Cordless Hole Puncher

Submission 2,647

Part of a series on Algospeak / Slang Replacement. [View Related Entries]

About

Cordless Hole Puncher is an algospeak slang term typically used for a handgun but also for any firearms in general. The term originated in gun-themed Facebook communities in 2021 and later achieved virality on TikTok as a way of avoiding the use of the word "gun" to avoid content moderation and word filters.

Origin

Prior to April 9th, 2021, an unknown user posted an image caption meme describing a revolver as a "cordless hole punch." In April 2021, the meme received viral spread in gun-themed communities on Facebook, with an April 9th post in the Facebook^[1] group OCT: Women being the earliest found repost of the image (higher-quality upload shown below).

On April 11th, 2021, the Facebook^[2] page Piasa Armory posted the image, with the post garnering over 830 reactions and 3,000 shares, which is the earliest found viral post of the meme.

Spread

In April and May 2021, the image received spread outside Facebook through reposts on X,^[3] Reddit and iFunny.^[4] On April 17th, 2021, Redditor RustedAxe88 posted the image to the /r/TheRightCantMemes^[5] subreddit, where it gained over 850 upvotes in three years.

In the following months, more similar memes were created and shared online. Notably, on June 8th, 2021, the Facebook^[6] page Helmet Wearing Window Lickers posted an image of a handgun (Glock) captioned, "Since we are now redefining everything, this is a cordless hole puncher." The post (shown below, left) gained over 960 reactions and 3,400 likes in three years and popularized this version of the caption.

In 2023, the term started gaining traction on TikTok as a way of avoiding writing or saying "gun." For example, on August 19th, 2023, TikTok^[7] user @thesleepyparamedic posted a video replying to a comment that used the term to refer to a gun. The video (shown below) received over 32,000 likes in 10 months.

The term achieved more recognition on TikTok in 2024, notably several Art the Clown Grinning memes using the term went viral on the platform in late May 2024.