‘Do you think I’m made of money?’, ‘When I was your age’ and ‘He’s thick as two short planks’, have been hailed as a dad’s best-loved phrases. A poll of 2,000 adults uncovered the most common, sarcastic or funny sayings that our fathers come out with on a daily basis – with the top two both money-related.
‘Money doesn’t grow on trees’, ‘Were you raised in a barn’ and ‘I’m not sleeping, I’m just resting my eyes’, also featured in the top ten.
It also emerged that more than half of Brits reckon their father uses an average eight different ‘dad phrases’ regularly.
A spokesman for Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, which commissioned the research to mark the launch of The Best of Family Guy on DVD, said:
”Everyone has probably known their dad to come out with something sarcastic, funny or just plain crazy at some stage in their lives, and it’s quite funny to see them all listed in one place.
”I’m sure everyone can go through the list and find one or two which their own dad has said before.
”It’s interesting to see that the top two are both money-related – it’s easy to see what is important to a lot of dads.
”But while it can be embarrassing when dads say certain things, I’m sure they mean well.
”Some people may even describe the little sayings as one of their dad’s endearing features.”
‘Do you think I’m made of money’ was top of the list, closely followed by ‘Money doesn’t grow on trees’.
‘He’s as thick as two short planks’ was third in the poll, with ‘When I was your age …’ and ‘I’m not sleeping, I’m just resting my eyes’ completing the top five.
‘I’m not going to tell you again’ came sixth, followed by ‘Were you raised in a barn’ and ‘Don’t talk back to your mother’.
‘The classic dad question of ‘If you were told to jump of a cliff, would you?’ was at number nine, with ‘They don’t make them like they used to’ finishing off the top ten.
Other popular dad sayings to feature within the top 20 include ‘Don’t tell your mother’, ‘Waste not, want not’ and ‘You’re not going out in that’.
‘A little hard work never hurt anyone and ‘You don’t know you’re born’ were also among the phrases.
Researchers also found that 55% of Brits say there are certain phrases that they will always associate with their dad- 63% find their father’s quirky words amusing.
But the ‘dad sayings’ have rubbed off on their children over the years, with 43% admitting they often find themselves using the phrases they were brought up with nowadays.
Another 54% will, or already do, use the same sayings on their own children.
The study also found that far from ignoring their dad’s words of wisdom, 73% admit they now appreciate all the advice from their father over the years.
The spokesman for Family Guy continued:
”Family Guy’s Peter Griffin represents the best and worst of Dadism, managing to be both well-meaning and embarrassing, often at the same time.
”The brand new Best Of Family Guy DVD proves not only that, but that every aspect of dysfunctional family life can be mined in the name of comedy.”
Top 20 Dad phrases
1. Do you think I’m made of money
2. Money doesn’t grow on trees
3. He’s thick as two short planks
4. When I was your age …
5. I’m not sleeping, I’m just resting my eyes
6. I’m not going to tell you again
7. Were you raised in a barn
8. Don’t talk back to your mother
9. If you were told to jump off a cliff, would you?
10. They don’t make them like they used to
11. Stop crying or I’ll give you something to cry about
12. Don’t tell your mother
13. Waste not, want not
14. You’re not going out in that
15. We were grateful to have an orange for Christmas
16. Now, don’t go spending a lot on me
17. A little hard work never hurt anybody
18. You’ll understand when you’re older
19. You don’t know you’re born
20. Don’t let the bedbugs bite
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