Don't even think about it!
"Don't even think about it!" is an emphatic prohibition[1] popularized by a 1993 Pepsi commercial featuring Shaquille O'Neal, a famous basketball player.
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[edit] History
The catchphrase as used by the Pepsi ad was based upon a similar phrase, "Don't even THINK of parking here", which came into use on no parking signs in major cities such as New York City and Chicago.[2][3] The signs first appeared in New York in 1982 during Ed Koch's mayoral administration.[4][5]
[edit] Popularization
The 1993 commercial featuring O'Neal begins with him playing hoops at a street basketball court. A little kid notices him, and exclaims O'Neal's nickname, "Shaq". O'Neal, noticing that the kid has a Pepsi in his hand, walks over and says "Hey, can I have it?" He bends over, supposing that his admirer will give him the soda, but the kid refuses, saying: "Don't even think about it!" Suddenly, a sound simulating that of a scratched record is heard, and the commercial ends with the Pepsi logo and slogan.
The commercial is actually a parody of another famous one from the 1970s produced by Pepsi's rival, Coca-Cola, in which a young boy meets football player "Mean" Joe Greene as he is leaving the field after a game. The boy gives his hero a bottle of Coke and, in exchange for the drink, the football player throws his jersey to the boy, who excitedly catches the souvenir.
[edit] Cultural references
The phrase also appears in series 4, episode 5 of Men Behaving Badly, when a drunken Gary climbs into bed intent on having sex with the sleeping Dorothy; it is revealed that she is wearing a T-shirt with "Don't even think about it!" written on it in large letters. The phrase was also used as the title of a 2004 book by Lauren Henderson.[6]
[edit] References
- ^ Bruce K. Waltke. "The Book of Proverbs: Chapters 15-31". p. 265. http://books.google.com/books?id=3Lj8IXYthLgC.
- ^ E.J. Dionne (August 16, 1998). No Go. The Washington Post. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-675018.html.
- ^ "13 Ways to Get Message on Parking". Chicago Tribune. Associated Press: p. 4. March 5, 1987. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/24877014.html?dids=24877014:24877014&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Mar+05%2C+1987&author=Associated+Press&pub=Chicago+Tribune+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&desc=13+WAYS+TO+GET+MESSAGE+ON+PARKING&pqatl=google. Retrieved January 1, 2011.
- ^ Ari L. Goldman (June 15, 1982). "Bus-Only Lanes to be Increased to Speed Travel". The New York Times: section A, p. 1.
- ^ Clyde Haberman and Laurie Johnston (September 4, 1982). "New York Day by Day". The New York Times: section 1, p. 24.
- ^ Lauren Henderson (2004). Don't Even Think About It. Downtown Press. ISBN 0743464699. http://books.google.com/?id=lU8nzaeQYkcC.
[edit] See also
[edit] Further reading
- Paul Trapido, Barbara Ensor (1986). Don't Even Think of Parking Here: The New York City Guide to Parking and Driving. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0671628369. http://books.google.com/books?id=J9VhZVtgH7gC.
