... Bill: Mark, we all know you're gay. |
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