Don’t ruin “Over 9000”.

This meme rests on the precipice of idiocy. To exclaim “it’s over 9000” as if it’s some kind of clever catchphrase is no longer funny, having been ruined by a gaggle of idiots at Youtube and other places. However, the original Youtube video remains hilarious, and artful usage of the meme in place of “a large number” can still be worthy of a smirk.

You can only say it if

Over 9000, like most memes, is still valid if used as originally intended. Only misusing or abusing it makes you sound like a moron. A quick lesson by examples:

“The train was like, over 9000 minutes late.”: acceptable.
“This game is like, over 9000 hard.”: unacceptable corruption of meaning.
“Who wants to be OVER 9000?” as a parody of a game show: unacceptable corruption.
“WHAT? NINE THOUSAND?” as a non-sequitur: stupid and childish.
“WHAT? NINE THOUSAND?” in reference to something that is 9000: acceptable.

Use it sparingly. Much like exaggerating everyday figures (“the bus ticket cost me like $700!”) if you do this a lot it can be really stupid, but when in moderation it’s a lighthearted way to inject humour into a conversation.

Please, link others here. You may also peruse the other words and phrases nobody should say or ruin.