What are some good examples of repeated words/names/phrases?
January 8, 2020 8:12 AM   Subscribe

I am a quizmaster for a local trivia night and have a concept for a general trivia category that incorporates repeated words, phrases, or names (e.g. the songwriter Phillip Phillips or the poetry line "rose is a rose is a rose is a rose"). Do you have any good examples? (Creative interpretation of the guideline is encouraged!)
posted by AgentRocket to Grab Bag (120 answers total) 4 users marked this as a favorite
 


Marcia Marcia Marcia
posted by slenderloris at 8:15 AM on January 8, 2020 [3 favorites]


New York, New York
That Buffalo Buffalo sentence, though I am not sure how to do that as a trivia question
Sing-sing prison
All the things on this list
posted by jacquilynne at 8:17 AM on January 8, 2020


The comics/tv/movie character Richie Rich
Saying "rabbit rabbit" on the first of the month
Lin Manuel Miranda's "love is love is love" sonnet
posted by adastra at 8:19 AM on January 8, 2020 [2 favorites]


Boutros Boutros-Ghali
posted by bondcliff at 8:19 AM on January 8, 2020 [7 favorites]


The character Major Major Major Major from Catch-22.

Give a sentence where "had" is used four times in a row correctly.
posted by Fukiyama at 8:21 AM on January 8, 2020 [8 favorites]


Major Major from Catch-22.
posted by bookmammal at 8:22 AM on January 8, 2020


Moshi moshi
posted by Gortuk at 8:23 AM on January 8, 2020


“There is no there there.” —Gertrude Stein
posted by bookmammal at 8:26 AM on January 8, 2020 [3 favorites]


The band Duran Duran.
The city of Walla Walla, Washington. (Here's the Wikipedia list of reduplicated place names for more.)
People: Galileo Galilei, Yo-Yo Ma, Ricky Ricardo, etc. from Wikipedia.
posted by madcaptenor at 8:27 AM on January 8, 2020 [1 favorite]


Regarding "there is no there there":
- "a rose is a rose is a rose" is also Stein;
- there is a sculpture/sign at the Oakland/Berkeley border of the words "there" (on the Oakland side) and "here" (on the Berkeley side), which might help make a decent trivia question.
posted by madcaptenor at 8:30 AM on January 8, 2020


badger badger badger badger
posted by Glinn at 8:31 AM on January 8, 2020 [3 favorites]


Boaty McBoatface aka what you get when you let the internet decide
posted by alleycat01 at 8:32 AM on January 8, 2020 [1 favorite]


Sixth Secretary-General of the United Nations Boutros Boutros-Ghali
posted by theora55 at 8:34 AM on January 8, 2020 [2 favorites]


Circus Circus hotel/casino in Las Vegas.
posted by bookmammal at 8:34 AM on January 8, 2020


(I think they actually eventually used the name -- which crushed the competition -- for a submersible carried by the research ship, which was instead named the RSS Sir David Attenborough. I am SURE you can make a good pop culture trivia question out of that!)
posted by alleycat01 at 8:34 AM on January 8, 2020


The Bungle Bungle range in Australia. Not creative as such but with the word bungle in you could have a lot of fun with the question wording.
posted by wwax at 8:37 AM on January 8, 2020


Didn't Little Caesar's have a slogan "Pizza Pizza" for a while? (They might still.)
posted by madcaptenor at 8:38 AM on January 8, 2020 [3 favorites]


How about something like the River Avon (River River) or other tautological place names?
posted by scorbet at 8:42 AM on January 8, 2020 [4 favorites]






Which national leader allegedly held "bunga-bunga" parties?
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 8:45 AM on January 8, 2020




Bol Bol has been splitting his time between the Denver Nuggets and the G-League Windy City Bulls.

It’s David Bowie’s birthday, so here’s Rebel Rebel.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 8:50 AM on January 8, 2020 [1 favorite]


In real estate: What matters most?

Location, location, location
posted by Thorzdad at 8:51 AM on January 8, 2020 [4 favorites]


Dana Carvey's Choppin Broccoli song (skip to 55 seconds in for the repetition).

The Newhart Show's "This is my brother Darryl; this is my other brother Darryl."

Airplane movie (sorta duplicates): We have Clearance, Clarence. Roger, Roger. What's our vector, Victor?

For that matter, you may be able to use a Who's on First routine?
posted by hydra77 at 8:52 AM on January 8, 2020


I'm sure there are tons, but here are a few music acts I thought of:

Frou Frou
Talk Talk
The Ting Tings
Xiu Xiu
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
posted by mean square error at 8:52 AM on January 8, 2020 [2 favorites]


There are quite a lot of animal species with repeated scientific names: Rattus rattus, Gorilla gorilla, Troglodytes troglodytes (Eurasian wren), Buteo buteo (Common buzzard), Puffinus puffinus (Manx shearwater), Crex crex (corncrake). Some of them repeat as subspecies as well, i.e. Gorilla gorilla gorilla.
posted by Bloxworth Snout at 8:52 AM on January 8, 2020 [4 favorites]




The movie Tora Tora Tora.
(This is fun!)
posted by bookmammal at 8:56 AM on January 8, 2020 [2 favorites]


Tomato, tomato
posted by sacrifix at 8:57 AM on January 8, 2020 [2 favorites]


Modernist/imagist poet William Carlos Williams!
posted by SeedStitch at 8:58 AM on January 8, 2020




In my favourite play, Escaped Alone, one of the characters - Mrs Jarrett - delivers the following speech:
Terrible rage terrible rage terrible rage terrible rage terrible rage terrible rage terrible rage terrible rage terrible rage terrible rage terrible rage terrible rage terrible rage terrible rage terrible rage terrible rage terrible rage terrible rage terrible rage terrible rage terrible rage terrible rage terrible rage terrible rage terrible rage.
That's 25 repetitions. It's shocking and brilliant when performed, but perhaps a little too obscure for a pub quiz!
posted by penguin pie at 9:00 AM on January 8, 2020


Less known (but, hey, it's trivia) is that the author John Myers Myers wrote the book Silverlock.
posted by Tabitha Someday at 9:00 AM on January 8, 2020


Hurt people hurt people.
The heart wants what it wants.
posted by fiercecupcake at 9:01 AM on January 8, 2020


You might do a clue about echolalia, the tendency to repeat the words of another.
posted by reren at 9:02 AM on January 8, 2020


The great Joe Zawinul tune Mercy, Mercy, Mercy that Cannonball Adderley made famous.
posted by umbú at 9:02 AM on January 8, 2020 [1 favorite]


Oh, and let us never forget Boops boops (in a bucket).
posted by fiercecupcake at 9:02 AM on January 8, 2020 [2 favorites]


A phrase I used to hear used a lot in Thailand back in the 90s: "same same...but different"
posted by TWinbrook8 at 9:04 AM on January 8, 2020 [1 favorite]


Edgar Allan Poe, “The Bells”
posted by Huffy Puffy at 9:07 AM on January 8, 2020 [1 favorite]


Pushing Daisies has several of these. Charlotte "Chuck" Charles was one of the lead characters, and her father was Charles Charles. The show is set in the town of Coeur d'Coeurs. Chuck's aunts Lily and Vivian once had an aquatic act where they performed as the Darling Mermaid Darlings.

In Dangerous Minds, Michelle Pfeiffer's character proposes a "Dylan Dylan contest" to her students. (Linking Bob Dylan and Dylan Thomas)
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 9:13 AM on January 8, 2020


One of my favorite birds: Cinclus Cinclus

What you want are tautonyms
posted by vacapinta at 9:17 AM on January 8, 2020 [1 favorite]


Old Washington Post slogan: “if you don’t get it, you don’t get it”
posted by sallybrown at 9:17 AM on January 8, 2020


You might have a question about the linguistic term "reduplication." It's when a word or sound is used repeatedly, usually for intensification purposes. "Low low prices!" means the prices are even lower. A middle schooler might describe a friend of the opposite sex as a "friend friend, not a boyfriend."
posted by Liesl at 9:19 AM on January 8, 2020


Someone mentioned the yeah yeah yeahs and I’d like to add that they have a song called no no no.
posted by sibboleth at 9:20 AM on January 8, 2020 [2 favorites]


What three word phrase is repeated simultaneously with "Pick a little, talk a little, pick a little, talk a little..."? A:"Good Night Ladies, good night ladies, good night ladies..." From the Music Man
posted by lothar at 9:25 AM on January 8, 2020


The song "Nobody but me" starts with the lyrics:
No-no, no, no, no-no-no, no, no-no, no, no-no
Na-no, no, na-no, no-no, na-no, no-no, no, no-no, no
Nobody can do the (Shing-a-ling) like I do

That's a little repetition.
posted by Tabitha Someday at 9:27 AM on January 8, 2020 [1 favorite]


Wikipedia also has a List of people with reduplicated names. Looks to be a few hundred, and since they have WP articles they are all "notable" in some sense.
posted by SaltySalticid at 9:28 AM on January 8, 2020


Also, the French movie Cousin Cousine would just be Cousin Cousin in English.
posted by Tabitha Someday at 9:29 AM on January 8, 2020


The The
posted by Wild_Eep at 9:30 AM on January 8, 2020 [5 favorites]


The City & the City by China Miéville
posted by Tabitha Someday at 9:32 AM on January 8, 2020


The No No Song by Ringo Starr
posted by FencingGal at 9:38 AM on January 8, 2020


Roseanne Roseannadanna (Gilda Radner character on SNL)
Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby (Louis Jordan song)
The Go-Gos
Say Say Say (McCartney/Jackson song)
Sing Sing Sing (Benny Goodman song)
"To be or not to be"
posted by dywypi at 9:38 AM on January 8, 2020


That's a little repetition.

And, in contrast, the Devo song Uncontrollable Urge

"Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah!
Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah!"

And the band the Yeah Yeah yeahs (hit song is Maps)
posted by jessamyn at 9:40 AM on January 8, 2020 [1 favorite]


Sugar Sugar

It depends upon what the meaning of the word 'is' is (sorry)

Also just plain ISIS
posted by Mchelly at 9:41 AM on January 8, 2020


Jean Valjean - Les Misérables?
posted by Pig Tail Orchestra at 9:43 AM on January 8, 2020


"There's no there there!"
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice...
Bloody Mary bloody Mary...
posted by Gray Duck at 9:43 AM on January 8, 2020 [1 favorite]


Louie Louie.
posted by BlahLaLa at 9:45 AM on January 8, 2020


ctrl+F Ford Madox Ford
posted by thelonius at 9:47 AM on January 8, 2020 [1 favorite]


This category of questions is only so-so.
posted by Winnie the Proust at 9:53 AM on January 8, 2020


Arrested Development's Bob Loblaw Law Blog, which sounds like "blah blah blah" if you say it out loud..
posted by The_Vegetables at 10:00 AM on January 8, 2020 [4 favorites]


the tongo tongo ambush
sing sing sing, goodman
swing swing swing, williams (from 1941)
sirhan sirhan

& confirming TWinbrook8's report of "same same"
posted by 20 year lurk at 10:05 AM on January 8, 2020


https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sirhan_Sirhan

D-Day is short for Day-Day. D-Day day is thus Day-Day day
posted by Jacen at 10:05 AM on January 8, 2020


2020!

You must take advantage of the opportunity.
posted by ocherdraco at 10:07 AM on January 8, 2020 [5 favorites]


Out-Herod Herod.

And the prison at Ossining was known as Sing Sing.
posted by fedward at 10:19 AM on January 8, 2020


"Corrina Corrina" by Bob Dylan
Shabu-shabu (aka Japanese hot pot)
"Sussudio" by Phil Collins (more a repeated sound than a word)
posted by SweetAvenue at 10:25 AM on January 8, 2020


Edward Edwards became a minor celebrity for being a perfect model of criminal reform, but he was serial killer on the down low. More here (nsfw for juvenile humor).
posted by hydrophonic at 10:43 AM on January 8, 2020


Bora Bora
ylang-ylang
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 10:46 AM on January 8, 2020


The Evil League of Evil from Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog
posted by Tabitha Someday at 10:46 AM on January 8, 2020


Revolution 9 Beatles
posted by beccaj at 10:48 AM on January 8, 2020




"don't think i can go on. heart, head--everything. lolita, lolita, lolita, lolita, lolita, lolita, lolita, lolita, lolita, lolita. repeat till the page is full, printer."

Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita, ch.26
posted by five toed sloth at 10:50 AM on January 8, 2020


Spoon had an album called Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga. There is a band called !!!, pronounced Chick Chick Chick.
posted by Horselover Fat at 11:25 AM on January 8, 2020


The film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Go-go dancers
Cara cara oranges
posted by amaire at 11:27 AM on January 8, 2020 [1 favorite]


Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow, the famous soliloquy from Macbeth.
posted by JonJacky at 11:32 AM on January 8, 2020 [3 favorites]


What about the saying, “Pretty is as pretty does.”

Or the last words of James Joyce’s Ulysses from Molly Bloom: “yes I said yes I will Yes.”
posted by kittydelsol at 11:38 AM on January 8, 2020


The old “Parts is parts” commercial for Wendy’s.
posted by lakeroon at 11:40 AM on January 8, 2020


It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.
posted by bondcliff at 12:02 PM on January 8, 2020


"Words, words, words, I'm so sick of words. I get words all day through, first from him, now from you..." - "My Fair Lady"
posted by amtho at 12:06 PM on January 8, 2020


Bye-bye
posted by amtho at 12:06 PM on January 8, 2020


Duck duck [duck*] goose
posted by amtho at 12:07 PM on January 8, 2020


Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
posted by helloimjennsco at 12:19 PM on January 8, 2020 [1 favorite]


yadda yadda yadda

rhubarb rhubarb/ peas and carrots/natter natter / grommish grommish

Run Lola Run

Grendel Grendel Grendel
posted by Iris Gambol at 12:30 PM on January 8, 2020


Humbert Humbert
posted by DrAstroZoom at 12:38 PM on January 8, 2020


Also, tik tok, ping pong, hurdy gurdy, Splish Splash (I Was Taking a Bath) ...
posted by DrAstroZoom at 12:39 PM on January 8, 2020


A lot of pandas have reduplicated names like Mingming.
posted by scorbet at 12:46 PM on January 8, 2020


I always find it amusing when a band, single and album all have the same name, such as the song "Black Sabbath" on the album Black Sabbath by the band Black Sabbath. Iron Maiden also did this. I am sure there are other examples.
posted by zeusianfog at 12:48 PM on January 8, 2020


Boutros Boutros-Ghali was having lunch with Yo-Yo Ma.
Boutros Boutros-Ghali said, "I'll have the cous cous."
Yo-Yo Ma asked, "How's the mahi mahi?
The waiter said, "So-so."
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 12:51 PM on January 8, 2020 [6 favorites]


It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World is a fun one because there's tons of celebrities of the time to namedrop (including a very short cameo by the Three Stooges).
posted by Paper rabies at 1:16 PM on January 8, 2020


zeusianfog, in the movie High Fidelity a character says his favorite book is "Cash: The Autobiography of Johnny Cash by Johnny Cash"
posted by JonJacky at 1:20 PM on January 8, 2020


Talk Talk’s first single was the title track of an eponymous album. The MTV chyron for this was:

Talk Talk
Talk Talk
Talk Talk
posted by fedward at 1:23 PM on January 8, 2020 [3 favorites]


"It is what it is what it is."
posted by thetarium at 1:27 PM on January 8, 2020


"i am that i am"
"i am what i am"
posted by 20 year lurk at 1:45 PM on January 8, 2020






You could also use acronyms where people frequently say one of the words that is already taken care of in the acronym, like ATM machine (automated teller machine machine) or AC current (alternating current current). Apparently these are called RAP phrases (redundant acronym phrase phrase) or RAS syndrome (redundant acronym syndrome syndrome), which are themselves RAP phrases (can’t we just say it’s a RAP?!) and nanday.com has a whole list
posted by sillysally at 2:28 PM on January 8, 2020


Meow mix song.
posted by rongorongo at 3:14 PM on January 8, 2020 [3 favorites]


The first minute and a half of Four Weddings and a Funeral is pretty much just people saying fuck.

A lot of Australian place names are doubles. Wagga Wagga is one of the largest.
posted by kjs4 at 3:26 PM on January 8, 2020


Joey Jo-Jo Junior Shabadoo
posted by fso at 3:40 PM on January 8, 2020 [1 favorite]


Simon and Simon
posted by fso at 3:56 PM on January 8, 2020


The Wire, season 1, episode 4 “Old Cases” features a five minute masterpiece where the two lead detectives very closely examine a crime scene.

YT link: Everything they say includes the word fuck!
posted by Jesse the K at 4:01 PM on January 8, 2020


Larry David saying “Pretty pretty pretty good”!
posted by sucre at 4:29 PM on January 8, 2020 [1 favorite]


In Community Abed is always saying "Cool. Cool cool cool" and so does Jake from Brooklyn99. Here's a supercut of it.
posted by jessamyn at 4:34 PM on January 8, 2020


No one has said Tony! Toni! Toné! yet?!
posted by terooot at 6:56 PM on January 8, 2020


It was on the tip of my tongue until I got toward the end here but I finally remembered,
James while John had had had had had had had had had had had a better effect on the teacher.
posted by wats at 6:57 PM on January 8, 2020


Maybe not exactly what you are looking for but I believe “Bookkeeper” is the only word in the English language with three double letters in a row. Don’t quote me on that though.
posted by sillysally at 7:05 PM on January 8, 2020 [1 favorite]


Also, the present-day band called And And And, which named themselves for a band name rejected by the fictional band The Commitments.
posted by terooot at 7:13 PM on January 8, 2020


Never, never, never, never, never.

- King Lear
posted by cthlsgnd at 7:19 PM on January 8, 2020 [1 favorite]


"Happy Happy Joy Joy" from The Ren & Stimpy Show
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 7:42 PM on January 8, 2020 [1 favorite]


Da Da Da - Trio
posted by aiglet at 8:38 PM on January 8, 2020


The Muppets' "Mahna Mahna"
posted by dum spiro spero at 9:22 PM on January 8, 2020 [2 favorites]


Repeated lines written on a chalkboard by Bart as part of the show's opening sequence. I'd particularly recommend the phrase "Being right sucks" which featured immediately after Trump's election as president - an event predicted by the show in episode"Bart to the Future" back in 2000.
posted by rongorongo at 10:23 PM on January 8, 2020


Bonita, Bonita, Bonita
posted by neushoorn at 4:03 AM on January 9, 2020


Was (Not Was)
posted by mean square error at 6:05 AM on January 9, 2020


Linda Linda Linda (a movie), featuring the song Linda Linda
posted by snaw at 6:18 AM on January 9, 2020




Also, many words in Tagalog have repeated elements. I think halo halo is the only one non-Filipinos are likely to be familiar with, but there are quite a few others.
posted by snaw at 8:47 AM on January 9, 2020


"Damn, damn, damn, DAMN. I’ve grown accustomed to face.” Professor Higgins, My Fair Lady.
posted by conscious matter at 5:02 AM on January 12, 2020


A lot of place names that are derived from descriptions of the place in other languages end up having repeated words when (roughly) translated. For example, Faroe Islands = Sheep Islands Islands (Faroe coming from Føroyar which means sheep islands). A list is here.

In my earlier answer I said bookkeeper was the only word in the English language with 3 double letters in a row - but of course bookkeeping is another! After some research apparently the person receiving a tattoo is a tattooee (although that is underlined in red for me so not sure how widespread the word is). Here is a discussion of more creative answers to the triple-double-letter word question.
posted by sillysally at 11:33 AM on January 14, 2020


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