Trout slapping while usually thought to be solely an mirc macro/pop-up but has been used long before in ircII scripts.
The question remains….
WHY WOULD ANYONE THINK OF SLAPPING ME WITH A FISH?!
I think it originated on the Woody Woodpecker show in the Chilly Willy bit where characters often slapped each other with fish. I also vaguely remember Warner Brothers characters doing this act every once in a while.
Another theory brought up by fellow noders is that it comes from Monty Python's The Fish Slapping Dance
I have researched this issue extensively over the Internet in numerous search engines, and found nothing to point to the exact origins of the trout slap.
Note :In the game "Woody Woodpecker Racing" by Konami you can hit other drivers with a fish if you are playing the Chilly Willy character.
Another Note :Oolong asks "What about Asterix? Those crazy Gauls are always slapping each other with large fishes! (and those books go back quite a long time...)
Yet Another (May, 2003):koreykruse says "In the movie Niagra, Niagra an eccentric recluse named Walter slaps the lead male Seth right across the face with some sort of fish."
I just got the following email :
From :Khaled Mardam-Bey
Subject : Re: Strange question
Sent : Thu 9/20/2001 5:42 PM
Many years ago someone on IRC slapped me with a
Haddock, I think it originates from a Monty Python
sketch :-)
Best,
K.
>>At 17:50 05/07/01 +0200, you wrote:
>I would like to know where the origin of the phrase "X slaps Y with
large trout"
>It's been troubling me and many others...
>Please help :-)
>Seriously, please reply
>Thanks