50 Fun Facts About Catchphrases

Which Big Bang Theory physicist follows his pranks with a triumphant 'Bazinga!'?

Sheldon Cooper's catchphrase reached biology: in 2012 Brazilian researchers named a newly discovered orchid bee Euglossa bazinga after it.

Which rumpled LAPD lieutenant turned back at the door with 'Just one more thing'?

Columbo's 'Just one more thing' was a typewriter fix: a scene ran short, and rather than retype it, Levinson and Link sent him back through the door.

Which prime minister declared 'The lady's not for turning' in a 1980 party conference speech?

Margaret Thatcher's line came from her speechwriter, playwright Ronald Millar, who built it as a pun on Christopher Fry's 1948 play The Lady's Not for Burning.

Which Bedrock resident yells 'Yabba dabba doo!'?

Fred Flintstone once sold cigarettes: Winston sponsored the show when it began, and the characters appeared in its TV commercials.

Which BBC2 children's show has four toddler-like characters who greet with 'Eh-oh!'?

Teletubbies topped the UK chart in December 1997 with 'Teletubbies say Eh-oh!', until the Spice Girls' 'Too Much' pushed it to number two for Christmas.

'I pity the fool!' was first growled by which actor as the boxer Clubber Lang in Rocky III?

Mr. T's catchphrase comes from Clubber Lang's reply when asked if he hates Rocky: he doesn't hate Balboa, he pities the fool.

'Exterminate!' is the war cry of which Doctor Who enemies, created by Terry Nation for a 1963 serial?

The Daleks owe both their name and 'Exterminate!' to the Doctor: in the 2023 special Destination: Skaro, the Fourteenth Doctor lets both words slip in front of Davros's assistant.

Which host dismissed contestants with 'You're fired!' on the American version of The Apprentice?

Donald Trump's line didn't outlast him: when Arnold Schwarzenegger took over the celebrity edition in 2017, eliminations ended with 'You're terminated.'

Whose 2008 US presidential campaign rallied to the chant 'Yes we can', later set to music by will.i.am?

Barack Obama joked in 2012 that he had stolen the line from farmworker leader Dolores Huerta, whose rallying cry was 'Sí, se puede'.

'Winter is Coming' are the ancestral words of which Game of Thrones house?

House Stark ruled as Kings in the North until Torrhen Stark, facing Aegon's dragons, knelt instead of fighting and became the King Who Knelt.

Which nominee promised 'Read my lips: no new taxes' at the 1988 Republican convention in New Orleans?

George H. W. Bush broke the pledge in a 1990 budget deal that raised taxes, and in 1992 called it the biggest mistake of his presidency.

Which Little Britain bank clerk and travel agent, played by David Walliams, refused everyone with 'Computer says no'?

Carol Beer's refusal got a Brexit update in a 2019 radio special, where she blocked holidays because 'Brexit says no'.

Which host greeted Generation Game audiences with 'Nice to see you, to see you...', inviting the reply 'Nice!'?

Bruce Forsyth married the show's co-host Anthea Redfern in 1973, after asking her each week to 'give us a twirl'.

Which Dad's Army butcher ran around shouting 'Don't panic!' whenever danger loomed?

Corporal Jones was played by Clive Dunn, who was only 48 when he landed the role of the elderly butcher in 1968.

Which BBC commentator said 'They think it's all over... it is now!' as Geoff Hurst scored in the 1966 World Cup final?

Kenneth Wolstenholme was actually describing pitch invaders: 'Some people are on the pitch, they think it's all over' came out as Hurst ran through, before the shot went in.

Which tennis player's 'You cannot be serious!', bellowed at umpires, later became the title of his autobiography?

John McEnroe screamed it at umpire Edward James over a line call in his first-round match at Wimbledon in 1981, the year he won the title.

'Booyakasha!' and 'Respek' belong to which Sacha Baron Cohen character, a wannabe gangster from Staines?

Ali G won over Madonna, who cast him as her limo driver in the video for her 2000 single Music.

Which Blackadder character keeps announcing 'I have a cunning plan' before a doomed scheme?

Baldrick wasn't always the fool: in the first series he was cleverer than Blackadder, a relationship the later series turned around.

'Here's one I made earlier' is the craft-segment line of which BBC children's show?

Blue Peter's line is credited to presenter Christopher Trace, who also coined 'And now for something completely different' before Monty Python made it famous.

Which host asked 'Is that your final answer?' on the original American Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

Regis Philbin's line was already the catchphrase of Chris Tarrant, host of the British original.

Which host snuffs out a losing contestant's torch at Tribal Council with the words 'The tribe has spoken'?

Jeff Probst keeps the snuffer used on voted-out players' torches as a souvenir at the end of every season.

On which reality competition does the loser of each episode's lip-sync showdown hear the verdict 'Sashay away'?

RuPaul's Drag Race tells the queen who stays 'Shantay, you stay', after weekly acting, fashion and improvisation challenges and a themed strut down the runway.

Which price-comparison website's adverts star Aleksandr Orlov, a meerkat who signs off with 'Simples!'?

Compare the Market's ads rest on a pun: Aleksandr is fed up with shoppers confusing his meerkat site, comparethemeerkat.com, with comparethemarket.com.

Who brushed off an attack over Medicare with 'There you go again' in a 1980 presidential debate?

Ronald Reagan tried the line again in a 1984 debate, and Walter Mondale shot back: 'You remember the last time you said that?'

Whose Labour conference speech named three top priorities for government: 'education, education, and education'?

Tony Blair's government went on to introduce university tuition fees of up to £1,000 a year in 1998, two years after that speech.

Which party leader kept repeating 'strong and stable leadership' during the 2017 general election campaign?

Theresa May called the 2017 snap election seeking a stronger hand for Brexit talks, but her Conservatives lost their Commons majority instead.

'Danger, Will Robinson!' was the Robot's warning on which Irwin Allen series about the castaway Robinson family?

Lost in Space's warning lived on: the 1998 film version used dangerwillrobinson.com as its official website.

'Resistance is futile' is the warning of which Star Trek race before it assimilates a target?

The Borg were first conceived as insects, but the budget couldn't stretch that far, so they became cyborgs instead.

'The Truth Is Out There' is the opening-credits tagline of which 1993 Chris Carter series about two FBI agents?

The X-Files creator Chris Carter wrote in 2021 that slogans like 'Trust No One' came from a 1990s 'relatively shared reality' and are now a fact of life.

Which animated series killed off Kenny in nearly every early episode, prompting Stan's 'Oh my God, they killed Kenny!'?

South Park killed Kenny off in season five and kept him dead for nearly all of season six.

Which ring announcer trademarked the catchphrase 'Let's get ready to rumble!'?

Michael Buffer has earned more than $400 million licensing his trademark.

Which camp comedian's 'Shut that door!' is said to have begun with a draught on stage?

Larry Grayson's catchphrase was his parting line at the 1994 Royal Variety Performance, his final public appearance.

'Bernie, the bolt!' was a regular cry on which ITV game show hosted by Bob Monkhouse?

The Golden Shot was adapted from a German show, and its bolt-loader was called Heinz in early episodes before the nickname became Bernie.

Which original cast member was the first to say 'Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!' in 1975?

Chevy Chase said it to end the very first sketch, after Michael O'Donoghue's teacher dropped dead of a heart attack.

Which strategist's reminder 'The economy, stupid' shaped the messaging of Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign?

James Carville put the line on a sign in the campaign headquarters as one of three messages for staff, and it became the campaign's unofficial slogan.

Which comedian's wad-waving plasterer Loadsamoney became shorthand for 1980s greed and a 1988 hit single?

Harry Enfield's creation escaped him: Labour leader Neil Kinnock used 'loadsamoney' to attack the government in May 1988, and journalists began writing of the 'loadsamoney economy'.

Which original host of ITV's Catchphrase coined 'Say what you see' and 'It's good, but it's not right'?

Roy Walker's old Catchphrase clips were later used to host Car Park Catchphrase, a game on Chris Moyles's Radio 1 breakfast show.

Which hexagon-board ITV quiz for students inspired the schoolboy joke request 'Can I have a P, please, Bob?'?

Blockbusters host Bob Holness was long rumoured to have played the saxophone on 'Baker Street'; the real player was Raphael Ravenscroft.

'I've fallen, and I can't get up!' was cried in a LifeCall commercial that sold what kind of device?

A medical alert pendant was LifeCall's product, though rival Life Alert has claimed it used the famous line first.

'If you see Sid... tell him!' urged the public in 1986 to buy shares in which newly privatised company?

British Gas's sell-off turned a new wave of ordinary people into first-time shareholders.

Whose 'Back to Basics' campaign, launched at a Conservative Party conference, was hit by a run of ministers' scandals?

John Major insisted in January 1994 that Back to Basics was not 'a crusade about personal morality', even as ministers' affairs piled up.

Which hardcore wrestler's 'Have a nice day!' also titled his 1999 memoir, a New York Times number-one bestseller?

Mick Foley kept writing after the memoir, and went on to publish children's books and novels too.

Which prime minister did the Sun mock with a headline asking 'What Crisis?', words he never said?

James Callaghan had only denied there was any crisis when asked about spreading strikes on his return from a summit in Guadeloupe.

'Can I do you now, sir?' was the catchphrase of charlady Mrs Mopp on which wartime BBC radio comedy?

It's That Man Again ended with its star: Tommy Handley died suddenly in January 1949, and the show was never revived.

'Nice one, Cyril' began as a 1972 television advert congratulating a baker, for which bread brand?

Wonderloaf's slogan was taken up by Tottenham fans for left back Cyril Knowles, and was reworked decades later for Son Heung-min as 'Nice one, Sonny'.

Which BBC rugby league commentator popularised 'It's an up and under' and 'He's goin' for an early bath'?

Eddie Waring first made his name as Dewsbury's wartime manager, winning trophies by signing star players stationed nearby.

Which BBC commentator, dubbed 'the voice of tennis', often greeted outstanding Wimbledon shots with 'Oh, I say!'?

Dan Maskell was Wimbledon's first professional coach, and taught tennis to royals including Prince Charles and Princess Anne.

'Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee' was written for Muhammad Ali by which cornerman and poet?

Drew Bundini Brown's poem continued 'rumble, young man, rumble', and Ali used it to taunt Sonny Liston at the press conference before their February 1964 title fight.

Which Family Matters neighbour kept causing mishaps and asking 'Did I do that?'?

Steve Urkel was written as a one-time character, but Jaleel White's performance clicked with viewers and he became the show's most popular character.

Which ABC broadcaster cried 'Do you believe in miracles?' as the US beat the Soviets at the 1980 Winter Olympics?

Al Michaels got the job because he had called one Olympic hockey game before, the 1972 gold-medal game in Sapporo, which none of ABC's bigger names had done.