creature/subhuman
Variations
- chuddy
- chudposting
- chudlord
Origin
Borrowed from C.H.U.D. (Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers), a 1984 horror movie about mutant sewer monsters; the acronym resurfaced on Twitter and 4chan around 2016-2018 as an insult for reactionary, terminally-online men, presumably because 'gross thing that lives underground' was too good a metaphor to leave in the video store.
Examples
Cultural context
Mostly deployed by left-leaning online communities to dismiss right-wing trolls as subhuman and unworthy of debate; using it signals you've given up on good-faith argument, which is sometimes the point.
movie reference
Variations
- C.H.U.D.
- Chud (film)
- CHUDs (the creatures)
Origin
Title of a 1984 horror film directed by Douglas Cheek, officially backronymed as Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers — a phrase reportedly reverse-engineered to fit an acronym someone already liked the sound of.
Examples
Cultural context
A staple of horror-nerd and Mystery Science Theater-adjacent circles, though the title's second life as an internet political slur has largely buried the film reference; bring it up and you'll need a beat to clarify which CHUD you mean.
