Word Spy - TEOTWAWKI

TEOTWAWKI

acronym. The End Of The World As We Know It; a catch-all phrase for the chaos and disruption that some people expect will occur in the new millennium.

Example Citation:

There is, however, a class of people who not only believe TEOTWAWKI is upon us, but are positively looking forward to it: the hi-tech incarnation of the survivalist movement that emerged in the 1970s when the apocalyptic fear was of global nuclear warfare.
—Wendy Grossman, "Connected: A diet of worms for when it all falls apart," The Daily Telegraph, September 21, 1998

Earliest Citation:

"Even if it's only going to be a bump in the road, the psychology of this is going to cause major problems," said Rawles. He may be fueling that psychology, reissuing his book under the title "TEOTWAWKI: The End of the World As We Know It."
—Eric Sorenson, "Millennium bug has doomsayers heading for hills," The Seattle Times, July 12, 1998

Categories:

Acronyms and Abbreviations
Sociology (General)

Posted on September 22, 1998