SpongeBob Theory Uncovers The Dark Meaning Behind A Seemingly Innocent Curse

If you're acquainted with the peculiarities of the Bikini Bottom dialect spoken on "SpongeBob SquarePants," you know that in lieu of typical English profanity, speakers will often use "tartar sauce" as an all-purpose expletive. SpongeBob (Tom Kenny) and Patrick Star (Bill Fagerbakke) are particular fans of this term, and there's a handy compilation on YouTube showing many of the times they've used it on the show.

But could what appears on the surface to be a simple bit of humorous yet Nickelodeon-friendly profanity actually have a darker meaning? As usual, users on the r/FanTheories subreddit were on hand to answer such questions in the affirmative, as u/calvinocious did a deeper delve into the possible derivation of the "tartar sauce" phrase.

"When SpongeBob characters exclaim 'tartar sauce!' they're actually saying 'hell!'" the post said. And, of course, this being a fan theory, there was some supporting evidence to back it up.

The dialogue of "SpongeBob SquarePants" is full of puns and wordplay related to fish, marine life, and seafood, but this particular fan theory went deeper into the possible reasoning behind exclaiming "tartar sauce" whenever frustrated or upset.

"'Tartar sauce' sounds a lot like 'Tartarus,' one of the Greek forms of hell," the post continued. But, of course, "tartar sauce" itself can be thought of as having a somewhat sinister connotation within the context of "SpongeBob SquarePants" if you think about it. "And what do you put tartar sauce on? Fried fish."

As seasoned "SpongeBob" viewers know, "tartar sauce" is far from the only minced (or perhaps filleted) swear in use on the show. Other commenters on Reddit had their own interpretations of their various meanings, like u/thrfirdblu:  "I always took 'fish paste' as 'for f**k's sake' and 'holy shrimp' as 'holy s**t.' But the former might not be accurate, that's just how I interpreted it as a kid." But few, if any, of these theories had any of the mythological backing that the tartar sauce-Tartarus connection boasts for itself.

While the idea of slathering tartar sauce on a sea sponge is probably unappealing to even the most diehard seafood fan, it's undeniable that when you remember tartar sauce is primarily used as a condiment with fried fish, its use as an obscenity in the greater Bikini Bottom environs makes a little more sense. A creepy, dark, weird, and disturbing sense.