# Sayings or phrases you thought you invented, but you didn't **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 29, 2020, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sayings-or-phrases-you-thought-you-invented-but-you-didnt/921811 "2020-09-29T12:39:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sayings-or-phrases-you-thought-you-invented-but-you-didnt/921811/41 "2020-10-02T23:53:31Z")
Huh, I’ll look into it. (I’m in SooperDooperQuaranteenie, and maybe discobot knew that…) ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2020, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sayings-or-phrases-you-thought-you-invented-but-you-didnt/921811/42 "2020-10-03T00:20:55Z")
@digs and @solost and maybe @Treppenwitz – You may be interested in this ancient zombie thread that was just re-animated, and the post that I just added there: [Language: If whales had it, how would we know? Post #21](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/language-if-whales-had-it-would-we-know/62392/21) Also, @digs : See Profile → Preferences → Notifications → Messages (at the bottom of the page). ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2020, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sayings-or-phrases-you-thought-you-invented-but-you-didnt/921811/43 "2020-10-03T00:28:54Z")
Thanks @Senegoid! That was a very cool dolphin story, and I look forward to reading through your other links. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2020, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sayings-or-phrases-you-thought-you-invented-but-you-didnt/921811/44 "2020-10-03T00:35:34Z")
Indeed! And thanks, I turned on PMs. I was clicking on Profile -\> Preferences -\> Notifications but not the right Notifications button. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2020, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sayings-or-phrases-you-thought-you-invented-but-you-didnt/921811/45 "2020-10-03T00:49:56Z")
In a certain high school workroom back in the mid 80s, I believe we coined the term “edubabble.” Psychobabble was in use then and it was the inspiration, I suppose. Can anyone deny it? ---
**Author:** ![SpinyNorma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e5b9ba/32.png) [@SpinyNorma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpinyNorma)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2020, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sayings-or-phrases-you-thought-you-invented-but-you-didnt/921811/46 "2020-10-03T03:47:03Z")
The odds are that I had heard it at some point but didn’t recall it. I just remember trying to find a word for it and coming up with “day after tomorrow” and being quite proud of myself. I may have been younger than 8, That’s how old I was when we moved to Ohio. I just know for sure that it was while we lived in Hawaii which was ages 4 1/2 until 8. I was generally a pretty smart kid but I did obviously have moments of epic fail. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2020, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sayings-or-phrases-you-thought-you-invented-but-you-didnt/921811/47 "2020-10-30T23:09:45Z")
A while back, I saw a kid riding one of those stunt bikes with the 20" wheels **while wearing inline skates.** I was sure I was witnessing the birth of a new X-Games sport, but nothing ever came of it. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2020, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sayings-or-phrases-you-thought-you-invented-but-you-didnt/921811/48 "2020-10-31T01:52:54Z")
Oh, that reminds me. We thought we invented skateboards. As midwest young’uns in the early 60s, we took the old metal skates that clipped over street shoes, took a tinsnips to the heel part, flattened that in two pieces, and screwed it into a short board. Slowest skateboards ever… Yes, this fits this thread, because we had no idea what to call them, so we tried _ **Sidewalk Surfers.** _ Turns out a number of skate companies in California were already thinking the same way we were. ---
**Author:** ![Dickerman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8baadc/32.png) [@Dickerman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dickerman)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2020, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sayings-or-phrases-you-thought-you-invented-but-you-didnt/921811/49 "2020-10-31T02:16:01Z")
I came up with “Netflucked” one day, but apparently others did too. ---
**Author:** ![glowacks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/glowacks/32/5548_2.png) [@glowacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glowacks)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2020, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sayings-or-phrases-you-thought-you-invented-but-you-didnt/921811/50 "2020-10-31T02:34:00Z")
I think just because someone came up with a phrase first, that doesn’t mean you can’t independently invent it like Calculus was by Newton and Leibniz. It’s not like there are patents for them. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sayings-or-phrases-you-thought-you-invented-but-you-didnt/921811.md?page=2)