- 1. Etymology: From the Saturday Night Live character Debbie Downer, played by Rachel Dratch Function: Noun 1. a: a person who says something terribly depressing (a [downer]), typically only tangentially related to the present circumstance or topic of conversation, and thereby destroys the positive atmosphere. b: a statement that is charactaristic of Debbie Downer Usage note: In the skit, following each downer Debbie voices, a trombone plays a "wah waaah" ([sad trombone]) sound effect and the camera zooms in on Debbie Downer's face, which is twisted in comic despair. > Debbie Downer: Hey, does anyone have a banana? > Friend #1: What? > Debbie Downer: Well, if I don't get enough potassium every day, I awaken in the middle of the night by crippling leg cramps. > (higher-pitched wah wahhhhhhh; zoom in) > (everyone looks pissed off) > Debbie Downer: By the way, it's official -- they've located my birth mother. Deceased. > (deeper wah wahhhhhhhh; zoom in on a particularly painful facial expression) Source: ecdict
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Debbie Downers
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downerwahnighttrombonezoomanyoneatmosphereawakenbananabirthcameracharactercircumstancecomicconversationcrampscripplingdaydeceaseddeeperdepressingdespairdestroyseffect
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