Meaning
What does Not Today, Old Friend mean?
The phrase Not today, old friend comes from the image macro, taken from an episode of The Simpsons.
The screenshot depicts the bartender of the series, Moe Szyslak looking at a hanging noose while saying the words “Not today, old friend”.
It is mostly associated with situations that seemed hopeless but have taken a turn for the better.
Origin
What's the origin of Not Today, Old Friend?
The scene where the image macro is coming from was seen in The Simpsons episode titled “Whiskey Business” which was broadcasted on May 15th, 2013, as of January 18th, 2021.
Moe is looking at the noose, ruminating, only to say the dark phrase ‘Not today, old friend. But don’t worry: holidays are just around the corner’.
Spread & Usage
How did Not Today, Old Friend spread?
The screenshot was first taken and shared out of its original context on January 23rd, 2014, in an UPROXX article.
Three months and one day later, a two panel version of the scene was published on Reddit by hero0fwar.
In 2015, the image macro appeared in several subreddits and toward the end of the year, it had spread onto 4chan, where it became a popular reaction to “bait” posts.
In the coming years, the meme had been posted on various social media sites from Reddit to Twitter, Imgur, Tumblr and Facebook.
External resources
- Know Your Meme – Not Today, Old Friend