faxlore
nounUK /ˈfækslɔː/ · US /ˈfækslɔɹ/
Etymology From fax + lore.
1
A kind of folklore comprising humorous material and urban legends that are shared by fax machine.
- Both Xeroxlore and faxlore have an increasing emphasis of visual material: / [It may be] a characteristic of both the increasingly visual sophistication of youth in our society and the capacities of the fax machine which sends images rather than alphanumeric messages; […]1996, Gail de Vos, “Science, Technology, and the Contemporary Legend”, in Tales, Rumors, and Gossip: Exploring Contemporary Folk Literature in Grades 7–12, Westport, Conn.: Libraries Unlimited, Greenwood Publishing Group, →ISBN, part III, page 120:
- The origins of the [cabbage soup] diet are unknown, bu it gained popularity by word of "faxlore" in the 1980s because it spread virally through people sharing it via fax machines.2010, Jamie Frater, “Food and Drink”, in Lauren Harrison, editor, Listverse.com’s Ultimate Book of Bizarre Lists: Fascinating Facts and Shocking Trivia on Movies, Music, Crime, Celebrities, History and More, Berkeley, Calif.: Ulysses Press, →ISBN, pages 147–148:
2 more examples
- Xeroxlore, photocopylore, faxlore, folklore by facsimile, office graffiti, or formerly typescript broadsides refer to materials circulated through fax machines, Xerox machines, or other photocopiers—usually within a workspace.2016, “Xeroxlore”, in Christopher R. Fee, Jeffrey B. Webb, editors, American Myths, Legends, and Tall Tales: An Encyclopedia of American Folklore, volumes III (Q–Z), Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO, →ISBN, page 1073:
- Faxlore is a sort of folklore: humorous texts, folk poetry, folk art, and urban legends that are circulated, not by word of mouth, but by fax machine. […] Some faxlore is relatively harmless. Cartoons and jokes often circulate as faxlore; the poor graphic quality becoming worse with each new person who resends the joke to the next recipient.2015, [Robert Durham], “Modern Folklore”, in Modern Folklore, [s.l.]: [CreateSpace Independent Publishing], →ISBN, page 128:
- Coordinate terms
- copylore, netlore, photocopylore, xeroxlore