Did you
know?

jump the shark (JTS)
idiom

to reach a point where something (usually a TV show) stops becoming more popular or starts to decrease in quality

Cambridge Dictionary

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ORIGIN

This term was originally coined in the mid-1980s by writer Jon Hein.

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THE BEGINNING OF THE END

Moments labeled as “jumping the shark” are considered indications that writers have exhausted their focus, that a show has strayed irretrievably from an older and better formula, or that the series as a whole is declining in quality.

The phrase is similar to “past its peak” but it more specifically suggests an unwillingness on the part of producers or writers to acknowledge the fact.

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JTS IS NOT ONLY TV

The usage of “jump the shark” has subsequently broadened beyond television, indicating the moment when a brand, design, franchise, or creative effort’s evolution declines, or when it changes notably in style into something unwelcome.

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SYNONYMS

deteriorating, diminishing, dwindling, faltering, flagging, past its prime, past its sell-by date, wearying, withering

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SMUGGLE OWAD into a conversation today, say something like:

"Hey André, I’m beginning to feel that our technology has JUMPED THE SHARK.”

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THANKS to Ursula for suggesting today’s OWAD

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HERZLICHEN DANK to all readers helping me keep OWAD alive with single or monthly donations at:

https://donorbox.org/please-become-a-friend-of-owad-3

Paul Smith