# Common jaded sayings that were pretty awesome when they were first trotted out **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 21, 2014, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-jaded-sayings-that-were-pretty-awesome-when-they-were-first-trotted-out/699104 "2014-09-21T19:42:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2014, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-jaded-sayings-that-were-pretty-awesome-when-they-were-first-trotted-out/699104/1 "2014-09-21T19:42:01Z")
We use a lot of old sayings without irony or humor - they have morphed in the vernacular as descriptive phrases instead of their original side-splitting, milk-snorting\* hilariousness: “Life’s a bitch, and then you die” “Dumber than a sack of hammers” “It’s not brain surgery” These were awesomely funny when first used, but now we just use them. \*another one. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2014, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-jaded-sayings-that-were-pretty-awesome-when-they-were-first-trotted-out/699104/2 "2014-09-21T19:54:59Z")
All of them, really. ---
**Author:** ![Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/58956e/32.png) [@Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emtar_KronJonDerSohn)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2014, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-jaded-sayings-that-were-pretty-awesome-when-they-were-first-trotted-out/699104/3 "2014-09-21T20:18:24Z")
They can be refreshed somewhat in delivery. "Pardon me, sir. Could you set down the phone and find your ass with both hands? Don’t call me back until you have progress to report. " ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2014, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-jaded-sayings-that-were-pretty-awesome-when-they-were-first-trotted-out/699104/4 "2014-09-21T20:19:42Z")
Referring to an ugly person as a _double-bagger_ made me laugh uncontrollably the first time it was said and explained to me. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2014, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-jaded-sayings-that-were-pretty-awesome-when-they-were-first-trotted-out/699104/5 "2014-09-21T22:36:15Z")
> [@OneCentStamp](#): > > Referring to an ugly person as a _double-bagger_ made me laugh uncontrollably the first time it was said and explained to me. The step beyond that is coyote ugly. _I’ve never gone to bed with an ugly woman. I sure have woken up with some though._ -Willy Nelson ---
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2014, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-jaded-sayings-that-were-pretty-awesome-when-they-were-first-trotted-out/699104/6 "2014-09-21T22:37:32Z")
“_Turtle’s Peaking_” to announce the need to defecate in the very near future. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2014, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-jaded-sayings-that-were-pretty-awesome-when-they-were-first-trotted-out/699104/7 "2014-09-21T23:28:58Z")
“This is the first day of the rest of your life.” The first time you hear it, hey, that’s kinda cool. After that, maybe not so much. ---
**Author:** ![Arrendajo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Arrendajo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrendajo)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2014, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-jaded-sayings-that-were-pretty-awesome-when-they-were-first-trotted-out/699104/8 "2014-09-21T23:37:59Z")
“All your base are belong to us.” ---
**Author:** ![vontsira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/51bf81/32.png) [@vontsira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vontsira)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-jaded-sayings-that-were-pretty-awesome-when-they-were-first-trotted-out/699104/9 "2014-09-22T05:41:48Z")
I feel that for anyone who spends more than a small amount of time on Internet discussion boards: pretty well any and every would-be witty / pithy saying, has a considerable likelihood of becoming common and jaded. With so many millions of people throughout the English-speaking world intensively “discussing and discoursing” with each other electronically, this is inevitable. Lots of people enjoy exercising wit and humour; but, let’s face it, few of us are talented and original wordsmiths – most rely on witticisms already come-up-with by someone else. The idea comes to mind that a possible treatment for cliche-fatigue, might involve taking the occasional complete break from the Net… ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-jaded-sayings-that-were-pretty-awesome-when-they-were-first-trotted-out/699104/10 "2014-09-22T05:49:26Z")
> [@vontsira](#): > > I feel that for anyone who spends more than a small amount of time on Internet discussion boards: pretty well any and every would-be witty / pithy saying, has a considerable likelihood of becoming common and jaded. . . . Alas, so true. “Hi, Opal” was absolutely brilliant, the first time it was used. But after the five-hundredth repetition… ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-jaded-sayings-that-were-pretty-awesome-when-they-were-first-trotted-out/699104/11 "2014-09-22T06:58:03Z")
When I first heard Felix Unger explain how if you assume you make an ass out of u and me, it was hilarious. It got less funny every time it was repeated. Same thing when Col Flagg said he could tell Henry Blake a secret but then he’d have to kill him. ---
**Author:** ![vontsira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/51bf81/32.png) [@vontsira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vontsira)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-jaded-sayings-that-were-pretty-awesome-when-they-were-first-trotted-out/699104/12 "2014-09-22T08:45:13Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > “Hi, Opal” was absolutely brilliant, the first time it was used. But after the five-hundredth repetition… I’m fairly new to the Dope; and have never “got” the business with “Hi, Opal”. Am aware that the board had a quirky and prolific poster – now sadly deceased – who used the name Opal Cat, and seemingly had a bit of a tendency to “overshare”. Was the “Hi…” stuff, one of those things which are funny because they are completely pointless and meaningless and, well, _not_ funny? ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-jaded-sayings-that-were-pretty-awesome-when-they-were-first-trotted-out/699104/13 "2014-09-22T09:54:28Z")
The “Hi, Opal” thing wasn’t really about her oversharing. She was a stickler for a certain rule about lists. The rule being that if a list doesn’t have at least 3 items in it, it can’t legitimately be put into list form. She evidently insisted upon this so often that people started creating two-item lists and using the phrase “Hi, Opal” as the third item. It became more of a joke when some people would put “Hi, Opal” as the third item of any list that they posted. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-jaded-sayings-that-were-pretty-awesome-when-they-were-first-trotted-out/699104/14 "2014-09-22T11:54:23Z")
“It is what it is.” I used to like that quote- just a simple, down to earth way of saying, “Deal with reality.” But it got really old a long time ago. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-jaded-sayings-that-were-pretty-awesome-when-they-were-first-trotted-out/699104/15 "2014-09-22T12:38:03Z")
I would argue that the absurd variation “it’s not rocket surgery” has, with all due respect to the poster of that name (who I haven’t seen post in ages, by the way) gone the way of its original inspiration in terms of being rather lame these days. ---
**Author:** ![vontsira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/51bf81/32.png) [@vontsira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vontsira)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-jaded-sayings-that-were-pretty-awesome-when-they-were-first-trotted-out/699104/16 "2014-09-22T17:20:33Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > The “Hi, Opal” thing wasn’t really about her oversharing. She was a stickler for a certain rule about lists. The rule being that if a list doesn’t have at least 3 items in it, it can’t legitimately be put into list form. She evidently insisted upon this so often that people started creating two-item lists and using the phrase “Hi, Opal” as the third item. > > It became more of a joke when some people would put “Hi, Opal” as the third item of any list that they posted. Thanks ! I’d never twigged about the “lists” bit. ---
**Author:** ![HipGnosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/76d3ee/32.png) [@HipGnosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HipGnosis)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-jaded-sayings-that-were-pretty-awesome-when-they-were-first-trotted-out/699104/17 "2014-09-22T17:33:23Z")
Lighten up, Francis Suck it up, Buttercup Life sux, get a helmet ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-jaded-sayings-that-were-pretty-awesome-when-they-were-first-trotted-out/699104/18 "2014-09-22T17:33:25Z")
“Wherever you go, there you are.” Pretty cool the first time I heard it, but that was when I was too young to drive so I was pretty naive and impressionable. Now? Nah, not so much. ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-jaded-sayings-that-were-pretty-awesome-when-they-were-first-trotted-out/699104/19 "2014-09-22T17:53:55Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > All of them, really. As the OP I was aiming for the ones that were of laugh out loud quality. And not so much the ones that brought a chuckle or wry smile. ---
**Author:** ![SpeedwayRyan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@SpeedwayRyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpeedwayRyan)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-jaded-sayings-that-were-pretty-awesome-when-they-were-first-trotted-out/699104/20 "2014-09-22T17:58:05Z")
> [@chacoguy](#): > > “_Turtle’s Peaking_” to announce the need to defecate in the very near future. Peaking or peeking? I prefer “touching cloth” or “prairie-doggin’,” myself. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-jaded-sayings-that-were-pretty-awesome-when-they-were-first-trotted-out/699104.md?page=2)