1. Setting the scene

2The term fixed expressions is adopted from Moon (1998), as a convenient umbrella term referring to different kinds of holistic units of two or more words, such as frozen collocations, grammatically ill-formed collocations, proverbs, routine formulae, similes, idioms etc. (Moon 1998: 2). Such linguistic units, labelled and classified in different ways by different authors, constitute a significant part of phraseological research and have been studied extensively by scholars working in numerous linguistic fields, in particular psycholinguistics, corpus linguistics, applied linguistics and cognitive linguistics (for overviews of different research perspectives see Moon 1998, Wray 2002, Gries 2008). Moreover, insights into the complex nature of idiomatic language and grammar-lexicon continuum have played an important role in the theoretical foundations of functionally oriented and usage-based approaches to language, including the constructionist paradigm (for a survey of the role of phraseology in linguistic theory see Gries 2008; for overviews of the growing family of constructionist approaches see Goldberg 2006: 205‑226, Schönefeld 2006). Although the range of phenomena subsumed under the label of fixed expressions is very large and although there is considerable variety in both the terminology and the criteria employed in dealing with such phenomena from different research perspectives, the following features, identified by Moon (1998: 7‑8), can be used to highlight the pertinent aspects: institutionalization – the degree to which a multiword item is conventionalized in the language; lexicogrammatical fixedness – the degree to which a multiword item is frozen as a sequence of words; and non-compositionality – the degree to which a multiword item cannot be interpreted on a word-by-word basis, but has a specialized unitary meaning.

3Particularly significant for this paper is the fact that all of these features are a matter of degree. The gradual nature of the features of fixed expressions is also reflected in the set of parameters identified by Gries (2008) as the ones that are typically implicated in phraseological research and with respect to which co-ocurrence phenomena, including phraseology, should be defined: the nature of elements involved, the number of elements involved, the number of times an expression must be observed to count as a phraseologism, the permissible distance between the elements involved, the degree of lexical and syntactic flexibility of the elements involved, and the role that semantic unity and semantic non-compositionality/non-predictability play in the definition. With respect to these criteria, a fixed expression can be seen as typically involving two or more specific and immediately adjacent words, co-occurring more frequently than expected on the basis of chance, exhibiting a relatively high degree of lexical and syntactic stability, and characterized by semantic unity which may but need not involve non-compositionality. So the ‘fixedness’ of fixed expressions is rather a matter of degree, in particular with respect to the parameters of lexical and syntactic flexibility and non-compositionality, allowing for certain variability and enabling the interplay between routine and novelty, as illustrated by the example from the title – Long time, no buzz – which is clearly a variant of the fixed expression Long time, no see. Indeed, over the past two decades, corpus linguistics has provided compelling evidence that “so-called ‘fixed phrases’ are not in fact fixed” (Sinclair 1996: 83), and the variability of fixed expressions has been identified as a remarkable linguistic phenomenon by a number of authors working within different theoretical frameworks (cf. especially Sinclair 1991, 1996, Moon 1998, Wray 2002, Carter 2004, Langlotz 2006, Philip 2008).

4The constructionist perspective adopted in this paper is based on the framework developed by Goldberg (2006):

Any linguistic pattern is recognized as a construction as long as some aspect of its form or function is not strictly predictable from its component parts or from other constructions recognized to exist. In addition, patterns are stored as constructions even if they are fully predictable as long as they occur with sufficient frequency. (Goldberg 2006: 5)

6The focus here will be on two particular kinds of fixed expressions – traditional aphoristic sequences (e.g. Once bitten, twice shy)and recent popular quotes (e.g. And now for something completely different). The aim of the paper is twofold: (1) to provide insight into the degree and kind of variation licensed by the fixed expressions under examination, and (2) to consider possible theoretical contextualizations of the findings using the notions of construction grammar (Goldberg 2006), cognitive grammar (Langacker 1987, 2000), conceptual blending (Fauconnier & Turner 2002) and intertextuality in everyday language use (Gasparov 2004).

7The expressions selected for closer examination and the scope of the analysis are presented in Section 2. The description of lexical and syntactic modifications of the expressions examined is presented in Section 3, followed by the consideration of the underlying motivations in Section 4. Theoretical implications and contextualizations of the findings are discussed in Section 5, followed by the concluding remarks in Section 6. In the body of the text the data is presented in a condensed form, including the type of modification, the number of tokens in quantifiable types of modification, and illustrative examples, while the full list of modified expressions, reflecting the types of modification described, is provided in the Appendix.

2. The data and the scope of the analysis

8The following fixed expressions have been selected for closer examination:

9(1) – Long-established aphoristic sequences, which exhibit somewhat irregular syntax, characterized by the structural balancing of two parts against each other (cf. Quirk et al. 1985: 843):

Once bitten, twice shy
First come, first served
Easy come, easy go
Long time, no see

10(2) – Relatively recent popular film quotes, which are characterized by a specific lexico-syntactic pattern, meaning and use and thus commonly identified as idiosyncratic chunks:

• 3  The expressions selected for the analysis in this group feature prominently in the American Film I (...)

And now for something completely different (“Monty Python's Flying Circus”)3
Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn (“Gone with the Wind”)
Go ahead, make my day (“Sudden Impact”)
May the force be with you (“Star Wars”)

12The analysis comprises a total of 306 tokens of modified expressions under examination, distributed as follows:

13(1) – Aphoristic sequences:

Once bitten, twice shy	55
First come, first served	31
Easy come, easy go	37
Long time, no see	46

14(2) – Popular film quotations:

And now for something completely different	42
Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn	34
Go ahead, make my day	36
May the force be with you	25

17The analysis has revealed that the idiosyncratic linguistic sequences from the two groups examined, although varying along different dimensions of fixedness, turn out to manifest considerable similarity in terms of the degree and kind of variation they accommodate. The findings presented below have emerged as a result of considering the following aspects of the modification of the fixed expressions at stake:

• lexical modification with respect to the overall syntactic pattern

• underlying motivations for the selection of the modified element (phonological, semantic, information structure)

• viable theoretical interpretations of this linguistic phenomenon.

3. Lexical modification with respect to the syntax of the fixed expression

183.1 The modification of fixed expressions typically involves lexical substitution,  whereby the overall syntactic pattern is preserved:

Aphoristic sequences

Popular quotes

Once bitten, twice Adj (7) Once bitten, twice wise Once bitten, twice live Once bitten, twice V-en (11) Once bitten, twice bold Once bitten, twice blessed Once V-en, twice shy (11) Once beaten, twice shy Once married, twice shy Once Adj, twice shy (3) Once dead, twice shy Once glitzy, twice shy First come, first V-en (11) First come, first seated First come, first bought First V-en, first served (7) First seen, first served First paid, first served First come, NumOrd/AdjSup served (2) First come, second served First come, best served Easy come, easy V (11) Easy come, easy do Easy come, easy buy Long time, no V (13) Long time, no hear Long time, no sell

And now for something completely Adj (15) And now for something completely ridiculous And now for something completely Shakespearean And now for something completely V-en (2) And now for something completely wasted And now for something completely stolen And now for something Adv different (2) And now for something quite different And now for something substantially different And now for something Adv Adj (9) And now for something really dangerous And now for something absolutely gorgeous Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a N (19) Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a link Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a Google Go ahead, make my N (11) Go ahead, make my Monday Go ahead, make my duel Go ahead, make Poss N (day) (5) Go ahead, make Obama’s day Go ahead, make our midnight Go ahead, make a N (3) Go ahead, make a mess Go ahead, make a wish May the force V with you (7) May the force sing with you May the force exercise with you

193.2 Apart from, or in addition to lexical substitution, it is also possible to add or remove certain elements at the phrase level and still keep the overall syntactic pattern, whereby the removal of elements is apparently conditioned by the degree of elaboration of the internal phrase structure within the host expression:

Addition (19)	Subtraction (7)
Once bitten, twice as angry May the force and minty-Fresh Breath be with you	And now for something different And now for something positive

203.3 On the other hand, in a remarkably high number of instances, lexical substitution is such that it involves the reshaping of the overall syntactic pattern (further examples of syntactic reshaping in view of the linguistic motivation and the information structure of the modified expressions are presented in section 4):

Aphoristic sequences

Popular quotes

Once bitten, twice N (1) Once bitten, twice Ed Once bitten, twice V (3) Once bitten, twice watch out Once bitten, twice read more Once N, twice shy (1) Once Biden, twice shy First come, first (to) V (6) First come, first kill First come, first sue First N, first served (1) First scrum, first served Easy come, easy N (5) Easy come, easy money Easy come, easy pop (music) Easy N, easy go (2) Easy-plug, easy-go Easy lover, easy go Long time, no N (20) Long time, no news Long time, no comment

And now for something completely NP (3) And now for something completely Madonna And now for something completely video Frankly, my dear, NP Vintr (1) Frankly, my dear, the musical doesn’t work Go ahead, make  O  OC (9) Go ahead, make me stay Go ahead, make me gay May the force be SC (2) May the force be better behaved May the force be over May the force VtrP (1) May the force not beat you up

4. Underlying motivations for the selection of the modified element

4.1 Phonological and semantic motivation

21The examples above show that the selection of the element of the fixed expression to be modified and the novel element is primarily context-dependent and conditioned by the overall constructional meaning (e.g., Once bitten, twice bold), but that there are also cases where the modification of fixed expressions is clearly motivated by linguistic factors involving the intricate interplay between the form and meaning of the element selected for modification on the one hand and the form and meaning of the novel element on the other (e.g., Once beaten, twice shy).

22As far as the form is concerned, modification can evidently be easily triggered by different kinds of phonological similarity between the element selected for modification and the novel element (especially rhyming or homophony, but also partial overlapping of the phonological form), as well as by the phonological similarity (especially rhyming) between the novel element and another element of the host expression (e.g., Once bitten, twice smitten). The phonologically motivated modification of idiosyncratic expressions frequently occurs at the cost of reshaping the overall syntactic pattern:

Phonological motivation / Same syntax (15)	Phonological motivation / Different syntax (16)
Once bitten, twice smitten Easy come, easy blow Long time, no sail Go ahead, make my play May the force beat with you May the source be with you	Once bitten, twice fly First come, first surf Easy come, easy Gaughin Easy rum, easy go Long time, no tea May the force beer with you

23Semantic motivation is distinctly more complex to pinpoint (and consequently resists precise quantification), due to the fact that it can involve not only a straightforward semantic relation between the replaced and the novel element (e.g. First come, last served – where the replaced element first and the novel element last are antonyms), but also the compatibility of the meaning of the novel element and the overall meaning of the host idiosyncratic expression (e.g. Once bitten, never shy – where the novel element never, although not directly antonymous to the replaced element twice, is incorporated in the host expression so as to make the modified expression stand in contrast to it). Moreover, the selection of the novel element is primarily conditioned by the constructional meaning of the host idiosyncratic expression. Broadly speaking, lexico-semantic motivation can involve either similarity in meaning (ranging from near-synonymy between the replaced and the novel element to similarity in lexical/grammatical meaning conditioned by the overall meaning of the host expression) or oppositeness in meaning (ranging from antonymy between the replaced and the novel element to lexical/grammatical contrast conditioned by the overall meaning of the host expression):

Similarity	Oppositeness
Once stung, twice shy Easy come, easy leave Easy come, easy depart And now for something totally different Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a a darn Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a a fuck	Once bitten, never shy First come, last served Easy come, hard to go And now for something completely similar Frankly, my dear, I do give a hoot Go ahead, make my night May the force be without you

4.2 Information structure: End focus vs. initial focus

24In terms of the information structure (cf. Lambrecht 1994), the examples provided so far clearly show that the modified elements tend to bulk towards the end of the fixed expression. This end-weight in the distribution of new information is also evident in the extensive addition of elements within the final constituent, which may also result in syntactic reshaping:

End-focus / Same syntax	End-focus / Different syntax
Once bitten, twice as ready First come, fist-served Long time, no learn English And now for something not so completely different Frankly, my dear, I still don’t want a dam	Once bitten, Parker isn't shy about bargains Long time, no word of what has been found Frankly, my dear, British get here May the force bring peace and love

25The end-focus is also noticeable within the first constituent of the double-barrel fixed expressions, whereby the overall syntactic pattern can be either kept or reshaped, as can be seen from the following examples, some of which are repeated from previous sections:

End-focus within the first constituent / Same syntax	End-focus within the first constituent / Different syntax
Once bombed, twice shy Once divorced, twice shy First applied, first served First called, first served	Once Biden, twice shy First scrum, first served Easy rum, easy go

26The initial focus is strikingly rare – it has been attested in only 6 instances:

Twice bitten, never shy
Sleazy come, easy go
Izzy come, easy go
Lifetime, no see
Prankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn
Franko, my dear, I don’t give a damn

5. Theoretical considerations

5.1 On the constructional productivity of fixed expressions

28The data show that language users employ a variety of modification strategies to extend the highly idiosyncratic fixed expressions beyond their original form and function, which means that lexically filled constructions yield themselves to productive generalizations regardless of the low-level schematicity. The constructional productivity of fixed expressions may not be as apparent as that of partially filled or fully schematic constructions, but its role in the constructional architecture of the language is not less important. As pointed out by Goldberg (2006: 63‑63), the recognition of the importance of co-existence and interaction of item-specific knowledge and generalizations, corroborated by ample evidence in both language and categorization studies, is in fact essential to usage-based models of language. The role of lower-level schemas has also been stressed by Hampe and Schönefeld (2006) in their treatment of creative uses of verbs in complex-transitive constructions, where the syntactic leaps across argument structure constructions are shown to result from the lexical manipulation of “master collocations” which serve as models for analogous uses. The present considerations of the constructional productivity of fixed expressions corroborate these views, in line with the emphasis that Langacker (1987, 2000) places on the role of low-level schemas in his definitions of a usage-based approach, as well as in his discussion of the interface between convention and usage, and can be summarized by his observation that conventional units provide an essentially unlimited range of symbolic potential for the speaker to recognize and exploit (Langacker 1987: 66).

5.2 Fixed expressions as constructional frames

29That the variation found in fixed expressions often follows unpredictable routes and is too wide-ranging to be captured by a unified schematic representation has been repeatedly acknowledged in literature (cf. e.g., Moon 1998, Langlotz 2006, Philip 2008), and the expressions analyzed here are no different in this respect. As the data show, modification can concern virtually any lexical item, syntactic structure, and the overall semantic content and pragmatic function (e.g., Easy come, easy buy; Easy come, never go; Easy rum, easy go; Easy.Com, easy go; Sleazy come, easy go). In order to modify an element of a fixed expression, and in order to understand the modified expression, one has to grasp the whole multifaceted configuration in which the modified element fits: linguistic form (phonological, morphological, lexical and syntactic form), meaning (the meaning of the whole and the meanings of the parts) and use (context and situation sensitive). Each fixed expression is in fact a gestalt that involves a complex network of interrelated linguistic and encyclopedic knowledge (see also Moon 1998: 121, Langlotz 2006: 283).

30In that they involve a stored knowledge structure that relates linguistic and conceptual entities associated with a particular situationally and culturally bound context, fixed expressions can be seen as constructional frames. Different slots in the frame can relate to different lexical items, occasionally also involving the reshaping of the syntactic pattern, affecting the overall semantic content and pragmatic function to varying degrees, including the interplay between literal and metaphorical interpretation, but generally keeping the global form-meaning-use correspondence to the original lexically filled construction recognizable. The notion of constructional frames shares correspondences to Moon’s (1998) notions of “lexicogrammatical frames” and “idiom schemas”, Langlotz’s (2006) notion of “idiomatic activation-sets”, and Philip’s (2008) notions of “idiomatic themes”and “palimpsest effects”. Being very broad in scope, it is intended to emphasize the intricate interrelations of the linguistic and encyclopedic knowledge involved in the processes of meaning construction and interpretation triggered by idiosyncratic form-meaning-use amalgams, as can be illustrated by the the following segment of the modifications within the once bitten, twice shy [a negative experience makes you more careful] constructional frame:

Once bitten, twice bold
Once bitten, twice kissed
Once bitten, twice show
Once bitten, twice smitten
Once bitten, twice as angry
Once bitten, never shy
Once stung, twice shy
Once married, twice shy
Once Biden, twice shy
Twice bitten, never shy   etc.

31The small-scale analysis undertaken in this paper has highlighted certain trends in the variability of fixed expressions, such as the relatively high degree of syntactic reshaping, the important role of phonological motivation in addition to the pervasive semantic motivation, and the strikingly high degree of end-weight in the distribution of new information. These trends are not meant to be predictive, but reflective of the motivations underlying the modification of fixed expressions. The potential of a low-level idiosyncratic linguistic chunk to accommodate novel linguistic and conceptual input in creative ways is virtually unlimited, just like the human creative capacity itself. At this point it is worth emphasizing that establishing the precise nature of the linguistic and conceptual interaction involved in the variation found in fixed expressions, as well as the degree to which a fixed expression can be modified and still be recognizable, is a highly complex task that would require comprehensive corpus-based and experimental research.

5.3 Modified idiosyncratic expressions, conceptual blending and intertextuality

• the fixed expression as a constructional frame in its entirety (idiosyncratic form-meaning-use correspondence);

• the context which is in some way compatible (analogous or disanalogous) to the conventional one and which triggers modification;

• the form and meaning of the element of the fixed expression selected for modification;

• the form and meaning of the novel element from the compatible context.

34Conceptual blends involving the fixed expression Long time, no see as an input space can  have the emergent structure “Long time, no X”, whereby X can be a verb or a noun. The mappings between the constructional frame constituted by the aphoristic sequence Long time, no see conventionally used in situational contexts of the type “It has been a long time since we last saw each other” and an analogous context “It has been a long time since...” profile the verb see as the element of the fixed expression selected for modification. The analogous context input space provides a novel element to be mapped onto the selected element of the fixed expression. That mapping may conform to the odd syntactic pattern of the fixed expression, in which case the novel element will be a verb (e.g. Long time, no write), or it may involve a noun, triggered by the compatibility with the syntactically regular “no N” structure, in which case the overall syntactic pattern of the modified expression in the blend will be changed (e.g., Long time, no news).

35The high incidence of variation in the idiosyncratic linguistic sequences examined in this analysis shows that fixed expressions actually lend themselves quite readily as input spaces in conceptual blending of this kind. Why should this be so? In search of an answer to this question, it may be useful to turn to the notion of intertextuality. The concept of intertextuality, which was introduced by Julia Kristeva in the late 1960s and has featured prominently in semiotic and literary studies ever since (cf. Kristeva 1967, 1980), essentially implies that every literary text is produced not exclusively from an author’s head, but from other literary texts, whose presence can be tracked not only in direct quotations but above all in reminiscences and allusions.

The process of speech can be described as intertextual, in a sense that every new fact of speech, however novel in appearance, is always superscribed over recollections of previous speech experiences. The very fact that new configurations emerging in speech can be traced to their recognizable prototypes lays out the foundation for their interpretation by speakers.  (Gasparov 2004: 45)

37The intertextual approach to everyday language use draws on the ubiquity of prefabricated language chunks (“communicative fragments” in Gasparov’s terms), maintaining that in the process of language production and perception language users do not assemble sentences from basic units every time, but rather operate with ready-made templates whose form, meaning and use they modify to suit the current communication purpose, whereby previous linguistic experience turns out to play a more important role than fixed general rules.

38The findings of the present analysis corroborate this view, which is also in line with the interface between convention and usage and the importance of low-level schemas stressed by Langacker (1987, 2000), as well as with the usage-based approaches to language in general (Goldberg 2006). Just as a new text is informed by other texts which the reader has read and by the reader's own cultural context, a novel construction that a language user produces/interprets is informed by the form, meaning and use of other idiosyncratic constructions stored from previous language use. The role of intertextuality in the institutionalization of fixed expression has been observed by Moon (1998: 42) in her discussion of the ways in which catchphrases drawn from cinema, television, politics, journalism etc. establish themselves as ritualistic fixed expressions through repeated use. But the explanatory potential of the notion of intertextuality, as discussed by Gasparov (2004), deserves to be applied on a larger scale. The notion of intertextuality goes hand in hand with constructionist approaches to language insofar that it highlights the special role which concrete expressions memorized by speakers have for producing and interpreting novel expressions.The idea of linking construction grammar and intertextuality also shares correspondences to Croft’s evolutionary model of language change (Croft 2000) and has recently been employed in phraseology research by Hohl Trillini and Langlotz (2010).A continuous informed dialogue between linguistic and literary theories could therefore prove to be beneficial to both, since the points of convergence are numerous and significant.

6. Concluding remarks

	Fixed expressions considered	Modified expressions found
Number of instances	8	306
	Modified expressions keeping the same syntax	Modified expressions resulting in different syntax
Number of instances	219	86
Percentage	71.90%	28.10%
	Modified expressions motivated by the similarity in the phonological form of the novel and the replaced element
Number of instances	31
Percentage	10.16%
	Modified expressions with end-focus (external/internal)	Modified expressions with initial focus
Number of instances	300	6
Percentage	98.04%	1.96%

40Balancing between fixedness and flexibility, between routine and innovation, idiosyncratic, lexically filled linguistic sequences manifest inherent constructional dynamism, which can accommodate variation along both lexical and syntactic dimensions and can be exploited as a powerful mechanism of constructing new meanings.

41However we choose to interpret the modification of fixed, idiomatic expressions, the fact remains that it is a strategy which is readily employed by language users in order to achieve special effects in communication. This kind of creative language use definitely calls for more systematic attention. Converging insights from constructionist approaches to language, conceptual blending theory and the intertextual model of language competence hold promise of accounting for it in a comprehensive way, thus shedding fresh light on the constructional architecture of the language.

Appendix

423.1 Lexical modification (same syntax)

Aphoristic sequences

Popular quotes

Once bitten, twice Adj Once bitten, twice wise Once bitten, twice bold Once bitten, twice dead Once bitten, twice live Once bitten, twice sensitive Once bitten, twice bankrupt Once bitten, twice dashing Once bitten, twice V-en Once bitten, twice bitten Once bitten, twice denied Once bitten, twice tried Once bitten, twice blessed Once bitten, twice kissed Once bitten, twice felched Once bitten, twice hammered Once bitten, twice registered Once bitten, twice slimed Once bitten, twice derived Once bitten, twice removed Once V-en, twice shy Once burned, twice shy Once bombed, twice shy Once banned, twice shy Once beaten, twice shy Once electrocuted, twice shy Once strip-mined, twice shy Once divorced, twice shy Once married, twice shy Once betrayed, twice shy Once tapped, twice shy Once trapped, twice shy Once Adj, twice shy Once dead, twice shy Once organic, twice shy Once glitzy, twice shy First come, first V-en First come, first seated First come, first sold First come, first bought First come, first taken First come, first paid First come, first hosted First come, first released First come, first published First come, first examined First come, first processed First come, first relieved First V-en, first served First indexed, first served First arrived, first served First applied, first served First paid, first served First left, first served First called, first served First seen, first served First come, NumOrd/AdjSup served First come, second served First come, best served Easy come, easy V Easy come, easy do Easy come, easy play Easy come, easy gain Easy come, easy give Easy come, easy buy Easy come, easy pass Easy come, easy fail Easy come, easy lose Easy come, easy die Easy come, easy downgrade Easy come, easy pretend Long time, no V Long time, no hear Long time, no write Long time, no say Long time, no speak Long time, no talk Long time, no chat Long time, no teach Long time, no read Long time, no play Long time, no sing Long time, no scream Long time, no buy Long time, no sell

And now for something completely Adj And now for something completely ridiculous And now for something completely hilarious And now for something completely personal And now for something completely simple And now for something completely nerdy And now for something completely random And now for something completely digital And now for something completely topical And now for something completely diffuse And now for something completely unrelated And now for something completely unimportant And now for something completely irrelevant And now for something completely grotesque And now for something completely Shakespearean And now for something completely Christian And now for something completely V-en And now for something completely wasted And now for something completely stolen And now for something Adv different And now for something quite different And now for something substantially different And now for something Adv Adj And now for something really dangerous And now for something really cute And now for something really scary And now for something seriously sick And now for something seriously sick And now for something absolutely gorgeous And now for something infinitely interesting And now for something far more important And now for something a bit more pleasant Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a N Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a link Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a winnie Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a blip Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a tweet Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a blitz Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a clam Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a grand Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a bath Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a Frank Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a Toot Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a Dharma Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a Daimler Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a Stein Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a Guam Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a Google Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a dredd Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a quack Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a meow Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a ham-ham Go ahead, make my N Go ahead, make my Monday Go ahead, make my evening Go ahead, make my birthday Go ahead, make my millennium Go ahead, make my honeymoon Go ahead, make my holiday Go ahead, make my duel Go ahead, make my deal Go ahead, make my dinner Go ahead, make my curry Go ahead, make my ring Go ahead, make Poss N (day) Go ahead, make Obama’s day Go ahead, make Clint’s day Go ahead, make a homeless pet’s day Go ahead, make our midnight Go ahead, make our daybeds Go ahead, make a N Go ahead, make a mess Go ahead, make a mistake Go ahead, make a wish May the force V with you May the force stick with you May the force stay with you May the force bear with you May the force sing with you May the force buy with you May the force hang tight with you May the force exercise with you

433.2 Addition / Subtraction

Addition

Subtraction

Once bitten, twice as angry Once bitten, twice as ready Once bitten, not so shy Once bitten, twice not shy Once bitten, but still not shy Long time, no see you Long time, no tell my stories to you Long time, no learn English And now for something not so completely different Frankly, my dear, I still don’t want a dam Go ahead, make my 200 seconds Go ahead, make my next four years Go ahead, make my video game Go ahead, make their first day May the green force be with you May the ground Force be with you May the peroxide force be with you May the Kudzu Force be with you May the force and minty-Fresh Breath be with you

And now for something different And now for something positive And now for something newd And now for something integral And now for something else And now for something cheesier And now for something lighter

443.3 Syntactic reshaping

Aphoristic sequences

Popular quotes

Once bitten, twice N Once bitten, twice Ed Once bitten, twice V Once bitten, twice watch out Once bitten, twice read more Once bitten, twice show Once N, twice shy Once Biden, twice shy First come, first (to) V First come, first kill First come, first sue First come, first go First come, first get First come, first takes First come, first to unbind First N, first served First scrum, first served Easy come, easy N Easy come, easy money Easy come, easy pop (music) Easy come, easy lace Easy come, easy Clico Easy come, easy Google Easy N, easy go Easy-plug, easy-go Easy lover, easy go Long time, no N Long time, no news Long time, no message Long time, no e-mail Long time, no date Long time, no fun Long time, no job Long time, no video Long time, no comment Long time, no blog Long time, no buzz Long time, no break Long time, no release Long time, no update Long time, no post Long time, no geek Long time, no bento Long time, no meme Long time, no SIFR Long time, no incoherence Long time, no conjecture

And now for something completely NP And now for something completely Madonna And now for something completely video And now for something completely Monty Python Frankly, my dear, NP Vintr Frankly, my dear, the musical doesn’t work Go ahead, make  O  OC Go ahead, make me stay Go ahead, make me pay Go ahead, make me buy Go ahead, make me laugh Go ahead, make him play Go ahead, make me over Go ahead, make me gay Go ahead, make Mario mad Go ahead, make Texas a blue state May the force be SC May the force be better behaved May the force be over May the force VtrP May the force not beat you up

454.1 Phonological and semantic motivation

Phonological motivation / Same syntax	Phonological motivation / Different syntax
Once bitten, twice sly Once bitten, twice high Once smitten, twice shy Once bitten, twice smitten Easy come, easy glow Easy come, easy tow Easy come, easy grow Easy come, easy throw Easy come, easy blow Long time, no ski Long time, no sail Go ahead, make my play May the force beat with you May the force beep with you May the source be with you	Once bitten, twice fly Once ‘bittern’, twice shy First come, first surf Easy come, easy snow Easy come, easy (cash) flow Easy come, easy Gaughin Easy some, easy go Easy rum, easy go Easy.Com, easy go Long time, no sea Long time, no C Long time, no seat Long time, no seen Long time, no tea Long time, no me May the force beer with you
Semantic similarity	Semantic oppositeness
Once stung, twice shy Easy come, easy leave Easy come, easy depart And now for something totally different Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a a darn Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a fig Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a fuck	Once bitten, never shy First come, last served First come, first disserved Easy come, easy stay Easy come, difficult go Easy come, hard to go Easy come, never go And now for something completely similar And now for something relatively different Go ahead, make my night Frankly, my dear, I do give a damn Frankly, my dear, I do give a hoot Frankly, my dear, I do give a dang May the force be without you

End-focus / Same syntax	End-focus / Different syntax
Once bitten, twice as ready Once bitten, twice as angry Once bitten, not so shy Once bitten, twice not shy Once bitten, but still not shy First come, fist-served Long time, no see you Long time, no tell my stories to you Long time, no learn English And now for something not so completely different Frankly, my dear, I still don’t want a dam Frankly, my dear, I don’t have aknit Frankly, my dear, I do give a dime Frankly, my dear, Russians dogive a damn Go ahead, make my 200 seconds Go ahead, make my next four years Go ahead, make my video game Go ahead, make their first day	Long time, no word of what has been found Once bitten, Parker isn't shy about bargains Once bitten, Irish still fight shy of stocks and shares Once bitten, Brighton East teen still panda-shy after attack Once bitten, Camera Obscura not twice shy Frankly, my dear, British get here Frankly, my dear, you are a bit blurry May the force come uponyou May the force bring you candy May the force bring peace and love May the force break your leg May the force treat you kindly
End-focus within the first constituent / Same syntax	End-focus within the first constituent / Different syntax
First indexed, first served First arrived, first served First applied, first served First paid, first served First left, first served First called, first served First seen, first served Once burned, twice shy Once bombed, twice shy Once banned, twice shy Once beaten, twice shy Once electrocuted, twice shy Once strip-mined, twice shy Once divorced, twice shy Once married, twice shy Once betrayed, twice shy Once tapped, twice shy Once trapped, twice shy Once smitten, twice shy Once stung, twice shy Once dead, twice shy Once organic, twice shy Once glitzy, twice shy	First scrum, first served Easy-plug, easy-go Easy lover, easy go Easy some, easy go Easy rum, easy go Easy.Com, easy go Once Biden, twice shy Once ‘bittern’, twice shy
Initial focus
Twice bitten, nevershy  Lifetime, no see  Sleazy come, easy go  Izzy come, easy go  Prankly, my dear, we don't give a damn  Franko, my dear, I don’t give a damn