Queer Eye’s Antoni set the internet on fire with the way he described this underwear photo

Queer Eye’s Antoni Porowski has set the internet ablaze with a thirst-inducing post – and an obscure Italian term.

The TV star, who rose to prominence riding a wave of avocado-fuelled adulation, tweeted about an underwear brand, and, of course, attached a nearly-naked photo of himself in said underwear.

But it was the word the Canadian used for his pose which really got people talking.

(Twitter/antoni)

Antoni, 34, told his fans he was posing “contrapposto” – which left everyone befuddled.

Fans and linguists alike came together to question what the stylish star meant by the term.

One person tweeted: “that deafening noise u hear is the sound of thousands of gays googling the word ‘contrapposto,'” and he wasn’t wrong.

(Twitter/fix_your_face)

It turns out that contrapposto means counterpoise – that is, an image of someone who is placing most of their weight on one leg.

Related: Queer Eye and the myth of the self-made man

This tends to make the model look more relaxed and dynamic – which certainly works for the Queer Eye host.

Some commenters couldn’t handle Antoni’s use of the Italian term, which is most often heard in the world of sculpture.

One person wrote: “tbh honest the hottest part of this whole thing is his use of ‘contrapposto.'”

(Twitter/paulcannol)

Another said: “More like thirst [con]trap[posto] tbh”.

(Twitter/slade)

Some just wept in delight.

(Twitter)

And others were suddenly parched.

Even Netflix Canada was feeling the heat.

One person wrote, cheekily: “all of my avocados just ripened.”

(Twitter/mattbellassai)

As we’re sure you’re aware, this was in reference to Antoni being accused of only knowing how to make simple dishes like a grapefruit salad, guacamole and, yes, even hot dogs.

The culinary expert of the Fab Five hit back at this criticism earlier in the year, pointing out: “Tom Jackson never saw the inside of an avocado before.

“We had all these other components that we made for that food demo that I wanted to show him how to make if we had a chance to.

WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 07: (L-R) Jonathan Van Ness, Tan France, Antoni Porowski, Bobby Berk, and Karamo Brown attend Netflix's Queer Eye premiere screening and after party on February 7, 2018 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images for Netflix)

(Getty)

“But when I cut open that avocado, he looked over in this childlike wonder and was actually amazed.”

In February, he explained that he was “old school” when it came to sex and said he had the realisation while filming the show that he had never been called a ‘fag’ before.

“I felt this weird discomfort of, ‘Oh my gosh, I don’t even know what that’s like. I’ve heard about it, but I’ve never really experienced it,’” he recalled.

“I was raised in Montreal, which is very multicultural, very liberal. Then I moved to New York.

“I’ve always been really sheltered, so to hear their stories, it really had me thinking a lot of the kind of life that I want to lead and the fact that this show came about and the responsibility that comes with it.”