Slang dictionary
that escalated quickly
What does that escalated quickly mean?
The phrase that escalated quickly is often used when a scenario goes from relatively calm or innocuous to out of hand and intense.
Where does that escalated quickly come from?
The definitive origin of the phrase comes from the 2004 film Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. The eponymous character says, 鈥淏oy, that escalated quickly. I mean, that really got out of hand fast.鈥� Here, he鈥檚 referencing a brawl that he and his coworkers had with a rival news station earlier in the film. His nonchalant tone makes it seem like no big deal, which is what makes the scene funny.
In August of 2012, the phrase suddenly became a tremendously popular Google search. One could say it escalated quickly. The phrase鈥檚 viral success could possibly be attributed to YouTuber Niamh Joyce uploading a clip of the scene that the quote is taken from in April 2011. A few months after it was posted, a popular meme image macro of Ron Burgundy with the quote 鈥淲ell, that escalated quickly鈥� was born and became a hit online. The macro was used regularly on Reddit, Tumblr, and FunnyJunk.
Examples of that escalated quickly
Who uses that escalated quickly?
The phrase often appears in memes and GIFs. The typical usage deviates from the original quote in that it鈥檚 鈥淲ell, that escalated quickly鈥� instead of 鈥淏oy, that escalated quickly.鈥� The most popular version of the meme is a picture of Ron Burgundy from the scene the quote is taken from, with the not-so-faithful quote overlaid on top. This macro is usually placed next to an outrageous text chain or a ridiculous set of images that feature a situation escalating suddenly.
Still, that escalated quickly is also used outside the context of memes and GIFs. People use it as a standalone text phrase in the same context of the image, with the understanding that the reader will get the reference. As standalone text, that escalated quickly can often be found as a title of an article that details a situation that quickly got out of hand.鈥� For example, in January 2017 The Portland Mercury published an article titled 鈥淲ell, That Escalated Quickly: How A Portland Cop鈥檚 Brief Misconduct Quietly Became a War Over Police Accountability.鈥�
The phrase can also be used as the title of a list of memes or pictures, such as in The Huffington Post鈥檚 鈥淲ell, That Escalated Quickly: 15 Things That Went From Zero to WTF (Photos).鈥�
Note
This is not meant to be a formal definition of that escalated quickly like most terms we define on 亚洲网紅露点, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of that escalated quickly that will help our users expand their word mastery.