8 TV Catchphrases That Reveal You Grew Up in the ’90s
By Distributel
In the ’90s, hanging around the living room with your family after dinner could only mean one thing: appointment TV.
Watching those weekly shows that you would never think of missing made for some of the best family times you could ask for. And they became etched in your memory the minute you shared the best lines with your friends the next day.
If you grew up in the ’90s, these catchphrases were definitely a part of your vocabulary (and sometimes, they still are):
Yadda, yadda, yadda
It might have already been a phrase often used on Seinfeld but it was episode 153, “The Yadda Yadda,” that shot this expression to fame. Typically, you use it to shorten the boring parts of a story, but George couldn’t believe that his girlfriend might use it to gloss over their intimate moments. Knowing George, though, we could!
We were on a break!
Ross lets this one rip in episode 15, season 3, of Friends, “The One Where Ross and Rachel Take a Break,” and the world’s been arguing about it ever since. What do you think? Were they or weren’t they?
Did I do that?
Sure, this phrase was actually originally spoken by Curly, one of the Three Stooges, all the way back in 1934 . But it was king of the geeks, Steve Urkel, who made it a catchphrase of the ’90s on the show Family Matters.
Eat my shorts
That rebel child, Bart Simpson. The cartoon kid with the comeback! Would you ever even dream of mooning someone without shouting Bart’s catchphrase? And even if you only imagine mooning someone – we bet you’ve mumbled that phrase under your breath more times than you’d like to admit!
Is that your final answer?
Prime time game-show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? with host Regis Philbin was definitely appointment TV – and his catchphrase became useful for every pop quiz, parental “interrogation,” or debate among friends.
We’re not worthy!
It would be decades before we realized that Wayne and Garth’s catchphrase “we’re not worthy!” was basically the ’90s incarnation of having a “fanboy moment,” and we catch ourselves saying it when we’re fanning now, too!
You got it, dude!
The littlest Tanner in the Full House crew won our hearts with her catchphrase: “you got it, dude!” It was one of those expressions that started off cute and soon became extra annoying. And we bet the Olsen twins would completely agree.
Make it so
Who loved Captain Jean-Luc Picard on Star Trek: The Next Generation? Anwer: EVERYBODY. So much so that there’s a reboot coming up in 2020 that focuses just on his character. Of course we loved his diplomacy and thoughtfulness, but we also loved his catchphrases “make it so” and (who could forget) “Earl Grey. Hot.”