Teacher Realizes Horrifying Truth About What She’s Been Saying to Students

A teacher was left mortified after discovering that a phrase she frequently used to congratulate students had a completely different—and inappropriate—meaning.

Stephanie (@stephlynncam), a high school elective teacher, shared her blunder on TikTok, where it quickly gained traction with more than 904,000 likes and over 8.6 million views.

The 30-year-old had been using the phrase “wham bam, thank you, ma’am” to praise students for their quick work, assuming it was a way of saying “well done.” However, an assistant principal overheard her and advised her to look up its actual meaning.

“In the moment when I said it, I didn’t think twice! I have been saying it for years and I was proud of my student for their hard work. Once I learned the meaning, I was mortified but was, like, ‘Yeah, that makes perfect sense; how did I not know?'” Stephanie told Newsweek.

The phrase “wham bam, thank you, ma’am” originates from an expression implying something was done hastily and without much care—often referring to brief, impersonal encounters, particularly of a sexual nature.

“I have removed it from my vocabulary completely,” Stephanie added.

Recalling the exact moment she found out, Stephanie said a student had excitedly told her they had finished an essay, prompting her to give them a high-five while saying the phrase. At that moment, her vice principal happened to walk by and immediately questioned her choice of words. When she repeated the phrase, the colleague informed her that it did not mean what she thought it did.

Stephanie said that she had been confused at first, as she had been using the phrase for years without anyone correcting her.

After school, she decided to look up its meaning on the school’s Wi-Fi and was shocked by what she found.

A couple of weeks later, Stephanie was watching a commercial for a TV show with her husband where a woman used the phrase in a workplace setting, only to be corrected by her colleagues. This, she said, reassured her that she was not the only one to have misunderstood its meaning.

Stephanie’s story resonated with many TikTok users, who began sharing their own linguistic mishaps in the comments.

“Me saying ‘risk it for the biscuit’ for 30 years,” wrote one user named Hazel. The phrase “risk it for the biscuit” is often used to mean taking a chance in the hopes of a reward. However, TikTok users say that the biscuit is a sexual euphemism.

Another user admitted to a similar misunderstanding: “Me with ‘going to see a man about a horse’—I thought it meant take care of some business.” The phrase is typically a euphemism for leaving discreetly, often to use the restroom.

One particularly embarrassing mix-up came from a commenter who wrote: “I called everyone at work ‘sweet cheeks’ when they smiled because I thought it meant they had a nice smile—doctors, attorneys, state representatives … it was my husband who broke the news to me—I was HORRIFIED.”

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