What Does 'Cornplate' Mean? The Slang Word About Obsessing Over Minuscule Details Explained

Ever witnessed a person obsess over their favorite film, series or game so much that they start to point out the minutest of details, no matter how insignificant they appear to everyone else? Now there's a term just for that: "cornplating."

Learn all about what this slang term is, how it came to be and how to use it properly in our explainer below.

What Is The Meaning Of ‘Cornplate'?

To "cornplate" means to point out minuscule and meaningless details in a movie, game or any other media, usually for the sole sake of keeping up the discussion about it. For example, posting about chairs in the background of a poster that bears no plot significance whatsoever is an act of cornplating. Pointing out that a supporting character briefly holds a plate of food for less than a second during a dinner scene is also cornplating.

Keep in mind that not every instance of digging deep into small details is cornplating: sometimes, there can be interesting things hidden in the background! What distinguishes the former from the latter is the utter lack of significance in the details that are being brought up.

Where Does ‘Cornplate’ Come From?

The slang word originates from a post made by Twitter account @hourlydolores in January 2022. In the post, they highlighted that in one scene of the animated film Encanto character Dolores can be seen holding a plate of corn. The discovery appeared so minute and insignificant that the very same day Twitter user @yandhiisntreal quote tweeted the post, writing that Encanto fans have been running out of things to talk about.

And the expression itself was coined by Twitter user @camascamshafts, who first used it in a viral tweet in October 2022.

How Is 'Cornplating' Discussed Online?

Both the Cornplate image and the phrase itself have been used extensively on social media to react to posts that dig a little too deep into the "definitely not significant" territory.

The original post has also inspired parodies as users applied it to other films, or just pushed the absurdity of the corn plate "discovery" even further. Check out this Where's Goku one.

For the full history of "Cornplate," be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.