Boiling water over a stove is something that escalates slowly. If you stand nearby and watch, you can enjoy the gradual shift from cold to warm to hot as the steam rises and the bubbles build. You know (roughly) what temperature the water is at each moment. It’s a predictable thing.
Other things are not so predictable – they escalate quickly. For example, hitting the pot off the stove and scrambling out of the way as it spills all over the floor. That’s something that doesn’t build gradually. Instead, it happens all of a sudden and leads to shock – and perhaps a burn or two. Below are 39 moments that, like the spilled water, escalated far too quickly.
Lovely Fingers
Some couples are more affectionate than others. We see them in public holding hands, hugging, and kissing. They can’t seem to get their hands off each other and love to use sweet-talking pet names. Some find it endearing, others find it sickening.
The first partner sent a lovey-dovey pic of two happy fingers hugging and smiling. The second partner sent, well, something different. Rather than a happy-go-lucky picture of love, he sent a hostage photo of one masked finger robbing another one. Well, that escalated quickly.
3D Screen
TVs are getting more and more realistic as the years go by. Long ago, you knew you were looking at 2D characters. Nowadays, it seems like 3D images are jumping out of the screen to greet you in person. Take a look below.
Some TV audiences are passive viewers. They take in their favorite shows, laughing, crying, or getting angry within reason. The viewer above is a bit more passionate. Rather than waiting around for something to happen, he makes things happen – by throwing cans at TV screens!
Kevin’s answer
Some questions are great ice breakers. They have a way of revealing the core of people – their favorite memories, greatest fears, funniest life stories, and more. When the question, “What is the worst gift you’ve ever received?” was asked, Kevin had a unique answer.
By unique, we mean incredibly grim. Yikes! Either Kevin has a very dark sense of humor (in which case, well played) or he’s seriously depressed and in need of some hugs, friends, and maybe a psychologist or two.
Stealth withdrawals
People, understandably, are skeptical of ATMs –especially ATMs on city streets where dozens (or hundreds) of strangers pass by on a regular basis. It can feel weird typing in sensitive information or withdrawing lots of cash in such an open space.
So, some people choose to hide and cloak their activities. Usually, this involves turning your back to the person behind you. However, if you’re in a team of two, you can always have one person throw a giant coat over you.
Warning label
Tags on clothes, mattresses, and other goods are stocked full of useful information. They tell you where the goods were made, what they’re made of, and how to handle them. It’s important to consult the tags if you’re unsure of how to take care of something.
For example, if you just bought the lovely shirt above, then you might just throw it in the washer. That would be a mistake. Reading the label lets you know to “remove child” before doing that. Phew – crisis avoided!
Falling on the big day
High heels are not ideal for running. When you mix high heels with a long flowing dress and the pressure of loved ones watching your every step, well, it can quickly lead to disaster. Take a look at exhibit A.
On her big day, this (soon to be unlucky) bride was walking down a picturesque walkway with her bridesmaids when, all of a sudden, she tripped and fell to the floor. The photographer managed to capture the fall in, well, midfall.
Brothers are the worst
Brothers (as anyone who has a brother knows) can be incredibly petty. That seems to be especially true when it comes to brother-sister rivalries. The sister below took $20 from her brother and he crafted an ingenious way of getting back at her.
He created a maze of folders (each with 3 sub-folders as you can see from #7) to hide her chemistry project. Also, he left a snarky end message. We wonder if she ever dared to steal from him again.
A clever (and gross) defense
Although borrowing a pen or pencil may not seem like a big deal, after a while, the costs can add up – especially if the borrowers rarely return them. The office worker below figured out a convenient loophole for that all-too-common problem.
Namely, lick the pens – or at least claim that you’ve licked all the pens. For most germ-phobic co-workers, that’s plenty of reason not to borrow the pens. For others (in particular those with hand sanitizer), it’s a worthy challenge.
How to …
As most of us are finding out, Google knows a heck of a lot about us based on our past searches. Sometimes it’s highly accurate, but other times it seems to be quite random. When this Google user typed in “how to sell,” four options popped up.
Numbers one through three are pretty standard searches. Number four, however, is a bit odd – how many people are searching for that? Excuse the pun, but you’d have to be a real daredevil to type that in..
Forklifts and sweet tooths
People lose their tempers over seemingly tiny things – a football argument, a traffic mistake, or a malfunctioning machine. In most cases, it can trace back to a buildup of stress, a lack of sleep, and (in the case below) an extreme case of a sweet tooth.
When the vending machine broke and the Twix bar was lost, Mr. Mckevitt was not going to cut his losses or wait around for maintenance. Instead, he took matters into his own hands – his own forklift-enhanced hands.
A hobbit meal
The Hobbit was a big deal when it came out. As a prequel to the globally famous Lord of the Rings, this big-budget film focused on the story of Bilbo Baggins finding the precious ring. It was filled with drama, adventure, and a bit of hilarity – kind of like the sign advertising it below.
The placing on the marquee makes it seem that your two options are “frozen” hobbit or “catching fire” hobbit. Which do you prefer? You could also have both as well.
Time to go shopping, Debbie
As anyone who has lived in a shared house or had a communal fridge at work knows, not everyone respects the rule of eating only what you bring. Instead, some roommates and co-workers assume all food is free game. Debbie is one of these people.
To avoid any plausible mistakes, the co-workers above clearly wrote out what was Debbie’s and what wasn’t. By the looks of it, Debbie’s options are limited to a glass of orange juice. Time to go shopping, Debbie.
That changed fast
Some people’s emotions turn on a dime. They can be angry one moment and ready for hugs and kisses the next. For those with slower emotions, the abrupt shift can be a bit tricky to understand. Let’s take a look below.
In the space of a few minutes, Jonny went from posting his love for Sarah with words and heart icons to, well, you can read the last one. Clearly, his mood changed quite a bit. We wonder how Sarah feels about it all.
Catching up with old friends
The fun of high school and college reunions is to check in with your old classmates and see where your paths led you. Nowadays social media provides an easier way to do that, but the results are the same. Most people lead a relatively humdrum life and others have a far more adventurous story.
The first friend was “good.” The second friend is also “pretty good,” but it took a much longer route to get there – a route through poverty, divorce, adoption, and more.
The vacuum wars
Living in an apartment complex has its pros and cons. One of the pros is you don’t have to worry about maintenance much. One of the cons is neighbors. Sure, some are lovely people that turn down the music at a reasonable hour. Others love to blast death metal at midnight… or vacuum at odd hours.
As you can see from above, this guy wasn’t having it. If his sleep was disturbed by the neighbor’s vacuum cleaner, then he would vacuum the ceiling at 3 am!
Cat got your cheek
Cats are well known for their completely predictable and loyal behavior. Ok, maybe not. They’re far more popular for their cute, unpredictable, strange, and just plain aggressive behavior. It has made them a hit on social media.
Sometimes they don’t like all the attention – and they want their owners to know. This camera-shy cat above probably told the selfie-taker countless times that she wasn’t into the whole Instagram thing. The owner brushed it off and paid for it with a massive bite on the cheek.
Coffee dad
Coffee is a staple drink for millions of people all across the world. It’s how they start their day, perk up in the afternoon slump, and even digest a hefty meal in the evening. People love coffee – perhaps none as much as the infamous coffee dad below.
The infamous Twitter user had a huge following. People loved to see the meme-able dad update his status with endless variations of “just made some coffee.” And then, visiting his son’s grave. Yikes, that changed quickly.
Badly timed text
Moms have a sort of sixth sense that allows them to feel if something is going to be wrong – especially when it comes to kids. Often, they reach out to check in. Sometimes, unfortunately, it’s a bit too late. The unlucky mom below found that out the hard way.
The response is far from what she wanted to see – namely, a picture of a burning house with a sarcastic “you tell me” comment below. Luckily, the kid was just playing a joke. It wasn’t actually their house.
Small or extra-large
Three is a great number. There’s a sense of fullness to it. For example, small, medium, and large. Or, good, better, and best. Having three options just feels right – you’ve got the two extremes and one in the middle. The laundry machine below is not a fan of three.
This Roper machine doesn’t mess around. It’s either small or extra large, there’s no time to mess around with medium options. We respect this hardcore washing machine for going to extremes.
Free drinks
Contrary to popular belief, vending machines aren’t perfect pieces of machinery. Sometimes they eat your money and leave you with nothing. Other times, they malfunction and drop everything to the bottom.
This brings up the age-old question, what would you do? Take a drink or two (or seven), or let it be and call maintenance? Regardless of what you choose, it’s interesting to think about how this calamity happened. Perhaps, like McKevitt and the Twix bar above, some kind of forklift was involved.
Just checking the ceiling
Stage dives and crowd surfs are a big dream for concertgoers young and old. There’s nothing better than jamming along to your favorite band, then hopping offstage and coasting on top of the crowd. The guy below brought that same level of enthusiasm to a wedding.
Instead of surfing the crowds, he was thrown up and down by family and friends. Unfortunately, he was thrown a bit too high on his special day and ended up smacking his head on the ceiling.
Spilled soup and tears
Now, you’re not supposed to cry over spilled milk as the old saying goes. However, spilled soup is a whole other game. The struggle is real and justified, so it’s totally okay to shed a few tears. Just as the woman below.
Coming home at night after a long day of study and work, she wanted to heat up a premade bowl of soup. Simple enough, right? Well, clearly, wrong. Once it was ready, she pulled it out – and it spilled all over the floor.
Dogs, mailmen, and pregnancies
It’s no secret that dogs hate mailmen. The reason why is a bit unknown, but the hatred seems to go back to the origins of mail (and perhaps the origins of men). This is a long way to say, it was unsurprising when the dog below attacked the mailman.
What was surprising was what happened next – namely, a pregnancy. Did the dog have a secret pact with the mailman acting as some sort of undercover wingman? We might never know.
When your eyes play tricks
The eyes are fantastic organs. They’re incredibly helpful when gauging how far away objects are, what color they are, and, well, what they are. Sometimes, however, the eyes fail us – getting us worked up over something that’s not actually there.
For example, giant birds with two-foot wingspans that are actually barbecue covers. Either this woman was having some sort of breakdown or she was in desperate need of some prescription glasses. Either way, we hope the officers brought a sense of calm to the place.
Hair loss
Well, that escalated quickly. This Twitter user below was sitting in class trying to learn about numbers and equations when the girl in front of him said something he didn’t like. Rather than talking to her or telling the teacher, he chose to do something else.
Namely, cut off her hair. Considering it was tied up in a ponytail, it probably only took a few quick snips, but the aftermath was much longer. The girl was mortified and the guy was suspended.
Cleverbot answers
The human-like quality of artificial intelligence is both astounding and terrifying. Also, if you take into account the AI bot below, it's pretty hilarious. The so-called “Cleverbot” (clever name) had some sarcastic answers for the user below.
Rather than responding in a helpful voice like Siri, the Cleverbot below uses snark, sarcasm, and mimicry to turn text conversations into fun times. It’s amazing to think that this is properly a generation 1 Cleverbot – what will the bot look like years down the road?
Easy microwave meal
Microwaves are supposed to provide an easy way to make a meal. Most of the time, they do. However, as we saw from the spilled soup above, most of the time doesn’t mean all of the time. There are still risks and plenty of room for error. Just have a look below.
The whole heating up of some rice for a quick meal thing turned out to be a disaster – or, more accurately, a mess to clean up. Next time, we suggest ordering a pizza.
Avoid this road
Road signs are fantastic inventions. They not only let you know when to yield, stop, or simply slow down for a curve, but they also alert you to potholes and other dangers that can damage your car. Sometimes, however, potholes are the least of your worries.
When you’ve got to worry about “sudden catastrophic sinkhole collapse,” it’s probably best to take another road. Each one of those four words is trouble – sudden (no time for planning), catastrophic (more than a tiny scratch), and sinkhole collapse (more than a small hole).
Pancakes anyone?
A stack of pancakes is the perfect way to start off a lazy weekend. They’re comforting, filling, and delicious (especially when chocolate chips are included). No one is satisfied with a single pancake. It’s pretty much required to have two, three, or …
Or about 132. Instead of trying to ingest all of those pancakes yourself, we suggest calling up a few friends (or your entire neighborhood) for a pancake party. Make sure to throw out couches because people are going to need to nap it off.
Stay inside at 9 pm
Weather can be unpredictable at times, so it’s the job of the weather presenter to explain it to the viewers. That means describing the weekly forecast as well as the hourly forecast day-by-day. Most of the time, it calms their nerves. Other times, it freaks them out.
“Well at 8 pm, we have a comfortable 27 degrees. But at 9 pm, we have a deadly 267 degrees. We suggest putting your face directly in front of the AC while sitting in an ice bath.”
Aggressive geese
Signs, as we saw from the “catastrophic sinkhole” above can be oddly specific and oddly threatening. The sign below is yet another example of that uncomfortable combo. Whatever you do, keep away from the aggressive geese.
For some reason, the guy above wanted to test the truth of the sign and the limits of his courage. Very quickly he found out the sign was true and his courage was, well, lacking. Run as fast as you can from the aggressive geese!
Till getting arrested do us part
Weddings are supposed to be your big day. The day when everything goes right as you pledge your vows in front of best friends, close family, and distant family members you were required to invite and secretly resent.
However, not everything always goes right. Sometimes the ceremony starts late, an obnoxious family member drinks too much, or, as you can see from above, you get carted away by police officers in an expensive wedding dress. Well, at least it was a memorable wedding.
To flush or not to flush
Going to the toilet is usually a time to relax. In the pre-smartphone days, it gave you a few minutes to scroll through a bathroom book full of jokes and quips. Now, in smartphone days, it’s a time to scroll through social media.
However, seeing the sign above may make you a little more stressed than relaxed. Who knew that the choice of flushing the toilet or not had such dire consequences? Next time, don’t forget – or we will all be plunged into the sun.
Co-worker joy
Most of the time, the goal of friendly communication is to keep the silent part silent. However, some rebels lay it all out – the good and the bad. Rather than biting their tongues, they say what others are afraid to say.
The work sign above is part of that rebellious spirit. Sure, it’s no secret that some co-workers are nicer to work with than others. However, that’s something you’re supposed to whisper about. This office decided to shout it out loud.
Wrong font
Workplaces, no matter how big or small, can often be the scene for petty rivalries and snarky comments. There’s something about the competitive office environment that seems to bring it out in people. For example, take a look at the sign below.
The “please don’t use comic sans” does make a good point because the font is tied to teenage comic books rather than professional environments. However, it could have been done a bit more tactfully. It leaves us wondering what the blowback was.
The fights, however, are usually subtle, like note passing as kids. And in this bout, we’d have to side with the opposition because they really do have a point. It’s okay to want your personal space to be respected, but to announce it in comic sans?
As cold as ice
We’ve seen some clever ways of getting back at people. For example, the brother above created a maze of folders to hide his sister’s chemistry project. Well, the roommate below is another great example of unique revenge.
Rather than talking to the roommate person to person, Beth took matters into her own hands. Into those hands, Beth put all her roommate’s cutlery, dumped a bunch of water inside, and froze it. We wonder how well that worked – and if the roommate ended up boiling Beth’s cutlery as revenge.
Uncomfortable how-tos
The internet is a great resource for finding out how to do things. Some of these how-tos are simple such as “how to bake a cake” (which, it turns out, is not so simple). Other how-tos are weird such as “how to sell your soul to the devil” (as we saw above). Other how-tos, like the one below, are uncomfortably violent.
Yikes! That escalated quickly. From the relatively innocuous “bed bugs” to the spooky “zombie” to the uncomfortable and tragic “11 million people.”
Creepier than a running smile
The “yes and” rule in improv comedy gets people to build upon previous ideas rather than toss them away as ridiculous. Rather than saying, “no, that doesn’t work,” you say, “yes, and…” and proceed to make it more hilarious.
Although the above Facebook post wasn’t part of an improv comedy show, it uses the same strategy of building upon the previous answer. However, instead of funny, it’s creepy –- very creepy. Like spiders pouring out of your eyes with backward knees and a creepy smile.
Well, that escalated quickly
Searching Google trends for phrases is a great way to see how its popularity has changed over time. One crafty researcher decided to search for “well that escalated quickly” and found out that, indeed, it did escalate quickly.
The phrase seems to have been unknown for nearly eight years. Then, for some reason, it, well, “escalated quickly” around the year 2013. After its meteoric rise to internet fame, the phrase dropped off. Still, it has a respectable amount of popularity.