When the Fries Emoji Fits
And when it lands wrong
The fries emoji is a close, so it only fits when there is something to close. It lands on a thread that is getting corny, a person who has now gone too long, a take that is being held up like it is a whole argument. It does not fit on a question, a compliment, or a moment that is actually going somewhere - dropping the fry there just makes you the person who did not read the room.
Where It Lands
- Third time a joke repeats - the fry is the that was once, that is now just a lot.
- The overlong reply - you do not need to read all of it, the two glyphs say it.
- The take that should be a shrug - the peace sign is the moving on.
Where It Slips
On anything that is not actually going on too long, the fries read as snide instead of deadpan. The read is about proportion - the bigger the overreach you are replying to, the more the two symbols carry it. In the fries emoji game you get that read trained: a line of talk comes up and you call, in three seconds, whether it has earned the fry or whether you would be the one who misfired.