A
Catch Phrase that is used in equal amounts by several characters.
If the catchphrase is usually said by one character, it's a
Borrowed Catchphrase. If it's something one person said once, then someone else said later, it's an
Ironic Echo or
Meaningful Echo. If the catchphrase is directed at the same person in each instance, that person is a
Phrase Catcher. If someone else's pet phrase or verbal tic 'infects' another character, it's
Got Me Doing It.
See
Arc Words for when the phrase is a dramatic element of the story.
Examples:
Anime
Film
- "I have a bad feeling about this" makes an appearance in every Star Wars film (and as such most Expanded Universe stories).
- In The Avengers (1998) the phrases "How real will it feel" and "I thought I was seeing double" are said by several characters.
Live-Action TV
Radio
Web Animation
- "Son of a bitch!" in Red vs. Blue, said whenever someone's being fatally or near-fatally shot at or (more typically) blown up.
- There's a montage video showing pretty much nothing but people saying "Son of a bitch!" and other variants ("Madre de dios!" for Lopez, for example) on one of the DVDs.
- "That doesn't seem physically possible!"
Web Comics
- "HOORAY FOR POKEY!!" and "YES!!" are used constantly, and by just about everyone, in POKEY THE PENGUIN.
- Many lines in Homestuck, such as "That's all there is to say on the matter" and "You cannot hope to defeat [character] in a [verb]-off. He is simply the best there is."
Web Original
Western Animation
