T-Rex

A dinosaur, used for fun, mock ferocity or “outdated”. The plainest use is literal: dinosaur-loving kids, natural-history museums, fossils, toys, a dinosaur birthday cake or a Jurassic Park film night. It also works as a cartoon roar, a bit of pretend menace after an exciting story. And the famously tiny arms are a long-running joke, so 🦖 sometimes turns up next to things someone can't reach.

The animal itself: Tyrannosaurus rex, “tyrant lizard king” in Greek and Latin, lived in western North America about 68 to 66 million years ago, until the asteroid impact that wiped out the non-bird dinosaurs. It walked on two legs, grew to about 12 metres and had arms only about a metre long. It was named in 1905 and has been a museum and movie star ever since.

The third reading comes from everyday speech. Calling a person, a company or a gadget a dinosaur means it is old-fashioned and can't keep up, and the emoji carries the same jab: “still faxing documents 🦖”.

Is someone calling me old when they send 🦖?

Usually not; it depends on what you just said. With a film title, a museum photo or “rawr”, it is enthusiasm or a playful growl. After your dramatic story, it is a friend roaring along with you. After you defend an old habit, opinion or device, it is the “dinosaur” jab: gentle teasing between friends, but it can feel dismissive from a colleague after a disagreement. If you send it that way yourself, a word or a 😂 keeps it friendly.