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Why are people on TikTok challenging each other to say ‘sigh name cuff’?

Sigh…name…cuff?

Photo of Rebecca Leib

Rebecca Leib

Screenshots of @detneee's Tiktok with the caption ''sigh name cuff''
@detneee/Tiktok

It can be difficult to completely understand (or quite honestly, appreciate) some of TikTok’s most popular trends, and for some, the platform’s newest obsession is no different. One part homage to the late David Lynch, one part brainrot, in the “sign name cuff” trend, users are taking videos where they’re asking tentative participants to say the strange-sounding phrase, and then reversing the audio to make the subjects sound like they’re saying “f*ck me in the ass.”

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Viewers are struggling with understanding trend, and while it’s both confusing and funny, rest assured—it’s not so deep.

@detneee 😄 #lol #fypシ゚viral #fypシ #fyppppppppppppppppppppppp ♬ original sound – Des

Despite its virality, the “sigh name cuff” backward trend has existed for years, with one of the first videos posted by @callmepeedee on Dec. 29, 2019. On Jan. 21, 2020, @kingming_777 explained the trend, suggesting viewers have their friends say, “burgundy sauce, sigh name cuff,” and then “play it in reverse for them.”

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@callmepeedee Got grounded for this #foryоu #signnamecuff ♬ Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) (Remastered) – Eurythmics & Annie Lennox & Dave Stewart

For much of 2020 and 2021, users would record TikToks with subjects saying the phrase, and then take the videos, reversing them, and share the playback results. Friends, partners, and family members (especially grandparents) were popular fodder for these videos; for viewers, the less sexual the subject, the funnier the video was.

Sometimes videos would use a variant of the phrase, “sign name cuff” for the same effect. The trend seemed to have a couple resurgences in 2024, but began another wave of popularity in mid-January, 2025.

@abbieherbert LIKE FOR HIS REACTION 😭😂😅 @Josh Herbert IB @Des ♬ original sound – AbbieHerbert
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Users enjoyed watching the recording of the subject saying the original phrase in a confused manner, and then the reveal of how the phrase sounded like. But the subjects of the videos weren’t the only ones confused; commenters also wondered what the trend meant, even after the phrase’s reversal.

Reactions ranged from bewilderment to knowing, to name-checking David Lynch. One user said in a video by @detnee, “Who even figured this out?” While another said, “not me thinking this was a unique and wholesome way of saying ‘signing off’ 😭.” Still another said “I was soooo confused but stuck it through,” and another said, “David Lynch really does live forever.”

Reactions to 'sigh name cuff'
@detneee/TikTok

What does ‘sigh name cuff’ or ‘sign name cuff’ mean?

At its face, “sigh name cuff” is just a collection of three random words. But when played in reverse on Snapchat or any other playback device, it sounds like the phrase “f*ck me in the ass.” It doesn’t mean more than that, just a humorous way of tricking people into saying a phrase they might not otherwise utter publicly.

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The phrase is also often said after or referenced in conjunction with the phrase “burgundy sauce,” which results, when played backward, in a racial slur.

A still of a TikTok video warning people not to say Burgundy Sauce
@risingmc/TikTok

‘David Lynch really does live forever’

Many are likening this trend with filmmaker David Lynch, who passed away on Jan. 15, 2025. Lynch employed reverse playback dialogue to evoke surprising and surrealistic ennui in many of his works including his television show, Twin Peaks, which ran on ABC from 1990 to 1991.

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Though completely different in meaning, the playback device gives these videos an eerie tone similar to Lynch’s work. Comments in videos of this trend reference this similarity, saying “in memoriam of David Lynch,” “I don’t remember this episode of Twin Peaks,” and “David Lynch really does live forever.”

David Lynch comments on a TikTok video
@detneee/TikTok

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