rip-off

ripoff n.

Synonym for chad, sense 1.

--The Jargon File version 4.3.1, ed. ESR, autonoded by rescdsk.

When a re-make of something is created without giving credit to the original. Also, when something is inspired to the point of blatant copying. Usually, rip-off connotates a dearth in quality, as the person or group who does the ripping-off lacks the creativity of the original creator. A very negative term.

Some examples of rip-offs:

• Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit is said to be a rip-off of The Pixies' Debaser. This is interesting in that the "rip-off" is considered more important and of greater quality than the original. This will rarely happen.
• Most fantasy novels are simply rip-offs of The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien (this is a little rash, as Tolkien's books essentially established a new genre ~ so any work in that genre will be strongly influenced by the series).
• The Star Wars trilogy might be a rip-off of Akira Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress.
• The film Two Days in the Valley is a rip-off of Pulp Fiction (one of the most ripped off films ever made).
• The computer game Red Faction is a rip-off of Half-Life.

Also, in the United Kingdom, the term rip-off refers to a "scam, con, sting, or minor theft" (thanks to wertperch for this information).