3w ago

What's with "checks notes" everywhere?

Why do people keep adding this to their comments? Are they checking notes? Why do they feel the need to point it out if they are? Why are they saying they are if they aren't? It's like me adding "scratching head" to my comment, which I just did, but I have no idea why that adds anything to the conversation.

34 comments

It's a joke. They are pretending they can't remember the very obvious/absurd/silly/etc thing, so they have to check their notes before finishing the thought.
I think it might have its origin in courtroom dramas having prosecutors being catty with the defense but that's just a barely informed guess tbh

It's just a fad. Speech mannerisms also come and go with the times. Right now it's popular to use it, and people use it.
- It do be like that. Many of them get repeated till they reach a critical point and everyone is sick of them. Some of them are harder to tolerate than others though. I can deal with people 'checking notes' here and there but those who use "literally" as every second word in their sentences awaken a primal rage inside of me that is yearning for rock to split skull. Luckily that trend isn't as prevalent as it used to be back in the day.
  
  OK but the dictionary literally modified the definition to I clude "figuratively" because language is alive and unwell
  
  there but those who use "literally" as every second word in their sentences awaken a primal rage inside of me that is yearning for rock to split skull.
  I hard agree. Misuse of literal is a problem many decades old and it hurts still
- And with all fads, it's cyclical. But on the internet, things move quicker so instead of 20-30 years, it's more like 5-10.
- fr fr on God no cap

For dramatization, when some event is so stupidly, unexpectedly bizarre that you have to check your figurative notes to make sure you're not just remembering a fever dream. Example:
America is rolling back renewable energy development to promote the use of beautiful, clean... (checks notes...) coal, of all fucking things.

Its similar to a dramtic... . . . . . . . .
..
.. .... pause!

Checks notes it's for dramatization, joke, etc.

checks notes
Not sure I didn’t write anything down I was just doodling

When something is really unbelievable (or sarcasticly unbelievable) people add “checks notes” to signify that they had to check their notes (figuratively) to make sure that they aren’t saying something false

I believe it came from the popularity of Jon Stewart who often uses it as a joke catch phrase.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catchphrase
People picked up on it and use it to imitate this style.
- Personally, I initially saw a version of it in Sluggy Freelance.
  
  And every courtroom drama, like checks notes My Cousin Vinny.

Sarcasm

Life, uh, finds a way Life... Finds a way Life [checks notes] finds a way
Life,,, finds a way Life [deep breath] finds a way Life [lean away from the microphone to breathe in] finds a way Life [scratches head] finds a way?
Life [gestures vaguely to day care center] finds a way
They are performative modifiers to add visual context to text. Imagine you're reading a script for a play. The author adds notes like some of the examples above, in a similar format, in order to better convey what they want the actors to do, by text alone, to better convey the author's intent to the audience.

John Stewart on the Daily Show, look him up

Hell, I remember a time people just said "um", "er" quietly and paused between words when they hadn't thought the thought through.
Instead now they use 'like' as a space between words whilst the processing is still taking place.
It gets real confusing when what they're explaining is the concept of similes.

We all got our verbal tics. Also an attempt to add some more complexity to our communication, since we’re missing things like facial expressions or body language or environmental cues.