# Favorite Words/Phrases/Quotes and Sayings **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 26, 2019, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-words-phrases-quotes-and-sayings/839248 "2019-08-26T03:44:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-words-phrases-quotes-and-sayings/839248/21 "2019-08-26T17:19:54Z")
For those who can read Spanish, I was looking for the [sesquipedalian](https://maesenicolas3.wordpress.com/2010/11/17/refranes-para-gente-culta/) version of “_a palabras necias, oídos sordos_” (when words are stupid, ears are deaf) and found a site containing several instances of similar rephrasings. The one for that line is given as “_a palabras emitidas por laringes incoherentes, trompa de Eustaquio en estado letárgico_” (when words are pronounced by incoherent larynxes, Eustachian tubes are in a state of letargy), I’ve heard other variants but they’re similar. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-words-phrases-quotes-and-sayings/839248/22 "2019-08-26T17:28:47Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > When something goes wrong, I have a phonetically perfect Gene Wilder impression ready to swing into action: > > “Son of a BITCH!” > > No one ever gets it. > [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > When someone, say at Walmart, is having computer/register problems, I say to them (in a voice dripping with sarcasm), “Computers are our _friends_.” Whenever anything inantimate doesn’t work for someone I’ll always quip “Heh…he doesn’t like you!” ala Dr. Evanzan in Star Wars. Only once in my many years of saying this has someone responded to me correctly ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-words-phrases-quotes-and-sayings/839248/23 "2019-08-26T19:05:03Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > persiflage It’s AIRY persiflage. It adds a little verisimilitude. ---
**Author:** ![Royal\_Nonesutch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecb155/32.png) [@Royal\_Nonesutch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Royal_Nonesutch)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-words-phrases-quotes-and-sayings/839248/24 "2019-08-26T19:26:05Z")
“Hot Dog vendors had an image problem already without one of them passing out in the street in front of a whorehouse” J.K. Toole ---
**Author:** ![Sangahyando](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Sangahyando](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sangahyando)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-words-phrases-quotes-and-sayings/839248/25 "2019-08-26T20:40:06Z")
An Americanism – rather dated, I think – which I, not American, once or twice came across somewhere, and loved. Said of a clueless person: “He doesn’t know shit from Shinola”. I have not the faintest idea what Shinola is, or was; but I have a great fondness for the expression – it “says it all”. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-words-phrases-quotes-and-sayings/839248/26 "2019-08-26T20:46:23Z")
[Shinola](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinola)was a shoe polish brand more than a century ago. No doubt, they sold brown shoe polish, hence the saying. ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-words-phrases-quotes-and-sayings/839248/27 "2019-08-26T20:53:37Z")
I’ve always liked, and frequently relied on, “It never hurts to apologize, especially when you don’t mean it.” From Jim Bouton’s book, “Ball Four.” ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-words-phrases-quotes-and-sayings/839248/28 "2019-08-26T20:54:24Z")
“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Then quit. No use being a damn fool about it.” (W C Fields) ---
**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:** [August 26, 2019, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-words-phrases-quotes-and-sayings/839248/29 "2019-08-26T21:12:30Z")
“Whatever doesn’t kill me just delays the inevitable.” ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-words-phrases-quotes-and-sayings/839248/30 "2019-08-26T21:15:09Z")
“Marriage is the No. 1 cause of divorce.” “Your worst humiliation is only someone else’s momentary amusement.” “Just because you want it, doesn’t mean it’s wrong.” ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-words-phrases-quotes-and-sayings/839248/31 "2019-08-26T22:38:56Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > Whenever anything inantimate doesn’t work for someone I’ll always quip > > “Heh…he doesn’t like you!” ala Dr. Evanzan in Star Wars. > > Only once in my many years of saying this has someone responded to me correctly If you ever, EVER, think you’ll get to the last line of that exchange (“YOU’LL BE DEAD!”), Please contact me ASAP. You’ll know me: I’ll be the guy on the floor with tears streaming from his eyes, it’ll be so good! In the meantime, there’s [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbSixPMrT2o). ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-words-phrases-quotes-and-sayings/839248/32 "2019-08-26T22:49:25Z")
My ol’ Grammy said “He doesn’t have a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out of” about ne’er-do-wells. She was fond of “I’ve forgotten more than you’ll ever know” ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-words-phrases-quotes-and-sayings/839248/33 "2019-08-26T23:43:33Z")
Do no harm but take no BS. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2019, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-words-phrases-quotes-and-sayings/839248/34 "2019-08-27T00:17:08Z")
I say, _“gotta see a man about a horse”_ a couple times a day, and a couple times a night thanks to my prostate. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2019, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-words-phrases-quotes-and-sayings/839248/35 "2019-08-27T07:55:14Z")
From Dave Barry: The only way to make sure a plumbing part won’t leak is to tighten it until it breaks. Words to live by. ---
**Author:** ![Royal\_Nonesutch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecb155/32.png) [@Royal\_Nonesutch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Royal_Nonesutch)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2019, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-words-phrases-quotes-and-sayings/839248/36 "2019-08-27T09:45:22Z")
“You can’t just sit around and drink all day if you don’t start first thing in the morning!” ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2019, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-words-phrases-quotes-and-sayings/839248/37 "2019-08-27T12:17:43Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > When something goes wrong, I have a phonetically perfect Gene Wilder impression ready to swing into action: > > “Son of a BITCH!” > > No one ever gets it. Also said (and the correct stress dwelt upon, at length) by Vincent Spano and Peter O’Toole in **Creator** (1985) ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2019, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-words-phrases-quotes-and-sayings/839248/38 "2019-08-27T12:45:38Z")
Career advice from the founder of the company I work for: “Find out what you’re not good at, and don’t do it.” ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2019, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-words-phrases-quotes-and-sayings/839248/39 "2019-08-27T12:46:14Z")
\*Creator \*was the first thing I thought of for that line. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2019, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-words-phrases-quotes-and-sayings/839248/40 "2019-08-27T13:37:09Z")
“Everyone wants to go to heaven, but no one wants to die.” [Still](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=6207599&postcount=40). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-words-phrases-quotes-and-sayings/839248.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-words-phrases-quotes-and-sayings/839248.md?page=3)