gary coleman as arnold jackson and todd bridges as willis jackson in a still from diff'rent strokes; surrounded by yellow, mint green and red circles with question marks

Photo Collage: MOA Staff (Source: Ron Tom/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images)

Are You a TV Catchphrase Aficionado?

Test your knowledge of these iconic quotes in our quiz

Jayme Deerwester and Debbie Williams,

Members Only Access

Published January 05, 2024

15 Questions

Having a good catchphrase may not always lead to an Emmy, but it does tend to guarantee an actor will go down in TV history. The 2023 Primetime Emmy Awards, delayed due to the SAG-AFTRA and Writers Guild of America strikes, are currently set to air on Jan. 15. In anticipation, test how well you remember some of the TV catchphrases that became part of our pop culture vocabulary.

Are You a TV Catchphrase Aficionado?

[ {
 "question" : "“Kiss my grits!” was this TV waitress’s way of letting people know she was upset with them.\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "Penny from “The Big Bang Theory”",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Flo from “Alice”",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 }, {
 "answer" : "Carla from “Cheers”",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Sookie from “True Blood”",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "Polly Holiday earned three Emmy nominations for playing waitress Flo Castleberry on Alice from 1976 to 1980. And the only thing bigger than Flo’s hair was her mouth. Whenever anyone drew the ire of this Southern belle — especially her boss, Mel (Vic Tayback) — she responded by yelling, “Kiss my grits!”\n",
 "hint" : "",
 "hintLink" : "",
 "questionImgCaption" : "",
 "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
 "question" : "This TV detective liked to wait until the end of his suspect interrogations to say, “Just one more thing.”\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "Frank Columbo from “Columbo”",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 }, {
 "answer" : "Andy Sipowicz from “NYPD Blue”",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Lennie Briscoe from “Law & Order”",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Jake Peralta from “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "Suspects on Columbo often thought they were home free until the bumbling — or so it seemed — detective, played by Peter Falk, started to walk away, then turned around and said, “Just one more thing.” Then he’d ask a pointed question that invariably revealed that person was the likely perpetrator.\n",
 "hint" : "",
 "hintLink" : "",
 "questionImgCaption" : "",
 "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
 "question" : "True or false: Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) often greeted characters on the show Star Trek with the words, “Live long and prosper.”\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "True",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "False",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "That phrase belongs to Kirk’s trusted friend and confidant, Mister Spock (Leonard Nimoy). Nimoy created his character’s Vulcan greeting and its corresponding hand gesture based on a Hebrew blessing ceremony he had witnessed. Shatner and Nimoy remained close until Nimoy’s passing in 2015, and Shatner wrote the 2016 book “Leonard: My Fifty-Year Friendship With a Remarkable Man” as a tribute to their close bond.\n",
 "hint" : "",
 "hintLink" : "",
 "questionImgCaption" : "",
 "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
 "question" : "This iconic news anchorman signed off every newscast by saying, “And that’s the way it is.”\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "Peter Jennings",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Tom Brokaw",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Dan Rather",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Walter Cronkite",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "Walter Cronkite, who manned the anchor desk on the CBS Evening News from 1962 to 1981, ended each newscast with this phrase. In an interview with the Television Academy, he explained that when he took over the job, he expected to have time at the end of each newscast to tell a story, and needed a versatile catchphrase to sum up his thoughts.\n",
 "hint" : "",
 "hintLink" : "",
 "questionImgCaption" : "",
 "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
 "question" : "What show’s episodes concluded with family members telling each other good night, usually ending with “Good night, John Boy.”\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "“The Brady Bunch”",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "“All in the Family”",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "“The Waltons”",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 }, {
 "answer" : "“Leave It to Beaver”",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "The Waltons ran from 1972 to 1981 and featured a family living a simple life in a rural Virginia mountain community during the 1930s and ’40s. The show was narrated by its creator, Earl Hamner Jr., who would later create a very different family drama, Falcon Crest. Unlike the Walton’s struggles in post-Depression America, Falcon Crest, which ran from 1981 to 1988, showcased the power struggles of wealthy families operating Napa Valley, California, wineries.\n",
 "hint" : "",
 "hintLink" : "",
 "questionImgCaption" : "",
 "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
 "question" : "True or false: Actor Jimmie “JJ” Walker, who played James “J.J.” Evans Jr. on the show Good Times, is now exclaiming his catchphrase “Dy-NO-mite!”on Medicare commercials.\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "True",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 }, {
 "answer" : "False",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "If you have daytime TV on during Medicare enrollment season, don’t be surprised if you hear Walker saying how “Dy-NO-mite” government-funded health insurance is.\n",
 "hint" : "",
 "hintLink" : "",
 "questionImgCaption" : "",
 "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
 "question" : "On the show Diff’rent Strokes, Arnold usually directed his catchphrase — “What you talkin’ about?” — at which character?\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "Mr. Drummond",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Mrs. Garrett",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Kimberly",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Willis",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "Though Arnold (Gary Coleman) did pose this question to the other characters when he wanted clarification on something, it’s most famously associated with his big brother Willis (Todd Bridges).\n",
 "hint" : "",
 "hintLink" : "",
 "questionImgCaption" : "",
 "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
 "question" : "What is Homer Simpson’s catchphrase?\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "“Don’t have a cow, man.”",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "“D’oh!”",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 }, {
 "answer" : "“Eat my shorts!”",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "“¡Ay, caramba!”",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "On The Simpsons, Homer utters “D’oh!” whenever he realizes he’s said or done something stupid — which is a frequent occurrence. Thanks to him, the phrase was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2001.&nbsp;\n",
 "hint" : "",
 "hintLink" : "",
 "questionImgCaption" : "",
 "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
 "question" : "True or false: On The Office, Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) was fond of inappropriately injecting the phrase, “That’s what she said” into conversations.\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "True",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "False",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "That distinction goes to Michael Scott (Steve Carell). Scott couldn’t resist interjecting, “That’s what she said” after any statement that could be considered remotely sexual. It’s ironic that his character married someone from Human Relations, because he was a walking HR nightmare.&nbsp;&nbsp;\n",
 "hint" : "",
 "hintLink" : "",
 "questionImgCaption" : "",
 "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
 "question" : "This TV sports coach was known for saying “Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose” during his locker room speeches:\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "Ted Lasso from “Ted Lasso”",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Eric Taylor from “Friday Night Lights”",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 }, {
 "answer" : "Hayden Fox from “Coach”",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Johnny Lawrence from “Cobra Kai”",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "Eric Taylor, the Texas high school football coach on NBC’s Friday Night Lights played by Emmy winner Kyle Chandler, often capped his locker room pep talks with this catchphrase.&nbsp;\n",
 "hint" : "",
 "hintLink" : "",
 "questionImgCaption" : "",
 "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
 "question" : "What expression did Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc) on Friends use to greet a woman he was interested in?\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "“Pivot!”",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "“See, he’s her lobster”",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "“How you doin’?”",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 }, {
 "answer" : "“We were on a break!”",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "Joey’s friends knew him and his intentions well. So when he used his&nbsp; “How you doin’?” greeting on Rachel’s (Jennifer Aniston) sister, Jill (Reese Witherspoon), Rachel, pointed at him and yelled, “Don’t!”\n",
 "hint" : "",
 "hintLink" : "",
 "questionImgCaption" : "",
 "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
 "question" : "“Bazinga” is which TV character's way of saying he was joking about something.\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "Steve Urkel from “Family Matters”",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Sheldon Cooper from “The Big Bang Theory”",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 }, {
 "answer" : "Dwight Schrute from “The Office”",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Felix Unger from “The Odd Couple”",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) was the TV character behind “bazinga,” but it wasn’t until the prequel Young Sheldon that we learned the origin of the word: It was the brand name of a novelty toy company he saw as a child with the slogan, “If it’s funny, it’s a Bazinga.”\n",
 "hint" : "",
 "hintLink" : "",
 "questionImgCaption" : "",
 "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
 "question" : "What phrase informs Survivor&nbsp;contestants that they have been eliminated from the competition?\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "“You’re fired”",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "“Pack it up”",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "“The tribe has spoken”",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 }, {
 "answer" : "“Time to go”",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "On the CBS reality competition show, host Jeff Probst extinguishes the torch of the ousted player while uttering this phrase. However, eliminated contestants are still part of the game: They each vote for the $1 million grand prize winner. Creator Mark Burnett explained in an interview to Outside magazine: “In Survivor, the people you get rid of are the ones who decide if you win. It’s a leadership game of strategy: How do I fire you and have you still love me?”\n",
 "hint" : "",
 "hintLink" : "",
 "questionImgCaption" : "",
 "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
 "question" : "Which TV chef liked to punctuate his cooking feats by yelling “BAM!”&nbsp;&nbsp;\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "Gordon Ramsay",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Emeril Lagasse",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 }, {
 "answer" : "Bobby Flay",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Tom Colicchio",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "Whether it was on one of his Food Network cooking shows or an appearance on a morning show, Lagasse liked to exclaim, “BAM!” when throwing seasoning in the pan. In recent years, the chef took some time off from TV to focus on his New Orleans restaurant, but you can now watch his Emeril Cooks and Emeril Tailgates series on the Roku network.\n",
 "hint" : "",
 "hintLink" : "",
 "questionImgCaption" : "",
 "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
 "question" : "What long-running game show still invites contestants to “Come on down!”?\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "“The Price Is Right”",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 }, {
 "answer" : "“Wheel of Fortune”",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "“Joker’s Wild”",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "“Jeopardy”",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "Bob Barker, who died in August 2023 at age 99, hosted The Price Is Right from 1972 until 2007. Comedian Drew Carey took over hosting duties in 2007, and contestants are still guessing the dollar amounts of household items such as food, appliances and furniture in hopes of competing on the showcase showdown.&nbsp;\n",
 "hint" : "",
 "hintLink" : "",
 "questionImgCaption" : "",
 "questionImgCredit" : ""
} ]

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Jayme Deerwester is an editor and writer with two decades of experience at USA TODAY, where she covered entertainment, travel, personal finance and technology. When not in front of a computer, she can be found rowing, kayaking or playing with her dog.