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What does 'excited much' or 'stalker much' mean exactly, and which context are they used in? I don't get the usage of much after a noun or adjective. I often see this construction in comments, for example.

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You'll probably need to include a full sentence example or two to convey the context of your question. –  Kristina Lopez May 27 '13 at 16:01
@FumbleFingers - this is from young native speakers. It isn't standard English, but it is common slang. –  Rory Alsop May 27 '13 at 17:50
@FumbleFingers: blame Joss Whedon (warning: black hole, ahem, sorry, TVTropes link) –  Marthaª May 27 '13 at 18:21
The contexts I've heard X much? in general seem disparate to me: I've seen Jealous much? used in a taunting way that means "Shouldn't you be feeling jealous (of me) right now?" AND in a moderating way that means "Don't you think you're acting a bit too jealous?" Without inflection or other contextual cues, I don't think I can say with certainty what the speaker means. –  user39720 May 27 '13 at 18:31
@Martha: I've already spent more time on TVTropes than doctors would advise for lifetime exposure. Now I'm always careful to lay a trail of cookie crumbs between my bed and the keyboard before I venture in there! –  FumbleFingers May 27 '13 at 20:31

2 Answers 2

up vote 16 down vote accepted

Mark Liberman of Language Log discusses the “X much?” idiom with a recent entry from OED (some emphasis mine, some examples omitted):

colloq. (orig. U.S., freq. ironic). With a preceding adjective, infinitive verb, or noun phrase, forming an elliptical comment or question. The use was popularized by the film Buffy, the Vampire Slayer and the television series derived from it.

Liberman notes that the idiom uses much in novel ways: “Jealous much?” insinuates that the target is quite jealous, whereas the conventional “Are you jealous much?” would inquire as to frequency, not intensity. He also notes how people use “X much?” even for words that don't easily expand to a full question: “Ad hominem much?” or “Martyr much?”

In my experience, the idiom ranges from whimsical to critical to sarcastic. Sometimes it's a teasing accusation, and sometimes it's even a boastful suggestion that the target should be “jealous much.” A similar idiom, “You mad bro?” has gained currency in recent years for cases where the target is angry.

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Has someone ever heard "You mad bro" ? –  Antoine Lecaille Jun 3 '13 at 19:13
@Antoine I certainly have! My 19-year-old daughter says it occasionally, for one. –  Bradd Szonye Jun 3 '13 at 19:53
@Antoine That should actually be "You mad, bro?" with comma=pause. –  Merk Oct 30 '13 at 6:13
@Merk While we'd normally use a pause/comma when addressing someone like that, when I've heard “you mad bro” spoken it has unconventional intonation. In fact, it often lacks the intonation of a question, so it might best be transcribed without comma or question mark. –  Bradd Szonye Oct 30 '13 at 22:47

I think you are referring to a construction in which a characterization is presented in one word followed by the word much, read as a rhetorical question and intended as a criticism. It is not intended or imagined to be grammatically correct.

"Excited much?" would be "Do you get (this) excited often?" and is intended to paint the subject's enthusiasm as unwarranted and to suggest that it reflects on or represents the subject's general character.

"Stalker much?" is an attempt to portray behavior as stalker-like and would be grammatically written "Do you often behave like a stalker?"

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This seems to be quite commonly spoken amongst young teens (certainly in the UK I have heard it from some of my children's classmates) –  Rory Alsop May 27 '13 at 17:50
+1 Excellent answer (although I have also seen this idiom used whimsically and boastfully, not just critically). I added my own answer mainly to provide references and historical context, not because I disagree with you. –  Bradd Szonye May 27 '13 at 20:59
In the usage I've seen, this does not refer to frequency ("do you get excited much/often") and not is it a real question; more like a rhetorical question. It is more like "are you very ('much') excited?", but as I say, asked as a rhetorical question to imply that you are very excited, especially when perhaps you wouldn't be expected to be. –  Caesar May 27 '13 at 23:17
@CaesarsGrunt: The tone of your comment is of disagreement, but the substance is more or less in agreement with the answer. –  GetzelR May 28 '13 at 14:24
@caesarsgrunt is correct. It is not used to mean "Do you <something> often?" but rather "Are you really so very <something>?" The force of the much is the heart of what the phrase means, so not I think "a minor element." –  user46705 Jun 28 '13 at 12:38

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