Interjection: "(Internet slang) used to indicate that one finds a statement to be bizarre, tangential, or inappropriate for the context in which it is made"
Setting aside the fact that Trump inviting a group of lawmakers to the White House to discuss trade policy only to launch into an out-of-nowhere rant about one of his enemies being fat is the definition of the phrase “ma’am, this is an Arby’s,” Trump’s hatred for Nadler goes way back.
There’s a ubiquitous joke on Twitter that goes like this: “Sir, this is an Arby’s.” That sentence is the punch line, deployed after a setup in which an earnest speaker expounds on anything from elaborate pop-culture theories to sports to politics — only for it to be revealed that, all along, he was ranting at an innocent fast-food cashier.
The MLB trade deadline had a little bit of everything, so why not throw in a version of the “Sir, this is an Arby’s” meme? Tanner Roark might well have heard those very words, had he begun discussing what just happened to him on Wednesday. The veteran starting pitcher said he was in an Arby’s parking lot when he started to get word that he had been traded from the Cincinnati Reds to the Oakland A’s.
"Sir, this is an Arby’s," the fast-food chain tweeted in response to a clip of Sanford's remarks.
2019, D'Anne Witkowski, "Creep Of The Week", Between the Lines, 21 November 2019, page 9:
I am reminded of the, “Sir, this is an Arby’s” punchline used so often on Twitter. A great example is its use by Alexandra Petri (follow her at @petridishes) as a response to a Brett Kavanaugh quote regarding his insane behavior before the Senate.
Not content to let his colleagues win the award for “Most Batshit Aside of the Day,” Representative Clay Higgins took to the podium and busted out this late entrance to the “Sir, this is an Arby’s” cannon, raging: “I have descended into the belly of the beast. I have witnessed a terror within. And I was committed to oppose the insidious forces which threaten our republic. America has been severely injured by this betrayal, by this unjust and weaponized impeachment brought upon us by the same socialists who threaten unborn life in the womb, who threaten First Amendment rights of conservatives, who threaten Second Amendment protections of every American patriot, and who have long ago determined that they would organize and conspire to overthrow President Trump.”
2020, Alex Duke, "'Sir, This Is a Local Church'— Or, How an Absurdist Meme about a Roast Beef Shop Might Help Heal Our Church", 9Marks Journal, September 2020, page 142:
I wonder if you’re familiar with the “Sir, this is an Arby’s” meme. Let me illustrate it for you:
Person A [with aggressive aggravation]: Can you believe it? The other day, I heard someone refer to the book of Genesis. Surely you KNOW that Genesis is not just “a book,” but the first part of the Pentateuch, and the Pentateuch is a five-fold book, not five books. Do you know what the first word is in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy? It’s and. BOOM. What did Jesus call the Torah? “The book of Moses.” Not the books of Moses.
When you’re doing your job as a journalistic commentator in its highest form, you’re drawing new parallels, expanding the Overton Window, opening people’s minds and also ensuring them they aren’t alone in their frustrations with the status quo. When done at its most hacky, however, you’re ranting at people, making leaps and assumptions that gloss over reality, casting yourself as omniscient genius, and generally just pulling real “Sir, this is an Arby’s” shit.
Side note before anyone asks, yes, we need to do away with “FAAB” and use FAB. Two reasons: Free Agent Acquisition Budget is just redundant. Of course, you’re trying to acquire the player if he’s a free agent. Second, how do you pronounce the car brand SAAB? With an “AH” not a short “A” like in cab … or … like the soda, Tab! So, FAAB would be FAAHHB, and FAB is FAB! I know you’re thinking, “Sir, this is an Arby’s,” so let’s move on.
