Alright, we’ve all been there. You’re watching an American film or TV show (or even listening to a song) and there’s some joke you don’t get. Often it’s because North American humour is just different, but sometimes it’s because these expressions come from an advert (either current or, more likely, from the distant past) that simply never ran in the UK. Here are some of the most famous ones and where you may have heard of them… (and while you’re at it, don’t forget to check out Part II):
Reach Out
Americans are obsessed with this phrase. If you’ve ever been in a business meeting with an American, chances are you’ve heard this one at least once: ‘I’ll reach out to the supplier and check in on the timeframe,’ or ‘Could you reach out to the client and find out what’s going on?’ Betcha didn’t know it actually came from an age-old telephone advert.
Where You’ve Seen It:
The original advert dates from 1979, so you’ve probably heard it in a lot of things. TV shows from Ally McBeal to Home Improvement, two 90s staples have had episodes named after this ad, and the jingle itself was featured in National Lampoon’s European Vacation way back in 1985. Also, as mentioned, every American over the age of 20 who works in an office setting.
Shrimp On The Barbie
This is a weird one, because the source of this infamous line is Paul Hogan—Crocodile Dundee himself—who was, at the time of uttering this infamous line, far more famous in the UK than in the US (and also not yet Crocodile Dundee). In the 80s, tourism from the US to Australia was low, so the Australian Tourism Commission hired unknown (to American audiences) Australian Paul Hogan to star in a series of ads that would run in the US. Although he was already well-known in his native Australia and in the UK thanks to his eponymous TV show, American audiences were totally ignorant of his charms. However, due in part to the popularity of the adverts, the film Crocodile Dundee was greenlit only a few years later and went on to gross over $300 Million at the box office. Hogan’s actual line in the ad was ‘I’ll slip an extra shrimp on the barbie for you,’ and the irony of this line becoming the most famous faux-Australian quote in the US is that Australians don’t even use the term ‘shrimp,’ referring instead to the crustaceans as ‘prawns.’
Where You’ve Seen It:
The opening scene of Dumb & Dumber, 2018 juggernaut The Good Place, the 2005 reboot of The Dukes of Hazzard, Stephen Colbert’s interview with Liam Hemsworth, The Real Housewives of New York City, RuPaul’s Drag Race and pretty much any scene from an American show where an Australian person is introduced unexpectedly. Oh, and also on the menu at American-based Australian-themed restaurant Outback Steakhouse.
Baby Back Ribs
Full disclosure: this isn’t the first time we’ve discussed this ad. It’s embarrassingly catchy, was remade as an ad for Chili’s casual dining restaurant several times (including once when boy band *NSYNC sang it while stranded on a desert island), and it definitely served its purpose of identifying Chili’s with a specific meal.
Where You’ve Seen It:
The American version of The Office made this iconic in a scene that is so cringe-worthy you can’t help but laugh. In the second instalment of the Austin Powers franchise, the character Fat Bastard sings it, and it has been referenced in numerous other American sitcoms over the past two decades.
Pardon Me, Do You Have Any Grey Poupon?
‘Do you have any Grey Poupon?’ is a question every American knows the context of. In the 1980s as American tastes veered away from traditional yellow mustard to more sophisticated flavours, Grey Poupon appeared on the scene. Their famous ad campaign focussed on positioning Grey Poupon as a high-end condiment fit for the wealthy, through use of exaggeratedly British scenery, posh meals, and high-end cars. It worked: by the early 1990s, Grey Poupon had the highest correlation of any US brand between income and product use.
Where You’ve Seen It:
It’s been featured in Family Guy and several lesser-known American shows, as well as memorably (and word-for-word) in Wayne’s World. Perhaps a better topic is where have you heard it: Grey Poupon, thanks to its easy-to-rhyme cadence and association with wealth, has been featured in hiphop and rap songs by Kanye West, Common, Jay-Z, T-Pain, Ghostface Killah, Outkast and even in guest verses on Justin Bieber tunes. Maybe the most famous of these is Kendrick Lamar’s line in Humble. In 2017’s music video for the song, he even re-enacts the commercial when he drops the line:
The joke you’re thinking of wasn’t included here? Check out Part II of this series, where we take a look at PSAs that have become part of our vocabulary over the last decades!
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