'Nek minnit' is a New Zealand catchphrase that spread online after a viral comedy clip by Levi Hawken in 2011. The phrase became shorthand for a sudden twist of fate, especially in short edits where something goes wrong right after a setup. It stayed popular because the wording is distinctive, the delivery is brief, and the joke is instantly understood even by people who only know it as a reaction meme. It often fills the same role as a quick bruh moment in editing.