A large set of terms and phrases from the sometimes seedy but always loud and brash world of professional wrestling have made their way into mainstream verbiage. You yourself may have in fact used them, as they have interjected themselves deep into common parlance. These terms are used with similar meaning to their original pro wrestling meanings, only applied to a broader world in general.

It should be noted here that professional wrestling in the modern day is a staged event, relying on an over-the-top mixture of "extreme" language, humor, stunts, and a healthy dose of well-executed but staged athletic "competitions" to maintain a large fan base. Most of these terms were developed prior to the public at large knowing that professional wrestling was staged, a language developed by the wrestling promoters of the late 19th century to discuss the details of the staging with others "in the know" without an average person knowing the real story.

Perhaps the most deeply buried term is that of going over or gone over. It was originally used to describe, prior to a match, which of the combatants would be victorious in the match. This would literally involve the winner going over the loser in a pinning formation, while the referee slapped his hand to the mat three times. In modern language, it is used to describe anything that is victorious or anything that becomes popular; one instance of this usage in the common language here at e2 appears in garrick's writeup of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

Another term gaining popularity in recent years is the term work, in terms of creating and perpetuating a continued fakery. This was used to describe, in general, the entire fakery of a pro wrestling event, from the blatantly gimmicked wrestlers convincing the crowd of their heroic or villainous attributes to the actual match itself, in which moves are used to maximize the appearance of injury but minimize the actual damage done. It is now used to describe various real-life situations, usually in relation to lies perpetuated by an individual or a group. This term was heard on Fox News just yesterday when a reporter described the rumor that the Taliban was unable to locate Osama Bin Laden as a "work."

One term with something of a convoluted past is the term shoot. It refers to a situation in which a pro wrestler breaks the ongoing fakery and instead proceeds to do whatever he or she pleases. The origin of this word may rest originally in the phrase "shoot from the hip," describing an individual reacting totally on instinct rather than rationally considering the situation, but a shoot in terms of professional wrestling has a slightly different connotation; it's not so much of a "shoot from the hip," as the individual has a chance to consider his or her actions; instead, it may have more in common with "shoot in the foot," since quite often a shoot can destroy the suspension of belief of the entire situation. Either way, the term itself is a long-time part of pro wrestling lingo that has recently cropped up in the common vernacular.

Another term that has been borrowed wholesale from pro wrestling is the term push, in terms of something being promoted heavily. The use of the word push in modern conversation is mostly the result of the golden age of advertising that we live in, in which products and people are repeatedly pushed into the eyes and ears of people in their daily lives. However, the original pro wrestling meaning involves having a particular wrestler repeatedly going over many others, as well as being given time to work a crowd by talking to the crowd; given these elements, that wrestler is bound to become more popular or more vilified over time. It is called a push because of the idea of someone literally "pushing" the wrestler into the limelight.

This may be just the first wave of pro wrestling terms to join the common English language. There are many other terms still largely relegated to the field of pro wrestling that apply to a broader world and may soon be applied to the real world. Some examples include the term booker, or the person who sets up all of the works; kayfabe, or the ongoing application of fakery in various aspects of life; and mark, who are the people who buy into the kayfabe. These terms all apply easily to situations in everyday life, and I predict that it won't be long, with the ever-growing communication ability around the world, before these terms and many others from various places seep into mainstream usage.

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