Definition: The violent auditory experience of rewinding a cassette, featuring a frantic high-speed whir building to a dramatic THUMP followed by a defeated whine as the tape hits its limit. It sounded like a tiny robot having a panic attack inside your Walkman. This was the original “buffering” sound, signaling your mixtape was resetting for another play of NSYNC’s greatest hits. Missing that final thump meant you risked starting halfway through “Bye Bye Bye”—a tragedy requiring immediate re-rewinding.
Example: “I tried explaining Tape Whiplash to my kid and she just stared blankly. I had to YouTube it and she gasped at the thump. Now she mimics it when her Spotify lags—uncanny.”