NOT!
“NOT!” tacked onto the end of a sentence flips it into its opposite: “I love doing homework on a Friday night… NOT!” It was a signature joke of the early 1990s, made famous by Wayne’s World.
What NOT! means
You say something that sounds sincere, pause for a beat, then shout “Not!” to reveal you meant the opposite. The joke is the reversal. It’s sarcasm with a drumroll.
Examples
- “That was the best meeting ever… NOT!”
- “Sure, I’d love to help you move this weekend. NOT!”
- “Great haircut. Not!”
Where it came from
Dictionary.com lists it as US slang: “not” used as a joking interjection after a statement to show it’s untrue. The Saturday Night Live sketches and the 1992 film Wayne’s World, starring Mike Myers and Dana Carvey, are credited with popularizing it, along with “Party on!” and “We’re not worthy!”
Like a lot of 90s catchphrases, it’s mostly used now as a deliberately dated joke. The modern equivalent is tacking “jk” onto the end of a message.
Related terms
More throwback words are in our 90s slang guide.
Notes
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