Iconic Phrases

Although I have never seen the movie nor read the book, there are a couple of lines from Gone With the Wind that I, along with a few other Americans, have adopted.  The phrases have become icons.

Frankly, my dear, . . . .   works when you just don't give a damn and I don't know nuthin' 'bout birthin' no babies! is always good when you don't know nuthin.  Many people share these references, so if you use them in the U.S.A., you have a good chance of being understood.  If you need to point out that someone is feeling sorry for him/herself, you may whine Marsha, Marsha, Mar-sha.  In this country, Baby Boomers will understand what you mean.

Throughout my lives I have collected other iconic phrases that make sense only within a certain circle of friends.  That is, only a select group of people understand the origins of these phrases and how they've come to be icons.  And it would be futile to try to explain the it all to someone who wasn't there when the icon was born.  There's just too much background.  But that doesn't mean that people who don't know the origins can't use the phrase and adapt it to their own lives.

Although phrases such a a fine kettle of fish or dressed to the nines have become common, few people know the origins of those phrases.

The following phrases have been adopted by me and groups of people I know.  If any of them work for you, feel free to adopt them.

So it is written, so it shall be done (thump fist on chest and click heals)  The King and I    This phrase is used to respond to a command or directive.

Wook dem cwouds, Edie is a versatile phrase used to draw attention to something you've noticed and can easily be changed to suit the situation.  Wook dem flowers, Edie,  or Wook dat fwoun, Edie.  

Where the hell are the singing cats?  is used to express confusion.

A cat stampede, it's a cat, it's a cat, it's a cat, it's a cat stampede of course is the perfect response when someone asks, "You know what we need?"

When you need a conversation starter, of course you could say Keith Moon is dead.

Thank you for holding the flag is for when "thank you" just isn't quite enough words.

When you're ready to start a new project or ready to go you might say Here we go, Blueboys, here we go.  

These phrases are like poetry in that they condense a lot of meaning into a few words.  However, the meaning may differ from occasion to occasion, so while they are colorful and tend to pleasantly remind of another time and place, they are probably not best used when precision is needed.  And of course, there's a big chance that if you use phrases like this outside their circle of origin, people will consider you daft.

Well, that's about all the examples I can think of right now, so I'll just say I'm done here.  Steve Buscemi is in this film.