dun dun dun

English

WOTD – 6 August 2023

Etymology

An onomatopoeic representation of a three-note dramatic sting (“short musical phrase”). See the Wikipedia article for details of its origin.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /ˈdʌn ˌdʌn ˈdʌn/

• Audio (General American):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌn

Interjection

dun dun dun

1. (informal) Used as a dramatic pause, or to emphasize that something is frightening, thrilling, etc.
   • 2006, H. M. Leathem, chapter 3, in W.T.F.?: What Is Wrong with Tom Faerie, Lincoln, Neb.: iUniverse, →ISBN, page 22:

     I am not going to tell you the exact locations of my stops, but my final destination (dun dun dun) is London, England. It is there that I will figure out my life purpose.

   • 2007, Amanda Kerlin, Phil Oh, chapter 5, in Secrets of the Model Dorm, New York, N.Y.: Washington Square Press, Simon & Schuster, →ISBN, page 53:

     "All right—dun, dun, dun! Time to get measured, hon." Luke tried to play off the seriousness of my weekly face-to-face with my own potential unworthiness to be a model with this little bit, but it made me feel even worse, thinking about how many empty calories in champagne and vodka I'd slurped down since I last saw him, […]

   • 2012, Mike Draper, “Will the Last One out of the Midwest just Remember to Extinguish the Tire Fire?”, in The Midwest: God’s Gift to Planet Earth!: An Illustrated Guide to the History and Culture of the Galaxy’s most Important Region, Des Moines, Iowa: Raygun, →ISBN, part 5 (We’re #1 by a Wider Margin than Usual!), page 192:

     In the movie [RoboCop (1987)], central Detroit is "Old Detroit." […] When police officer Alex Murphy starts his term in Old Detroit, his fellow officers tell him, "Welcome to hell." / Dun dun dun.

Related terms

• dun (imitating a deep bass note, such as that found in suspenseful music)

Translations

used as a dramatic pause, or to emphasize that something is frightening, thrilling, etc.

• Finnish: tan-tan-tan (rare)
• Macedonian: тан-тан-тан (tan-tan-tan)