in Minecraft

English

WOTD – 18 May 2024

Etymology

From in + Minecraft (“a sandbox video game in which players explore a three-dimensional world made of blocks and can craft items and build structures”), implying that the speaker’s statement does not refer to the real world but merely the game. Apparently originated from the 4chan board /pol/ around early 2018.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɪn ˈmaɪnkɹɑːft/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ɪn ˈmaɪnˌkɹæft/
• Hyphenation: in Mine‧craft

Prepositional phrase

in Minecraft

1. (Internet slang, figurative, humorous) Used to supposedly keep oneself from becoming legally liable for making a certain statement that could be perceived as a threat, or that may otherwise pose a legal risk.

   Synonym: in Roblox

   I’ll blow up your house … in Minecraft!

   • 2022 November 13, “now that im 18 im thinking of finally putting that tight tgirl body to use making money because im so horny and desperate for affection uwu”, in Reddit‎^[3], r/transgendercirclejerk, archived from the original on 12 May 2024:

     /uj ok unironically does anyone know of any resources on how to get started doing online sex work in like. a safe way that won't get me kidnapped and locked in some old grody dude's basement 🥹 entirely hypothetically ofc. in minecraft

   • 2023 February 19, u/Nuker_Nathan, “Hypothetically, in Minecraft of course”, in Reddit‎^[4], r/DramaticText, archived from the original on 12 May 2024:

     .308 may be somewhat unreliable against heavy armor penetration at long distance, while .50 BMG barely has to touch you to kill you. In Minecraft, obviously...

   • 2023 March 25, @Babygravy9, Twitter‎^[5], archived from the original on 26 March 2023:

     You could very easily go to these shows and just note down all the plate numbers in the parking lot. It wouldn't be hard at all. You could build a database of all the people who attend these shows. Maybe you could cross reference it with other databases. In Minecraft, of course.

   • 2023 September 15, @FenixAmmunition, Twitter‎^[6], archived from the original on 12 May 2024:

     Literally the coolest looking gun on the planet, and unfortunately, literally the worst trigger on the planet. ¶ But with subsonics, it's so quiet you could run the Bin Laden raid in a suburban cul-de-sac neighborhood and I doubt anyone would hear you. ¶ In Minecraft, obviously.

2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see in,‎ Minecraft.
   • 2018 July 11, Alison Flood, Sian Cain, “How Minecraft is helping kids fall in love with books”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian‎^[7], London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2024-03-08:

     Dylan, like many nine-year-olds, enjoys books but is more enthusiastic when talking about Minecraft, which he does with the casual expertise that many children have with their favourite games. He's already made his own Hunger Games world in Minecraft at home, but couldn't get some of his traps to work.

Usage notes

• Using the phrase does not necessarily grant someone legal immunity to prosecution. In 2023, a 4chan user was arrested after making death threats against Volusia County sheriff Mike Chitwood, advocating for someone to shoot him in the head "in Minecraft".

Translations

used to supposedly keep oneself from becoming legally liable — see also in Roblox

• Finnish: leikisti (fi)
• Macedonian: please add this translation if you can

Further reading

• Minecraft on Wikipedia.Wikipedia