"Core Memories" And "Gaslighting" Were Both Invented By TV And Movies — Here Are 17 Other Examples

    Everything from "Debbie Downer" to "the friend zone" comes from our screens.

    Amy Glover
    by Amy Glover

    BuzzFeed Staff

    1. What if I told you that saying the "quiet part loud", or "the quiet part out loud," comes from The Simpsons? Because it seems to have done.

    Krusty the Clown from The Simpsons with a quote: "Oops! I said the quiet part loud and the loud part quiet."
    Fox

    The earliest known example of the phrase was said by Krusty the Clown in  March 5th, 1995, during the episode A Star Is Burns. The earliest known Twitter (or X) post including the phrase was in 2008.

    2. "Oh, you sweet summer child" came from Game of Thrones.

    Bran Stark from Game of Thrones lying down, looking upwards with a solemn expression
    HBO

    Though isolated examples of the phrase existed in the 1800s, the show made it a known phrase.

    3. The term "friend zone" came from, well, Friends.

    Person in pink shirt lying down, looking at a lit candle, expressing wonder
    NBC

    It was coined in season one episode, The Blackout.

    4. The first known use of the phrase "Debbie Downer" came from a 2004 Saturday Night Live (SNL).

    Person making a squint-eyed, tight-lipped expression on a TV set
    NBC

    The character, and subsequent phrase, was invented by comedy icon Rachel Dratch — the OG Debbie Downer — while on vacation.

    5. "Nightmare fuel" comes from episode 521 of Mystery Science Theater 3000.

    Man in red jumpsuit with two robot puppets in a spaceship set
    Rifftracks

    Crow T. Robot said "that's some good old-fashioned nightmare fuel" when looking at an animatronic Santa. 

    6. The term "bucket list" was popularised by a 2007 film of the same name.

    Two men smiling at each other, movie title 'The Bucket List' above them
    Warner Bros. Pictures / Netflix

    Originally, "bucket list" was a programming phrase; then, it meant items to be put off for later. The first instance of "bucket list" as a term to describe things to do before you, well, kick the bucket was in the lesser-known book Unfair & Unbalanced: The Lunatic Magniloquence of Henry E. Panky by Patrick M. Carlisle. But it was the movie that really put it into popular parlance. 

    7. "Spam" — as in, junk emails and repeated unwanted content — comes from Monty Python’s Flying Circus.

    Scene from Monty Python's Flying Circus with characters in a cafe, some wearing Viking helmets
    BBC

    The sketch the term is based on occurs in a cafe where the only thing a person can buy is Spam. Later, fans of the show would repeatedly send lyrics from the song in the sketch to message boards — this eventually became known as spamming.

    8. "Gaslighting" comes from the 1938 play Gas Light, which was adapted into two movies in the 1940s.

    Man in suit with bow tie and woman in off-shoulder dress with flower in hair; both looking at a small object in man's hand
    Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Loews Cineplex Entertainment

    The 1944 edition showed a woman who was made to feel insane by her husband, who tells her she's imagining things she's not — such as the gas lights in their home dimming.

    9. "MILF" was popularised by American Pie.

    Woman lounging in chair with drink and cigarette, wearing a dress and sweater
    Universal Pictures / Summit Entertainment

    Because, well, of course it was.

    10. "Core memories" aren't a real thing in neuroscience or psychology — the term seems to have mostly come from Inside Out.

    Magnifying glass revealing a playground slide, held by a cartoon character's hand
    Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

    Yep, the much-memed phrase has a Pixar history.

    11. "Wardrobe malfunction" was invented when Justin Timberlake exposed Janet Jackson's breast during the halftime show of Super Bowl XXXVIII.

    Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake performing on stage during a wardrobe malfunction event
    Getty Images /Frank Micelotta

    "Nipplegate" did not last as long as a phrase, however.

    12. Trey Parker and Matt Stone invented "derp", though its first use wasn't in South Park.

    Three actors in "BASEketball" uniforms on a sports field look puzzled
    Universal Pictures

    Instead, the word saw its debut in the duo's 1998 film BASEketball, which they created when they thought South Park was being cancelled.

    13. 1984's Ghostbusters was the first to use "they're toast" as a way to some someone is finished or in serious trouble.

    Bill Murray in a Ghostbusters uniform, looking surprised, with New York City night skyline in the background
    Columbia Pictures / Fórum Home Entertainment Hungary

    Bill Murray ad-libbed the line "alright, this chick is toast!".

    14. Daffy Duck invented the word "Nimrod" to mean an idiot or fool — though many think it was Bugs Bunny.

    Animated character Daffy Duck leaning against a tree with a rope in hand, in a classic Looney Tunes scene
    Waner Bros

    Originally, Nimrod was the name of Noah’s great-grandson (“a mighty hunter before the Lord”). Not so when Daffy Duck first uttered it in 1947, when Daffy Duck dismissively refers to Elmer Fudd as "my little nimrod.”

    15. Saturday Night Live invented the phrase "mom jeans" in 2003.

    Four women in vintage attire with high-waisted jeans and casual tops, posing confidently
    NBC

    Tina Fey and co made the sketch, which became a pejorative term for the style  — but joke's on us, I guess, because I own and love about three pairs now.

    16. Using "ribbit" as a frog sound probably comes from an episode of Gilligan's Island, which is the first recorded use of the... word?

    Three women from the TV show 'Gilligan's Island' stand together, wearing casual 60s outfits with themed patches
    CBS

    Because now I really think about it, is that even what a frog sounds like? At all?

    17. "Staycation" was invented by the Mail Fraud episode of Corner Gas in 2005.

    Group of 8 people standing in a field for a cast photo from the TV show "Corner Gas."
    CTV

    It wasn't added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary until 2009.

    18. Richard Lewis invented "the __ from Hell" but struggled to get credit for it, which was the basis for a Curb Your Enthusiasm episode.

    Woman with a surprised expression sitting on a couch, looking at the camera. There are books on the table
    HBO

    His frustration helped him to create the episode The Nanny From Hell.

    19. The term "brainiac" came from the Superman character, not the other way around.

    Superman is engaged in a battle with the robotic antagonist Brainiac
    Warner Bros.

    "His name is a portmanteau of brain and maniac," Merriam-Webster explains.

    Can you think of any other examples? Let us know in the comments below!