I’ve enjoyed Gretchen’s Spin Cycling (hosted by Sprite’s Keeper, who I just now added to my feed.  Ahem.  Let’s all pretend I haven’t been living under a virtual rock, mm-kay?) for a while now, and this week’s theme (quotes) had me at hello.

Jason and I speak in quotes pretty regularly.  Shakespeare, song lyrics, book titles, television…but mainly movie quotes.  We work them into everyday language without thought.  Movie quotes, for us, are metaphors.  Inside jokes.  Passwords.

Movie quotes as metaphors: when quotes are used to replace other language.  For example…

“Where you at, Desmondo?”
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“Hi, honey.  Have you left work yet?”  or “Which office are you working at today?” or “Are you about to pull into the driveway, or are you still far enough away to stop at the grocery store and grab some milk?” or “Have you and the kids left swim lessons yet?”

“Just you wayte, ‘enry ‘iggans.”
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“Wait and see.”

Movie quotes as inside jokes: I think this is pretty self-explanatory…

“And the number of the counting shall be three.”
[In answer to the question: What’s your favorite color?]  “Blue. No! Yell—aaaaaaah!”
[While rattling off a list or when not knowing the answer to a question] “A duck!”  “Ooooohhh…”
“And there was much rejoicing.”  “Yay.”

Okay, yeah, so those are all from the same movie.  Sue me.  It’s eminently quotable.  And, honestly, those are fewer than half the lines from that movie that we quote on a regular basis.

(We’re really going to have to at least show the boys the witch dunking scene, so they know why they’re constantly saying, “A duck!” and cracking us up.)

Movie quotes as passwords: beginning a quote and waiting for it to be finished, thereby judging the other person’s (a) compatibility with you or (b) level of geekiness or (c) both…

“Let us in!  Let us in!…”
“Count de money…”

I could go on for hours, but I’ll save you the walk through my scattered brain.  Did you place all the quotes?  Hmm…?  Anyone?  Anyone?  Bueller?   (Yes, yes, I know…a Bueller quote mash-up.  But it’s commonly done.)

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