Gaslighting

The term gaslighting was coined from a movie starring Ingrid Bergman. There is an article about its use in a 21st century context here. The article begins:

If you’re following the commentary surrounding the presidential election, you may have noticed the word gaslighting popping up with increasing frequency. To gaslight means, per the Oxford English Dictionary, to “manipulate (someone) by psychological means into doubting their own sanity.” It’s normally used to describe emotional abuse in a relationship, e.g., a cheating husband who tells his wife she’s crazy, misremembering, or “imagining things” when she points out signs of his infidelity. But thanks to recent campaign tactics, it’s becoming a political term. For example, after Tuesday night’s vice presidential debate, Slate ran an editorial titled “This Wasn’t a Debate. This Was a National Gaslighting,” which cites multiple examples of Mike Pence denying that Donald Trump said things that he actually, provably said. What does that have to do with gaslights, you might ask? The connection actually comes from a popular 1944 suspense film called Gaslight, in which a man (Charles Boyer) conspires to convince his wife (Ingrid Bergman) that she’s going mad.

This got me thinking about terms used in English that derive from movies. I did a little research and come up with some other terms (source dated 2nd January 2014):

1. “You’re killing me smalls” – This famous line from the American movie The Sandlot has become a popular phrase to use in informal situations since the movie was first released in 1993. Usually, if a person is frustrated by another person’s ignorance or lack of commitment to some kind of work, they might use the phrase; “you’re killing me smalls.” 

2. “Sweet” – This famous saying first appeared in the American movie Wayne’s World and became a fashionable way to say ‘great’ or ‘wonderful’. This is one phrase that I use all the time: if something is going perfectly, I will say ‘sweet!’ 

3. “I don’t think we are in Kansas anymore” – This phrase is from a classic movie, The Wizard of Oz, released in 1939. Usually, this phrase is used when the location that you are in is unfamiliar to you, and you feel lost. 

4. “There’s no place like home” – This quote is also from The Wizard of Oz. It’s often used when a person returns from a trip and is happy to be at home. I usually use this idiom after I get home from long trips and lay down on my bed. 

5. “Houston, we have a problem” – This famous quote from the movie Apollo 13, released in 1995, has well and truly entered everyday language in America. If someone is experiencing any type of a problem, this phrase can be used to point it out. 

I'd not heard of the first mentioned phrase and that's probably because its use is largely restricted to the USA.