The Heaths squared discuss proverbs and catchphrases as sticky because they are compact. I went through (and still find myself going through) a phase when I often said, “You win some, you lose some.” It was a joke amongst my friends because I was saying it so often. The one thing I realized about my usage of, “You win some, you lose some” was that when I used it appropriately, I was only saying it when someone had lost something. After all, if someone wins, do you really want to tell them they might lose next time? If you don’t like them, then you might, but otherwise you probably won’t say it. The more I said it, the more I realized, I wasn’t highlighting anyone’s, including my own, success.
This brings me to another phrase, which is, “there’s a time and a place for ____” in this case, “There’s a time and a place for catchphrases”. For me, I appreciate when the time, place, and catchphrase, aren’t in coordination. Other times, and this is really the best, when someone’s response, is just too perfect. The time a dog named Nessa came to visit was one of those times.
Nessa is a lovely puppy. Initially, she belonged to my housemate’s, boyfriend’s sister, but she stayed with my housemate’s boyfriend, Derek for a while. Derek lives in Hoboken, and he had to travel for a week, so his girlfriend (my housemate) offered to take Nessa in while he was away (are you following so far?). We aren’t sure what mix she is, but boxers, pit bulls, and possibly labs are most likely involved in her pedigree. When Nessa came to visit, the other dog who lives at our house, Reese, had a fun playtime partner. Nessa was a cuddling pup, with an energetic personality, but she wasn’t very well trained when she came to visit. As puppies sometimes do, Nessa had an accident in our basement, and not the liquid kind. I offered to clean it because Nessa’s caretaker was in class, (and Nessa had ripped up her tempurpedic pillow only hours before). Later that day, one of the other girls I live with texted me to ask how Nessa was doing. I said, “Nessa pooped in the basement” she responded, without even thinking about her response, “Shitty”. I laughed and said back, “Yup, shit happens.”
The story of Nessa’s accident is one of those times when a catchphrase is just too perfect. As a side note, the story of Nessa has a very happy ending; She went to police dog training and now has impeccable manners, and perfect potty skills.
The Heath’s squared taught me that catchphrases resonate because they are compact and teach lessons. Everyone appreciates a good catchphrase, especially if you’re not highlighting their loss, and everyone most likely appreciates a catchphrase that’s too good, but I there’s one type of catchphrase that’s way too underrated; the completely inappropriate, irrelevant catchphrase. A while ago I started pulling the Ron Burgundy, “When in Rome” thing and would sometimes use catchphrases when they didn’t apply, unfortunately, I have some friends who weren’t perceptive enough to get that I was joking, and I ended up looking like an idiot. Also, random people who heard my “witty” remarks usually thought I was out of the loop as well, and I got some weird looks. As of now, I’ve scaled back my proverb use, but every once in a while, when the scenario really doesn’t fit, but the company is right, I’ll whip one out. It’s unfortunate that society isn’t accepting, but, you win some, you lose some. Am I right?
The one thing I wonder about is, if you use catchphrases, do people take you seriously? Sometimes, when people say catchphrases to me, I feel like they aren’t very genuine. Are people using the catchphrase because they don’t know what else to say, and don’t really care, or are they saying the catchphrase because it is the best thing to say. I’d like to believe catchphrases are used genuinely because I employ them often myself. Also, they clearly ring true otherwise people wouldn’t say them.
Clearly, I feel passionately about catchphrases. Why? Because sometimes there’s no better way to get your point across. It goes back to the idea of stickiness. If you want to send a message, and if you want to make that message memorable, it has to stick. If it’s a catchphrase, something people already know, the message will be relatable, it will be memorable. My conversation about Nessa’s accident happened months ago, but because a catchphrase was involved, I’ll never forget it.
I appreciate the classics, but I also love quotes from movies, TV shows, and songs.
Here are some of my go to’s:
“Better late than never”
“Early bird gets the worm”
“I’m blue, daba dee daba diii”
“You can’t always get what you want”
“If at first you don’t succeed; try, try again”
“When it rains, it pours”
“It’s a small world after all”
“I whip my hair back, AND FORTH”
“Ten points for Gryffindor!”
“Follow Your Heart” (A personal favorite for when people ask for advice and I have no idea what to say)
“Actions speak louder than words”
“Jingle bells, batman smells”
“Samantha Maes likes this” (Facebook inspired)
“It’s raining cats and dogs”
“If you like it, then you should have put a ring on it” (Still one of the best music videos out there)
“You get what you give”/ “You reap what you sow”
“Money doesn’t grow on trees” (My dad’s favorite)
“Never eat yellow snow”
“Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?”
“The rings stay on!” (Southpark Jonas Brother/Mickey Mouse episode)
“You’re a mean one Mr. Grinch”
“And now I have the freshest cereal” (Forgetting Sarah Marshall, also, any other line from that movie)
“WHOOP, there it is”
“It’s tricky to rock a rhyme, to rock a rhyme that’s right on time, it’s tricky”
“To be or not to be, that is the question”
“What’s the number for 911?”
“Girls rule, boys drool”
“I do not like green eggs and ham, I do not like them Sam I Am”
“Liar, liar pants on fire”
“Honesty is the best policy”
“Everything in moderation, including moderation”
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