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Questions tagged [catch-phrases]

A well-known sentence or phrase, typically one that is associated with a particular famous person.

A well-known sentence or phrase, typically one that is associated with a particular famous person.

Examples of famous TV and film catch-phrases can be found on Wikipedia.

55 questions
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What do “The great whatever this is,” “It can’t double dip if it never comes back up.”mean?

The surreal world in the New York Times article depicted by a seasoned editor at Harper’s Magazine who was laid off recently and experiencing bitter world, under the title, ‘A Beginner’s Guide to Unemployment’ was entertaining as well as relevant to…
Yoichi Oishi
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What does the phrase "You're out of your element" mean?

I heard it in The Big Lebowski movie, when Walter yells at Donny, "shut the fuck up, Donny"; then he exclaims, "You're out of your element!".
enon
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Why fiddlesticks?

"Fiddlesticks" is used as a mild expletive or to express disbelief. Does anyone know why?
Brian Hooper
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"After a fashion"

What is the meaning of the phrase "after a fashion"? I take it that the word fashion has different connotations here than its usual meaning.
user1784
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What other expressions and sayings do you have as an alternative to ‘Rip Van Winkle meets Facebook.’?

In today’s (Feb.10) article titled Out of Touch, Out of Time written by Thomas L. Friedman, I found a really cool phrase, this is Rip Van Winkle meets Facebook, which I understand describes Hosni Mubarak's preposterous decision. In Japanese, when we…
Yoichi Oishi
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What's the origin of the meme "and so can you"?

Possible Duplicate: Please explain “I Am America (And So Can You!)” Stephen's Colbert book is titled "I am America, and so can you." I think the phrase "and so can you" is a reference to something, but I'm not sure what that is. In particular,…
Andres Riofrio
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A catchphrase to describe an over-protective subordinate

Is there a catchphrase to describe a subordinate whose knee-jerk reaction is to aggressively verbally defend their boss from any perceived slight sometimes without actually understanding the issue or even when it's not unambiguously an attack on…
nzn
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Is an iconic phrase a catchphrase?

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.…
hal
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One-step Stop or One-stop Shop?

"Foobar: Your one-step stop for assorted candies." "Foobar: Your one-stop shop for assorted candies." I am really confused about which one sounds right. I've heard the second one before, but came across the first one recently. Are both phrases…
user1784