What is his problem?

In my family, we have this concept called a «rubber snake.» A rubber snake gift is something that you want for yourself, but you buy for somebody else as a gift. The term comes from a friend of my uncle’s, who got his dad a rubber snake as a gift when he was a little kid. His dad could obviously tell that his son wanted the rubber snake more than he did, so he said, «Wow, a rubber snake! I love it! Do you want it?» And ever since, the term has stuck. I’ve been trying for years to spread the word about rubber snake gifts, but it’s harder to make slang happen than you’d think.

A kid giving their parents a rubber snake can be cute. But a husband giving a rubber snake gift to his wife, especially for Mother’s Day, is totally unacceptable. The husband in this story tried to do just that to his wife, and she was rightfully annoyed with him.