F in the Chat – Meaning, Origin, and Usage
If you’ve been online gaming on Playstation, Xbox and the like, you may have seen someone putting ‘F in the chat’ up on screen now and again. But you’re a relatively new player, you may not be 100% clear what the phrase means, even though the phrase has been going around for over 10 years at this point.
If that sounds like you, don’t worry, you’ve come to the right place. I’ll unpack the meaning, and how the phrase originally came about. I’ll give you lots of examples of how you can use the phrase yourself, or how you might see others use it. I’ll also throw in some alternative phrases you can use instead.
What is the Meaning of ‘F in the Chat’?
While originally intended as a sign of respecting and expressing condolence in gaming, the meaning of the phrase ‘F in the chat’ has since transformed to a form of trolling, where gamers are saying not to take the character’s death too seriously.
What is the Origin of ‘F in the Chat’?
The phrase ‘F in the chat’ originates from online gaming. Gaming consoles that enable players to play with other gamers online over the internet mean that players can chat to one another in the chat section of a game.
The first use of this phrase was in 2014, in the game ‘Call of Duty: Advanced War’, which is available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.
Originally, when a character died, fellow gamers were offered to attend a pseudo-funeral for the character which included a video shot of the hit (or on occasion a montage of the character’s highlights). The game’s official request for this was ‘Press F to pay requests’.
However, rather than wanting to pay their respects, most gamers were simply amused by the death of over characters, and the use of the letter F came to represent a common curse word rather than a sign of sorrow. When a gamer’s character dies, many other games revel in it by using the phrase ‘F in the chat’.
It is often used when a character has been killed by another character on either the opposing team, or occasionally on the same team.
On the whole, being told ‘F in the chat’ by a fellow gamer doesn’t tend to put people off these games, and the comments are generally taken in good spirit.
How do you use the phrase ‘F in the chat’?
The use of this phrase soon expanded to be used across many multiplayer online games, but it doesn’t tend to be used outside the world of gaming. That said, it does occasionally come up in memes spread on social media apps.
Here are a few examples of the phrase in use:
‘Ah man, I’m gutted I died. I was so close. Can I get an F in the chat?’
‘Aww sh*t, dead once again. F in the chat for me?
‘To pay respects, F in the chat.’
‘Don’t want to hear it mate, F in the chat.’
‘Stop moaning. F in the chat.’
‘I’m p*ssed off now. Can I get an F in the chat, please?’
‘Aww, not again. Can you give me an F in the chat? Character died again.’
‘I can’t believe it, give me an F in the chat lads.’
‘You died? Oops, F in the chat.’
‘Dave just died. Man, F in the chat.’
‘Quit feeling sorry for yourself, you had it coming, with that game play! F in the chat.’
Other Ways of Saying ‘F in the chat
Since the ‘F’ in ‘F in the chat’ is now considered to represent a curse word, you may wish to use an alternative phrase instead. Here are some examples:
- ‘Move on.’
- ‘Get over it.’
- ‘Aww bummer, I died?’
- ‘Died again? Such a shame!’
- ‘I don’t wanna hear it mate.’
- ‘Sorry for your loss.’
- ‘Who cares?’
- ‘So what?!’
Final Thoughts
So, to sum up, the phrase ‘F in the chat’ can have two meanings. Originally, the phrase was meant as a way to show respect for the passing of a gamer’s character.
However, since that time, the meaning of the phrase has evolved, and most gamers consider it to be an insult, and the phrase is mostly used to tell fellow gamers to move on and get over it when their character dies.
This means that when someone says ‘F in the chat’ to you, you’ll have to work out for yourself whether they mean it in a respectful way, or if they are being sarcastic. (But, just so you know, they are usually being sarcastic.)
Gamers generally take the phrase on the chin, and you needn’t worry too much about offending people by using it.
