About

Cranking My Hog is an internet slang term for male masturbation that emerged online around the early 2010s. It can also mean revving a motorcycle engine. Online, the phrase is often used in WordArt Image Macros typically associated with online communities like the subreddit /r/THE_PACK, which makes memes featuring edgy-looking skeletons.

Origin

The phrase "cranking my hog" was a regular part of online parlance for the first half of the 2010s and appeared in numerous tweets around that time,^[1] though none went viral. It was first added to Urban Dictionary on June 5th, 2016,^[2] by user Grossly (shown below, top). On June 17th, Twitter user @robdelaney^[3] joked, "I crank my hog with the fury of 1000 Harambes," gaining over 140 retweets and 640 likes in seven years (shown below, bottom).

Spread

Though the phrase is used in various contexts, but it is arguably best known for its use in WordArt Image Macros featuring edgy skeletons, typical of /r/THE_PACK. For example, on December 20th, 2019, a deleted Redditor posted one such meme to the subreddit /r/Coyotes,^[4] gaining over 100 upvotes in four years (shown below, left). On January 23rd, 2023, Redditor rawrthedinosaur made a parody meme featuring a skeleton holding a hurdy-gurdy, gaining over 3,000 upvotes in /r/THE_PACK^[7] in 11 months (shown below, right).

Some have made joke posts inquiring whether "cranking your hog" means masturbation or revving a motorcycle. For example, on March 13th, 2021, Redditor YaYoinked made such a post in /r/AROOOOOOO,^[5] gaining over 230 upvotes in nearly three years (shown below, left). On March 24th, 2023, Redditor idpartywthat made a similar meme in /r/THE_PACK,^[6] gaining over 1,000 upvotes in 10 months (shown below, right).

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References