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Generally I think of a catchphrase as being a phrase that is regularly repeated by a character or person to the point that it becomes an immediately recognizable part of their identity. The definitions I've found are a bit more vague though. (Merriam-Webster)

A word or expression that is used repeatedly and conveniently to represent or characterize a person, group, idea, or point of view

I recently heard someone refer to Bogart's line in Casablanca "Here's looking at you kid" as a catchphrase. I wouldn't consider this a catchphrase, just from my own understanding of the word, but I'm curious if it actually is. That phrase is certainly an immediately recognizable part of Rick Blaine's (and Bogart's) identity, but not as a result of him regularly repeating it.

So is an iconic phrase such as "Here's looking at you kid" a catchphrase or is that a misuse of the word?

Bookeater
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hal
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    Neither term is all that rigidly defined. – Hot Licks Jun 26 '16 at 18:25
  • I'm not sure if Martin Luther King actually said "I have a dream" more than once (normally it's a requirement of a "catchphrase" that the originator or person primarily associated with it should have used it *repeatedly*). But I'd draw the line at calling MLK's one a catchphrase because that term lacks the necessary "gravitas" for the referent. Whatever - where anyone draws the line is just a matter of opinion. – FumbleFingers Oct 25 '16 at 13:36

2 Answers2

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From the definition you cited, "Here's looking at you kid" is not a catchphrase. It's definitely associated with a character, but it is not by any means repeatedly used as a touchstone for that character's personality. I would call it a phrase that sums up a personality - insight, but not catchphrase.

A good catchphrase example would be "Elementary, my dear Watson", by Sherlock Holmes. This phrase not only sums up the character's personality, it also becomes almost ritualistic - a fallback phrase to use in many circumstances. To me, this would be a catchphrase.

writinggirl
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I think you could call it a catchphrase - in fact in the Oxford Dictionaries definition of 'catchphrase' the example they give is from the Godfather. (Though variations of the phrase are used three times in the film, that specific phrase seems only to be used once - see this article).

Catchphrase: A well-known sentence or phrase, especially one that is associated with a particular famous person:

the movie gave the world the catchphrase ‘I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse’

rhm
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