Meaning:

    “吃” means to “eat,” and “藕” refers to “lotus roots,” a popular vegetable in China. How this phrase came into use is totally irrelevant to its literal meaning. First used by Chinese online gamers, it means “ugly.” It’s said that one gamer was asking another if the characters in a game he had never played before were ugly, but typed the phrase “吃藕” instead of “丑” (pinyin: chǒu) by mistake. In fact, if you pronounce “吃藕” fast enough, it becomes “丑.” This use can be either euphemism or in a humorous sense.

    Example:

    A: 听说你昨天去见网友了？

    Tīngshuō nǐ zuótiān qù jiàn wǎngyǒu le?

    Did you meet the guy you got to know online yesterday?

    B: 是啊，那个小伙子挺幽默。

    Shì a, nàgè xiǎo huǒzi tǐng yōumò。

    Yes, I did. The guy has a good sense of humor.

    A: 你打算和他交往吗？

    Nǐ dǎsuàn hé tā jiāowǎng ma?

    Will you date him?

    B: 不打算，因为他吃藕。

    Bù dǎsuàn, yīnwèi tā chīǒu。

    Not really, because he’s kind of unsightly.