What Does “Updog” Mean? (And Where Did It Come From?)

PDF download Download Article
All the slang and word play you need to understand a clever joke
PDF download Download Article

If you’ve found yourself asking “What’s updog?” out loud, then you might just have been the latest victim of a classic English wordplay joke. In this article, we’ll explain exactly what “updog” means and how the “updog” joke works, plus dive into the history of this play on words and the English slang word “dog.” Read on to learn more!

“Updog” Definition at a Glance

“Updog” is a nonsense word that comes from the English phrase “What’s up, dog?” (meaning “How’s it going, friend?”). The word is part of a common joke: Someone makes a statement with the word “updog,” prompting someone else to ask, “What’s updog?” The first person says “Nothing. What’s up with you?” as the punchline.

Section 1 of 6:

What does “updog” mean?

PDF download Download Article
  1. The word “updog” is a play on words and comes from the phrase “What’s up, dog?” (an expression that means “How’s it going, friend?”). To set up the joke, one person will say or ask something using the word “updog.” Someone else will then ask “What’s updog?” in response since it’s not a real word. The jokester usually replies with the punchline “Nothing. What’s up with you?” [1]
    2. Advertisement
Section 2 of 6:

The “Updog” Joke, Explained

PDF download Download Article
  1. Find someone to talk to and make a statement or ask a question with the word “updog” in it. The goal is to make the person you’re pranking have to ask you what “updog” is. You can use any phrase you can think of, but if you’re stuck, here are a few setups for inspiration:
    • “It smells like updog in here.”
    • “You look like updog.”
    • “It’s giving updog.”
    • “Did you notice all that updog?”
    • “Will they be serving updog?”
  2. Once you ask your question, the other person will be confused because they don’t know what “updog” means. Ideally, they’ll then ask you “What’s updog?” to set up your punchline.
    • Since the other person doesn’t know you’re making a joke, they may not say “What’s updog?” exactly. For example, they could say “What do you mean?” or just “What’s that?”
    • Tip: If they say something like “What’s that?”, ask them “What’s what?” to try to get them to say “What’s updog?” again.
  3. Pretend you’re replying to the question “What’s up, dog?” (AKA, “How’s it going, friend?”). Say something short and casual like “Not much,” “Nothing,” or “Can’t complain,” then ask “What’s up with you?” to finish the joke.
    • The other person will realize the play on words you tricked them into and laugh (or maybe groan since this is considered a corny (but classic!) joke).
    4. Advertisement
Section 3 of 6:

Is “updog” a real English word?

PDF download Download Article
  1. It’s only purpose is to set up the punchline and the word doesn’t have any real meaning outside of the joke. Even though it’s not real English, the “What’s updog?” joke only works in the English language because of the play on the slang phrase “What’s up, dog?” If you were to do this joke in a different language and borrow the word “updog,” it wouldn’t make sense.
Section 4 of 6:

What does “dog” mean in English slang?

PDF download Download Article
  1. Calling someone “Dog” is a familiar way to address somebody you know well. [2] For example, you could say “Hey dog, how’s it going?” or “Long time no see, dog!” when you’re greeting a close friend.
    • “Dog” can be intentionally misspelled as “dawg” or “dogg,” too.
    • Using “dog” to mean “friend” probably came from the hip-hop scene before spreading into wider pop culture as hip-hop music became more mainstream. [3]
    2. Advertisement
Section 5 of 6:

Where did the “updog” joke come from?

PDF download Download Article
  1. It’s not totally clear exactly when or how the joke was first conceived (people were probably saying it offline way before 2000). But, the joke made it to the internet on December 6, 2000 in an Ars Technica Forum thread titled “ Jokes that make you groan and/or wanna smack your forehead .” Over the next few years, the joke grew more popular online and in TV shows. [4]
    • In 2003, “updog” was added to Urban Dictionary .
    • In 2006, the “updog” joke was featured in an episode of The Office (season 2, episode 13).
    • The cheesy joke became so popular that in 2014, Buzzfeed published a piece called “ The 21 Greatest Updogs Of 2014 .”
Section 6 of 6:

Similar Jokes

PDF download Download Article
  1. “Updog” is the classic, but people online have gotten creative and come up with other fake words to make all new jokes. Here are a few gems, but feel free to come up with your own variation! [5]
    • Person A: “Can you pass the hamaphor?”
      Person B: “What’s a hamaphor?”
      Person A: “For banging in nails.”
      • A play on the phrase “What’s a hammer for?”
    • Person A: “Can you grab me the henway?”
      Person B: “What’s a henway?”
      Person A: “About 3 or 4 pounds.”
      • A play on the phrase “What does a hen weigh?”
    2. Advertisement

Expert Q&A

Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
      Advertisement

      Tips

      Submit a Tip
      All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
      Name
      Please provide your name and last initial
      Submit
      Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

      You Might Also Like

      What Does "Sigma" Mean on TikTok?
      Everything You Need to Know About Skibidi & Skibidi Toilet
      What Does "Bop" Mean in Slang & Why Is It Problematic for Girls?
      What Does the Slang Term “FAFO” Mean? (Plus How to Use It)
      What Does "I'm Cooked" Mean? TikTok Slang, Explained
      What Zesty Really Means on TikTok
      What does "2 Man" Mean?
      What Is Glazing?
      Everything You Need to Know About the “My Roman Empire” TikTok Trend
      What is “Rizz” and How Do You Get It?
      What Is a "Body Count"?
      What Does GGG Mean?
      Your Ultimate Guide to Millennial Slang
      What Did Doc Holliday Mean by “I’m Your Huckleberry”?
      Advertisement

      References

      1. ↑ https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/updog
      2. ↑ https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dawg
      3. ↑ https://www.dreadpen.com/hip-hop-slang-dictionary/
      4. ↑ https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/updog
      5. ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/joke_workshop/comments/pr03c0/does_anyone_have_any_good_updog_type_jokes_that/

      About This Article

      Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 669 times.

      Did this article help you?

      Advertisement