I’m really interested in the proliferation of this grammatical structure + intonation pattern. Where did it come from? Forms I’ve seen:
- Best. [noun]. Ever.
- Worst. [noun]. Ever.
- [Any superlative]. [noun]. Ever. (e.g., Stupidest. Excuse. Ever.)
It’s been turning up in writing lately in addition to speech. The source that springs to mind is the Comic Book Guy on the Simpsons, but as a participating member of the popular culture he might just be reflecting what the writers have heard.
You can’t look it up on Urban Dictionary, because it’s not a lexical item, and we do know what it means. No, wait, you CAN!
Not very illuminating, though.
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I first saw this pattern in Julie and Julia, and I think there might have been a little bit in Eat, Pray, Love. Where does it come from? It’s a shorthand, really.