Wot in Tarnation

Basically means “What in damnation”, which is a term referring to American’s who live in the South while they are expressing puzzlement over a certain situation.

It is also referred to What In Tarnation? online.

The term “tarnation” originates from the end of the 1700s as a beautification for the word “damnation” as per the online dictionary called Online Etymology Online.

The first recorded entry on the internet, in its context now was submitted to the website called Urban Dictionary, explaining the meaning and use of the phrase in today’s internet culture.

In the beginning the term was used as a swear word on the messaging board website called Reddit, however its popularity skyrocketed after the first meme was created and submitted to the image sharing website called Tumblr in late 2016.

After the first use in a meme picture, the popularity has spread like wildfire across messaging boards and image sharing websites, spawning hundreds of entries and reaction images.

In 2017 an image was submitted to Tumblr, picturing a Shiba Inu breed dog wearing a cowboy hat whit the caption added in the corner of the image, coining the basic image for the meme today.

• Urban Dictionary – Wot n tarnation