# What is the most commonly used phrase in English that came from a movie? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [December 2, 2024, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-commonly-used-phrase-in-english-that-came-from-a-movie/1011068 "2024-12-02T16:37:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![john\_b\_2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9a28c/32.png) [@john\_b\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/john_b_2)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2024, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-commonly-used-phrase-in-english-that-came-from-a-movie/1011068/61 "2024-12-03T08:54:13Z")
From the 1931 film Dracula: “The blood is the life” 😳 The Mummy, from the following year: “He went for a little walk!”, the young archaeologist, prior to going screaming mad. I’m on a horror kick now. 1960’s Psycho has so many good lines, from “a boy’s best friend is his mother” to “I wouldn’t even hurt a fly”. Many of these seemingly “signature phrases” were already somewhat familiar before the movies that immortalized them were made. A good one, from The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre is Gold Hat the bandit chief’s angry retort to a perfectly reasonable question: “Badges! Badges! We don’t need no stinking badges!”, variations of which have become quite common over the years. In the case of the badges it was more the context than the words (weird, ironic, yet fitting all the same). ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2024, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-commonly-used-phrase-in-english-that-came-from-a-movie/1011068/62 "2024-12-03T09:24:46Z")
> [@Dropo](#): > > “ > > “I’m too old for this shit.” - _Lethal Weapon 2_(?) (1989) Sgt Hulka said it 8 years before. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2024, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-commonly-used-phrase-in-english-that-came-from-a-movie/1011068/63 "2024-12-03T12:13:21Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > “Houston, we have a problem.” > > Now, you may think that this is a quote from astronaut Jim Lovell, but what he actually said was “Houston, _we’ve had_ a problem here”. The 1995 movie _Apollo 13_ changed the line, and that’s the phrase that actually entered the vernacular. There was a 1974 TV movie titled _Houston, We’ve Got a Problem_. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2024, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-commonly-used-phrase-in-english-that-came-from-a-movie/1011068/64 "2024-12-03T12:35:22Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > “Failure is not an option.” Yes. To clarify: this, too, was never said by the real-life person (Gene Krantz), but a version of it was mentioned in an interview between the _Apollo 13_ screenwriter and a different person from that incident’s mission control. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2024, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-commonly-used-phrase-in-english-that-came-from-a-movie/1011068/65 "2024-12-03T13:03:14Z")
Game over, man. _Game over!_ From Alien 2(?) ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2024, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-commonly-used-phrase-in-english-that-came-from-a-movie/1011068/66 "2024-12-03T17:14:32Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > It was a Klingon saying long before it was ever used in a movie. “revenge is a dish best served cold” actually is a very old saying. Mario Puzo uses it in “The Godfather” in a context where it’s specifically said to be an old saying. It’s odd Khan would attribute it to the Klingons. It sounds like a Klingon thing to say, but Khan never in his life even met a Klingon or had any dealings with them. The line would have worked fine without the attribution to Klingons. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_the\_Turtle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_the_turtle/32/2926_2.png) [@Fear\_the\_Turtle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_the_Turtle)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2024, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-commonly-used-phrase-in-english-that-came-from-a-movie/1011068/67 "2024-12-03T17:51:47Z")
“What we got here is, a failure to communicate” Do I need to even say the movie? (Cool Hand Luke) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Q](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/898d66/32.png) [@Johnny\_Q](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Q)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2024, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-commonly-used-phrase-in-english-that-came-from-a-movie/1011068/68 "2024-12-03T21:02:08Z")
“Terminate. With extreme prejudice,” from Apocalypse Now ---
**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:** [December 4, 2024, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-commonly-used-phrase-in-english-that-came-from-a-movie/1011068/69 "2024-12-04T18:06:33Z")
I hear variations of the line “I love the smell of ----- in the morning.” a lot. I’ve never heard the terminate phrase. People typically tack on the “It smells like victory.” line right after but that’s not the way it goes in the movie. (HBO in promos for it spliced the two together and that might be the origin.) “Charlie don’t surf.” pops up in odd places. (See the end of this [article](https://www.surfertoday.com/surfing/charlie-dont-surf-the-story-of-the-movie-quote-in-apocalypse-now).) E.g., in _Lost in Translation_ one character is wearing a t-shirt with the slogan but with a pic of Charles Manson. So Sofia was referencing her dad’s movie. There seems to be thousands of versions of this shirt out there. ---
**Author:** ![Zoobi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/13edae/32.png) [@Zoobi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoobi)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2024, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-commonly-used-phrase-in-english-that-came-from-a-movie/1011068/70 "2024-12-04T19:05:33Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > “revenge is a dish best served cold” actually is a very old saying. Mario Puzo uses it in “The Godfather” in a context where it’s specifically said to be an old saying. But not that exact phrase. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Q](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/898d66/32.png) [@Johnny\_Q](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Q)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2024, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-commonly-used-phrase-in-english-that-came-from-a-movie/1011068/71 "2024-12-04T20:00:42Z")
Charlie Don’t Surf is also a song by The Clash [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/fFYLCj-hCsc/maxresdefault.jpg "The Clash - Charlie Don't Surf (Remastered) [Official Audio]") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFYLCj-hCsc) ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2024, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-commonly-used-phrase-in-english-that-came-from-a-movie/1011068/72 "2024-12-04T20:55:40Z")
“So you’re telling me there’s a chance.” Made famous by Jim Carrey in _Dumb and Dumber_. ---
**Author:** ![We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/We_re_wolves_not_werewolves)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2024, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-commonly-used-phrase-in-english-that-came-from-a-movie/1011068/73 "2024-12-04T21:01:57Z")
Yeah well, you know, that’s just, like, your opinion man ---
**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:** [December 4, 2024, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-commonly-used-phrase-in-english-that-came-from-a-movie/1011068/74 "2024-12-04T21:16:46Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > “That’s what she said!” Certainly people were saying this before Office. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2024, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-commonly-used-phrase-in-english-that-came-from-a-movie/1011068/75 "2024-12-04T21:29:50Z")
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ is for closers. Yo! Adrian! (this is surely a winner if your name is Adrian) ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2024, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-commonly-used-phrase-in-english-that-came-from-a-movie/1011068/76 "2024-12-04T21:31:10Z")
They did. I think we only hear it in offices TODAY because of the Office & Michael but it’s meant to be an old, inappropriate joke he brought back and no good for the thread. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2024, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-commonly-used-phrase-in-english-that-came-from-a-movie/1011068/77 "2024-12-04T21:44:50Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > I hear variations of the line “I love the smell of ----- in the morning.” a lot. [Jack Nicholson] “You can’t HANDLE the -----!” [/Jack Nicholson] ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2024, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-commonly-used-phrase-in-english-that-came-from-a-movie/1011068/78 "2024-12-04T22:21:13Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > No fair using a Shakepearian or Biblical phrase. I learned, just yesterday, that “reap the whirlwind” came from the Bible. ---
**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:** [December 4, 2024, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-commonly-used-phrase-in-english-that-came-from-a-movie/1011068/79 "2024-12-04T23:20:55Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > They did. I think we only hear it in offices TODAY because of the Office & Michael but it’s meant to be an old, inappropriate joke he brought back and no good for the thread. Yeah, it is a typical lame frat-boy joke that Michael would find funny. More like Middle School, to be honest. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-commonly-used-phrase-in-english-that-came-from-a-movie/1011068/80 "2024-12-05T00:52:36Z")
Was the expression “go full [whatever]” in common usage before Robert Downey, Jr. used it in _Tropic Thunder_? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-commonly-used-phrase-in-english-that-came-from-a-movie/1011068.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-commonly-used-phrase-in-english-that-came-from-a-movie/1011068.md?page=5)