PDF File (Slang)

About

PDF File is an online slang term that has been used instead of the word "pedophile" due to a phonetic similarity. The term, which originally stands for the document file format "Portable Document Format," is an example of algospeak and has also been used in Names Soundalikes memes. Used online since at least 2016, the slang term achieved more prominence in the 2020s following several viral Who Is He and Why Does He misinterpretation memes.

Origin

Portable Document Format (PDF) is a type of document file format developed by the computer software company Adobe and used by its software Acrobat Reader and its analogs.

On May 2nd, 2016, X^[1] user @Hozay_ made the earliest joke based on the phonetic similarity between the word pair "PDF file" and the word "pedophile." The post, which referenced rapper Tyga's relationship with socialite Kylie Jenner, received over 5,600 reposts and 4,900 likes in eight years (shown below).

In 2020 and 2021, the phonetic similarity was used in a number of misinterpretation memes. On March 26th, 2020, Redditor og_roni posted the earliest found misinterpretation meme based on it, a Staring Cat meme, which gained over 19,000 upvotes in the /r/okbuddyretard^[2] subreddit prior to removal (shown below, left).

On July 2nd, 2021, Redditor Accomplished-Owl-653 posted a Watermelon Helmet meme that received over 5,500 upvotes in the subreddit^[3] prior to being removed (shown below, right). The later meme saw further spread online through reposts.

Spread

In the following years, the term achieved more prominence as an algospeak term, used to avoid writing the word "pedophile," and also appeared in various Name Soundalikes memes. For example, on January 13th, 2023, the X^[4] gimmick account @namesoun posted a meme about YouTuber EDP445 that received over 2,200 reposts and 46,000 likes in two years (shown below).

On May 5th, 2024, X^[5] user @RaineyOvalle used the slang term in a post referencing a feud between rappers Kendrick Lamar and Drake and the former calling the latter "certified pedophile" in his diss track "Not Like Us." The post (shown below) garnered over 10,000 reposts and 78,000 likes in three months.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References