# "That's so last year" -- the future of catchphrases **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 13, 2003, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-so-last-year-the-future-of-catchphrases/181583 "2003-06-13T15:17:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2003, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-so-last-year-the-future-of-catchphrases/181583/1 "2003-06-13T15:17:06Z")
Someone in General Questions was asking about an old phrase that has fallen into disuse. Things like “23-skiddoo” or “groovy” of “I can dig it.” I got to wondering: what current catchphrases or slang are prime candidates to be forgotten in 30 years? And which ones do you expect to go on? (I never expected “cool” to still be used in the 21st century, even if it is now spelled “kewl.”) ---
**Author:** ![merge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9f8e36/32.png) [@merge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/merge)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2003, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-so-last-year-the-future-of-catchphrases/181583/2 "2003-06-13T15:29:08Z")
my biznitch is the shiznit… I would guess that will be gone 30 years from now… ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Doubt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/df705f/32.png) [@Peter\_Doubt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Doubt)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2003, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-so-last-year-the-future-of-catchphrases/181583/3 "2003-06-13T15:41:29Z")
> [@](#): > > my biznitch is the shiznit… > I would guess that will be gone 30 years from now… I can only hope. Noticed a modified oldie peppering my speech lately. I think “the cats ass”\* has a bit of a ring to it. 😃 \*recycled version of ‘the cats pajamas’ ---
**Author:** ![godzillatemple](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/49beb7/32.png) [@godzillatemple](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/godzillatemple)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2003, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-so-last-year-the-future-of-catchphrases/181583/4 "2003-06-13T15:47:46Z")
What’s wrong with “groovy” and “I can dig it”? Personally, I’m hoping that such gems as “da bomb” and “hella tight” die a quick death. Barry ---
**Author:** ![Gorgon\_Heap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f475e1/32.png) [@Gorgon\_Heap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorgon_Heap)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2003, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-so-last-year-the-future-of-catchphrases/181583/5 "2003-06-13T16:33:18Z")
I’m betting “Holy shit” sticks around for a while. ---
**Author:** ![Ender\_Will](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Ender\_Will](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ender_Will)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2003, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-so-last-year-the-future-of-catchphrases/181583/6 "2003-06-13T17:30:19Z")
> [@](#): > > Noticed a modified oldie peppering my speech lately. I think “the cats ass”\* has a bit of a ring to it. What does that mean? I’ve only heard it one time before, when the CEO of my mom’s old company used it in a speech/announcement and she (my mom) was asking about it. My guess for things to die out: almost anything fabricated by a hip-hop star, especially the adding of “zz” to the middle of words. Also, ending phone conversations with “late.” As for those that’ll stick around, I can’t hazard a guess, since they’ve probably become so ingrained into my lingo that I don’t realize how new they are. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2003, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-so-last-year-the-future-of-catchphrases/181583/7 "2003-06-13T18:23:54Z")
I really don’t want “shock and awe” to last, but I worry it will. I’m tired of “hella” and I hardly ever hear it. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Trigonal\_Planar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/0ea827/32.png) [@Trigonal\_Planar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trigonal_Planar)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2003, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-so-last-year-the-future-of-catchphrases/181583/8 "2003-06-13T18:44:31Z")
Uggh, I can’t stand “hella”-anything. I’m glad it seems to be already dying. Also, “my bad”. Thankfully that seems to be on the way out too. I never liked “sweet” (meaning cool) either. I don’t know why, I just though it was overly trendy and everyone felt the need to use it to show they were up with the times. BTW, I’m 20 and I use “groovy” a lot. One of my personal favourites is “slick”. As in, “oohhh, that’s sllliiick” ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2003, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-so-last-year-the-future-of-catchphrases/181583/9 "2003-06-13T20:10:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Trigonal Planar \* > \*\* > I never liked “sweet” (meaning cool) either. I don’t know why, I just though it was overly trendy and everyone felt the need to use it to show they were up with the times. > \*\* in my circle of friends, no one uses that any more. I don’t object to it personally, but I know that if I use it someone will invariably retort “dude!” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Qwertyasdfg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/ecc23a/32.png) [@Qwertyasdfg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwertyasdfg)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2003, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-so-last-year-the-future-of-catchphrases/181583/10 "2003-06-13T20:27:09Z")
What does “23-skiddoo” mean? ---
**Author:** ![cheddarsnax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@cheddarsnax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cheddarsnax)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2003, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-so-last-year-the-future-of-catchphrases/181583/11 "2003-06-13T23:31:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Qwertyasdfg \* > \*\*What does “23-skiddoo” mean? \*\* > [@](#): > > According to the Dictionary of Catch Phrases, by Eric Partridge (Routledge > & Kegan Paul Ltd., London), the expression was used as early as in the > 1900-1910s and was possibly the first national fad expression in the US. > According to this source, “skid(d)oo” was an addition to the shorter > expression “23” and derives from “skedaddle” - to depart in haste or with > unseemly alacricity. As for “23”, it is supposed to be derived from either > a dramatization of “The Tale of Two Cities”, where Sydney Cartson was the > 23rd among the people who were executed at the guillotine in the last act, > or from the Phillips telegraph code, where “23” allegedly meant “Away with > you”. [http://www.linguistlist.org/~ask-ling/archive-most-recent/msg06946.html](http://www.linguistlist.org/~ask-ling/archive-most-recent/msg06946.html) ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2003, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-so-last-year-the-future-of-catchphrases/181583/12 "2003-06-13T23:37:27Z")
> [@](#): > > As for “23”, it is supposed to be derived from either > a dramatization of “The Tale of Two Cities”, where Sydney Cartson was the 23rd among the people who were executed at the guillotine in the last act, or from the Phillips telegraph code, where “23” allegedly meant “Away with you”. WOW is that convoluted. I was told it was a reference to 23rd Street in NYC. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2003, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-so-last-year-the-future-of-catchphrases/181583/13 "2003-06-14T00:11:24Z")
Very, as in “How Very” or “That’s so very” ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2003, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-so-last-year-the-future-of-catchphrases/181583/14 "2003-06-14T00:44:31Z")
Um… so… what does “23-skiddoo” mean? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2003, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-so-last-year-the-future-of-catchphrases/181583/15 "2003-06-14T02:27:13Z")
23-skidoo = “get lost.” ---
**Author:** ![Dignan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f07891/32.png) [@Dignan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dignan)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2003, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-so-last-year-the-future-of-catchphrases/181583/16 "2003-06-14T05:37:11Z")
I think there will be big things in the future for the phrase, “Wha’ happen?” ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2003, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-so-last-year-the-future-of-catchphrases/181583/17 "2003-06-14T11:21:00Z")
“Jiggy” will never die. ---
**Author:** ![Ender\_Will](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Ender\_Will](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ender_Will)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2003, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-so-last-year-the-future-of-catchphrases/181583/18 "2003-06-14T17:16:52Z")
**Trigonal Planar** , in my experience “hella” and “my bad” peaked in about 8th grade (6 years ago) and I probably haven’t heard either used (seriously, at least) in [Ben Kenobi]a long time…a long time[/Ben Kenobi] “Wha’ Happen?” is great, I’ve heard people (other than my friends who go through movie catch phrases like there’s no tommorrow) using it, so **Dignan** is probably right. Now, what does “The cat’s ass mean”? ---
**Author:** ![Trigonal\_Planar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/0ea827/32.png) [@Trigonal\_Planar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trigonal_Planar)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2003, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-so-last-year-the-future-of-catchphrases/181583/19 "2003-06-14T19:41:11Z")
Hmm, interesting. In my experience “hella” and “my bad” peaked maybe 2 years ago for me. ---
**Author:** ![Blalron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@Blalron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blalron)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2003, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-so-last-year-the-future-of-catchphrases/181583/20 "2003-06-14T20:38:11Z")
> [@](#): > > I never liked “sweet” (meaning cool) either. I don’t know why, I just though it was overly trendy and everyone felt the need to use it to show they were up with the times. I think it’s a superior word to “cool”. Sweet tasting food is nearly always pleasant. However, being “cool” is not, especially during harsh winters. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-so-last-year-the-future-of-catchphrases/181583.md?page=2)