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"It makes mustard gas"

Added 2 years ago / Updated 2 years ago
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About • Origin • Spread • Precursor • Search Interest • External References

About

"It makes mustard gas" refers to a catchphrase, hoax and occasional snowclone centered around the chemical weapon known as mustard gas or other gas-based weapons like nerve gas. It is often used to jokingly mislead other readers or troll them about why something is happening, what happened or what could happen.

An example would be a user posting an image with instructions to bake a cake, and the other user replying in turn with "Don't do this, it makes mustard gas."

Another example would be as a reply to asking what happened in a video.

Video of a man falling off his chair.
Anonymous #1: "LOL what happened here?"
Anonymous #2: "nerve gas, probably."[1]

In a lot of ways, it bears similarity to the 4chan custom of implying that every download link is actually a download for dolphin porn.

Origin

While the exact origin of the mustard gas meme is hard to pinpoint, the meme seems to have been popularized around late 2014 and the start of 2015 on 4chan. One of the first available posts to joke about mustard gas being produced from unrelated actions was on the /a/ – Anime & Manga board in 2011,[2] followed a few days later by a post on the /g/ – Technology board.[3]

/a/ Anonymous Thu 14 Jul 2011 09:16:10 No.51926606 View Report >>51926551 I bet it makes exploding mustard gas out of my harddrive or something similarly horrifying if you've followed me even here.
Anonymous Fri 22 Jul 2011 08:19:19 No.18931990 Report Quoted By: >>18932010 >>18931930 DON'T DO THIS it makes mustard gas

Spread

Due to the very general aspect of the meme, deducing its exact spread is difficult. On 4chan, most instances of "It makes mustard gas" seem to have come after 2015 according to third party archives like Desuarchive.[4] On the 4plebs archive, about 700 posts that contain the specific phrase "it makes mustard gas" exist.[5]

Precursor

A possible precursor to the meme may be found in an old and infamous thread from the /b/ – Random board in 2009. In the thread, the OP posts instructions on "how to make cool crystals," but in reality it's a recipe for deadly chlorine gas. Due to the unavailability of proper archives from this time, its existence is known through screenshots. In 2012, the thread was reposted to Imgur.[6] In August of 2014, the newsletter Geekinsider made an article about the harmful recipe and its "spread" across the internet.[7]

File : 1250575195.jpg-(16 KB, 400x392, home made crystal.jpg) O Anonymous 08/18/09(Tue)01:59:55 No.153495868 ITT: We make really cool crystals, and post results! Okay, so this is easy, you should have all of the chemicals needed around the house! Youll need around 5-over 9000 pennies (or copper coin from your country), and a straw, put these aside. Get a clear jar, scoop 2 tablespoons of salt into it, and 1 tablespoon of baking soda. Now the first important ingredient should be in the bathroom cleaning supplies: Ammonia (any brand). Pour it in until the jar is 2/3 of the way full (as tall as you want the crystals to grow) The last ingredient is laundry bleach (careful not to spill on your clothes!), fill the rest of the jar. Now drop the pennies into the bottom, and quickly take the straw and blow bubbles onto the pennies to get the crystals going. You shouid begin to see stringy crystals form after about 30 seconds of blowing. That's it! The attached pic took around 10 minutes of steady blowing The pink and purple some from the production of copper-calciphate using the CO2 in your own breath! (blowing until youre dizzy actually increases the CO2 in your breath, giving better colors) Good luck!

Search Interest

Unavailable

External References

[1] Desuarchive – nerve gas

[2] Desuarchive – I bet it makes exploding mustard gas out of my harddrive

[3] Desuarchive – Don't do this!

[4] Desuarchive – Posts listing 'it makes mustard gas'

[5] 4plebs – Posts listing 'it makes mustard gas'

[6] Imgur – how to grow crystals

[7] Geekinsider – Toxic Homemade Crystal Recipe Sweeps The Internet – Geek Insider FYI

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"It makes mustard gas"

"It makes mustard gas"

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About

"It makes mustard gas" refers to a catchphrase, hoax and occasional snowclone centered around the chemical weapon known as mustard gas or other gas-based weapons like nerve gas. It is often used to jokingly mislead other readers or troll them about why something is happening, what happened or what could happen.

An example would be a user posting an image with instructions to bake a cake, and the other user replying in turn with "Don't do this, it makes mustard gas."

Another example would be as a reply to asking what happened in a video.




Video of a man falling off his chair.
Anonymous #1: "LOL what happened here?"
Anonymous #2: "nerve gas, probably."[1]

In a lot of ways, it bears similarity to the 4chan custom of implying that every download link is actually a download for dolphin porn.

Origin

While the exact origin of the mustard gas meme is hard to pinpoint, the meme seems to have been popularized around late 2014 and the start of 2015 on 4chan. One of the first available posts to joke about mustard gas being produced from unrelated actions was on the /a/ – Anime & Manga board in 2011,[2] followed a few days later by a post on the /g/ – Technology board.[3]

/a/ Anonymous Thu 14 Jul 2011 09:16:10 No.51926606 View Report >>51926551 I bet it makes exploding mustard gas out of my harddrive or something similarly horrifying if you've followed me even here. Anonymous Fri 22 Jul 2011 08:19:19 No.18931990 Report Quoted By: >>18932010 >>18931930 DON'T DO THIS it makes mustard gas

Spread

Due to the very general aspect of the meme, deducing its exact spread is difficult. On 4chan, most instances of "It makes mustard gas" seem to have come after 2015 according to third party archives like Desuarchive.[4] On the 4plebs archive, about 700 posts that contain the specific phrase "it makes mustard gas" exist.[5]

Precursor

A possible precursor to the meme may be found in an old and infamous thread from the /b/ – Random board in 2009. In the thread, the OP posts instructions on "how to make cool crystals," but in reality it's a recipe for deadly chlorine gas. Due to the unavailability of proper archives from this time, its existence is known through screenshots. In 2012, the thread was reposted to Imgur.[6] In August of 2014, the newsletter Geekinsider made an article about the harmful recipe and its "spread" across the internet.[7]


File : 1250575195.jpg-(16 KB, 400x392, home made crystal.jpg) O Anonymous 08/18/09(Tue)01:59:55 No.153495868 ITT: We make really cool crystals, and post results! Okay, so this is easy, you should have all of the chemicals needed around the house! Youll need around 5-over 9000 pennies (or copper coin from your country), and a straw, put these aside. Get a clear jar, scoop 2 tablespoons of salt into it, and 1 tablespoon of baking soda. Now the first important ingredient should be in the bathroom cleaning supplies: Ammonia (any brand). Pour it in until the jar is 2/3 of the way full (as tall as you want the crystals to grow) The last ingredient is laundry bleach (careful not to spill on your clothes!), fill the rest of the jar. Now drop the pennies into the bottom, and quickly take the straw and blow bubbles onto the pennies to get the crystals going. You shouid begin to see stringy crystals form after about 30 seconds of blowing. That's it! The attached pic took around 10 minutes of steady blowing The pink and purple some from the production of copper-calciphate using the CO2 in your own breath! (blowing until youre dizzy actually increases the CO2 in your breath, giving better colors) Good luck!

Search Interest

Unavailable

External References

[1] Desuarchive – nerve gas

[2] Desuarchive – I bet it makes exploding mustard gas out of my harddrive

[3] Desuarchive – Don't do this!

[4] Desuarchive – Posts listing 'it makes mustard gas'

[5] 4plebs – Posts listing 'it makes mustard gas'

[6] Imgur – how to grow crystals

[7] Geekinsider – Toxic Homemade Crystal Recipe Sweeps The Internet – Geek Insider FYI

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