You're incredible

[Glizdka]

A: You're incredible.
B: Thanks, fam.
A: I mean your FICO score, sir.

---

Does this joke work?

 

[emsr2d2]

Not for me, no. I have absolutely no idea what it's supposed to mean, let alone why it's meant to be funny. What's "fam"? What's "FICO"?

 

[Glizdka]

Fam is short for family. It's very casual and works in similar fashion to dude or homie.
FICO is a company that scores your credibility as a potential loan receiver. It gives banks a number to work with when they're deciding whether to give you a loan or not, among other things.

 

[emsr2d2]

OK. I still have no idea why it's meant to be funny. Is it literally just that B thought the other person was talking about them as a person? If so, sorry but it's not at all funny. Also, it doesn't make sense. If A is a person working for a loan company or bank, they wouldn't say "You're incredible" at all. They might say "Your FICO score is exceptional" or something similar.

 

[Glizdka]

I wanted to use the classic pull back and reveal technique. A is a clerk trying to tell B they're not credible enough to get credit. B is a chilled-out guy who thinks they're being complimented.

It relies on whether incredible can be used to mean you're not credible—too risky to lend money to—which is what I'm trying to check with this thread.

Anyway, as the Joker once said, if a joke needs to be explained, it's not a very good joke.

 

[5jj]

Fam is short for family. It's very casual and works in similar fashion to dude or homie.

Fam is completely new to me.
My son, 35 years younger than I, has been known to use dude. I haven't.
I am vaguely aware of the existence of the word homie.

 

[emsr2d2]

It relies on whether incredible can be used to mean you're not credible—too risky to lend money to—which is what I'm trying to check with this thread.

It can't.

 

[Glizdka]

That's a shame. I thought I was on to something with credit, credit score, credibility, and incredible, especially that incredible looks like the antonym of credible.

Just to be sure, do we ever use incredible as a negative word or is it always a positive word?

What about unbelievable?

 

[emsr2d2]

Both "incredible" and "unbelievable" can be used both positively and negatively. It all depends on context and even tone of voice. For example, this morning I played tennis. I hit a particularly terrible shot and muttered under my breath "Unbelievable!" to mean "I can't believe I played such an awful shot!"

Unfortunately for your joke, we don't talk about people being "credible" in the sense of being offered financial credit. Someone who is a good risk for credit is "credit-worthy".

 

[Glizdka]

How about this, then?

A: Your story is incredible/unbelievable.
B: Thanks.
A: No, I mean it's ridiculous and doesn't make sense.

 

[Tarheel]

The word "unbelievable" is more likely to be used literally (as the opposite of "believable"). See below.

Bob: Your story is unbelievable.
Rob: What do you mean?
Bob: I mean exactly what you think I mean.
Rob: It really happened. You'll see.

On the other hand, we expect "incredible" to be used like "amazing". See below.

Bob: Your story is incredible.
Rob: Incredible?
Bob: Yes. Not believable.
Rob: Oh. Well, it really happened. You'll see.

In the first example, Rob is not really asking a question. He is expressing disappointment that Bob didn't believe his story. In the second one he is a bit confused by Bob's use of "incredible".

 

[jutfrank]

Just to be sure, do we ever use incredible as a negative word or is it always a positive word?

In short, no. I think the only time we do is, as emsrd2 says, as a single-word expletive utterance.

 

[jutfrank]

Fam is short for family. It's very casual and works in similar fashion to dude or homie.

Well, that may be how it's been used in the last few years, and increasingly so, but I don't particularly like it because it has a much narrower meaning/use to me.

When I was growing up in London, it was used pretty much exclusively by young black men as an in-group marker. That is, it was used for one young black man to address another. I accept that it has lost this racial connotation to a great extent but not for everyone. There are many speakers much younger than myself who are probably not even aware of the racial origin.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Fam is short for family. It's very casual and works in similar fashion to dude or homie.
FICO is a company that scores your credibility as a potential loan receiver. It gives banks a number to work with when they're deciding whether to give you a loan or not, among other things.

I've never heard of FICO, and I wouldn't have gotten the credible/creditable connection.

Sorry, I don't get the joke at all.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

That's a shame. I thought I was on to something with credit, credit score, credibility, and incredible, especially that incredible looks like the antonym of credible.

It is an antonym of credible, which has nothing to do with credit. And who knew FICO had anything to do with credit?

Just to be sure, do we ever use incredible as a negative word or is it always a positive word?

Yes. It can express disbelief:

- Teacher: Where's your homework?
- Me: My grandmother ate it.
- Teacher: Sorry, but I find your story incredible. I'm flunking you.

What about unbelievable?

Yes, in many contexts it means the same thing.

Now you know!