About
“Cheeki Breeki” is a phrase associated with a quote, originating from the first-person shooter survival horror game series S.T.A.L.K.E.R..
Origin
In S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl, during fights with the Bandit faction non-player characters (NPCs), they will repeat several stock lines in Russian language, one of them being “А ну, чики-брики и в дамки!” (phonetically: A nu chiki-briki i v damki!).
“Chiki-briki” (also written as “Cheeki Breeki”) is a part of a nursery rhyme, “i v damki” means “to make a piece of checkers king”. The literal translation of the phase is “One, two – you’re on top!”. It means “to have an advantage, to flank, etc.”
The tune associated with Cheeki Breeki is played on the Bandit radio ingame. It is written in the genre “Russian chanson” which is mainly enjoyed by criminals and wannabe-gangsters. It is loosely based on an actual song with the title Хоп, мусорок (phonetically: “Hop, moosorok”; translates as “Heyho, little cop”) that gained memetic popularity in Russia around the time when S.T.A.L.K.E.R was released.
Spread
In December 12th, 2011, YouTuber named TheIronTyrant uploaded a video named “Meet The Bandits”. The video consists of dancing Russians with the music and Bandit quotes from the S.T.A.L.K.E.R games (including Cheeki Breeki) being played in the background. As of January 2014, the video has around 126,000 views and 1926 likes.
In July 28th 2012, an image (pictured below, left) translating and explaining the meaning of the phrase popped up on 4chan’s /vg/ (Video Games – General) S.T.A.L.K.E.R. thread [1]. Same year, in October 15th, A Tumblr user 45-70govt posted a derivative of How About I Slap Your Shit meme (pictured below, right) [2].
Other Examples
Several images containing the phrase have been made over the years. Most of them include a masked man, looking similar to a bandit from S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games.
The phrase is also used as a title in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. related videos, ranging from gameplay videos, to modifications of other games.
Search Interest
External References
[1]Foolz! – S.T.A.L.K.E.R. General
[2]Tumblr – You’re gonna burn alright.