Everyday Famous Words
You know, I never knew there were so many famous names, titles, or sayings that are known worldwide, until I did a research project recently. For instance, everybody knows the name ” JAWS ” from that great shark movie that had many people thinking twice before taking a leisurely swim. And that stoically voiced comment ” I’LL BE BACK ” from a futuristic robot who, by the way, is now a state governor.
Is there anyone in the world who does NOT know who Dracula is? Frankenstein? Superman? Spiderman? The Fonz? Darth Vader? And if I may voice my own opinion, I believe it was the American Cinema that made this happen. I mean, every American knows what it means when you put your thumb up and say ” Aaaayyyy “. I grew up with Gilligan’s Island and the Brady Bunch. Couldn’t everybody make a radio out of a coconut? And if you knew someone named Marcia, you just held your breath until you had a perfect moment to use, ” Marcia , Marcia, Marcia”. And how many times in your life have you said, ” Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn “.
Who comes to mind if you hear, “Bond, James Bond”. And really, has your mom ever said, “Life is like a box of chocolates”. Probably not, but you know what it means and where it came from. I know “King Kong” is not an American character, but we did make him famous for being a giant teddy bear type monkey. And with great graphics.
If you really sit and think about it, we use these famous saying’s, names and quotes in our lives almost on a daily basis. Just the other day my brother was helping me with some leaking pipes in the basement and he looked up and said, ” Houston , we have a problem”. Of course we have a problem, my pipes are leaking. But you see what I mean. I recently went to pick up some bookshelves and books, and even though I drive a van, when we finally had it all loaded I just had to say, “We need a bigger boat”. It was automatic. I didn’t even think about it. It just fit the situation.
America made Cinderella a household name and the word “BAMBI” said through gushing tears of children when their father came home from a deer hunting trip. Snow White, I believe, is not nearly as famous as those words, “mirror, mirror, on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?” Why, because I’m a middle aged woman and have cursed all mirrors since time began. Some things will be eternal. Like Elvis’s, “Thank you, thank you very much.” Or Clint Eastwoods, “Go ahead, punk, make my day.”
But nowadays my eleven year old daughter says things that I hear other kid’s saying, and they all know what it means. Like, “Whatever”. This word is used by just about everybody, all the time. I mean, I hear it at least two billion times a day. Who made that word big? I don’t know, but I can bet ya that it came from the TV or the movies. I remember Yabba Dabba Doo. You guys know it. Now I hear ” Who let the Dogs out “. And yes, it took me a while to stop looking around for the supposedly loose dogs. But it serves its purpose in explaining how certain words just stick.
“May the force be with you” is a staple. ” Beam me up, Scotty ” is used quite frequently in my house along with ” Calgon, take me away”. I suppose I could go on forever with these things but the point is; now I have made them obvious to you and you will be thinking about it like a bad elevator song that’s stuck in your head. So all I need to say now is, ” Asta la vista, Baby”.
