Vote up the everyday vocabulary with TV origins you didn't remember.
Studying the etymology of a word can be fascinating. Whether they come from mythology or even movies and TV shows, many of these common words or phrases have become a part of the everyday lexicon. Some popular series like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Seinfeld, and Saturday Night Live have even been the origin of more than one of these widespread phrases.
Something that would cause a person to leave a relationship - or not even start one in the first place.
Who said it and why:
Tina Fey’s Liz Lemon wrote a book on dealbreakers in 30 Rock after writing a sketch about them as a way to give advice to other women. As two words, “deal breaker” was most commonly used to describe something that could threaten a business deal.
30 Rock first popularized the one-word "dealbreaker" as something that could end a romantic relationship. Many people also use it to denote a trait that would prevent them from even considering dating someone.
Poindexter is actually the name of a character (voiced by Jack Mercer) in the animated show Felix The Cat, which ran from 1958 to 1961. He's the genius best friend to Felix and nephew of The Professor. Although he receives As in all subjects, Poindexter’s strength lies in science, most notably a button on his lab coat that can control machinery.
His name has since taken on more of a negative connotation - akin to a nerd or a geek. The person might be very intelligent, but tends to lack social skills.
To search the internet, most commonly via the search engine Google, for information about something.
Who said it and why:
Google began in 1995 as just a noun. Seven years later, a character from Buffy the Vampire Slayer would use it as a verb for the first time. When trying to help Cassie Newton (Azura Skye) discover more about her life, Willow Rosenberg (Alyson Hannigan) asks Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) if she had “Googled her” yet.
Unwanted messages sent to a large number of people.
Who said it and why:
Monty Python’s Flying Circus is a British comedy TV series that ran from 1969 to 1974. In one sketch from 1970, a group of Vikings excitedly chanted “Spam” in reference to the canned meat from Hormel. Due to the relentlessness of the singing Vikings, a 1994 Network World article described unwanted emails as a “spam attack,” thus putting “spam” the phrase and Spam the food on the map in more ways than one.
Howdy Doody writer Eddie Kean coined the word, originally spelled “kowabonga” as a Native American greeting said by Chief Thunderthud (Bill LeCornec). Although its origins are racist, use of the word didn’t spread until Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles picked it up in 1990 as a simple exclamation of triumph. Michelangelo tends to be most associated with it.
Trying to stop something or someone will be unsuccessful.
Who said it and why:
While most people know this threat from the Borg in the Star Trek universe, it was actually first said in the original Doctor Who series in various forms. Older Cybermen frequently said “resistance is useless” and “to struggle is futile.”
Even though it's slightly varied, many fans believe the Cybermen inspired the line for Star Trek. However, it’s the Master (Peter Pratt) - the Doctor’s archenemy - who actually utters “resistance is futile” to the Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) in 1976.
Current Cybermen still say “resistance is futile,” as do other TV and movie villains.
