Meaningless Meaningful Words: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

Did that sound painful and confusing to you?

 

For naming conventions that rely on this trope, see [[Mad Lib Fantasy Title]].

 

== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==

* ''[[Code Geass]]'' often features vague proclamations about power and justice that arguably fit this trope, though other musings are actually fairly relevant and a couple even get a [[Call Back]] later on.

* Just about everything Gilbert Durandal ever said in ''[[Gundam Seed Destiny]]''.

** That could be read as, "You don't believe in yourself, but you trust and admire me. And I believe in you."

*** It could be taken that way if he said "Do you believe in me? Because I believe in you". But he didn't, he said a steaming pile of nonsense and I'm pretty sure that was the point. It's a very silly show.

 

== [[Comic Books]] ==

* The 2008 [[Lyttle Lytton Contest]] featured this gem from ''[[Spider-Man|The Amazing Spider Man]] #544'':

{{quote|''"Tune your ear to the frequency of despair, and cross-reference by the longitude and latitude of a heart in agony."''}}

* The heroes in [[JLA: Act of God]] tried to sound deep but ended up sounding strange and confusing.

{{quote|'''[[Wonder Woman]]''': Two "Gods" humbled by an act of God... with no one else to turn to. But together will our humbling be canceled or doubled?}}

 

== [[Film]] ==

* Parodized in the film version of ''[[Idiocracy]]'' when the idiotic people of the future who have some sort of authority throw around unnecessarily large words, often misusing or mispronouncing them. "Lets see if we can't commencerate these proceedings." "This test will help find you a job while you are a particular individual in jail."

{{quote|'''Queen''': "I have raised a son who destroys lives instead of saving them, and I have failed to save a son who died within an iron mask.

'''Aramis''': "No! That mask was Louis' creation. Now we have a chance to make a miracle -- to strip all masks away forever." }}

** Considering the extent of his plan is to replace the nasty-creep brother on the throne with his nice-guy brother, that last statement makes absolutely no sense.

** In the book, during Dumbledore's funeral, Harry listens to Elphias Doge give a eulogy, mentioning things like "strength of mind" or "nobility of spirit", and thinks it doesn't mean very much. He then remembers some of the first words he ever heard Dumbledore speak, at the beginning of his 1st year- "Nitwit, blubber, oddment, tweak!"- has to suppress a smile, and wonders what's the matter with him.

* Due to Criswell's [[Fauxlosophic Narration]], ''[[Plan 9 from Outer Space]]'' has a lot of this:

{{quote|I don't like it when people come up to me after my plays and say, "I really dug your message, man" or, "I really dug your play, man. I cried." You know. I like it when people come up to me the next day, or a week later, and they say, "I saw your play. What happened?"}}

* ''[[The Matrix]]'': "You have many questions, and though the process has altered your consciousness, you remain irrevocably human. Ergo some of my answers you will understand, and some of them you will not. Concordantly, while your first question may be the most pertinent, you may or may not realize it is also the most irrelevant."

* A whole number is devoted to that in ''[[The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas]]''. The governor of Texas is responding to the press.

{{quote|Fellow Texans, I am proudly standing here to humbly see. I assure you, and I mean it- Now, who says I don't speak out as plain as day? And, fellow Texans, I'm for progress and the flag- long may it fly. I'm a poor boy, come to greatness. So, it follows that I cannot tell a lie.}}

{{quote|(Chorus) Ooh I love to dance a little sidestep, now they see me now they don't-I've come and gone and, ooh I love to sweep around the wide step, cut a little swathe and lead the people on.}}

{{quote|Now my good friends, it behooves me to be solemn and declare, I'm for goodness and for profit and for living clean and saying daily prayer. And now, my good friends, you can sleep nights, I'll continue to stand tall. You can trust me, for I promise, I shall keep a watchful eye upon ya'll...}}

{{quote|Now, Miss Mona, I don't know her, though I've heard the name, oh yes. But, of course I've no close contact, so what she is doing I can only guess. And now, Miss Mona, she's a blemish on the face of that good town. I am taking certain steps here, someone somewhere's gonna have to close her down.}}

* The 1992 [[Eddie Murphy]] movie ''The Distinguished Gentleman'' parodies the use of this among politicians. In the film, Murphy plays Thomas Jefferson Johnson, a con man who runs for Congress, and after he wins, he gives this speech:

'''Johnson:''' [[John F. Kennedy|Ask not what your country can do for you!]] [[Franklin Delano Roosevelt|You have nothing to fear but fear itself!]] If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen! Live free or die! And, in conclusion, [[George H. W. Bush|read my lips!]] }}

 

== [[Literature]] ==

* The three quotes which headline the page were pulled from ''Eldest'', Book Two of the ''[[Inheritance Cycle|Inheritance]] <s>[[Trilogy Creep|Trilogy]]</s> [[Inheritance Cycle|Cycle]]''. The first one is the ''opening line'' of the book, no less.

** Some of the typos, on the other hand... 'Fret' and 'Fere' especially.

*** All the same, the title "The Unconquered Sun" (in Latin, ''sol invictus'', also translatable as "invincible sun") was a title for the god Mithras. So at least that part ''does'' mean something, or did historically. [[Fridge Brilliance]], perhaps, in that the joke is his accidentally stumbling upon an obscure historical fact via his bullshitting?

*** Knowing Pratchett and his fondness for [[Genius Bonus]] and [[Fridge Brilliance]], this may indeed be reference to biblical 'Widow's Gift', historical 'Widow's Penny' and mythological Mithras (impressive concepts on their own) garbled and piled with no connection whatsoever for comedic purposes.

*** That is actually parody of [[Spy Speak]] (it had to be so outrageously complex because [[Spy Speak]] is ridiculous in its own right).

** And it's ''[[The Eye of Argon|certainly not vomit.]]''

* Speaking of ''[[The Eye of Argon]]''... 'nuff said.

* Justified in [[Glen Cook]]'s ''[[Black Company]]'' series. In the Books of the South, an overly melodramatic description of a stone plain is used repeatedly. Later on, the characters go to the Plain and find that the crucified demon, the glowing runes in the stones, and the freaky weather that are shown through the [[Purple Prose]] are not bad metaphors, they're simply accurate descriptions.

* ''[[More Information Than You Require]]'': "Say what you will, but a chicken has a long and pointy face."

* Discussed in ''[[The Enchantress of Florence]]'', where the traveller mocks the Emperor's use of the trope. He claims that "meaningful" maxims formulated by means of paradox often lead foolish men to think they've come up with wisdom. This offence almost got him killed by the vain Emperor, but the latter considered himself above such a thing and forgave him, which can be interpreted as an even greater act of vanity...

* In ''[[Everworld]],'' [[Token Evil Teammate]] and arguable [[Big Bad]] [[Hot Witch|Senna]] purposely uses this when talking with her "friends" in an attempt to manipulate them. Unfortunately for her, most of them aren't going to accept it, especially [[The Smart Guy|Jalil]].

* P.G. Wodehouse uses quite a few of these for his character [[Jeeves and Wooster (novel)|Madeline Bassett]]. I think the author describes it best through one of his characters:

{{quote|She's one of those soppy girls, riddled from head to foot with whimsy. She holds the view that the stars are God's daisy chain, that rabbits are gnomes in attendance on the Fairy Queen, and that every time a fairy blows its wee nose a baby is born, which, as we know, is not the case. She's a drooper. }}

 

* Lampshaded in an episode of ''[[How I Met Your Mother]]'' in which Barney overuses and REALLY plays up (to the dismay of his friends) the word "legendary".

* ''[[Doctor Who]]'': [[Russell T. Davies]] seems to have a thing for the concept of "burning": the Doctor's homeworld burned; the Daleks burned; staring into the Time Vortex makes you burn; the Master's new Empire will burn across the universe... and so on. And considering it's unlikely we'll ever find out just what happened during the Time War, we have no idea if any burning actually took place.

** Say whaaaat?

*** Uh...it seems to mean something like the Superman argument where he has to understand people's suffering to want to save them; otherwise, he's just some guy. Of course, this ignores the fact that Superman is an alien with superpowers, so of course he'd have to make an extra effort to identify with humanity when rogue supers come out to play, rather than join the bad guys who are more like him than the Muggles he protects.

 

== [[Music]] ==

* One word: [http://www.darklyrics.com/lyrics/esoteric/subconsciousdissolutionintothecontinuum.html Esoteric]

{{quote|So what ails you is what impales you

I feel like I've been crucified to be satisfied }}

** Reading a lyrics sheet of almost any song from these two albums is like tossing [[Word Salad]]. Many songs have large sections of lyrics that just don't make sense even in context. It's as if [[Dr. Seuss]] wrote the lyrics, only instead of making up nonsense words to fit rhymes, he makes up nonsense sentences.

* "These Things" by She Wants Revenge seems to be about a love/hate relationship falling apart... but it's hard to tell as it seems to be made up of random phrases that the songwriter thought sounded poetic.

* A live recording of Dar Williams' "It's Alright" includes her explanation of what inspired the song, which was, among other things, a friend telling her that she (the friend) had watched some program that said that "a warrior is really 100% vulnerable". Williams repeats this (several times, even) as if it's a great revelation, but while it sounds kinda deep, it's also vague enough as to not mean much of anything.

** The entire ''song'' is like this.

* To quote [[Mike Patton]]:

{{quote|"[Lyrics] come from my head, my ass, my toilet, my pillow, places like that."

* "American Pie" and "On the Amazon" by [[Don McLean]].

 

 

== [[Theatre]] ==

* Invoked ''deliberately'' at the end of ''[[Urinetown]]: The Musical.'' "I See a River, Flowing for Freedom" is a great catchphrase for a new revolution, until {{spoiler|you face the fact that ''all the water is gone,'' and the townsfolk keep telling themselves that}} "I See a River Just In You" {{spoiler|means they won't die of dehydration.}}

* [[Waiting for Godot|Given the existence as uttered forth in the public works of Puncher and Wattmann of a personal God quaquaquaqua with white beard quaquaquaqua outside time without extension who from the heights of divine apathia divine athambia divine aphasia loves us dearly with some exceptions for reasons unknown but time will tell and suffers like the divine Miranda with those who for reasons unknown but time will tell are plunged in torment plunged in fire whose fire flames if that continues and who can doubt it will fire the firmament that is to say blast hell to heaven so blue still and calm so calm with a calm which even though intermittent is better than nothing but not so fast and considering what is more that as a result of the labors left unfinished crowned by the Acacacacademy of Anthropopopometry of Essy-in-Possy of Testew and Cunard it is established beyond all doubt all other doubt than that which clings to the labors of men that as a result of the labors unfinished of Testew and Cunnard it is established as hereinafter but not so fast for reasons unknown that as a result of the public works of Puncher and Wattmann it is established beyond all doubt that in view of the labors of Fartov and Belcher left unfinished for reasons unknown of Testew and Cunard left unfinished it is established what many deny that man in Possy of Testew and Cunard that man in Essy that man in short that man in brief in spite of the strides of alimentation and defecation wastes and pines wastes and pines and concurrently simultaneously what is more for reasons unknown in spite of the strides of physical culture the practice of sports such as tennis football running cycling swimming flying floating riding gliding conating camogie skating tennis of all kinds dying flying sports of all sorts autumn summer winter winter tennis of all kinds hockey of all sorts penicillin and succedanea in a word I resume flying gliding golf over nine and eighteen holes tennis of all sorts in a word for reasons unknown in Feckham Peckham Fulham Clapham namely concurrently simultaneously what is more for reasons unknown but time will tell fades away I resume Fulham Clapham in a word the dead loss per head since the death of Bishop Berkeley being to the tune of one inch four ounce per head approximately by and large more or less to the nearest decimal good measure round figures stark naked in the stockinged feet in Connemara in a word for reasons unknown no matter what matter the facts are there and considering what is more much more grave that in the light of the labors lost of Steinweg and Peterman it appears what is more much more grave that in the light the light the light of the labors lost of Steinweg and Peterman that in the plains in the mountains by the seas by the rivers running water running fire the air is the same and then the earth namely the air and then the earth in the great cold the great dark the air and the earth abode of stones in the great cold alas alas in the year of their Lord six hundred and something the air the earth the sea the earth abode of stones in the great deeps the great cold on sea on land and in the air I resume for reasons unknown in spite of the tennis the facts are there but time will tell I resume alas alas on on in short in fine on on abode of stones who can doubt it I resume but not so fast I resume the skull fading fading fading and concurrently simultaneously what is more for reasons unknown in spite of the tennis on on the beard the flames the tears the stones so blue so calm alas alas on on the skull the skull the skull the skull in Connemara in spite of the tennis the labors abandoned left unfinished graver still abode of stones in a word I resume alas alas abandoned unfinished the skull the skull in Connemara in spite of the tennis the skull alas the stones Cunard tennis the stones so calm Cunard unfinished...]] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFZatmOFpns It takes a full five minutes in the film adaptation.]

** This part of the play (and [[True Art Is Incomprehensible|this part alone]]) may have been intended to parody this trope, however.

 

== [[Video Games]] ==

** It's fair to also add that in the original ''[[Final Fantasy VII]]'', Cid claims to have seen the play, and quotes from it. The version he saw didn't suck as much.

** In ''[[Dirge of Cerberus]]'', <s>Weiss</s> {{spoiler|Hojo}} goes on several extended and overwrought rants about all the horrible stuff he's going do to the human race now that [[Unexplained Recovery|he's back]]. Their only saving grace is that they're delivered oozing with [[Ham and Cheese]] by both characters' voice actors.

** Wait, wouldn't you be just a tad bit concerned for your safety if you were in a creepy town with blood gratuitously smeared everywhere?

* Lampshaded in [[Knights of the Old Republic|The Sith Lords]], when Atton mocks "Jedi talk".

{{quote|'''Atton''': "Just so you Jedi know, the whole "cryptic routine" isn't mysterious, it's just irritating. If you really can see the future, you should be at the pazaak table."

'''Atton''': "All right, all right! Cut it out, I get it, I get it! The last Jedi in the galaxy, I get the comedian who runs around in her underwear. Not that I'm complaining, mind you." }}

** Incidentally, when most Jedi speak this way, it comes across as this. Typically it's actually a [[Jedi Truth]] or a [[Cassandra Truth]] that's been very cunningly disguised, apparently for no reason except that the Jedi are pretentious assholes.

{{quote|"Huge Spaceship is not a spaceship; it is a broken thought on a petal wing."}}

 

== [[Web Comics]] ==

* In [http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2006/2/22/ this strip], down a bit closer to the bottom, ''[[Penny Arcade (Webcomic)|Penny Arcade]]'' addresses this sort of dialogue in their usual way.

{{quote|Morris: Our shadow threatens to be our shadow no longer!

Ruby: Say what?

Ruby: Do you have to be insane to become Pope, or does becoming Pope cause you to become insane?

Morris: Errraaarghh! Train hit train! Go boom! }}

 

== [[Western Animation]] ==

* An episode of ''[[The Simpsons]]'' brilliantly parodies the use of this in election speeches.

{{quote|'''[[Hugh Mann|'Bill Clinton']]''': We must move forwards, not downwards, upwards, not forwards, and ever twirling, twirling, ''twirling'' toward freedom!}}

{{quote|'''Krusty:''' So he's proactive, huh?

'''Network Executive:''' Oh, God, yes. We're talking about a totally outrageous paradigm.

'''Roger Meyers, Jr.:''' Oh, yes. }}

* The [[Supernews]] sketch "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ft5fSqWbGs Texting Your Way Through Work]"<ref>US only...[[Offer Void in Nebraska|sorry.]]</ref> has the corporate buzzword variety.

'''Hadji:''' To be completely honest, I'm not entirely certain. [[Lampshade Hanging|But you must admit it does sound profound!]] }}

 

 

== [[Real Life]] ==

** [[Tru TV]]'s "Not reality. ''Actuality''" is almost shockingly meaningless.

* 'Consume' is quite a popular substitute for 'use' in IT departments.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Dialogue]]

[[Category:Bad Writing Index]]

[[Category:Word Salad Tropes]]