Drop?

Just saw a headline on my news app saying that Netflix drops Will Ferrell Eurovision (the rest clipped off for space).

Thank God, I thought. A film about Eurovision starring Will Ferrell, that will surely be even more cringe-inducing than Rylan Clark-Neal’s intensely annoying commentary.

But no. The full headline, following the little info box, is that Netflix drops Will Ferrell Eurovision film teaser. Meaning that they released it.

Not that they ditched the idea, which is what it used to mean when a “broadcaster” (used in loose sense as it’s Netflix we’re talking about) would drop things.

BBC dropped Torchwood.
Netflix drops things regularly (Osmosis, Jessica Jones, The OA, Trinkets, Unfortunate Events, Santa Clara Diet, Lucifer, and dozens more ¹)…

…so when did drop come to mean “release” instead of “cancel”?

¹ My first port of call when looking at a potential new series to enjoy is to pop over to Wikipedia to see if it has been cancelled. I watched Daybreak as I liked the concept. A few things I’ve skipped over because what’s the point if it’s a cancelled series, it probably ends right in the middle of a story…

I also interpret ‘drop’ as ‘cancel’; it’s been that way for as long as I can remember. I don’t know why some people have started using it to mean the opposite!

Because it’s literally wicked?

It has often been used more recently to mean ‘release’ or ‘announce’. Probably meant to represent dropping something off on your desk/at your home for you to look at.

Waiting for the other shoe to … . Language carries more messages than its words. Youth can cock a snook at its elders with reversed meanings. We all have to get under it. Release is all tied up. Blerwm to you all. Trending, trending, … .

Does it perhaps mean that it has been released but is rubbish? As is dropped and broken? I think it is subtle way to say that what has been released is not worth watching.

That use of ‘drop’ probably comes from the world of software development. We should feel lucky that it isn’t labelled “Beta” and starts showing whilst they’re still writing and rewriting the plotline and characters, including the episodes you’ve already seen!

I was reminded of this today when I saw a headline for a new browser with “built-in support for crypto”. Don’t all browsers have built-in cryptography these days? That’s how your online shopping works.

But no, this is built-in support for cryptocurrency. This is akin to an article about “a blue” if they’re just going to trim it down to the adjective…

Having worked in cryptography before my brief interlude in F1, I started seeing trackside adverts for crypto.com, and thought it might be someone I worked for had grabbed the domain, turns out it is just selling internet scamming coins.

As for dropping which isn’t cancelling, I can’t believe I’m paying for that nonsense.

OED:

transitive. slang (originally U.S.).

To release (a musical recording, etc.). Also intransitive: (of a musical recording, etc.) to be released.

1988   Spin May 44/3   I think that I should be able to drop records when I want.

1988   Spin May 45/1   Maybe after my album drops and I’m back on the road doing what I’m supposed to do in this world, I’ll be happy.

(a variety of uses going back into the 17th century mean things like to lay an egg, to send a note, which might arguably be related)

Well we do say dropping a sprog, but that’s about it.

transitive. slang (originally U.S.).

Always good to know who to blame

Admittedly I wasn’t sobre when I watched it but I thought the first Will Ferrell Eurovision film was really funny. It’s about an Icelandic entry called Fire Saga who were apparently real and bonkers enough to inspire a film. They might have slightly embellished the story – elves feature at one point!

I liked it (which is unusual for a Will Ferrell film), but I suspect one might have to be a fan of Eurovision to get the many in-jokes.

It’s not based on any particular group or events (indeed the elf mythology is one of the more realistic parts ;) ), but in a contest where latex clad monsters playing metal won, there are loads of memorable performers and performances to mine for ideas.

I don’t particularly like Eurovision so I suspect the in jokes will have flown over my head. I do like Will Ferrell though – Step Brothers was genius

I wanted to watch it despite hating Eurovision and everything it stands for, but the wife can’t stand Will Ferrell.

It was….surprisingly okay. Will Ferrell wasn’t a completely obnoxious manchild ¹, his schtick was tolerable. Perhaps because he got upstaged by the other characters, including some actual real life performers. Yup, Eurovision managed to be even hammier than Will Ferrell. Whodathunkit. ;)

(for those who don’t watch Eurovision, they musical number in the big house (the “Song Along”) manages to squeeze in ten past winners of the contest just, you know, for the hell of it…)

¹ That’s every role he’s ever done, isn’t it?