The hurkle durkle meme flooding TikTok comes from a Scottish term meaning to stay in bed long past the time you should get up. TikTokers have brought hurkle-durkling back to describe their means of escaping from the daily grind.
Okay, but what does hurkle-durkle mean?
Hurkle-durkle is not only fun to say, but it’s also a rather old term from the mid-1800s defined as “to lie in bed or lounge about when one should be up and about.” It was considered a negative thing that a person did in “indolence,” according to the Dictionaries of the Scots Language.
@carolinemcquistin Bedding 🔗 in 👤 #cosyhome #hurkledurkle #isleofskye #scottishhighlands #scottishtiktok #snowedin #countrysidelife ♬ original sound – Kira Kosarin
The phrase has been coopted by TikTokers and stripped of its negative meaning. Gen Z has chosen instead to reclaim it, aligning it with the Danish term “hygge,” which means “creating a warm atmosphere and enjoying the good things in life with good people,” according to the Visit Denmark website.
What is the hurkle-durkle morning routine?
The hurkle-durkle morning routine is rather simple, with a focus on staying in bed long past breakfast until you’re ready to tackle the day. For some, that involves reading a book or scrolling through social media, but the most important thing is hurkle-durkling is all about decompressing and relaxing.
A lot of people do this as a way to take back some time for themselves and can be a way to combat harmful toxic productivity forced on workers and students.
What is the difference between bed rotting and hurkle-durkle?
The major difference between hurkle-durkling and bed rotting is that with bed rotting, the time in bed extends to the entire day, rather than just a late morning. While the two concepts are sometimes conflated, the important difference is that someone who is hurkle-durkling will move around, go outside, do work, and so on, while bed rotting is visually quite accurate, so the bed rotter will eat, sleep, game, read, do everything from the confines of their bed.
Health experts do warn people that while both concepts could be helpful as a way to take a break from toxic productivity, they can sometimes do more harm than good.
“If someone decides to spend time hurkle-durkling or bed-rotting, and they find they really enjoyed it and their mood improved, that’s great,” Nicole Hollingshead, PhD, a psychologist and Clinical Assistant Professor at Ohio State Wexner Medical Center, wrote for Ohio State University.
“However, they may do the same thing the next day and find they did not enjoy it so much and were more depressed after being on their phone for a few hours. […] These activities could become problematic if people spend the bulk of their time hurkle-durkling or bed-rotting without realizing the negative effect it’s having on their mood and motivation.”
@hodaandjenna Petition to make hurkle-durkling a daily requirement. #HodaandJenna #weretalkinaboutit #MichelleCollins ♬ original sound – TODAY with Hoda & Jenna
Origins of the hurkle-durkle meme sound
The most common spread of the hurkle-durkle phrase on TikTok is through the use of a particular sound posted by TikToker Kira Kosarin (@kirakosarin) on January 10th, 2024. It has has been viewed over 4 million times and shared over 43.5K times, causing it to trend throughout the year.
@kirakosarin hurkle-durkle, u deserve it <3
♬ original sound – Kira Kosarin
Hurkle-durkle meme examples
@understudiohub Didn’t Know I Was An Expert At Hurkle-Durkling 😅 Original Audio: @Kira Kosarin #hurkle #hurkledurkle #bed #lazy #relax #relatable #relate #humor #mushroom #mushie #funny #animation #cartoon #comedy #animationmeme #understudio ♬ original sound – Kira Kosarin
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