Useful term

Okay, Wikipedia may not be a reliable encyclopedia any more, but it is full of useful information. Consider this excerpt from a Wikipedia entry:

• What would X Do? (WWXD)

  Original: What Would Jesus Do? (WWJD)

  Example: “WWXD” (What would Xena Do?). Or “What Would Brian Boitano Do?” (from South Park). Sometimes one of the other elements is replaced, as in “What Would Jesus Eat?” or “Who Would Jesus Invade?” or “Where Would Jesus Shop?”

• Worst. X. Ever.

  Origin: The alt.tv.simpsons newsgroup. Popularized by the character Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons as a parody of the fans that regularly post to the newsgroup criticizing the show.

  Example: “Worst. Episode. Ever.” (from the episode “The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show”)

• In a world where X, one man Y.

  A common pattern followed in movie trailer voice-overs, particularly those performed by actor Don LaFontaine. Satirized in the trailer for the movie Comedian starring Jerry Seinfeld, and by LaFontaine himself in an advertisement for GEICO car insurance (“In a world where both our cars were completely underwater...”)

• The X formerly known as Y.

  Original: “The artist formerly known as Prince”.

They're called snowclones, and Wikipedia has a list of them dating back to the 16^th Century and before, including the special case of the Russian Reversal.

This is useful information if, of course, by “useful information,” of course I mean “useless but entertaining web nonsense.”