Meaning
What does U Wot M8? mean?
U wot m8? or “you what, mate?” refer to a popular colloquial expression, mostly prevalent in the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia.
It may be used confrontationally or to express confusion after someone uttered something incomprehensible.
Origin
What's the origin of U Wot M8??
M8 has appeared on occasion in online chatrooms and instant messaging since the early 2000’s, to reference the word “mate” a frequent colloquialism in the UK and Australia, used similarly to the words “dude” or “pal”.
However, a related expression, WTF, m8? has been more popular in the 2000’s.
Spread & Usage
How did U Wot M8? spread?
Since 2011, the “u wot m8?” has appeared reaction images, featuring various characters, the most prevalent of whom is Martin Keating, with a perplexed facial expression.
This image macro comes from a BBC North West program and has been the most popular on sites like 4chan and 7chan.
“U wot m8?” was first defined on Urban Dictionary in 2012, with many other entries appearing since that time.
External resources
- Urban Dictionary – U Wot M8
- Reddit – r/OutOfTheLoop