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> Can we call it the HN effect?

We can, but a more general term would be more useful.

Crowd crashed?

Crowd crashed seems like the perfect word for this.

Crowdead?

I thought that is exactly what "slashdotting" was

Why don't we just stick to the HTTP code and error message, 503 service unavailable.

It can also be called the reddit hug of death.

Also known, lovingly, as the "reddit hug"