I thought this was hilarious when I read it so I thought I’d share it.
Hasta la vista, catchphrases
As much as we loved them, it’s time to lay them to rest.
By Bryan Tucker
When was the last time someone got angry and told you to sit on it? Or cracked everyone up at a party by shouting, “Excuuuuse me!”?
If this were 1979, these phrases would fit right in. But like boy bands or the Macarena, catchphrases die with the times. So let’s give a few of today’s more annoying ones a proper send-off – an obituary of sorts. May they rest in peace.
“Yeah, Baby!” / Aging hipster
“Yeah, Baby!” was cryogenically frozen today. It plans to be thawed when it once again can rule the world of catchphrases.
First made famous by the swingin’ Austin Powers, “Yeah, Baby!” was a fixture at parties, in singles bars and at exclusive celebrity events, toasting its success with “I’ll Be Back,” “Show Me the Money” and the mysterious “I See Dead People.” It was found without a pulse in the mouth of the obnoxious drunk guy at the office Christmas party.
Services were held at Mike Myers’ New York home. The phrase is survived by its brothers, “Oh, Behave!” and “Do I Make You H*rny?”
“You Go, Girl!” / Feminist leader
“You Go, Girl!” – the declaration that empowered women throughout the '90s – died of causes associated with excruciating repetition.
A signature of the hit sitcom “Martin,” it was shouted by ghetto girls and later adopted by gay men as a triumphant call to arms. The saying eventually was relegated to cat food commercials and stupid comedies like “Juwanna Mann.”
“You Go, Girl” was glared to death by a stadium of fans at a WNBA game that stretched into overtime. “It has been a dear friend for years and thousands of shows,” said a teary Oprah Winfrey. “I’ll always remember it fondly. I can’t believe you’re really gone, girl.”
“Whassup?!” / Designated greeter
“Whassup?!,” the comical salutation from Budweiser commercials, mimicked in heaven knows how many phone calls and parodied around the globe, died of “hip” complications at its home in the Anheuser-Busch marketing office in St. Louis. It was 19.
“Whassup?!” was born in Philadelphia to “Big Up” and “What’s Happenin’?” A promising phrase from the start, it appeared in a short film before turning in one of its finest performances during the 2000 Super Bowl, when it was embedded in the consciousness of every young male about to place a phone call.
“Whassup?!” won several major awards, including the Grand Prix for best TV ad of 2000. After a couple of years, the phrase lost its “cool” and was officially pronounced dead minutes after being uttered by a soccer mom at an Arby’s drive-thru in Des Moines.
True.
“Yada Yada” / All-purpose filler
“Yada Yada” died of heart failure at a retirement home in Boca Raton, Fla. It was 6.
Born in a predominantly Jewish neighborhood in Yonkers, N.Y., the phrase was a favorite of deli noshers who didn’t have time to finish their entire anecdotes. It wasn’t until a 1997 “Seinfeld” episode that the phrase was catapulted into the public vernacular, eventually gracing the covers of Time and Long Story Short magazines.
But “Yada” always shied away from the spotlight, and no one truly knew what happened after it was uttered (which may have been its greatest asset). “Yada” will be replaced by its apprentice, “So, Anyway …”
“Bling-Bling” / Nouveau-riche designer
Tragedy struck the catchphrase community as “Bling-Bling” was found shot to death outside its crib in Beverly Hills. So far there are no suspects, but police are questioning “Fa Shizzle” and “Right Thurr.”
The phrase, used to describe loud, diamond-encrusted jewelry worn around the wrist or neck, first appeared in a 1999 hit song by the Cash Money Millionaires. Known to friends simply as “Bling,” the sparkling expression was frequently spotted at hip-hop recording sessions and South Beach strip clubs. “Bling” had a long association with Nelly, Lil’ Kim and 50 Cent, and, judging from songs on the radio, some thought “Bling” knew everyone.
Perhaps it was a victim of its own success. Wherever it went, jealousy followed. Last year, there were false reports that “Bling” had drowned in a pool of Cristal.
“Talk to the Hand” / Conversation closer
“Talk to the Hand,” acclaimed by the fed-up and snippy worldwide, died in a head-on collision with “No, You Didn’t” on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.
“Talk” was a product of the inner city before seeping into the mainstream. Soon, people of all races were demanding that you tell it to the hand (because the ears ain’t listening). The expression was particularly loved by fast-food- counter help, IRS agents and customer-service reps of all kinds.
At the funeral, Rosie Perez gave a eulogy that mourners felt was quite touching. “Talk” is survived by its cousins, the dismissive twins “Whatever (with the hand twist)” and “Whatever (with the head swivel).”