Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In Quotes
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Source: Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Speaker: The Sock-It-To-Me girl
Sock it to me.
Context
This line is spoken by the Sock-It-To-Me girl, played by Judy Carne, in the TV show Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1967-1973).
Laugh-In was a sketch comedy show in the late 1960s/early 1970s that introduced us to Lily Tomlin and Goldie Hawn and brought a variety of catchphrases into the shag-carpeted living rooms of the era.
Has your grandpa ever said "You bet your sweet bippy!" or "Here come de judge!"? Yeah, he's had those jokes for as long as he's had his toupee.
On the show, Judy Carne would be tricked into saying "sock it to me," and then she would be splashed with water and/or dropped through a hole in the floor. Years later, Nickelodeon repeated the gag: slime would fall on anyone who said "I don't know" on You Can't Do That on Television.
Where you've heard it
This catchphrase reached peak infamy when Richard Nixon tried to say it, and somehow got the inflection all wrong.
Additional Notable References
- A company that sells—what else?—socks!
- A Missy Elliott song starring Missy as a giant Gmail logo from space.
Pretentious Factor
If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.
Tricking someone into saying it is a jerk maneuver, but there's nothing wrong with actually saying it… as long you're prepared for the consequences.