Yes, You Are Definitely Using 'Bomboclaat' Wrong on Twitter

If you're going to hijack a meme, you should probably know what it means. And unfortunately, for most people tacking onto the 'bomboclaat' meme, that's very much not the case. The meme has been running rampant on Twitter for two months, causing tons of confusion in its wake. You've probably been left wondering, "What is the 'bomboclaat' meme's meaning?" Well, here's the lowdown on the popular phrase.

'Bomboclaat' is not a new word. It's just new to trending on Twitter. The word originated in Jamaica and according to Dictionary.com, it refers to sanitary pads or bathroom wipes.

However, now it is used as an expletive that can show different emotions, like how you might curse to show excitement, fear, or anger. 'Bomboclaat' has shown up on Twitter before but it didn't start trending until Twitter user @rudebwoy_lamz posted the meme of Winslow from CatDog entering and then leaving the room captioned with the word, "Bomboclaat."

The meme spread, with many Twitter users co-opting the word. They began posting it with various side-by-side photos that don't necessarily relate to the word's intended use, which prompted @rudebwoy_lamz to respond with the Winslow meme again, this time with the caption saying, "Me coming to see them misusing bomboclaat." It was this second post that really fueled the creation of the 'bomboclaat' meme.

The meme has been particularly popular with Nigerian Twitter users, although some users say that the word is being taken greatly out of context. It's being compared to the 'sco pa tu manaa' meme that was popular earlier this year, which is either gibberish or means, "What does this remind you of?" or "I'll hit you" depending on who you ask. 

On Twitter, the meme mostly meant, "What is your experience with this?" Twitter users would share an image with a single word and the caption, "sco pa tu manaa" to encourage conversation around the topic in the image. Some users are continuing in that style with 'bomboclaat,' with the problem being that 'bomboclaat' in no way means, "What is your experience with this?" The terms are not interchangeable. 

It's important to remember that 'bomboclaat' is basically a flexible curse word. So if something makes you want to curse, whether it's in fear or anger or joy, 'bomboclaat' is a useful word. What seemed to confuse a lot of people is the original meme maker used a side-by-side comparison so many Twitter users seemed to believe that 'bomboclaat' is a word used to compare things when that's not necessarily true. 

The meme isn't about showing Winslow entering and exited. It's about the emotion behind it. For instance, this tweet by @iamBlaqbida would definitely make someone feel the need to curse, but it's not a side by side image like the original post was. 

So before you hop on the latest Twitter trend, be sure you're actually posting a 'bomboclaat' and not a 'sco pa tu manaa.'