History CatchPhrase / Literature

** [[TheJeeves Jeeves]] has "Very good, sir" and "I endeavor to be of assistance."

* ''[[Literature/JeevesAndWooster]]'' has plenty:

* "Please sir, can I have some more?" - OliverTwist

* {{The Stand}} by Stephen King: Tom Cullen "M O O N that spells (insert word)!"

* Rumo, a minor character in ''Literature/TheThirteenAndAHalfLivesOfCaptainBluebear'', at one point tells the eponymous character that he's not good with words when trying (and failing) to explain a situation. When he becomes the main character in the following book, ''RumoAndHisMiraculousAdventures'', "I'm not good with words" has become his catchphrase, said whenever he's asked to explain or elaborate on something.

* Rumo, a minor character in ''TheThirteenAndAHalfLivesOfCaptainBluebear'', at one point tells the titular character that he's not good with words when trying (and failing) to explain a situation. When he becomes the min character in the following book, ''RumoAndHisMiraculousAdventures'', "I'm not good with words" has become his catchphrase, said whenever he's asked to explain or elaborate on something.

** The first line of "Moby-Dick": "Call me Ishmael" has become famous in its own right

* ''{{Animorphs}}'':

* AChristmasCarol: Averted; a case of BeamMeUpScotty/MemeticMutation has resulted in "bah, humbug!" becoming the CatchPhrase of Ebenezer Scrooge. "Bah, humbug" is only spoken twice in the novel, though "humbug" comes up a few more times by itself. At that time, "humbug" meant "hoax" or "jest", so Scrooge was just dismissing Christmas as a fraud in the lingo of the day.

* MemeticMutation has resulted in "bah, humbug!" becoming a CatchPhrase of [[AChristmasCarol Ebenezer Scrooge]]. "Bah, humbug" is only spoken twice in the novel, though "humbug" comes up a few more times by itself. At that time, "humbug" meant "hoax" or "jest", so Scrooge was just dismissing Christmas as a fraud in the lingo of the day.
* SherlockHolmes' MemeticMutation is: "Elementary, my dear Watson", a line never found in the entire novel series.

* The same goes for "Me Tarzan, you Jane" in the Tarzan novels.

* HonorHarrington has the phrase 'Let's be about it', which she adopted from her first Captain, and which several of her subordinates have begun using.

* TheBible. Partly due to the earlier parts originally being oral tradition and therefore repetitive.
** {{God}} has 'I am the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob', sometimes appended with 'who brought you out of Egypt'.
** {{Jesus}} has 'I tell you the truth' (or variants thereupon depending on the translation, such as 'Verily I say unto thee' or 'I tell you solemnly').

-->"[[{{Nakama}} One for all, and all for one]] [[EverythingSoundsSexierInFrench (un pour tous, tous pour un)]]"

* HermanMelville's ''Bartleby. the Scrivener'' practically never says anything other than "I would prefer not to."

** Granny Weatherwax: "If you ain't got respect, you ain't got a thing," "I can't be havin' with this," "Blessings be upon this house", and of course written, rather than spoken. I ATEN'T DEAD YET.

* Rumo, a minor character in ''TheThirteenAndAHalfLivesOfCaptainBluebear'', at one point tells the titular character that he's not good with words when trying (and failing) to explain a situation. When he becomes the min character in the following book, ''RumoAndHisMiraculousAdventures'', "I'm not good with words" has become his catchphrase, said whenever he's asked to explain or elaborate on something.

** And, of course, CMOTDibbler's "That's cutting me own throat", along with the variants used by his [[InexplicablyIdenticalIndividuals counterparts]].

** {{Lampshaded}}:

"You use that phrase an awful lot, Mr Lipwig."

** {{Jesus}} has 'I tell you the truth' (or in the King James Version 'Verily I say unto thee').

* AdaptationDecay has resulted in "bah, humbug!" becoming a CatchPhrase of [[AChristmasCarol Ebenezer Scrooge]]. "Bah, humbug" is only spoken twice in the novel, though "humbug" comes up a few more times by itself. At that time, "humbug" meant "hoax" or "jest", so Scrooge was just dismissing Christmas as a fraud in the lingo of the day.

* Apart from a few [[BeamMeUpScotty false ones]], SherlockHolmes does also have at least one genuine catchphrase: "You know my methods. Apply them!" This ''exact'' phrase only appears twice in the books, but slight variations on it occur at least six or seven times.

* The SecretSeries has Max-Ernest. How 'bout that?

** {{Jesus}} has 'I tell you the truth' (or in the King James Version 'Verily I say unto thee').

** ''It:'' "Beep-beep, Richie."

** In ''The Stand'', Tom Culleen has "My laws!" and "M-O-O-N, that spells (any word)".
** In ''The Dark Tower'' Roland's use of "Ka" to describe virtually any event beyond his control. Becomes a form of running gag between him & Eddie Dean in the later novels in the series.