# Words or phrases that were that were coined by a TV show or movie **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 20, 2020, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-phrases-that-were-that-were-coined-by-a-tv-show-or-movie/926081 "2020-11-20T23:57:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2020, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-phrases-that-were-that-were-coined-by-a-tv-show-or-movie/926081/101 "2020-11-23T05:40:20Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > “Wishing someone to the cornfield” from the 1961 _Twilight Zone_ episode _It’s A Good Life_, based on the 1953 short story by Jerome Bixby. In the story, 6 year old Anthony Fremont would actually wish people away to the cornfield for not having good thoughts. It’s come into the popular culture to mean anything which has apparently disappeared from existence. IIRC, he would first turn anything that displeased him into something too horrifying to live, and _then_ wish the abomination into the cornfield, proving that even though he was a tyrannical godlike monster, he still valued an orderly environment. And the Star Trek writers probably can be credited with “quatloos.” ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2020, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-phrases-that-were-that-were-coined-by-a-tv-show-or-movie/926081/102 "2020-11-23T06:41:11Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > IIRC, he would first turn anything that displeased him into something too horrifying to live, and _then_ wish the abomination into the cornfield, proving that even though he was a tyrannical godlike monster, he still valued an orderly environment. And that was a good thing, wasn’t it? Yes, it was a very good thing. ---
**Author:** ![AppallingGael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9bd4f/32.png) [@AppallingGael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AppallingGael)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2020, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-phrases-that-were-that-were-coined-by-a-tv-show-or-movie/926081/103 "2020-11-23T07:44:42Z")
I blame Star Trek for “unphased”. “He pointed a ray gun at me but I was unphased”. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2020, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-phrases-that-were-that-were-coined-by-a-tv-show-or-movie/926081/104 "2020-11-23T14:08:27Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > And the Star Trek writers probably can be credited with “quatloos.” ISTM that science fiction / fantasy in general should be disqualified or at least asterisked for purposes of this thread. Of _course_ the aliens / Hobbits / Harry Potter people use made-up words for their made-up stuff. How could it be otherwise? Now I agree that “quatloos” had (past tense) seeped into the larger English lexicon as “arbitrary generic currency”, at least for those of us of a certain age. But it lacked/lacks staying power precisely because we already have lots of words for currencies, both real and fake. I also suspect that if wagering in quatloos wasn’t a major plot point of that episode they’d have disappeared along with all the other currency units of all the various SF stories before and since. YMMV of course. Late thought: I wonder how much of this is generational = “of a certain age”. I use “quatloos” occasionally, did use “nanu nanu”, but am actively disinterested in all things Harry Potter about which my 20-something relatives gush incessantly and use words from seemingly all the time. Do they use (or even recognize) “qautloos” or “nanu nanu”? If these things are that generational / ephemeral, have they entered the language, or only the history books? ---
**Author:** ![eburacum\_45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum_45/32/3385_2.png) [@eburacum\_45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum_45)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2020, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-phrases-that-were-that-were-coined-by-a-tv-show-or-movie/926081/105 "2020-11-23T14:34:44Z")
A few terms from Doctor Who have passed into common usage, although generally in a rather specialised context. The term Tardis, for instance, is sometimes used to describe a building or location which is deceptively large on the inside that restaurant is a regular Tardis - it’s much bigger that it looks from the street. Daleks have been used as descriptors too- sometimes as a political or humorous insult (a croaky-voiced Dalek) or to describe some semi-automatic piece of machinery, preferably with flashing lights. > **[Merry-go-round train | The balloon loop and the Daleks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merry-go-round_train#The_balloon_loop_and_the_Daleks)** > > Merry-go-round trains are associated with the construction of balloon loops at the origin and destination so that the train doesn't waste time shunting the engine from one end of the train to the other. However, whilst power stations such as Ratcliffe, West Burton and Cottam had balloon loops, few if any colliery/loading points had them, and thus true merry-go-round operation never really existed. > "Dalek" was the nickname given to the automatic door opening/closing equipment located on the path ... And I’m sure I’ve heard the term Cyberman used to describe people who are emotionless and robotic. ---
**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:** [November 23, 2020, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-phrases-that-were-that-were-coined-by-a-tv-show-or-movie/926081/106 "2020-11-23T14:44:24Z")
Don’t forget Checkov’s gun. It’s a phaser. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2020, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-phrases-that-were-that-were-coined-by-a-tv-show-or-movie/926081/107 "2020-11-23T16:20:57Z")
> [@eburacum\_45](#): > > And I’m sure I’ve heard the term Cyberman used to describe people who are emotionless and robotic. “Cylon clone” being a common and once-popular synonym from _Battlestar Galactica_. ---
**Author:** ![Reno\_Nevada\_Jr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecc23a/32.png) [@Reno\_Nevada\_Jr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reno_Nevada_Jr)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2020, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-phrases-that-were-that-were-coined-by-a-tv-show-or-movie/926081/108 "2020-11-23T16:52:44Z")
Well, we have already been chided for examples that were merely _popularized_ by a show, instead of actually _made-up_ for the show, but I think this is an interesting example… Bugs Bunny sarcastically referred to Yosemite Sam as “what a Nimrod.” When he did so, Nimrod was of course a Biblical reference, because Nimrod was noted to be a “mighty hunter”. However, this reference was lost on those of us who watched on Saturday Morning TV during the 70’s, and so _Nimrod_ entered our vocabulary as “a foolish or ridiculous person”. I am not sure if younger generations still use the word in this fashion. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2020, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-phrases-that-were-that-were-coined-by-a-tv-show-or-movie/926081/109 "2020-11-23T16:59:31Z")
Bugs did however originate “What a maroon!” as a mispronunciation of moron. Although the name Poindexter existed, the character in Felix the Cat was the origin of the its meaning of nerd. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2020, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-phrases-that-were-that-were-coined-by-a-tv-show-or-movie/926081/110 "2020-11-23T17:26:57Z")
> [@Reno\_Nevada\_Jr](#): > > Bugs Bunny sarcastically referred to Yosemite Sam as “what a Nimrod.” When he did so, Nimrod was of course a Biblical reference, because Nimrod was noted to be a “mighty hunter”. Would that be Yosemite Sam the crazed pistol-packin’ prospector with the anger management problems, or Elmer Fudd, the hunter with the shotgun, bad aim, and general bumbling dimwittedness? Pwus a funny speech impediment. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2020, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-phrases-that-were-that-were-coined-by-a-tv-show-or-movie/926081/111 "2020-11-23T17:59:17Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > > [@Reno\_Nevada\_Jr](#): > > > > Bugs Bunny sarcastically referred to Yosemite Sam as “what a Nimrod.” When he did so, Nimrod was of course a Biblical reference, because Nimrod was noted to be a “mighty hunter”. > > Would that be Yosemite Sam the crazed pistol-packin’ prospector with the anger management problems, or Elmer Fudd, the hunter with the shotgun, bad aim, and general bumbling dimwittedness? Pwus a funny speech impediment… It was Elmer who Bugs first referred to as a Nimrod, who was as noted, a mighty hunter. But it was misunderstood, and now means a fool. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2020, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-phrases-that-were-that-were-coined-by-a-tv-show-or-movie/926081/112 "2020-11-23T18:24:40Z")
> [@eburacum\_45](#): > > And I’m sure I’ve heard the term Cyberman used to describe people who are emotionless and robotic. — Cybots— half-cyborg, half robot. — Aren’t cyborgs already half robot? So they’re actually three-quarters robot? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2020, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-phrases-that-were-that-were-coined-by-a-tv-show-or-movie/926081/113 "2020-11-23T18:45:20Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > — Cybots— half-cyborg, half robot. > > — Aren’t cyborgs already half robot? So they’re actually three-quarters robot? > [@](#): > > **HIPPOGRIFF** > > -n. > > An animal (now extinct) which was half horse and half griffin. The griffin was itself a compound creature, half lion and half eagle. The hippogriff was actually, therefore, a one-quarter eagle, which is two dollars and fifty cents in gold. The study of zoology is full of surprises. Ambrose Bierce **A Devil’s Dictionary** ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2020, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-phrases-that-were-that-were-coined-by-a-tv-show-or-movie/926081/114 "2020-11-23T18:53:39Z")
The legendary [esquilax](https://youtu.be/r-t7UvIw7YM?t=28): a horse with the head of a rabbit, and the body of a rabbit. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2020, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-phrases-that-were-that-were-coined-by-a-tv-show-or-movie/926081/115 "2020-11-23T19:26:49Z")
I’m thinking Abbott and Costello could do quite a skit about which fielding position the hippogriff and esquilax play. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2020, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-phrases-that-were-that-were-coined-by-a-tv-show-or-movie/926081/116 "2020-11-23T19:38:12Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Bugs did however originate “What a maroon!” as a mispronunciation of moron. Not to mention “ultramaroon”, a play off moron and ultramarine. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2020, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-phrases-that-were-that-were-coined-by-a-tv-show-or-movie/926081/117 "2020-11-23T19:49:19Z")
Who first invented the word “unobtanium”? I first heard in _Avatar_, but from what I understand it was used in some superhero movies and comic books and probably other media before that. Wherever it’s from, it seems to have entered the language; I have seen people in car forums use it to describe an impossible to find part for an old car, for example. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2020, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-phrases-that-were-that-were-coined-by-a-tv-show-or-movie/926081/118 "2020-11-23T20:26:13Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > The legendary [esquilax](https://youtu.be/r-t7UvIw7YM?t=28): a horse with the head of a rabbit, and the body of a rabbit. Woody Allen, in one of his written pieces (_Fabulous Tales and Mythical Beasts_, reprinted in the collection _Getting Even_), wrote about The Great Roe, which had the head of a lion, and the body of a lion, _but not the same lion_ ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2020, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-phrases-that-were-that-were-coined-by-a-tv-show-or-movie/926081/119 "2020-11-23T20:33:25Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > Who first invented the word “unobtanium”? I first heard in _Avatar_, but from what I understand it was used in some superhero movies and comic books and probably other media before that. Wherever it’s from, it seems to have entered the language; I have seen people in car forums use it to describe an impossible to find part for an old car, for example. [Wiki’s page on Unobtainium](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unobtainium) > Since the late 1950s,[[a]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unobtainium#cite_note-1)[[1]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unobtainium#cite_note-Langley-2) aerospace engineers have used the term _“unobtainium”_ when referring to unusual or costly materials, or when theoretically considering a material perfect for their needs in all respects, except that it does not exist. By the 1990s, the term was in wide use, even in formal engineering papers such as “Towards unobtainium [new composite materials for space applications].”[[2]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unobtainium#cite_note-3)[[3]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unobtainium#cite_note-4) The word _unobtainium_ may well have been coined in the aerospace industry to refer to materials capable of withstanding the extreme temperatures expected in [re-entry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmospheric_reentry).[[1]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unobtainium#cite_note-Langley-2) [Aerospace engineers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerospace_engineering) are frequently tempted to design aircraft which require parts with strength or resilience beyond that of currently available materials. > > Later, _unobtainium_ became an engineering term for practical materials that really exist, but are difficult to get.[[4]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unobtainium#cite_note-5) For example, during the development of the [SR-71 Blackbird](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SR-71_Blackbird) spy plane, [Lockheed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_Corporation) engineers at the “[Skunk Works](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skunk_Works)” under Clarence “Kelly” Johnson used _unobtainium_ as a [dysphemism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dysphemism) for _[titanium](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanium)._ Titanium allowed a higher strength-to-weight ratio at the high temperatures the Blackbird would reach, but its availability was restricted because the [Soviet Union](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Union) controlled its supply.[[b]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unobtainium#cite_note-6) ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2020, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-phrases-that-were-that-were-coined-by-a-tv-show-or-movie/926081/120 "2020-11-23T20:43:52Z")
Interesting. So that one wasn’t from a movie at all, then. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-phrases-that-were-that-were-coined-by-a-tv-show-or-movie/926081.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-phrases-that-were-that-were-coined-by-a-tv-show-or-movie/926081.md?page=7)