Thursday, February 19, 2009

Catch phrases. . .


I'm sure you know what catch phrases are. They are those frequently used phrases that have become so redundant and commonplace that whenever you hear them, you know exactly what is being referred to.

Well, I take that back--you may NOT know exactly what is being referred to, but you at least know the phrase being spoken.

Take for instance these recognizable catch-phrases:

1) "Beam me up, Scotty." (even if you aren't a Star Trek fan, you probably have heard this phrase)

2) "Live from New York, it's. . . " (see, I bet you filled in the blank, didn't you? Why it's 'Saturday Night Live' of course!)

And here's a one word wonder of a catch phrase that's used around my house a lot:

3) "D'oh!" (from Homer Simpson himself)

4) "I'll be back. . . " (from the Governator who used to be a terminator before he became the Governator)

Here's another one you perhaps might hear at my house too:

5) "Holy crap!" (ushered a LOT by Frank Baraone on the show 'Everybody Loves Raymond'--as well as around our house)

6) "Well, isn't that special?" (The church lady character by Dana Carvey)

and even though there are a GAZILLION more I'll leave you with this final offering:

7) "How YOU doin'?" (Joey Tribbiani from the TV sit com 'Friends')

These phrases that we've heard over the years ad nauseum from celebrities, movies and TV, have now become a part of our culture and that got me to thinking. . .what about my own legacy? What common catch-phrases can be heard at the 'Showmethesale Estate' and is just a part of our family/friend vernacular?

If I thought that the common catch phrases of our day are pretty idiotic--that's nothing compared to what can be heard quipped around our homestead on a regular basis. (Please realize I had only 1 daughter and 3 boys as well as their crazy friends and my dear hubby who is nuttier than all of them put together when it comes to pulling pranks--so our common phrasology may not be typical)

I offer these up in the hopes that YOU, my dear blog reader, will get to thinking about your own homemade catch-phrases and please!--if they are as sick as some of mine, for pity's sake--STOP SAYING THEM while you still have a chance!

Very common catch phrases around Showmethesale's house:

1) "Don't tell mom."

2) "If you are not squirting blood from an artery, then I don't want to hear about it."

3) "I'm counting to three. . ."

4) "Can I have a twenty?"

5) "There's nothing to eat around here."

6) "I brought you into this world, and I can take you out of it."

7) "Stop blowing up/setting fire to the _______"(fill in the blank with the item of the day)

8) "Why are you looking at me?"

9) "I hope this wasn't valuable but. . . "

And my personal favorite:

10) "If the school/police/neighbor calls you, it wasn't me."

So. . . come on, 'fess up? What are some common catch phrases at your place?

4 comments:

Josh said...

"Holy crap" would definitely be my most used catch phrase.

Nicole said...

My husband likes: "See a problem, own it."

Schild Family in the O.C. said...

This Thanksgiving we came up with a new one of our own. "We all can't be Edward" (Twilight Saga) coined from frustration out of someone's expectation for perfection.

Showmethesale said...

Josh, you may be right, although there are a few others on there that you need to own up to!

Nicole, I like Gilbert's catch phrase--unfortunately in today's society it makes too much sense. . .

And {{{SCHILDS}}}!!! Good to see you again (if only in blog form) I like your new catch phrase on Edward. . . very appropriate and timely (unfortunately the men in my house wouldn't have a clue as to what I was talking about if I used it--my daughter and friends would, though!)