Word: patters
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1990-1999
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
These pop phrases are not just cliches. They're more like a bad case of televisionary Tourette's--snappy, canned punch lines that bring the rhythms of sitcom patter into everyday experience. Whether originating from Valley Girls, drag queens or CEOs, these phrases, once they're disseminated by the media, become part of our shared response to the little frustrations of modern life. More and more, that response tends to be a dismissive pique, as these buzzbarbs--expressed with just the right inflections--verbally roll up the window on any nuisance that might come tapping at the tinted glass...
...scourged the depths of the a cappella world in search of some explanation to the peculiar phenomenon, some understanding of what makes a cappella tick. Eventually I found out about the complexity of scripting an a cappella performance, the countless hours spent on things like choreography and "patter." I found out about the dual role of the annual Freshman Jam as both an initiation of a new audience and a way for all the groups to advertise themselves in front of prospective singers. But these things didn't interest me nearly as much as something no one was particularly interested...
...Sara M. Patter '99, a former Wyoming resident, said she enjoyed the chance to hear Simpson...
...strong Democrat, so I don't agree with all of his stances, but I do think he's done a lot for the state of Wyoming," Patter said. "He's a great politician who's had a very prolific career...
...adjoining desks the very same day; when Steenburgen offered to quit, she was made managing editor instead. Even if the setup had been more plausible, the show proved how unfriendly TV is to stylized screwball comedy. Viewers don't want to be distanced by brittle, rat-a-tat comedy patter; they want comfortable characters they can relate...