Sauce

About

“Sauce”, often used in all caps along with “zomg”, “omg” and “plz”, is a slang version of the word “source”. It is used (usually in a pleading tone) as a request to someone who posted a claim, a picture or anything that raises interest but is unsourced/not complete. Its goal is to prove it, confirm it and to see more information/pictures/anything from the initial content.
It can be compared to Moar and Bump as a request for elaboration.

Origin

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex is a 2002 anime series that was first aired on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim In November of 2004, for the US release.
In the 9th episode, entitled C: The Man Who Dwells in the Shadows of the Net – CHAT! CHAT! CHAT! (Net no Yami ni Sumu Otoko CHAT! CHAT! CHAT! / ネットの闇に棲む男 CHAT! CHAT! CHAT!), one of the scenes takes place in a virtual-reality chatroom where one avatar asks for sources and another mocks him with the phrases “sarce” and “soy sauce”.

(That peculiar line can be seen at 6:19)

- According to information I got from this particular source, the victimized corporations had hired assassins even before the incident.

- Which “sauce” did you get it from ? Pork cutlet ? Oyster ?

On 4chan, it was very common for users to ask for the source of anything by typing “SOURCE !” or “SOURCE PLZ!” right from the start and Moot, 4chan’s creator, inspired by the show, decided to add a worldfilter changing every occurance of “source” to “sauce”.

Today, the worldfilter is deactivated but the “sauce” slang took over on 4chan as a result of its funny use.

Evolution

The Lurkmore Wiki offers the following defintion:

Usually a request for the source of a picture. Often seen in image macros usually featuring hot chili sauce, ketchup, or other savory fluid condiments. Associated with the set phrases “ZOMG SAUCE” or “SAUCE PLZ”. “Sauce” has replaced “source” indefinitely on 4chan and the rest of the internet.

An urban dictionary entry was made in December of the same year.

Websites based on the meme in-joke were also created:

• Zomgsauce a blog about… cooking.
• SaucePlz, still under construction at the moment but meant to be some sort of wikipedia for files.
• Saucenao.com a website to find theorically any picture’s source.