Get a Load of this Guy “is an idiomatic phrase that can be used to compliment a humorous comment made by someone else or to make fun of their complacency in making such a comment. The statement is most frequently repeated in the form of reaction graphics featuring different characters pointing in online discussion forums and comments.
One of the earliest and most frequently used base images for the reaction image series comes from a scene in the 1992 comedy Wayne’s World, in which the title character Wayne Campbell looks directly at the camera while laughing and pointing his thumb at his friend Garth Algar “Get-A-Load-of-This-Guy.
The screenshot of the scene (seen below) has been used as a reaction image on several message boards since at least 2010, with the first known archived instance being in a 4chan thread that was published on August 17, 2010.
A number of other variations saw broad adoption on 4chan in the years that followed. On January 12th, 2011, a discussion thread on /a/ (anime) board featured a macro shot of Patrick Bateman, also known as the Dubs Guy, from the 2000 American black comedy film American Psycho (shown below, left). An additional version based on a picture of Ross Geller, one of the main characters from the American TV comedy Friends from the 1990s, was uploaded in a thread on a message board for anime on March 31. (pictured below, right).
What does get a load of this guy mean?
This American colloquialism means:
The phrase “get a load of this guy” refers to a person or a lad.
notice what this man/boy is doing. It also denotes surprise or exclamation, as the man/boy may be doing something shocking or controversial
Get a load of this guy used as:
Get a load of this guy playing hockey: did you see his amazing goal?
Get a load of this guy walking naked and drunk in the middle of the road
Get a load of this guy eating as much as he can in one hour to win the trophy
Get a load of this guy flirting with the other guy’s wife
