Phony Stark

English

This English term is a hot word. Its inclusion on Wiktionary is provisional.

Etymology

Blend of phony (“fraudulent or fake”) +‎ Tony Stark, referencing the fictional business magnate, inventor, and playboy from the Marvel franchise.

Proper noun

Phony Stark

1. (derogatory) A nickname for South African-born tech entrepreneur Elon Musk.

   Synonyms: Elmo, Elno, Elongated Muskrat, Space Karen

   • 2022 November 10, Muhammad (@muhammad@mastodon.social), Mastodon‎^[1]:

     so, yeah, five years on and people on Twitter just kinda endured the Nazis, but now Phony Stark might just tank the whole thing anyway.

   • 2023 February 6, Simon Zerafa (@simonzerafa@infosec.exchange), Mastodon‎^[2]:

     Phony Stark seems to want to drive Twitter off a cliff for whatever reason.

   • 2023 April 5, Leon Cowle (@leoncowle@hachyderm.io), Mastodon‎^[3]:

     I'm not mad at anything Phony Stark does to Twitter. I am mad (or at least dumbfounded) at respectable professionals still using that service, though.

   • 2023 October 10, Marina Hyde, “Look at the horror of the Israel-Hamas war, then at Elon Musk’s X site. It’s clear he’s not fit to run it”, in The Guardian:

     “As always,” Elon patronised, “please try to stay as close to the truth as possible, even for stuff you don’t like.” Likewise, Phony Stark. Likewise.

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:Phony Stark.