Catch Phrases
Cathy got me thinking about catch phrases and personal mottoes. Those things that people put at the bottom of emails sometimes, often quotes from a dead poet or general or politician. I prefer my catchphrases to be my own. I also like it when others have a catch phrase that people associate them with.
Lately my catch phrase has been “Speak truth to power,” which isn’t so much my own, as it is so common that there isn’t anyone specific to quote. A lot of folks continue to toss it back to me in emails and letters, so I must have been using it more than I thought lately.
I’ve had other personal catch phrases in the past: “How much for a thousand of them?” comes to mind. (I like to shop, especially in the developing world where that question is not only valid, but often very frugal).
In our medieval household, we used to joke about how spiff we’d look by imagining a conversation with someone who didn’t know us. Them: “Who’s that?” Squire: “That’s Viscount Richard.” Them: “Can he fight?” Squire: “No, but he looks good!!”
I remember in the “way back” when I’d be working on armor in my garage at the multi-armed monster made of railroad iron (no Keith, I still don’t want to know where it came from) and I’d be looking for a tool. Two particular catch phrases come to mind. Me: “Where is my drill?” David: “You don’t know do you?” Me: “Michael, do you know where my drill is?” Michael: “If it was up your A$$ you’d know!” Me: “Very helpful…both of you.” (I’m not making this up…really. Cleaning it up a bit, since there are children who read this site, but not changing one word). You can see why we didn’t get a lot of armor made. Once I started chasing them around the garage with the located power drill… other catch phrases would fly.
Of course, the newest one…from Dave during our sessions of gaming, and based upon two obvious occurrences: “An arrow in the butt is better than a spear in the winky!” Now who says we are stuffy and old-fashioned? I can’t wait to see the T-shirt.
I’m certain that there were dozens of others…I’m just getting that CRS stuff. So I’m hoping you all will fill in the blanks. Didn’t we used to have a lot more catch phrases?
July 4th, 2008 at 11:59 am
I’m definitely planning on making the arrow/spear t-shirt. *grin*
July 4th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
“Not this week”.
And, you, my lord, can explain why I started saying that.
July 4th, 2008 at 7:28 pm
One of ours is: “If you didn’t get enough to eat, it’s your own damn fault.” I think it has something to do with that 2nd ham.
Another one is: “We deal in decadence.” We all need to learn to relax when that drill is no longer lost;-)
July 5th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
There is the ever-popular “Victory through overspending”. Then there are specific use phrases like “I think we need another ham” and movie phrases too numerous to list. Going back further in time there is “We are a doing household”. Borrowing from friends we had “We are not usually like this” and the translation of that back out of Latin. There is also the paniced utterance: “Don’t say that in front of Richard” whenever someone proposes, in jest, a project too large too consider.
Here’s to us…
July 6th, 2008 at 1:59 am
“And those like us…”
July 6th, 2008 at 6:08 pm
When Wolf was making armor with Raim in Vielburgen, in reference to a misplaced (certainly not “lost” item), “It’s around here somewhere”. Still applies.
August 11th, 2008 at 8:41 am
Here are two more. “On the good bad scale, that’s not good | bad”. I realized this was a phrase when I heard our daughter use it.
The other is “well THERE’S your problem.” usually uttered while looking at something manifestly not right.
August 13th, 2008 at 9:59 pm
“well THERE’S your problem.”
Watch much MythBusters in your house do you?
August 15th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
Yes indeed. That phrase gets much more (out loud) use than the equally valuable “I reject your reality and substitute my own.”
August 28th, 2008 at 7:33 am
I am in Algiers at the moment…hence no posting, few emails, and a weary outlook. Since 15 August it has been Quito, Bogota, Rome, Cairo, Tripoli, Tunis and now Algiers. I am ready to come home. But the reason I am posting is because of an EXCELLENT comment that I heard last night at dinner with some trainers who were referring to a foreign military they had once worked with. In describing something that the other folks wanted to do that was beyond belief or made no sense (like jumping out of a plane with a parachute they had never trained on), but well within expectations for their culture, the trainers had begun to say, “Well, why wouldn’t they?” This would apply in so MANY cases. The 15 orcs charge headlong into the party. “Well, why wouldn’t they?” The government has decided to increase taxes again this month. “Well, Why wouldn’t they?”
August 28th, 2008 at 7:52 am
Jervis—that’s perfect!
Hopefully you’ll be home soon!