We uncover the unexpected game show origins of “FTW”

Welcome back to Pop Lexicon, The A.V. Club’s new series with Kory Stamper, Merriam-Webster lexicographer and editor, where she reveals the origins of America’s favorite colloquialisms. In this episode, Stamper uncovers the game show origins of one of the most used pieces of internet slang, “FTW,” which, depending on who you talk to, could mean “for the win” or “fuck the world.”