Phrase · Social life & etiquette

the 'you alright' trap

noun phrase /thuh-yoo-ol-ryt-trap/

Definition

A rhetorical greeting mistakenly interpreted as a genuine enquiry, resulting in unwanted emotional disclosure by the pool table.

In use

“I asked 'you alright?' and fell straight into the you alright trap, twenty minutes about his divorce.”

Filed under

awkwardness computers
Published 3 August 2026

Keep exploring

More from Social life & etiquette

Browse this topic
noun phrase cunt fucker

A highly versatile, aggressive insult used to describe a profoundly annoying, incompetent, or malicious person who consistently makes a complete mess of basic situations.

 noun phrase the doorstep countdown

An uncomfortable few seconds spent watching the driver slowly walk towards your already open door.

 noun phrase the meteorological lifeboat

A universally accepted fallback topic capable of rescuing almost any awkward silence.

 noun phrase the imaginary opening

A polite conversational gap left solely to avoid sounding blunt.

The details

About this phrase

The language, classification and history attached to this Definr entry.

Language

Language form
noun phrase
Pronunciation
/thuh-yoo-ol-ryt-trap/

Classification

Life domain
People & society

History

Published
Last updated

Your turn

Some things need more than one word.

Turn private jokes, local slang and oddly specific experiences into polished dictionary cards made for sharing.

Coin a phrase

Your image is ready

Save or share this card

Your finished PNG is shown below. Download it, share it, or open the full-size image.

Exported Definr dictionary card
On iPhone and Android, Download PNG opens your device share/save sheet. You can also press and hold the preview above.