# Origin of quote, "I said GOOD DAY, sir!" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 19, 2005, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-quote-i-said-good-day-sir/308876 "2005-06-19T03:23:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![C.Montgomery\_Burns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecd19e/32.png) [@C.Montgomery\_Burns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C.Montgomery_Burns)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-quote-i-said-good-day-sir/308876/41 "2012-04-11T00:13:04Z")
Matthew Brock (Andy Dick) said it on NewsRadio, and the way he said it made it sound like an old line when it was used then. ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-quote-i-said-good-day-sir/308876/42 "2012-04-11T07:33:41Z")
> [@C.Montgomery\_Burns](#): > > Matthew Brock (Andy Dick) said it on NewsRadio, and the way he said it made it sound like an old line when it was used then. WHEW. I was going down this thread thinking, “what, are there _no_ _NewsRadio_ fans in this damn thread?” Phil Hartman’s Bill McNeal certainly used the line, possibly in one of the episodes where he took over Dave’s job (the one where he installs a piano instead of a desk). ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-quote-i-said-good-day-sir/308876/43 "2012-04-12T00:35:36Z")
G’day. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-quote-i-said-good-day-sir/308876/44 "2012-04-12T05:00:26Z")
We know what it means; the question is when this exact phrasing became popular. ---
**Author:** ![brewha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@brewha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brewha)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2012, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-quote-i-said-good-day-sir/308876/45 "2012-04-13T02:53:19Z")
This is from where it came: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/F9gRzmCf1EI/hqdefault.jpg "Wonka's Rage") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9gRzmCf1EI) ---
**Author:** ![MonkeyDavid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@MonkeyDavid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeyDavid)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-quote-i-said-good-day-sir/308876/46 "2012-08-10T22:33:20Z")
I just saw it near the end of “A Yank at Oxford” (1938), when the Dean is telling young Wavertree that he will not be expelled (Wavertree wanted to be, though): Dean: Good day! Wavertree: but…but… Dean: I said good day! Pretty classic construction, and possibly one of the first uses in film (although the Scrooge “Good afternoon” may have been sooner). ---
**Author:** ![rogerbox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@rogerbox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rogerbox)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-quote-i-said-good-day-sir/308876/47 "2012-08-10T22:41:03Z")
Adam Carolla had a hilarious bit on Loveline about “I said GOOD DAY!” but I don’t know what year, I’m pretty sure it was before the new Willy Wonka movie. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-quote-i-said-good-day-sir/308876/48 "2012-08-10T23:03:46Z")
> [@brewha](#): > > This is from where it came: > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9gRzmCf1EI](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9gRzmCf1EI) The clip that shows the scene from the OP’s 7 year old post? > [@rogerbox](#): > > Adam Carolla had a hilarious bit on Loveline about “I said GOOD DAY!” but I don’t know what year, I’m pretty sure it was before the new Willy Wonka movie. Yes, but the wonka movie people are referencing is the 1970’s Wonka, which predates Loveline by quite a bit. ---
**Author:** ![nousername](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b9bd4f/32.png) [@nousername](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nousername)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2013, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-quote-i-said-good-day-sir/308876/49 "2013-04-20T01:25:02Z")
From my understanding president Lincoln said this shortly after becoming elected. He was considered to be a bit of an outsider/bumpkin, between both where he came from and his slow speech patterns. A number of traditional political interests helped him become elected and assumed that a)he didn’t really know what he was doing as he wasn’t an insider, so he could be pushed around, and b)because they helped him get elected he was beholden to them. They came in on effectively the first day he was in office and tried to push him into doing their bidding, to which he responded: Good day to you sirs. They kept pushing, to which he replied I said good day & then had them escorted out. Long story short, he really did follow up on that and did not buckle to the pressure of those who helped get him elected (and assumed that would give them control of him). I cannot find verification of this online, but I remember one of my history teachers relating this story to me in ~1997 quite clearly. It was the first time I heard the phrase, and it smacked of lincoln stubborn and badass qualities which he continued to display throughout his presidency. ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2013, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-quote-i-said-good-day-sir/308876/50 "2013-04-20T02:26:01Z")
I said, “Zombie Thread!”, sir! ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2013, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-quote-i-said-good-day-sir/308876/51 "2013-04-20T05:10:25Z")
> [@nousername](#): > > From my understanding president Lincoln said this shortly after becoming elected… it smacked of lincoln stubborn and badass qualities which he continued to display throughout his presidency. I’ve read a _lot_ about Lincoln over the years, and have never heard this story. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2013, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-quote-i-said-good-day-sir/308876/52 "2013-06-12T17:15:27Z")
An earlier thread: ["Good day, sir. . ." - Cafe Society - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=523918) I just saw the HBO miniseries _John Adams_. Mr. Adams says “Good day, sir!” in this manner twice - to his importunate son-in-law, and later to two Cabinet secretaries he just sacked. ---
**Author:** ![Toucanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3bc359/32.png) [@Toucanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toucanna)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-quote-i-said-good-day-sir/308876/53 "2013-06-13T01:36:50Z")
[QUOTE=Elendil’s Heir] An earlier thread… {snip} [/QUOTE] Actually, this thread was started before the one you linked to (2005 vs. 2009). The only reason I mention this is because post #26 in that thread mentions a previous thread on the subject and then links to this thread. And we all fall into the endless loop of teh intertoobz… ---
**Author:** ![GLE312](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a4c791/32.png) [@GLE312](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GLE312)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2013, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-quote-i-said-good-day-sir/308876/54 "2013-09-09T17:42:47Z")
Although there is a scene where Willie Wonka says “Good Day, Sir!” I don’t think it’s the right reference. The quote asked about is “I said Good Day, Sir.” Dustin Hoffman’s female character says this as part of her screen test for the soap opera: “Good Day, Dr. Brewster. I said Good Day, Sir.” ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2013, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-quote-i-said-good-day-sir/308876/55 "2013-09-09T19:03:37Z")
> [@GLE312](#): > > Although there is a scene where Willie Wonka says “Good Day, Sir!” I don’t think it’s the right reference. The quote asked about is “I said Good Day, Sir.” Dustin Hoffman’s female character says this as part of her screen test for the soap opera: “Good Day, Dr. Brewster. I said Good Day, Sir.” Willie Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, [1971](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willy_Wonka_%26_the_Chocolate_Factory). 😉 ---
**Author:** ![dewwalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a587f6/32.png) [@dewwalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dewwalker)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2013, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-quote-i-said-good-day-sir/308876/56 "2013-10-06T04:00:21Z")
The first time I heard “Good day sir… I said good day sir!” was a bit from a Robot Chicken Star Wars Spoof… Dr. Ball: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/eAKtZ_r0V6E/hqdefault.jpg "Dr. Ball, M.D. | Robot Chicken | Adult Swim") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAKtZ_r0V6E) It is spoken six seconds into the clip above. ---
**Author:** ![Justme12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Justme12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justme12)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-quote-i-said-good-day-sir/308876/57 "2013-10-23T17:51:31Z")
It’s from Tootsie, when Dustin Hoffman is auditioning for the role in the soap opera. It was bothering me and a couple of coworkers all week and we figured it out. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-quote-i-said-good-day-sir/308876/58 "2013-10-23T18:50:28Z")
> [@Justme12](#): > > It’s from Tootsie, when Dustin Hoffman is auditioning for the role in the soap opera. It was bothering me and a couple of coworkers all week and we figured it out. _Willy Wonka_ predated _Tootsie_, as noted a mere two posts above yours. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-quote-i-said-good-day-sir/308876/59 "2013-10-23T19:13:16Z")
Seeing as how we have an earlier post in [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15371334&postcount=46) identifying this phrase used in a movie from **1938** , I’m not really sure why everyone keeps mentioning Willy Wonka and Tootsie. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2013, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-quote-i-said-good-day-sir/308876/60 "2013-11-07T17:08:27Z")
> [@gentle](#): > > As for the suggestions from **tomndebb** and others that it’s older than time itself to brush people off with a “good day” or some variation on this, naturally I realize this; but the quotation I’m chasing is said with a very specific emphasis: Jon Stewart in particular nails the tone in how he puffs himself up first and then puts a little space between each word. It sounds so familiar, I feel like this meme must have originated with some movie and TV show. Agreed. And I think some people are missing the idea that we are not looking for the origins of the sincere version of the statement way back in the 19th century or whenever it was, but its origins as a comedic, ironic quip delivered with an implicit wink. And I always thought that was from an episode of\* Dr. Katz\* on Comedy Central that originally aired in August 1998. As it happens, that was the day after the pilot of _That 70s Show_ aired. I doubt Fez used the phrase that early, and if it was at least a few months later that he first used it, I bet it was inspired by the comedian on Dr. Katz. Anyway, watch from 20:37 to 21:25. Or if 48 seconds is too much of your time, you can watch the last 10 seconds or so without the context: https://www.youtube.com/embed/gmui8TOWTkA?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque John Stewart started hosting _The Daily Show_, on the same network as _Dr. Katz_, the very next year, 1999. So I would tend to strongly suspect this is where _he_ got it, anyway. ETA: It is sometimes frustrating to me that I remember trivial things like this from the 20th century–the last millennium!–when my memory is so poor about what I did yesterday, or five minutes ago, or what I was saying 30 seconds ago… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-quote-i-said-good-day-sir/308876.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-quote-i-said-good-day-sir/308876.md?page=4)