About

Tacticool is a slang term widely used by first-person-shooter (FPS) video gamers on 4chan's /k/ board (weapons) to describe any weapon, such as firearms and knives, equipped with accessories or supplements that may be deemed impractical, unnecessary or even counterproductive to the purpose of the task at hand.

Origin

On September 5th, 2004, the earliest known definition of the slang term "tacticool"^[1] was submitted to Urban Dictionary by user Lars From Mars, although the description of its usage slightly differs from the most common way it is employed:

Derived from the word "Tactical".

1. Descriptive word for equipment or clothing that does not have any tactical purpose; but looks cool.
2. A person who is a city dweller; but wishes to look like an warrior or as if they are/were in the armed forces.
3. Appearance that mimics military or martial arts.
Ex: Hummer H2 is a very tacticool SUV.

On May 16th, 2006, the earliest known example of such weapon equipped with superfluous accessories was posted on the military and weaponry discussion forum International Military Forum.^[4] The image featured an edited photo of an armed man carrying a gun with numerous attachments.

Spread

The earliest archived instance on 4chan is a thread submitted to the /k/ (weapons) board on August 9th, 2012, in which the OP asks about the meaning behind the term "tacticool" on the site.^[3]

The first known example of a non-mechanical weapon that fits under the category can be found in a thread on the online discussion forum Boards.ie^[2] on March 15th, 2010, which highlights a military tactical knife scoped with an Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight (ACOG).

Various Examples

Pimp My Gun

Pimp My Gun^[5] is an online gun building application, which features parts like stocks, sights, bipods and magazines. Users often create and share tacticool-like and comical weapons.

Search Interest

External References