# How to say this catchy? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 30, 2011, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-say-this-catchy/598196 "2011-09-30T20:17:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2011, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-say-this-catchy/598196/21 "2011-10-02T15:17:32Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > Most of us here are native speakers, and the full sentence would sound fine - poetic, rather than casual everyday speech, but that’s an advantage for a quiz show title. I don’t agree. A quiz show should have a short, punchy name. [This list](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_American_game_shows#General_game_and_quiz_shows) shows most American game shows throughout history have had a name that is three words or less. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2011, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-say-this-catchy/598196/22 "2011-10-02T15:48:17Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > I don’t agree. A quiz show should have a short, punchy name. [This list](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_American_game_shows#General_game_and_quiz_shows) shows most American game shows throughout history have had a name that is three words or less. Absolutely right. If you look at post #11 I gave a name fitting that criteria, and far more likely to be the name of an American game show than others posted here. I checked your list because I was wondering if it had already been used. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2011, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-say-this-catchy/598196/23 "2011-10-02T16:37:15Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > I don’t agree. A quiz show should have a short, punchy name. [This list](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_American_game_shows#General_game_and_quiz_shows) shows most American game shows throughout history have had a name that is three words or less. Agreed, but Half Wits might not actually fit the show. Neither might Word Wars, which was my less literal suggestion, though actually War of the Words is punnier. None of us except the OP have seen the show, after all, making it hard to know what actually works. Well Said is Half Won the punchiest you can get in a literal translation. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Piranha\_Brothers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/aca169/32.png) [@The\_Piranha\_Brothers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Piranha_Brothers)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2011, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-say-this-catchy/598196/24 "2011-10-02T16:58:02Z")
The German title isn’t terribly short or catchy either. As long as it doesn’t sound like a foreigner’s English “Well said is half won” is definately the best translation. ---
**Author:** ![Dickerman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8baadc/32.png) [@Dickerman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dickerman)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2011, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-say-this-catchy/598196/25 "2011-10-02T17:31:40Z")
If the contestants have to do something like identify (the source of) a witty comment, how about “Name that Quip”? If they have to come up with witty statements, how about “Make Me Laugh”? Along the lines of SciFiSam’s comment, knowing how the game is played may help a lot with coming up with a good translation. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2011, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-say-this-catchy/598196/26 "2011-10-02T17:41:18Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Absolutely right. If you look at post #11 I gave a name fitting that criteria, and far more likely to be the name of an American game show than others posted here. I checked your list because I was wondering if it had already been used. I agree that “Half Wits” is a perfect game show name, but it doesn’t sound like it necessarily has anything to do with the show. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2011, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-say-this-catchy/598196/27 "2011-10-02T17:44:05Z")
> [@The\_Piranha\_Brothers](#): > > The German title isn’t terribly short or catchy either. As long as it doesn’t sound like a foreigner’s English “Well said is half won” is definately the best translation. See, to me that sounds terribly stilted. While grammatically correct, it sounds like something translated. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2011, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-say-this-catchy/598196/28 "2011-10-02T17:47:57Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I agree that “Half Wits” is a perfect game show name, but it doesn’t sound like it necessarily has anything to do with the show. I agree, but for American game shows that doesn’t matter much.\* Jeopardy \*doesn’t tell you much about the game, but it’s been successful. Now for other purposes, I have no idea what would be suitable. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2011, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-say-this-catchy/598196/29 "2011-10-02T18:42:15Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > Agreed, but Half Wits might not actually fit the show. Neither might Word Wars, which was my less literal suggestion, though actually War of the Words is punnier. None of us except the OP have seen the show, after all, making it hard to know what actually works. Well Said is Half Won the punchiest you can get in a literal translation. Ah, I mistook your post. When you said “the full sentence” I thought you were referring the complete sentence translation given in the OP (“if you said it well, you are halfway to victory”) ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2011, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-say-this-catchy/598196/30 "2011-10-02T19:03:18Z")
How about Say to Stay? or WordPlay? ---
**Author:** ![BobArrgh](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobarrgh/32/2881_2.png) [@BobArrgh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobArrgh)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2011, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-say-this-catchy/598196/31 "2011-10-02T19:23:18Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > "Speaking good"is _not_ speaking well! Yes … it was a joke. I should have used the Big Cheesy Grin guy to show that I was joking. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Piranha\_Brothers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/aca169/32.png) [@The\_Piranha\_Brothers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Piranha_Brothers)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2011, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-say-this-catchy/598196/32 "2011-10-02T19:29:51Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > See, to me that sounds terribly stilted. While grammatically correct, it sounds like something translated. And how is that for “It’s all in how you say it”? As for the other suggestions, not bad but I’m trying to stay somewhat literal. In this case, too much creativity is not an option. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2011, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-say-this-catchy/598196/33 "2011-10-02T19:33:09Z")
Half the battle is a silver tongue. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Piranha\_Brothers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/aca169/32.png) [@The\_Piranha\_Brothers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Piranha_Brothers)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2011, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-say-this-catchy/598196/34 "2011-10-02T20:36:59Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > Half the battle is a silver tongue. Perhaps too poetic to match the original. So is “well said is half won” stilted or not? ---
**Author:** ![Mops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mops/32/16494_2.png) [@Mops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mops)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2011, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-say-this-catchy/598196/35 "2011-10-02T20:38:55Z")
> [@The\_Piranha\_Brothers](#): > > The German title isn’t terribly short or catchy either. … That’s because it is a play on the well known proverb _Frisch gewagt ist halb gewonnen_ (boldly dared is half won), which is said to derive itself from Horace’s _dimidium facti qui coepit habet_. Absent that allusion it isn’t catchy of course. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2011, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-say-this-catchy/598196/36 "2011-10-02T20:46:28Z")
> [@The\_Piranha\_Brothers](#): > > And how is that for “It’s all in how you say it”? > > As for the other suggestions, not bad but I’m trying to stay somewhat literal. In this case, too much creativity is not an option. “It’s all in how you say it” sounds much more natural, but kinda weak for a game show title. I prefer it to “well said is half won” which just makes me go 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2011, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-say-this-catchy/598196/37 "2011-10-02T21:01:16Z")
> [@The\_Piranha\_Brothers](#): > > Perhaps too poetic to match the original. > > So is “well said is half won” stilted or not? Sort of. It is perfectly structured for an English proverb, but it doesn’t happen to be a proverb. It’s stilted for ordinary speech. Compare the proverb, “Well begun is half done.” The only real difference is that the latter rhymes. Perhaps “Well worded is half won,” to add alliteration… or maybe not. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Piranha\_Brothers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/aca169/32.png) [@The\_Piranha\_Brothers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Piranha_Brothers)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2011, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-say-this-catchy/598196/38 "2011-10-03T07:39:48Z")
This is becoming more difficult… - “Well said is half won” sounds like a proverb but isn’t, but so is the original. It’s more literal but some people don’t understand its meaning - “It’s all in how you say it” is a bit long, but so is the original ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2011, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-say-this-catchy/598196/39 "2011-10-03T13:28:04Z")
If it’s not necessary to spell out the “halfway there” aspect, perhaps “Say it Right to Win!” would work. ---
**Author:** ![Oy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bc8723/32.png) [@Oy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oy)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2011, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-say-this-catchy/598196/40 "2011-10-03T18:30:04Z")
For the name of a game show, “Well Said” would be perfectly adequate. You don’t have to spell out the rules or even the entire premise in the title. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-say-this-catchy/598196.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-say-this-catchy/598196.md?page=3)