Some vocabulary misapprehensions that are curiously widespread in Stranger Things fandom

1. Definition of doe-eyed : having large innocent-looking eyes
   First Known Use of doe-eyed 1933
   Merriam Webster
   
   doe-eyed (dō′īd′) adj.
   1. Having wide-open, innocent-appearing eyes: doe-eyed children gazing at the shelves of candy.
   2. Credulous and unsophisticated; naive: took advantage of doe-eyed investors.
   American Heritage 5th ed. via Free Dictionary
   
   "Doe-eyed" (not typically used as a noun ie "doe eyes", although obviously that form is possible; the fact that the adjective is almost never seen in the fandom while the noun is incredibly widespread is certainly indicative of something off in people's acquisition of the term) doesn't refer exclusively to the size and color of eyes, but to an appearance of innocence, sweetness or naivety, or metaphorically to actual naivety.



2. two-finger salute, slang
   A rude gesture of anger, displeasure, or dismissal in which the index and middle fingers are raised, with the back of one's hand facing the other person. Primarily heard in UK.
   The car behind me had been honking at me to go faster, so I just held up a two-finger salute when he eventually passed by.
   I threw the customer out of the restaurant when I caught him giving a member of our waitstaff the two-finger salute.
   Farlex Dictionary of Idioms via Free Dictionary
   
   The "two-fingered salute" (also "the forks" in Australia[11]) is commonly performed by flicking the V upwards from wrist or elbow. The V sign, when the palm is facing toward the person giving the sign, has long been an insulting gesture in the United Kingdom, and later in Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa[2] It is frequently used to signify defiance (especially to authority), contempt, or derision.[12] It was known in Canada with the meaning "Up yours!" as late as to the generation which fought in World War II, perhaps because of their familiarity with the Victory sign throughout the War years. However, subsequent generations seldom use it, and its meaning in this sense is becoming increasingly unknown in Canada.[13][14]
   
   As an example of the V sign (palm inward) as an insult, on 1 November 1990, The Sun, a British tabloid, ran an article on its front page with the headline "Up Yours, Delors" next to a hand making a V sign protruding from a Union Jack cuff.[15][16] The article attracted complaints about alleged Francophobia, which the Press Council rejected after the newspaper stated that the paper reserved the right to use vulgar abuse in the interests of Britain.[17]
   V sign: As an insult, Wikipedia
   
   You can find an article on Wikipedia called "two-finger salute" about the Polish military and Cub Scout salute. The gesture it describes is not and never has been the meaning of a slang expression, but it seems to be what a fairly large chunk of the Stranger Things fandom (hilariously) think "two-finger[ed] salute" refers to. It seems clear from the popularity in this fandom that it stems from a misunderstanding of the British (et al) expression. 1980s kids probably wouldn't have often used a military or Cub Scout salute (no 'two finger' qualification necessary), which is what people seem to think they are referencing; it obviously does have a meaning - it's just not an especially popular element in the pop culture gesture lexicon of the 1980s (or now).



3. coo (ko͞o)
   v. cooed, coo·ing, coos
   v.intr.
   1. To utter the murmuring sound of a dove or pigeon or a sound resembling it.
   2. To talk fondly or amorously in murmurs: The visitors cooed over the newborn baby.
   v.tr.
   To express or utter with soft murmuring sounds.
   American Heritage 5th. ed via Free Dictionary
   
   When a person coos, their tone of voice is different, what the definitions here and elsewhere are describing as "soft murmuring sounds" or "in murmurs". It's that voice that people use for babytalk and romantic partners. I'm not 100% sure what people have been thinking it means, actually, but a fond tone of voice is my best guess.