Mentlegen grew out of online gaming meme culture, where a formal greeting delivered by a spy-like character was misheard, repeated and remixed as mentlegen instead of gentlemen. Short clips of the line spread through video edits, gaming sketches and soundboards, turning a polite introduction into a running joke about characters who think they are sophisticated. Its appeal has lasted because it is instantly recognisable from a single word, needs no setup, and can change the tone of a scene from serious to absurd in a few seconds.