What 탈룰라 means
Accidentally insulting someone's parent or family, then hastily backpedaling. Used as 탈룰라했다 (“pulled a Tallulah”) or 탈룰라 각 (“Tallulah incoming”).
Origin
The scene in the 1993 film Cool Runnings where the Jamaican bobsled team names its sled. Teammates mock the name “Tallulah” — until the one who suggested it says it's his mother's name (Kukmin Ilbo, Money Today).
Spread
It caught on in Korean online forums more than 20 years after the film came out (Money Today). By 2018–2019, Korean media were running roundups of “Tallulah series” moments.
The point
The joke is in the recovery, not the mistake. The faster the U-turn, the better the 탈룰라.
Word history
Community definitions (2)
Calling someone out and turning out to be guilty of the same thing yourself. From a comedy sketch where the person mocking an African name was himself named Tallulah.
남을 지적하다가 자기가 그 대상인 게 드러나는 상황을 뜻한다. 개그 프로그램에서 아프리카 부족 이름을 놀리던 사람이 정작 자기 이름이 '탈룰라'였던 장면에서 유래했다.
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