- The word is a nonce word created as a compound of the name "Murphy" and the word "Protocol." The word was used for comedic effect in a YouTube video by Brian Brushwood after Jason Murphy jokingly stated, "I think there should be a rule that if even I am able to pick your lock, your CEO is immediately fired." Brushwood combined an eponymous reference to the person that the rule is about and the word "protocol," which refers to rules/regulations/procedures, to create a name for the new rule.
Murphy Protocol
noun; compounding
A rule stating that if Jason Murphy is able to pick a lock, the CEO of the lock's manufacturer should be immediately fired.
Etymology : A compound of the last name"Murphy" and "protocol," from Middle French prothocole, from Medieval Latin protocollum, from Greek protokollon, from protos "first" + kolla "glue" (etymonline).
Source : Murphy: "I think there should be a rule that if even I am able to pick your lock, your CEO is immediately fired." Brushwood: "It's called the Murphy Protocol." (YouTube Video: 8 Surprisingly Easy Ways to Open Locks (with LockPickingLawyer) - 9/13/2019)
Last modified: 14 December 2019