Thursday, June 11, 2009

Phraseology

Most of us have a movie, book, or TV show quote that's worked its way into our daily use, serving as an inside joke among our little club of fellow fans. Who among us didn't quote Monty Python's Holy Grail constantly in high school or college? (If you didn't, you might not be nerdy enough to enjoy my blog.)

Ickie and I have several regulars in current rotation. We can always make each other laugh by saying "Go back from whence you came!" (G.O.B. in Arrested Development). As cuss-word substitutions, Ickie often uses "Frak" (BSG) and I use "Blurg" (30 Rock). But the really random, just-between-the-two-of-us quote is "When will they listen, Bob? When will they listen?" We're not even sure that's the exact quote anymore. Any deviation just makes us laugh harder. "When will they learn, Jim? When will they learn?" It comes from a Mystery Science Theater short that's a cheesey educational video about train-track crossing safety (view here). Basically, a 1950s kid gets hit by a train because he doesn't follow proper precautions, and the railroad employees comment on his carelessness, shaking their heads grimly in a laughably stilted bit of acting. We reference it all the time. You'd be surprised how applicable it is to everyday life. For example, Pizza Hut shows an ad for gross-looking pasta, some rednecks have a noisy argument on the street outside our house, Ickie's students fail because they don't apply themselves, a duck gets hit by a rock...the possibilities are endless, especially when you go around feeling superior all day long like we do. Just thinking the phrase now in my head makes me feel like laughing.

I'd love to read your favorite oft-used quotes in the comment section. Maybe I'll even make a pie chart of the results. Because pie charts are super fun.

14 comments:

Unknown said...

It’s from a blog rather than a tv show or movie (and you may not appreciate my posting it), but our favorite new word from the past 5 years or so has to be fucktards.

Inconceivable from ‘The Princess Bride’ gets used pretty often too.

Felix said...

A favourite of my partner and I: "Just in cases" (Aurelia, in the Marseille restaurant proposal scene from Love, Actually).

Mine: "So, Spess-enJell..." (Queen Zora in the TV cartoon Space Angel, circa 1962, probably before you were born...)

As for that YouTube 1950s safety video ... I was too spell bound by the foreground silhouette hecklers to pay full attention to the video itself. What IS that right hand figure???

Watoosa said...

Sorry, Felix. The 50s video was on Mystery Science Theater 3000, a show where a guy is sentenced to go into space and watch bad movies. He invents two robots to watch them with him, and they make sarcastic comments throughout. Ickie and I are fans.

Watoosa said...

Felix's confusion at MST3K reminds me of when I was in my German dorm watching the old Incredible Hulk TV show. A polish housemate came in and sat down, assuming I was watching a typical show. Suddenly Bruce Banner started turning into the Hulk and she absolutely freaked. I just shrugged and said, "What? When he gets mad, he turns into a giant green hulk. Duh." I guess something about it seemed unusual to my Polish friend.

Unknown said...

So many things from The Grail and Breakfast Club come to mind, but two others I use come from some classic movies. First, "there's something afoot at the circle k" from Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. Also from Can't Buy Me Love, "Something stinks in suburbia". Both are used quite frequently in the Timpe household.

Felix said...

I forgot, last time round ... "A bit of cheeeeeeese, Grommit?" (Wallace, the eccentric Heath Robinson inventor, to his canine companion, in the Wallace & Grommit cartoons.)

Felix said...

Watoosa: Thanks for explaing the two robot companions!

Watoosa said...

I too love Wallace & Gromit!

Watoosa said...

Al, I'm going to start saying "There's something afoot at the Cumberland Farms" (because that's what we have here).

Jenny said...

Any time I had a bad day, week, month, etc. my dad would always listen to my woes, nodding thoughtfully while patting my hand. It could be anything, like a bad breakup, a failing grade, a car breaking down. As I would finish my tale of doom, and wipe my eyes, my dad would draw in his breath and sing/shout:

BUT! There are no cats in America and the streets are paved with cheese..."

He still does this. It works every time.

Glo said...

I'm also partial to Frak from BSG. Also, "That's what she said" from The Office and "You Lied to Me, You are a Liar" from Freaky Friday. I don't know why I said it all the time, but I do.

Unknown said...

"Now you're too loud" from Waiting for Guffman is one used frequently in the Taylor household. Some others are "meet some Italian guys and watch some TV or something", "healthy, low-fat, non-fat, healthy ... blizzard", "but I don't have any swimmin in my show","you're blowing in my ear","a wrastl'n match between me and the muse of dance", "I certainly know how the Kennedys feel","they probed me","I have no feeling in my buttocks"

From Oliver's Travels, "Have a nice agenda, dear"

On a similar note, from Yes, Prime Minister -- "We have no agendum today"

From A Fine Romance, "Well, Hello there" in an over-the-top-trying-to-be-sexy voice

And from Look Around You, "Thanks, Ants; Thants"

Felix said...

Not from a book, but from a review of one:

"...darkly worrying..." in a review by The Times of Magnus Mills novel All quiet on the Orient Express (1999).

Felix said...

Courtesy call:

http://sammysdot.blogspot.com/2009/12/phraeology.html