Catch Phrase

 A catchphrase is a word or expression repeatedly used to represent or characterize a person, group, idea or point of view.

Catchphrases often emerge from popular culture, including films, literature, television shows and advertising.

The great clown Joseph Grimaldi popularized the catchphrases "Here we are again!" and "Shall I?" The former remains part of British pantomime tradition.

"My name is Haines" became a popular 19th-century American expression for making an abrupt or embarrassed departure. It derived from an anecdote, first published in 1840, about a stranger who unknowingly criticized Thomas Jefferson while riding with him, then introduced himself and hurried away after discovering his companion's identity. No corroborating account has been found in Jefferson's writings.

The comedian Sandy Powell's catchphrase "Can you hear me, mother?" arose accidentally during a live radio broadcast when he dropped his script and repeated the line while retrieving and rearranging its pages. He later used it to introduce his shows, and it supplied the title of his 1935 film Can You Hear Me, Mother?

Harry Greene, the father of former Blue Peter presenter Sarah Greene, became Britain's first television DIY expert with Handy Round the Home, first shown by Associated-Rediffusion on January 4, 1957. His catchphrase was "Safety first; DIY second."

Ring announcer Michael Buffer began using "Let's get ready to rumble!" in 1984. He secured a US federal trademark for it in 1992, and the phrase subsequently generated hundreds of millions of dollars in licensing revenue.

Sherlock Holmes never says "Elementary, my dear Watson" in the 60 stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. A close version appeared in P. G. Wodehouse's Psmith, Journalist, serialized in 1909, while Clive Brook's Holmes used "Elementary, my dear Watson, elementary"in the 1929 film The Return of Sherlock Holmes.

Arnold Schwarzenegger first said "I'll be back" in The Terminator (1984). He repeated the exact line in Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Terminator Genisys, but not in every film in the series; other characters say it in Terminator Salvation and Terminator: Dark Fate. Schwarzenegger has also used it in several unrelated films, including Commando, The Running Man and Total Recall.

Bugs Bunny first uttered "What's up, Doc?"in Tex Avery's 1940 cartoon A Wild Hare. Avery recalled the expression from his schooldays in Texas; its casual use while a hunter pointed a gun at Bugs produced such a strong audience response that it became the rabbit's signature line.

Homer Simpson's "D'oh!" was originally written in scripts as an "annoyed grunt." Voice actor Dan Castellaneta based it on the drawn-out exclamation used by James Finlayson in Laurel and Hardy comedies, then shortened it at Matt Groening's request. The spelling "doh!" entered the Oxford English Dictionary in 2001.

Spock's "Live long and prosper" was first heard in the 1967 Star Trek episode "Amok Time." Writer Theodore Sturgeon scripted the words, while Leonard Nimoy devised the accompanying split-finger Vulcan salute from the hand gesture used in the Jewish priestly blessing.

"Go ahead, make my day," spoken by Clint Eastwood as Harry Callahan in Sudden Impact (1983), was ranked sixth on the American Film Institute's 2005 list of the 100 greatest American movie quotations.

Ed McMahon's elongated "Heeeere's Johnny!" introduced Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show for 30 years. Jack Nicholson improvised the line in The Shining (1980), and the American Film Institute later placed the movie quotation at number 68 on its list of the 100 greatest American film lines.

Sources: History World; Merriam-Webster; JSTOR Daily; Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia; Victoria and Albert Museum; The Telegraph; CNN; Encyclopaedia Britannica; StarTrek.com; American Film Institute.