07 July 2008

here it comes again

Here's a brilliant - sort of - little article on catchphrases, how come into being, grow, mutate and either die or become part of the furniture. Courtesy of Bookforum which also regrettably threw up a couple of links I would have loved to follow but which drew the attention of the Unsuitable Site: Access Denied filter. Oh to be on my own ISP again - soon.

I know
Mark Lawrencewill like it.

I was particularly taken that it covers a couple of currently most infuriating sayings: "my bad" and "teh" which has infested the blogosphere - or at least the left hand part I think - like a virus.

"My bad", a particularly obnoxious saying that, as the article says, trivialises its very meaning, is everywhere now. I blame commercial radio for importing most of the neologisms up with which we are forced to put - as it were. The usually sloping foreheaded types who make up the frontpersons of commercial radio depend on being "hip" and "with it"...hmmm, those are both a bit passe, no?

Anyway, for those of you who enjoy words - enjoy.

2 comments:

Ann ODyne said...

I followed the links thank you!

"Many responses hewed to the classic one-liner formula: familiar phrase-plus-insult (or ironically employed term of endearment). This is the one-two combo presaged by Dirty Harry's "Do ya feel lucky, punk?" and immortalized by Die Hard's "Yippee-ki-yay, motherfucker." Nate Rulf of Philadelphia contributed the elegant "Et tu, babycakes." Slate's Timothy Noah, who pondered the rhetoric of the one-liner in the Fray, deserves a mention for his "Veni, vidi, vici, sugarplum," but his entry remains out of competition due to conflict of interest. There were countless amusing variants on this theme, but for the most unlikely combo of highfalutin reference and random put-down, first prize goes to John Wolf for "Flights of angels sing thee to thy rest, pissant."

John, if you'll send me your mailing address, I'll send you your prize: A signed copy of Eric Lichtenfeld's book Action Speaks Louder: Violence, Spectacle, and the American Action Movie.

phil said...

Ms d, you've lost me. I've started something I can't finish...

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