Archive · 25 Aug 2026
New Vocabulary Names the Digital Hellscape’s Everyday Annoyances
People have created funny new words for annoying things that happen online and with machines.
A “dickover” is a pop-up or prompt that gets in the way of what you want to see.
“Captchore” means the boring tests where you identify objects to prove you are human.
“Baggravation” is the frustration caused by self-checkout machines.
“Quit-shaming” happens when a service makes cancelling a subscription difficult.
“Cart cling” describes repeated reminders about things left in an online shopping cart.
“Chat flattery” is when an AI chatbot agrees with nearly everything you say.
Together, these words give people a shared vocabulary for everyday digital frustrations.
“Dickover,” coined by tech writer John Gruber in May, describes pop-ups and prompts that obscure content or demand interaction.
“Captchore” refers to the tedious process of completing CAPTCHA tests to prove a user is not a robot.
“Baggravation” captures frustrations with self-checkout machines that reject items or malfunction.
“Quit-shaming” describes websites’ persistent efforts to prevent users from cancelling subscriptions.
“Cart cling” and “chat flattery” describe repeated shopping reminders and AI chatbots that excessively validate users.
- Who
- Tech writer John Gruber coined “dickover”; the terms describe experiences shared by online users and shoppers.
- What
- A collection of new phrases names common frustrations involving websites, self-checkouts, subscriptions, shopping carts and AI chatbots.
- When
- “Dickover” was coined in May; no year is specified.
- Where
- The irritations occur across online services and self-checkout machines; the article is datelined New Delhi.
- Why
- The terms are intended to capture and summarize widespread frustrations with digital technology and automated systems.
- “Dickover”
- Modal panels, pop-ups and prompts that obscure content or force users to interact.
- Coined by
- John Gruber, a tech writer, in May.
- “Captchore”
- The tedious task of completing CAPTCHA tests by identifying objects such as bicycles, trees or traffic cones.
- “Baggravation”
- Frustration with self-checkout machines that reject items or malfunction.
- “Quit-shaming”
- The difficulty of cancelling subscriptions because companies redirect users toward discounts or pausing instead.
- “Cart cling”
- Repeated reminders about items left in an online shopping cart.
- “Chat flattery”
- The tendency of AI chatbots to validate nearly everything a user says.