Shovel on Reddit

What it signals here

upvote context

Upvoted heavily in comment threads where the original poster or a commenter has said something catastrophically self-defeating.

community use

Used in r/MurderedByWords, r/AskReddit, and drama subreddits to indicate someone has destroyed their own credibility or argument.

subreddit meaning

In gardening and homesteading subreddits it is used literally and positively. In general subreddits it carries the 'digging your own grave' irony.

karma context

A well-timed 🪏 reply on a self-incriminating post can earn significant karma, especially if paired with a witty one-liner.

See it elsewhere