SAYINGS: Would you know what it meant if someone said you “drank the Kool Aid?”
The meaning is to demonstrate unquestioning obedience or loyalty to someone or something. A common use is in referring to Jim Jones and the Jonestown tragedy in 1978. The phrase dates back to 1968 and the book The Electric Kool Aid Acid Test.
There are so many common sayings today that came from history or pop culture, and we wonder if there will come a time when folks won’t know the origin. For example, “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn,” from Gone With The Wind; “There’s no place like home,” from The Wizard of Oz; or “Elementary, my dear Watson,” from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. And so many more.
Some have just a single word that fans of the film can identify: “Inconceivable!” from The Princess Bride; “Ditto” from Ghost; and “Redrum” from The Shining.
Some words were popularized, or had a new meaning attached, because of a film. For example, the word gaslight was coined in the 1944 film Gaslight that means to manipulate someone into questioning their reality or the truth. When Bill Murray as Dr. Peter Venkman in Ghostbusters said. “This chick is toast!” it was the first time the word toast referred to dead or finished.
The word “Meh” was popularized by The Simpsons, meaning not impressive.
The word “Nimrod,” which had been a first name of Hebrew origin, was used on The Looney Tunes Show to mean a foolish or inept person.
The film Platinum Blonde was the origin of the word “bombshell” to mean someone who is stunning, amazing or devastating.
“Paparazzi” came from the film La Dolce Vita, where it was the last name of a freelance photographer who aggressively pursued celebrities for the purpose of taking candid photos.
