Dictionary.com announced that there were over 600 new entries to their website on September 1. Among them was the term jabroni. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson may be particularly thrilled with this addition, since the term has been considered his catchphrase.
"Yes, we put jabroni in the dictionary. We assume @TheRock could smell us cooking up this update the whole time," Dictionary.com brazenly tweeted, referring to the wrestler's entrance theme.
Yes, we put jabroni in the dictionary. We assume @TheRock could smell us cooking up this update the whole time. https://t.co/kNdHhsLYrn
— Dictionary.com (@Dictionarycom) September 1, 2020
Dictionary.com defines "jabroni" as "a wrestler whose purpose is to lose matches against headlining wrestlers in order to build up the status and fame of the headliners," meaning they make others look in order to further their wrestling careers.
An example of how you can use it in a sentence reads: "The man is a legend in the ring—he eats jabronis for breakfast."
In a 2015 Esquire story, Johnson revealed where he first used the term, and how he got to using it himself. "When I was a kid, it was an inside term that guys would use. When wrestlers wanted to have a private conversation when fans were present, they would start talking carny because they used to wrestle in carnivals. I thought it was so cool," he revealed.
"Jabroni was a word that was always used in the derogatory sense. Oh, this jabroni, that jabroni. But the Iron Sheik was famous for saying the word constantly backstage. Jabroni, jabroni, jabroni. Around 1998, I thought, Why can't I say it on TV?" Johnson added. "So I started saying it publicly, but the Iron Sheik was known for it."
He previously noted that jabroni was the Iron Sheik's word in the 2014 documentary, The Sheik. "Now the word jabroni is connected to me," Johnson said. "When a lot of people think, 'oh, jabroni, oh, yeah, yeah, it's The Rock's word.' No, no, no, no. It's not my word. It's the Iron Sheik's word."
The Rock also gushed about the impact the Iron Sheik had on his career. "The wrestling business has always been a cutthroat business. There weren't always a lot of guys at that time who took the time to bring me under their wings and share their insight and wisdom with me," he admitted.
The Iron Sheik's incredible wrestling career stretched over three decades. He retired from wrestling in the 2000s, as per Rolling Stone.
Newsweek did not receive comment from Dwayne Johnson at the time of publication.
Uncommon Knowledge
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