quote laundering

The process by which a counterfeit quotation or news item eventually gets picked up by multiple news sources, which cite one another but never lead back to a verifiable source (because there isn't one). The quote's appearance on multiple forums and news aggregators lends it credibility because it is viewed as "reported" by multiple outlets.

Laundered quotes can originate from satire that is not recognized as satire, but more frequently from an Internet writer who is paraphrasing or outright fabricating.

No matter how many places you see it mentioned, the starlet never actually Tweeted that "Scientology is an abusive cult." A comedian said this while doing an impression of her, and then quote laundering took over.

quote laundering by bluebelle September 4, 2013

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quote-laundering

The act of citing a source to support a hypothesis and burying the reference in a footnote or endnote that, once investigated, turns out to be irrelevant, spurious or entirely fictitious.

Similar to quote-stuffing, a common practice in academic paper-writing, but not to be confused with quote mining.

I was trying to track down that juicy reference that Malcolm Gladwell dropped about what Nietzsche said about cell phones but it turned out to be total quote-laundering.

quote-laundering by panopticonopolis December 1, 2011

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Related Words

quote-laundering • quote unquote • Quote Bomb • quote mining • quote on quote • Quote 1 • !quote 115 • quote alex • Quote-a-palooza • quote board

bang a you-ee

of Massachusetts orig. "to make a u-turn"

hey, we missed the bar, bang a you-ee

bang a you-ee by Pistolero Pierro May 4, 2008

Word of the Day on July 19, 2026

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Fleg

The word 'flag' as pronounced by people with thick Belfast accents. The term is a perfect encapsulation of the disproportionate and overblown reaction to the removal of the Union Jack (as in 'de fleg') from above City Hall in Belfast. Where previously it had flown for 365 days per year, it is now flown on 17 designated days of the year - in line with many other British cities.

The event caused a portion of the Protestant community ('fleggers') to make international pricks of themselves as they proceeded to wreck the fucking place, claiming it was another erosion of a 'British' identity they perceive to have been under attack since the horrifying spectre of equality reared its head in Northern Ireland.

The word 'fleg' - and indeed 'fleggers' - fittingly describes a section of humanity unconcerned with knowledge, reality or the vagaries of the English language. Like America's tea-baggers they are ruled by instinct, fear and paranoia with a side dish of rampant bigotry and startling ignorance of the world around them.

"Wat de fuck like! The taigs got de fleg took down! Let's wreck de fuckin place! No surrender!"

"De fleg has been took down! Before ye know it there'll be a united Ireland! Attack Short Strand! God Save The Queen!"

Fleg by OnionFleg August 9, 2013

Word of the Day on July 18, 2026

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Skeef

To take something small, that doesn't quite qualify as a theft. Probably from the Danish "skæv" or the Dutch "scheef", both of which are pronounced similarly, meaning "askew, or not quite right'. To change an item's ownership without permission, but only something small and of little worth.

"I skeefed an apple off the neighbor's tree." "I skeefed some chips outta your bag when you looked away." "Don't skeef my chair when I go to the bathroom."

Skeef by kachinaflonk July 16, 2026

Word of the Day on July 17, 2026

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Hair spider

A tight, tangled knot of loose hair and lint that forms inside clothing during the clothes dryer cycle. It typically hides inside garments, causing an annoying lump or a phantom tickling sensation against the skin until it is found or falls out onto the floor during folding.

I was folding my clothes and a huge hair spider fell out onto my hand

Hair spider by Kmorsels July 15, 2026

Word of the Day on July 16, 2026

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bullshot

n. A screenshot fabricated by a company to misrepresent the graphics of a game; a combination of the words bullshit and screenshot.

Originated from Penny Arcade, a popular gaming webcomic.

-Have you seen Madden 2006 for the Xbox 360? The graphics are gonna be awesome!
-Dude, the Madden 2006 images they showed at E3 were bullshots. It doesn't look nearly as good as they said.

bullshot by Worker Unit #503,298,545 September 26, 2005

Word of the Day on July 15, 2026

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