Milk Was a Bad Choice meme template

What it means

Milk Was a Bad Choice comes from the 2004 comedy Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, in which Will Ferrell's news anchor, left parched and desperate on the phone, laments the glass of milk he drank earlier because it has coated his mouth at the worst possible moment. The line became the internet's tidy summary of instant, self-inflicted regret: the caption names the choice, and the mournful delivery supplies the dawning realization that the thing that seemed harmless or even appealing was a mistake from the first sip. It is used for tiny regrets, like wearing new shoes on a walking day, and larger ones, like agreeing to help someone move, always with the same defeated honesty.

When to use it

• Lamenting a choice that backfired almost immediately
• Joking about instant regret over a small decision
• Reacting to self-inflicted problems with deadpan honesty