Lately at my office there has been an excessive use of the phrase “git-er-dun,” when implying that an item of work needs to be accomplished quickly. To make the exchange even more torturous, the second person in the conversation usually repeats “git-er-dun” back to the first person as a sort of confirmation that “yes, indeed, this must be gotten-dun.”
Coworker 1: “ So tomorrow I’m going to call Roger and have him Fed Ex me those plans. I don’t care if his wife is having octuplets. Git-er-dun!!”
Coworker 2: “Git-er-dun!!”
Tell me, what possible gain could there be by a catchphrase, that you’ve heard hundreds of times on television, being repeated by the loser in the next cubicle? He’s certainly not going to make it sound any better than the original. His timing will be off, his tone of voice will be all wrong, and he’ll probably use it in reference to something totally lame. Take “Wassup!” for example. It originally aired in a beer commercial in 1999. Pretty cool. Now take a 65 year old attorney saying it as he walks into the office on a Monday morning in 2004. Not so cool. And yes, that actually happened.
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| I kill me! |
I can’t say that I’m surprised at the use of catchphrases by the same people who are in love with corporate jargon. It makes sense that somebody who enjoys the phrase “grab the low-hanging fruit” would also ask“whatchu talkin bout Willis?” when unsure of what the IT guy just told him about his printer.
I’m just saying that before you blurt out that witty catchphrase you’ve been dying to use, ask yourself these three simple questions:
1) Can it be found stamped on a t-shirt at Ames?
2) Has your dad already used it?
3) Was it originally coined by ALF?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, it is probably wise to just let it go. For the love of God, let it go.
