Never mind (Saturday Night Live)

"Never mind" was a frequent exclamation of Emily Litella, a character played by Gilda Radner on "Saturday Night Live". For instance, see [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072562/quotes Memorable Quotes from "Saturday Night Live" (1975)] .

Miss Litella meant the third of the following Wiktionary definitions of "":
# don't worry
# it doesn't matter
# I was wrong; I withdraw the statement; pretend I didn't say it.

In saying "Never mind", Litella acknowledges her error in misapprehending some expression and speaking out about the perceived issue on national television. [Citation
last = Barone
first = Michael
author-link = Michael Barone
last2 =
first2 =
author2-link =
title = At NASA, an Emily Litella moment
newspaper = U.S. News &World Report
pages =
year =
date = 2005-09-28
url = http://www.usnews.com/blogs/barone/2005/9/28/at-nasa-an-emily-litella-moment.html] However, her cheery two-word apology, which she apparently considers sufficient to set things right, comically shows her lack of understanding of the havoc she has caused. Having learned nothing from the experience, she is back with a similar mistake (and another "Never mind!") in succeeding episodes.

"Never mind" was a running gag and a catch phrase during the character's 26 appearances in the Weekend Update portion of the comedy series. [cite web
last =
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Emily Litella
work = SNL Archive
publisher =
date =
url = http://snl.jt.org/char.php?i=200
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-09-24 ] In quoting Litella, a person acknowledges a mistake, or that a previously-expressed concern is no longer to be considered valid. However, by imitating her distinctive way of saying those words, the person ironically conveys a more light-hearted, self-aware tone to the expression than does the character herself.

Beyond the Fringe

The same phrase was used in the sketch "Aftermyth of War" from the 1960 satirical show Beyond the Fringe. The character recalls World War II and a succession of occasions when his wife informs him of some disastrous development, to which he responds "Never mind, my dear, oi said to 'er. You put on the kettle, we'll have a nice cup of tea." [Complete Beyond the Fringe [Box set] , EMI Audio CD 21 October 1996, ASIN: B000006SW2]

External links

* [http://www.tvacres.com/catch_n.htm TV ACRES: Catchphrases (Character Trademark Phrases & Sayings)]

References