List of references (Engineer)

Due to the comedic style of Team Fortress 2 and Valve's humor, the game includes references, usually in a humorous fashion. There are many sources, including games, movies, and music; even jokes that have developed within the game and its community have been included. Below are references specific to the Engineer, most of which play on Western or engineering themes.

Achievements

Battle Rustler Teleport 100 team members into battle.

This is a play on cattle rustler, a term used to refer to an individual who steals livestock.

Best Little Slaughterhouse in Texas Rack up 5000 kills with your sentry guns.

The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas is a 1978 Broadway production that has seen several iterations on both Broadway and the silver screen. The plot concerns the shutdown of a long-running Texas brothel after a crusading news reporter makes the illegal business a public issue.

A slaughterhouse is a place where massive amounts of animals, usually cows, are killed and processed for consumption, many of which are located in Texas.

Breaking Morant Kill 10 Snipers with a sentry gun under the control of your Wrangler.

Harry "Breaker" Morant was an Australian horseman, poet, and soldier who was convicted and later executed for war crimes he committed during guerrilla wars in South Africa.

Building Block Have a sentry shielded by the Wrangler absorb 500 damage without being destroyed.

Building blocks are popular children's toys. This is a reference to the fact that the Engineer builds items similarly to the way a child plays with building blocks. A building block is also a fundamental of an art or science and is often considered to be a key principle (i.e., a building block of playing Engineer is building and repairing machines). The name is descriptive of the Wrangler's function of blocking damage to a building.

Built to Last Help a single building tank over 2000 damage without being destroyed.

This is a phrase commonly used by manufacturing companies, who claim that their products are "built to last" for a long time.

Circle the Wagons Repair 50,000 damage to friendly buildings constructed by other players.

This is a reference to the practice of circling the wagons for mutual defensive done by wagon trains when attacked by Native Americans in the Old West. The tales of wagons being circled for this purpose are largely apocryphal. Wagon trains often circled their wagons at night to protect their supplies from predators and thieves, but rarely had the opportunity to do so when under sudden attack.

Death Metal Pick up 10,000 waste metal from pieces of destroyed buildings.

Death Metal is a distinctly vicious sub-genre of Heavy Metal music.

Deputized Get 10 assists with another Engineer where a sentry gun was involved in the kill.

In the United States, deputy sheriffs are county law enforcement officials, charged with performing all the duties prescribed to the county sheriff by a state's law. To be deputized can mean to be promoted to the rank of deputy sheriff (comparable to patrol officer or trooper). However, this achievement particularly references the posse comitatus commonly portrayed in Westerns, which is the common-law or statute law authority of a law officer to deputize (conscript) any able-bodied man to assist him.

Drugstore Cowboy Have dispensers you created dispense a combined amount of 100,000 health over your career.

Drugstore Cowboy was a 1989 film about a drug addict and his criminal actions.

The term Drugstore Cowboy is 1920s slang for a well-dressed man who loiters in public areas trying to pick up women.

Doc Holiday Have a dispenser heal three teammates at the same time.

John "Doc" Holliday was a dentist, gambler, and gunfighter of the "Old West", best known for his friendship with fellow gunslinger Wyatt Earp, and their subsequent gunfight at the O.K. Corral.

Doc, Stock, and Barrel Repair a sentry gun under fire while being healed by a Medic.

This is a reference to the phrase "Lock, stock, and barrel", usually used to mean "the whole thing", e.g., "I took it all — lock, stock, and barrel".

Fistful of Sappers Destroy 25 sappers on buildings built by other team members.

A Fistful of Dollars is a classic Clint Eastwood Western film, the first in the popular Dollars trilogy.

Frontier Justice Have your sentry kill the enemy that just killed you within 10 seconds.

Frontier Justice is a form of vigilantism, namely punishing those who evaded or were lightly treated by law and order, commonly in pioneering days when law enforcement was much slower and it was harder to verify exact crime details. The Frontier Justice is also one of the Engineer's unlockable weapons.

Get Along! Manage to get to, and then remove, a sapper placed on your building while you were several meters away.

The achievement name is a phrase commonly attributed to general Texans and cattle drivers. It's often said to the effect of either "Go away!" or "you have a path to walk, now go down it", such as instructions to go somewhere.

Honky Tonk Man Smash an enemy player's head in with your guitar.

This achievement refers to The Honky Tonk Man, a former wrestler for the WWE, with a guitar shot as one of his signature moves.

How the Pests Was Gunned Destroy 50 enemy stickybombs lying in range of friendly buildings.

Texas, the Engineer's home state, is often regarded as a frontier territory between the more densely populated eastern half of the United States and the more rural western half. The phrase "how the west was won" originally referred to the process by which the relatively sparse American West was pioneered and built up despite lack of infrastructure and seemingly antagonistic climates. In modern times, the phrase refers to the procedure by which something happens.

If You Build It, They Will Die Haul a level 3 sentry gun into a position that achieves a kill shortly after being redeployed.

This is a reference to a famous line from the fantasy film Field of Dreams: "If you build it, he will come".

Land Grab Help a teammate construct a building.

A land grab is an aggressive taking of land, usually with military force or by constructing a structure on a vacant plot.

No Man's Land Use a sentry gun to kill 25 enemy players that are capturing a point.

No Man's Land is a term for land that is not occupied or outright deserted due the high amounts of risks that make the land too dangerous for average soldiers to cross.

(Not So) Lonely Are the Brave Keep a Heavy healed with your dispenser while he gains five kills.

Lonely Are the Brave is a 1962 film starring Kirk Douglas as a wandering ranch hand who holds a distrust for modern society.

Patent Protection Destroy an enemy Engineer's sentry gun with a sentry under control of your Wrangler.

Patent protection is given to someone who proves that their invention satisfies certain criteria.

Pownd on the Range Kill 10 enemies outside the normal sentry gun range using the Wrangler.

The song Home on the Range is an American folk song arranged by Texan composer David Guion. The song is often used in popular culture in connection with the Old West and with cowboys.

Pownd or p0wn'd is an internet slang term for defeating an opponent in combat, similarly to 0wned.

Quick Draw Kill a Spy and two sappers within 10 seconds.

Quick Draw is a phrase commonly heard in western films. To be "quick on the draw" means that you can pull your gun out of its holster and fire very quickly.

Revengineering Use a revenge crit to kill the enemy player that destroyed your sentry gun.

A reference to the practice of reverse engineering, where a device is taken apart so that its internal structure can be analyzed.

The name is a portmanteau of "revenge" and "engineering".

Rio Grind Perform 50 repairs and/or reloads on a Sentry gun being Wrangled by another Engineer.

A reference to Rio Grande — the fourth longest river system in North America. This river flows from Colorado to the Gulf of Mexico and serves as the natural border between the U.S. state of Texas and Mexico.

Search Engine Kill 3 cloaked Spies with a sentry gun under control of your Wrangler.

A search engine is a website used to search the internet for certain web pages.

Silent Pardner Upgrade 50 buildings built by other team members.

A play on the term Silent Partner, spelled as it is pronounced in a Texan accent. A Silent Partner is an anonymous member of a business partnership.

Six-String Stinger Provide an enemy player with a freeze cam of your guitar playing skills.

Guitars are typically equipped with six strings.

Texas Ranger Haul buildings 1 km over your career.

The Texas Rangers are the second-oldest statewide law enforcement body in the USA.

Texas Two-Step Use your shotgun to finish off an enemy recently damaged by your sentry gun.

The Texas Two Step is a partner-based country dance that widely varies in style based on custom and location.

The Extinguished Gentleman Have dispensers you built extinguish 20 burning players.

This is possibly a reference to the Eddie Murphy comedy The Distinguished Gentleman.

The Wrench Connection Kill a disguised spy with your Wrench.

The French Connection was a scheme through which heroin was smuggled from Turkey to France and then to the United States, culminating in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when it provided the vast majority of the illicit heroin used in the United States. The scheme was immortalized in a 1971 Academy Award-winning film.

Trade Secrets Kill 20 players carrying the intelligence.

A trade secret is a formula, design, or compilation of information which is not generally known or reasonably ascertainable.

Uncivil Engineer Provide an enemy player with a freeze cam of you and the sentry that just killed them.

This is a play on civil engineering, a discipline of engineering that deals with construction of the physical and natural environment.

Unforgiven Kill 3 enemies with revenge crits without dying.

This is a reference to Clint Eastwood's Academy Award-winning Western film Unforgiven.

Weapons

Eureka Effect Being a tool that eliminates exertion by harnessing the electrical discharges of thunder-storms for the vigorous coercion of bolts, nuts, pipes and similar into their rightful places. May also be used to bludgeon.

The name is derived from the term eureka effect - an unexpected discovery or the sudden realization of the solution to a problem.

Frontier Justice

Frontier justice is a form of vigilantism where citizens literally take justice into their own hands and exact punishment on those who have done them wrong

Gunslinger

The term "gunslinger" is used to refer to a person, commonly in the American Old West, who was dangerous and skilled with a gun.

Lugermorph

It is based on the pistol used by Max from the Sam & Max franchise.

The name "Lugermorph" is a portmanteau of "Luger", a German sidearm that the Lugermorph's model is based on, and "lagomorph", the taxonomic order that Max claims to be part of.

P.D.Q.

The unused weapon known as the P.D.Q. is an acronym for "Pretty Damn Quick", alternatively "Pretty Darn Quick" or "Please Do Quickly", sometimes appended to the end of an instruction or command to communicate urgency.

Short Circuit

A short circuit is a malfunction in a circuit that allows a current to travel on an unintended path.

Southern Hospitality

"Southern Hospitality" is a phrase describing the stereotypically warm and welcoming southern USA.

Widowmaker

This futuristic shotgun is styled after the Widowmaker TX, a weapon available in Deus Ex: Human Revolution. TX is the United States Postal Code for Texas.

Wrangler

To wrangle is to professionally handle animals, often directing them to perform certain actions.

Cosmetic items

Aim Assistant

The item's name refers to "aim assist", a feature in some games that automatically move the player's targeting reticle towards enemies to help players stay on target, usually to compensate for a poor controller or physical handicaps.

All-Father

The name "All-Father" refers to Odin, the chief god of Norse myth and one of the folkloric origins of the modern Santa Claus figure.

Antarctic Researcher

The design of this item is based on the coat of the character R.J. MacReady from The Thing movie, played by Kurt Russell.

Arctic Mole

This item, along with the Underminer's Overcoat, is a reference to Gaetan "Mole" Moliére from the movie Atlantis: The Lost Empire.

Barnstormer Step into the headgear and facial hair of America's favorite aviator/filmmaker/toenail-and-Jarate collector with this hotshot aviator hat and rakish movie star moustache.

Barnstorming was a very early form of air shows, in which an airplane pilot or group of pilots would perform stunts and daring feats to impress patrons with "the skill of pilots and the sturdiness of planes".

Beep Boy

The Beep Boy's name and design reference Nintendo's handheld console, the Game Boy. The "T" and "F" buttons parallel the Game Boy's A and B buttons, and reference the initials of Team Fortress.

Big Country

The item's name is a reference to the 1958 movie The Big Country.

The styles reference the two country music superstars Willie Nelson (known for his long hair, in opposition to many other country musicians of his time) and Garth Brooks (who frequently wears cowboy hats).

Blitzen Bowl

"Blitzen" is the name of one of Santa's reindeers in the Christmas poem Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, although the helmet's headlamp can be lit up red, resembling the titular Rudolph.

Brainiac Goggles Being prescription shooting goggles that endeavor to relieve the eye from the reflection off one's gun barrel whilst also correcting Diplopia, Strabismus, 'Nervous Vision', Early-Onset Old-Eye, and several other varieties of structural defect.

Brainiac Hairpiece Being a maths-enhancing hairpiece that endeavors to heighten the senses of any soul, be he a gentle-man of leisure deserving of such a thing, or a loathsome tiller of the earth of whom a beating would not go unwarranted.

The word "brainiac", originally derived from the name of a super-intelligent supervillain from the classic Superman comic, has come to mean a very intelligent person. It is a portmanteau of the words 'brain' and 'maniac'.

Brain Interface

This item's design is inspired by RoboCop, the main character from the movie franchise of the same name.

An interface is a shared boundary across which two or more separate components of a computer system exchange information. The exchange can be between software, computer hardware, peripheral devices, humans, and combinations of these.

The Brundle Bundle

The set is based on the 1986 movie The Fly, and named after the character Seth Brundle, later 'Brundlefly'.

Buckaroo's Hat

Buckaroo is the Americanized form of vaquero, the Spanish word for cowboy, and refers specifically to the Spanish and Mexican cowboys from the California region.

Builder's Blueprints Never bring a gun to a blueprint fight.

The item's description is a play on the saying "bring a knife to a gunfight", meaning to enter a challenging situation or confrontation without being adequately equipped or prepared.

Buzz Killer

"Buzz kill" is slang for a depressing person whose presence tends to consistently darken others' moods.

Cabinet Mann

The item's name is a reference to the song Cabinet Man by Lemon Demon.

Champ Stamp

The name is a reference to the term "Tramp stamp", referring to a tattoo which a woman places on her lower back.

Clockwerk's Helm

This item is based on the face of Clockwerk, also known as Rattletrap, a hero in Dota 2

Clue Hairdo

Sleuth Suit

These items are based on Lieutenant Columbo from the show of the same name.

Conaghers' Utility Idol

This item is based on the whip and idol used by Indiana Jones in the film Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Corpus Christi Cranium

This item is based on a calavera (also known as a sugar skull), a traditional candy and decoration from the Day of the Dead Mexican holiday.

The name "Corpus Christi" is Latin for "Body of (Jesus) Christ". Corpus Christi is a coastal Texan city close to the Mexican border, with a majority Latino population that has its own Day of the Dead celebrations.

Cuban Bristle Crisis

The item's name is a reference to the Cuban Missile Crisis, a confrontation in 1962 between the USSR and the United States during the Cold War in which the USSR put missiles in Cuba in response to the USA's missiles in Turkey.

The item's design is based off of the late famous Cold-War communist Cuban leader, Fidel Castro, who wore an iconic beard and was fond of smoking cigars.

Crafty Hair

This item is based on one of the male soldiers' hairstyles in the video game UFO: Enemy Unknown

Dad Duds

This item is based on the shirt and jacket worn by Jack Torrance from the 1980 film The Shining.

Danger

The item is based on Walter White, from the television series Breaking Bad. Its appearance is similar to how Walter appeared throughout the second season of the show.

The name is a reference to a famous quote spoken by Walter in the episode "Cornered."

Data Mining Light

"Data mining" refers to the interdisciplinary subfield of computer science, the computational process of extracting information from a data set and transforming it into an understandable structure for further use.

Dead'er Alive

This item is a reference to the movie Robocop, in which the main character is killed and reanimated as a cyborg, with much of his body replaced with robotic prostheses.

"Dead'er Alive" references the line said by the main character Alex J. Murphy: "Dead or alive, you're coming with me."

Deadliest Duckling Every time you fed a duck a breadcrumb, you were financing the Duck Mob. You're implicated. There's no going back now. Take this duck, go to the corner of 43rd, and enter the black Cadillac. When you meet the Don, don't make any jokes about horse heads. He hates that.

The item is a reference to the rubber duck that is hidden as an easter egg in every Hitman game and many of the subsequent promotional images for the games, even making a cameo in the film adaptation. Their first appearance was in the first game in the series, Hitman: Codename 47, where, in order to get a mental patient to help you locate the TV room of the hospital, Agent 47 must first retrieve their rubber duck for them.

The names of the Duckling's styles refer to two famous mob bosses during the prohibition era, Lucky Luciano and Al Capone.

The item's description references the scene in The Godfather in which Jack Woltz finds the head of his horse in his bed.

Defragmenting Hard Hat 17%

Defragmentation is the process of physically organizing the contents of a storage drive.

This item is a reference on how polygonal modeling is done, it fades from the game's rendering to its wire-frame model.

Dell in the Shell

Dell is the Engineer's first name (Dell Conagher).

The item's name is also a reference to the Ghost in the Shell franchise.

This item references Turtling, a strategy of defending a specific location with the intent of not pushing forward. Turtling is usually associated with the Engineer class, which can use buildings to fortify a point of hold.

Desk Engineer

This item's name is a play on the phrase "desk jockey" as well as a reference to YouTuber Doctor Lalve's reoccurring Tiny Desk Engineer character.

Dry Gulch Gulp "When I'm hungry, I eat. When I'm thirsty, I drink. And when a man needs killin', I oblige him."

The description references a quote by Madonna, "When I'm hungry, I eat. When I'm thirsty, I drink. When I feel like saying something, I say it.".

The cup's angled stripe design references similar cups seen in the films Reservoir Dogs (1992), and Pulp Fiction (1994).

Dogfighter

A dogfight is a form of engagement between fighter aircraft; in particular, combat of maneuver at short range, where each side is aware of the other's presence. Dogfighting first appeared during World War I, shortly after the invention of the airplane.

This item also resembles the jackets bomber teams used to wear while going on bombing runs, since the cabins of the bombers were not pressurized and thus were very cold at high altitudes.

Egghead's Overalls

"Egghead" is a slang term to describe someone who is intelligent.

Ein

The name of this item is an abbreviation of the last name of Albert Einstein, a key figure in the world of theoretical physics of the 20th century.

Domesticated canaries were often used by miners to warn them of poisonous gases or other dangers, which would affect the bird before affecting the people. Signs of distress from the bird indicated to the miners that conditions were unsafe.

El Mostacho

This item is a reference to Uncle Pecos from the Tom and Jerry series.

Frontier Flyboy

"Flyboy" is American slang for those in the United States Air Force.

Gold Digger

"Gold digger" is a slang term for people who engage in romantic relationships for money, rather than love.

Googly Gazer Keep one eye on your enemy and the other one on everything else.

The name of this item's model, mad_eye.mdl, is a reference to the magical eye worn by Alastor "Mad Eye" Moody in the Harry Potter franchise.

Grease Monkey

A grease monkey is a colloquial term for a mechanic.

Grizzled Growth

This item is based on the beard sported by Dakota from the video game The Cave.

Hat With No Name

The hat's name references The Man with No Name, the antihero character portrayed by Clint Eastwood in Sergio Leone's "Dollars Trilogy"

Hetman's Headpiece Cossacks and war go together like gołąbki and wódka.

Gołąbki and wódka are Polish for cabbage dumplings and vodka, respectively.

Hetman was the title of the second-highest military commander, after the monarch, in 15th- to 18th-century Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which together, from 1569 to 1795, comprised the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, or Rzeczpospolita, a faction featured in Mount & Blade: With Fire & Sword.

"Hetman" was also the highest military office, and head of state, in Ukraine's Cossack Hetmanate, also featured in Mount & Blade: With Fire & Sword.

Hotrod Mock the sun with streaks of flame as the UV rays bounce harmlessly away from your eyeballs.

The name and flame design are a reference to custom-built American cars with large engines, also called hot rods, which stereotypically sport a fiery paint job.

Hot rodding is also a technique of cutting plate steel, rather than welding, with regular stick welding equipment. To a much lesser extent, hot rod can also refer to the welding rod or to a person who welds.

Iron Lung

An iron lung is a device used to help people with various illnesses breathe if their respiratory systems are affected by their illnesses.

The Iron Lung is a reference to the chest plate from Marvel Comics's superhero Iron Man.

Itsy Bitsy Spyer Is that a miniature Spy in your pocket, or are you just happy to OH GOD STOP HITTING ME!

The item's name is derived from the popular nursery rhyme Itsy Bitsy Spider.

The description is derived from a famous quotation by American actress Mae West, known for her double entendres.

Last Straw

This item is based on the straw hat worn by Dakota from the video game The Cave.

Legend of Bugfoot

The item's name is a pun on the legend of Bigfoot, a myth about a large ape-like humanoid that inhabits forests.

Level Three Chin

The level quality for this item is always Level 3, as a reference to the item's name.

Macho Mann Sometimes it really does take a village, people.

The name and description of this item refer to Macho Man, a song and album by the 70's disco band Village People.

The design references the iconic aviator glasses and chevron mustache of David Hodo, who performed the construction worker character in the group Village People from 1978 to 1982 and from 1987 to 2013.

Mini-Engy

The item's appearance is a reference to the Mini Mario toys from the Mario vs. Donkey Kong games.

Mister Bubbles

It is a doll based on a Bouncer from the video game BioShock Infinite

The item's name refers to a nickname given to Big Daddies by Little Sisters in the BioShock series.

Mutton Mann

This item is based on the sideburns of Ebenezer Scrooge from the novel A Christmas Carol.

Ol' Geezer

"Old Geezer" is a brand of draft beer in the Team Fortress 2 universe, with advertisements located in certain maps. The Ol' Geezer resembles the hat worn by its mascot.

Pardner's Pompadour

This item's design is a reference to Elvis Presley, one of the most important cultural icons of the 20th century and often nicknamed "The King", who is a well-known wearer of the pompadour hairstyle.

Pencil Pusher Measure twice, cut once, shoot first.

"Pencil pusher" is a slang term for a person with a clerical job involving a lot of tedious and repetitive paperwork.

The item's description is a reference to the phrase "measure twice, cut once", a term often used in carpentry. More generally, the phrase refers to planning and preparing in a careful manner before taking action.

Pip-Boy Using modern super-deluxe resolution graphics!

This item is based on the Pip-Boy 3000 from the video games Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas

Plumber's Cap

The Plumber's cap is modeled after Nintendo's mascot, Mario. The hat features an "E" for Engineer instead of an "M" for Mario.

Pocket Pyro Loneliness is the world's deadliest silent killer. Next to carbon monoxide. But cuddle up to this adorable firebug, hold your breath, and you'll be free to concentrate on loud killers like car crashes and Freddy Krueger.

Referring to the Pyro as a "firebug" in the description is a reference to Gang Garrison 2, where the Pyro was called the Firebug.

Frederick Charles "Freddy" Krueger, mentioned in the item's description, is a fictional, disfigured serial killer that is the primary antagonist of the A Nightmare on Elm Street film series.

This item is a reference to Pybros, a term used to describe Pyros that dedicate themselves to defend an Engineer and his buildings.

Prize Plushy

This item is based on the pink teddy bear from the video game The Cave

Professor's Peculiarity I think I can safely say that nobody understands quantum mechanics. Bullet mechanics? Well now that's a different thing entirely.

The first line in the description, "I think I can safely say that nobody understands quantum mechanics", is a famous statement by physicist Richard Feynman.

Scotch Saver

The design of this item is based on the facial hair of the character R.J. MacReady from The Thing, played by Kurt Russell.

Snaggletoothed Stetson

A Stetson is a brand of hat commonly worn by cowboys, and were usually very expensive.

Special Eyes

"Special eyes" is a homophonic pun of the verb "specialize". Engineers typically specialize in their careers, from the major general disciplines (Mechanical, Electrical, Civil etc.) into more specific specializations (combustion, acoustics, explosives etc.).

The name of this item and its original description reference a 1-800 Contacts company commercial, in which a man states that he has "special eyes".

Spooky Sleeves Get these now, before Glenn Danzig finds out about them and buys them all! Seriously, you can have a world where these spooky sleeves are in stock, or a world where Glenn Danzig exists, but not both! Hurry! He's googling "spooky sleeves" RIGHT NOW!

The description refers to Glenn Danzig, a horror-punk/metal musician and ex-frontman of The Misfits, is known for his arm tattoos and dark fashion sense.

Stocking Stuffer

A "stocking stuffer" is a small present suitable for putting in a Christmas stocking.

Teddy Roosebelt A cute, plushy pocket buddy. Aw, he even has his own hat!

The item's name comes from that of Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States, who was often referred to by his nickname "Teddy". The term "teddy bear" was coined after the President participated in a hunt and personally refused to shoot an already beaten and tied adult black bear. Political cartoons regarding the incident increasingly depicted the bear as a small, cutesy cub, and the toy was born.

Teufort Tooth Kicker

The design of the boots was inspired by the Super Street Fighter II character, T. Hawk.

Telefragger Toque

The item's name references telefragging, a type of death that occurs when a player is standing on top or too close to a Teleporter Exit and an enemy player teleports in.

Texas Slim's Dome Shine Sometimes you just need a little less hat.

The item's description is a nod towards one of the Engineer's voice responses when acquiring a kill with the Combat Mini-Sentry, "Sometimes you just need a little less gun." The line itself is a homage to the "Use more gun." line in the Meet the Engineer short.

Tin-1000

The item's name is a reference to the T-1000 from the Terminator franchise.

Trick Stabber

The item's name is based off the word trickstab, a type of maneuver used by Spy players in order to either get access to an opposing player's back or trick them into exposing it for a backstab.

Underminer's Overcoat

This item, along with the Arctic Mole, is a reference to Gaetan "Mole" Moliére from the movie Atlantis: The Lost Empire.

Vox Diabolus

This item is based on the mask worn by Vox Populi members from the video game BioShock Infinite

"Vox Populi" is Latin for "voice of the people". "Vox Diabolus" is pseudo-Latin for "voice of the Devil". In proper Latin, the item's name would be "Vox Diaboli".

Western Wraps

The appearance of this item is based on the Hartman Jacket from Red Dead Redemption 2.

Wise Whiskers

This item is a reference to the character Master Roshi, one of the core allies of the protagonist in Dragon Ball.

Wilson Weave

This item is based on the hair of Wilson from the video game Don't Starve

Wingstick

The Wingstick is featured in the trailers of RAGE; it is a boomerang-like weapon that can be thrown, with the cloth on one end serving as a handle.

Responses

Dominating a Pyro

• "Speak up next time, boy!"

• "Gotcha, mumbles."

• "You look a mite tongue-tied, son."

These lines are referring to the Pyro's inability to speak clearly due to their mask muffling their voice.

• "Sorry, ma'am."

This refers to Valve's ongoing joke of keeping the Pyro's gender ambiguous, primarily due to their suit completely obscuring their body.

Dominating a Demoman

• "Drunk on the battlefield ain't no way to be, son."

"Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, son." is a well-known line from the 1978 comedy film National Lampoon's Animal House.

• "The hand is quicker than the eye!"

A phrase commonly associated with stage magicians and their ability to perform tricks faster than the viewer's eyes can register. Also a joke about Demoman's singular eye.

Dominating a Heavy

• "Nevermind the bullets; how much all these coffins costin' ya?"

This quotation is a reference to the $200 bullets that the Heavy loads into his minigun.

• "Gotcha, chuckwagon!"

A chuckwagon is a type of field kitchen covered wagon historically used for the storage and transportation of food and cooking equipment on the prairies of the United States and Canada.

• "Gotcha, pork drippings."

Dripping, also known usually as beef dripping or, more rarely, as pork dripping, is an animal fat produced from the fatty or otherwise unusable parts of cow or pig carcasses.

Dominating an Engineer

• "A real Texan woulda dodged that."

Stereotypically residents of Texas (most likely due to the state's former status as its own country) are fiercely patriotic for their state, and will often look down on those not considered "pure" Texans, mainly including people of foreign origin/descent or those who aren't as devoted to the same stereotypical Texan ideals.

• "You can always tell a Texan, but you can't tell 'em much."

"You can always tell a Texan (but you can’t tell him very much)” was the title of a 1955 book by Boyce House. The phrase refers to two prevalent Texan stereotypes, being extreme brashness and stubbornness.

• "You shoulda oughta brought more gun, son."

This line is referring to one of the Engineer's lines in the animated short "Meet the Engineer," being "...How am I going to stop some big mean mother hubbard from tearing me a structurally superfluous new behind? The answer...use a gun. And if that don't work.... use more gun."

Dominating a Sniper

• "I just rode you out on a rail, down under."

Riding the rail (also called being "run out of town on a rail") was a punishment most prevalent in the United States in the 18th and 19th centuries in which an offender was made to straddle a fence rail held on the shoulders of two or more bearers. The subject was then paraded around town or taken to the city limits and dumped by the roadside.

• "Down under? More like, six feet down under."

"Six feet under" is a phrase used synonymously with death, referring to the standard depth of a grave (6 feet).

"Down under" is a colloquialism used to refer to Australia and New Zealand due to how far south they are on the planet, they are "underneath" the majority of the world.

Other responses

• "Oh, good night, Irene!" - at the start of sudden death or after a revenge kill, also "Jeers" voice command

Goodnight, Irene or "Irene, Goodnight", is a 20th century American folk song. The lyrics tell how the singer lost his love through "rambling and gambling". He contemplates suicide in the famous line "Sometimes I take a great notion to jump in the river and drown". The final verse urges the listener to "go home to your wife and family". In addition to many recorded versions, it is also a favorite camp and fireside song.

• "Nice shooting, tex!" - "Nice Shot" voice command

This is a reference to the first Ghostbusters film. As the Ghostbusters are trying to trap Slimer while in the Sedgewick Hotel ballroom, Peter says this due to Egon's overenthusiasm with his proton pack.

• "Guess I got the Midas touch." - after a Golden Wrench kill

King Midas, the king of Pessinus, is a figure in Greek Mythology. He was known for his ability to turn anything he had touched into gold, commonly known as "The Midas Touch".

• "Get along there little doggies" - Under the effects of an ÜberCharge

Possibly a reference to 2 old folk songs known by the same name as well as 'Ride Around Little Doggies'.

Media

Bio

Favourite equation:

The Engineer's favorite equation is actually a part of the equation used to govern character lighting in-game.

His place of origin, Bee Cave, is a real city in Travis County, Texas, United States.

The Engineer's name is a tribute to the novel Conagher by Louis L'Amour, an author of whom Valve writers Erik Wolpaw and Jay Pinkerton are fans.

Meet the Engineer

The song that the Engineer plays on his guitar during the video was not originally composed for Team Fortress 2, and is called "Someone Else's Song". It was originally written by American Country band Wilco for their album Being There.

"How am I going to stop some big, mean mother hubbard from tearing me a structurally superfluous new behind?"

Old Mother Hubbard is a nursery rhyme. Here, the Engineer uses the phrase "Mother Hubbard" as a common euphemism for "motherfucker". "Tearing me a structurally superfluous new behind" refers to the cliché "tear you a new ass".

Engineer Update

The teaser page for the Engineer Update has two references to Team Fortress Classic: a sepia-tinted picture of the TFC classes, and a more recent looking picture of a young boy trying on goggles while the Classic Engineer pats his shoulder and looks on with pride.

Mecha Update

The poster for the update is a reference to the science fiction film Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla I, with the Engineer taking Godzilla's place and the Mecha-Engineer taking the place of Godzilla's mechanical counterpart.