Stock phrase - Definition and Overview

A stock phrase is a spoken phrase which has little or no actual meaning of its own; it carries meaning only through custom or context.

Typical stock phrases are:

• "Have a nice day" - which may be spoken by a convenience store clerk in the middle of the night
• "Have a good one"
• "Take it easy"
• "No problem" - which may be used as a reply to "thank you" (Meaning, "my labor was not significant")
• "No sweat"
• "Chill out"
• "Whatever" - which may be used to indicate that the speaker doesn't wish to continue the conversation.
• "You know?" or "You know what I'm saying?"

Certain stock phrases originate from TV, films, video games, and computer worms, and soon become a part of popular culture. Examples include:

• Where's the Beef?
• Don't have a cow - from The Simpsons
• Everybody wang chung tonight
• All your base are belong to us
• Hacked By Chinese!
• Can't sleep, clown'll eat me
• fhqwhgads (perhaps more of a stock word or metasyntactic variable)
• I thought you were dead! (a line typically heard in B-movies)

To learn the meaning of a given stock phrase, consult a dictionary, such as the Wiktionary (http://www.wiktionary.org).

Similar to a stock phrase are catch phrase, slang, idiom, and jargon.