F in the chat

English

WOTD – 6 February 2025

Etymology

Originally a call for streamers on the online platform Twitch to type “F” in chat windows as a way to express sympathy when an unfortunate event occurs. This refers to the prompt “Press F to Pay Respects” in the PC version of the video game Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (2014) which directs the player during a funeral cut scene to press the F key to touch the coffin of a soldier who was killed in battle saving the player’s life. The prompt became a meme, where people would be asked to “press F to pay respects” in non-gaming contexts to suggest that credit, recognition, or sympathy should be given.^[1]^[2]

Pronunciation

(Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /ˌɛf‿ɪn ðə ˈt͡ʃæt/
Audio (General American): (file)

Noun

F in the chat (plural Fs in the chat)

(idiomatic, Internet slang, figurative, chiefly in the plural) An expression of condolences, regret, or sympathy.
Coordinate terms: L in the chat, W in the chat
- 2021 November 5, Leonardo Biazzi, “Gaules banned from Twitch”, in Dot Esports‎^[3], archived from the original on 2022-10-09:
  One hour ago, however, Gaules [pseudonym; Alexandre Borba Chiqueta] put out a mysterious tweet. "If you have faith, leave your F in the chat," he wrote. The word F, in gaming culture, means to pay your respects when someone dies.
- 2021 November 15, Ethan Gach, “Battlefield 2042 Feels Like the Wrong Game at the Wrong Time”, in Kotaku‎^[4], archived from the original on 2024-09-12, subtitle:
  Some players are already throwing Fs in the chat for EA's latest shooter.
- 2022 July 3, Will Carnevale, “[Joe] Biden Asks Americans to Get Some Fs Going in the Chat for Abortion Rights”, in Hard Drive‎^[5], archived from the original on 2022-10-09:
  Drop some Fs in the chat for abortion rights because we gotta find someone who can solve this thing […]
  A satirical article.

Related terms

press F to pay respects

Translations

expression of condolences, regret, or sympathy

Finnish: F chattiin
Macedonian: please add this translation if you can

References

^ Vitor Braz (2019 November 4) “Five Years Ago, the Press F to Pay Respects Meme was Born”, in GameRevolution‎^[1], archived from the original on 2024-12-16.
^ Adam Newell, Adam Snavely (2023 September 28) “The Origin of ‘Press F to Pay Respects’”, in Dot Esports‎^[2], archived from the original on 2025-01-13.