Stephan Pastis—the man is a writing genius and we are in the Pearls Before Swine fan club! One of my top five favorite strips is “Yo. Snap. Whassa matta hamma?!”
Here’s what Urban Dictionary has to say about it:
According to the Pearls Before Swine strip from April 27, 2011, “It means, ‘I just burned you. What are you gonna do about it?’” It’s going to sweep the nation.
Rat: Dude, check it . . . I’ve invented a new expression . . . it’s Yo. Snap. Whassa matta hamma?
Pastis: What the heck’s that s’posed to mean?
Rat: It means, I just burned you. What are you going to do about it? I’m hoping it sweeps the nation.
Pastis: I wouldn’t let it sweep my bathroom floor. Yo! Snap! Whassa matta hamma?!
Rat: It’s a sad day when a nerd cartoonist gets the better of you.
Here’s how Mason swept my nation one fine eve.
Prologue: Michael goes to a social skills class to learn two-way conversation and phone etiquette. I tell Mason, his younger brother, that I would like him to practice just like Michael has to. He can call anyone he would like to, but he needs to ask a question, listen to the answer, and then comment based on the response.
A few days later, Mason calls me from his cell phone and claims, “Hey Mom, I’m ready to practice my two-way communication.”
“Oh my God, that’s awesome! What do you want to ask me?”
Click.
Yo! Snap! Whassa matta hamma?!
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