Michael Burkhardt

Everyday Phrases from Movies

We have a piper down.

We all have those turns of phrase that come so naturally that we don’t even think about how they found their way into our heads.

Some of them came from the movies.

If you haven’t done it before, take a moment to think about whether you have any of these. What movies did they come from? How long ago? Do you and friend or loved one use them as an inside joke? Or do have you adopted it solo? Here are a few that my wife and I use on a very regular basis:

“We have a piper down. I repeat: a piper is down.”

This one comes, of course, from Mike Meyers’ 1993 magnum opus. That’s just a year or so after my wife and I started our relationship and we’ve been batting this one back and forth ever since. Especially at our kids’ soccer games.

“Dumbass!”

This one is not about the uniqueness of the phrase, but how you say it. You’ve gotta channel your very best Jennifer Coolidge impression. And don’t forget to bend and snap.

“Whatever.”

This is another ubiquitous phrase so to really connect back to the source you must employ the hand gesture. And we do.

“Well it’s just one too many.”

I have no idea why this one stuck. Maybe because I force my family to watch my all-time favorite movie 12 times in a row every Christmas. I can’t even think of an example in which I’ve used it. Except that it seems to come up all the time in our house.

“Stupid monkey!”

This one goes back to 1993 too. It is a form of self-admonition that emerges whenever one of us is frustrated about something. Long live Mr Burns.

What are your everyday phrases from the movies?


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