What Is 'The Ick'? The Relationship Slang Term Explained

The Ick. We've all felt it. It's that one innocuous thing an otherwise mundane date does that immediately turns us off. Maybe he sang karaoke in a really nasally voice after treating you to the perfect dinner date, or maybe he holds the shopping bags full of things he bought for you up near his chest like an otter. The Ick is a feeling that's hard to describe, but easy to recognize.

But how did such a universal feeling only enter popular slang vernacular in the past few years? Here's how the term evolved from TV to reality TV to real life.

Where Does 'The Ick' Come From?

The earliest known media representation of the "The Ick" is likely a May 1995 episode of the sitcom Friends called "The One With The Ick Factor." The episode shows Monica realizing that her date is a high school student. But the phrase only re-entered popular vernacular after a June 2017 episode of British reality TV show Love Island when participant Olivia described the feeling to another star.

Soon after the episode, the word made an appearance online with X user @sophiejohn03 saying, "olivia's just described that so well the ick ruins everything forever."

How Did Discussions About 'The Ick' Spread?

TikTokers began discussing their own Icks and the strangest Icks they've heard of in 2017, as seen in videos posted by @fizzzabella and @ughitsjessy.

What Are Some Memes About 'The Ick'?

As the Ick caught on as popular slang, men began to participate in online discourse about the term. A popular genre of meme in the years following 2017 was men discussing the various ways in which they encumber their own lives and safety in order to prevent women from catching The Ick for them.

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