A
Running Gag that involves repeating a
funny-sounding phrase when least (or most) expected. Often
lampshaded as an
Overused Running Gag due to its randomness.
Unlike a
Catch Phrase,
Gag Words are not associated with a character. Compared to
Arc Words, they are less symbolic than
just plain silly.
Examples:
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Anime & Manga
- "Fooly Cooly," from FLCL.
- "Gatchabagoose" from Elf Princess Rane.
Comic Books
- Marvel Comics mercenary Deadpool enjoyed using the words "Chimichanga" and "Duct Tape" during the "Cable/Deadpool" series. When asked why, he commented that they were funny words, like "Spatula, Rumsfield and Zygote."
- "Potrzebie" in Mad Magazine.
Literature
- "The Hawley-Smoot Tariff," from Dave Barry Slept Here: A Sort of History of the United States: "Quite frankly we have no idea what this is, but we think it has a wonderful ring to it, and we just like to see it in large bold letters."
- He may have got it from Ferris Bueller's Day Off, where the incredibly boring teacher is asking about it ("Anyone? Anyone?")
- Dave Barry's Only Travel Guide You'll Ever Need uses the phrase "fish of your brother Raoul" and a few variants in several languages.
- And Dave Barry Hits Below the Beltway uses the phrase (and accompanying image) "giant prehistoric zucchini."
- Did you know it was almost called the Smoot-Hawley tariff?
Live Action Television
- "Lemon curry?" in Episode 33 of Monty Python's Flying Circus.
- Not to mention "Albatross!" from its titular episode.
- And "Semprini", which for some reason is considered a swear word.
- An episode of the US version of Whose Line Is It Anyway? had Colin yelling 'The cat!' or 'Meow!' at any moment when he couldn't think of anything else.
- Ryan Atwood and Sandy Cohen humorously repeat "Yogalates!" in episode 12, season 1 of The O.C..
- "Schnaps" on episode 2 of season 3 of The Big Bang Theory
- On Seinfeld, Jerry attributes the popularity of salsa to people thinking it's fun to say.
Newspaper Comics
- Classic example: "Notary Sojac" from Smokey Stover.
- "Judo chop", among others, in Peanuts.
Radio
Web Original
Western Animation
- "Huggbees" in one Freakazoid! episode.
- Frisky Dingo had dozens of these. Killface even used "Hawley-Smoot" once.
- "Narf!" and "Poit!" from Pinky and the Brain.
- Not to mention "Zort!", "Troz!", and on one occasion, "Fjord!"
- "Spoot" was often used on The Angry Beavers.
- On one "Aesop and Son" segment from Rocky and Bullwinkle, characters keep saying "Hoot Gibson" (the name of a popular Western actor). Another episode had "succulent".
