My Favorite Idiom: Jumping the shark

[Trudy Claspill]

An idiom, according to dictionary.com, is “an expression whose meaning is not predictable from the usual meanings of its constituent elements”. 

My favorite idiom is “jumping the shark”. It is used to describe a story, product, or company that introduces something new that clashes with or is an extreme exaggeration of its original concept. 

I love finding out the sources of these phrases!

This idiom was coined by radio personality Jon Hein in response to an episode in the fifth season of the American television sitcom “Happy Days”, in which the character Fonzie performs a water-skiing stunt of jumping over a live shark. The show was set in the 1950’s with the central characters being a Midwestern middle class family who rented an over-garage apartment to a motorcycle-riding, leather-jacket-wearing, very “cool” character named Arthur Fonzarelli, or “Fonzie”. He was certainly a daredevil, but water-skiing was not within his scope of skills. But Fonzie could never back down when somebody challenged is “cool”-ness or his bravery.

While this idiom is most frequently used in references to stories (televisions, movie sequels, books), it has also come to be used in references to companies and products that have “jumped the shark” with the introduction of new products and features that are discordant with their core intent.

Please share in the comments an example of something that you think “jumped the shark” and why. Or share your favorite idiom and its source.

Let’s make this a great Monday!

Source: Wikipedia - Jumping the shark

[Amanda Barber]

Okay, not an idiom but we have a Bronze Fonz statue here in Milwaukee. A favorite idiom of mine is from a favorite podcast (Petty Crimes.) One of the hosts always says, "It will never show on a trotting horse." It was a phrase her grandmother used and it has stuck with me. It's basically referring to those things that only you would notice.

[Trudy Claspill]

I love it! I had no idea Fonzie had a statue.

[Shawn Doyle - ReleaseTEAM]

I'm pretty sure this is Zombie Fonz.

[John Funk]

Thanks for the post, @Trudy Claspill !

It is probably not that big of a stretch. But when I went from the government contracting waterfall project management world to the commercial agile project management world, it certainly felt like jumping the shark!

[Stephen_Lugton]

Some years ago I worked for a tech company that was bought out by a defence company. 

After a few years they decided that they would close down the site we were at with full redundancies, but offer the staff they wanted to keep a job at another site 40 miles away.  So they went through the full legally required (due to the number of staff) redundancy process at the end of which only 1 person took them up on the offer of a job at the other site (he lived halfway between the two sites so there was no change in travel time). 

At this point they realised that they were going to lose all the technical knowledge that they'd bought us for in the first place, so they decided to keep the site open and 'score' everyone to see who to not make redundant.  I think about 40 people were kept on in the end, but for me it was good timing as I was already planning to be moving somewhere else and looking for a new job anyway, so by delaying leaving by 6 months I got an 18 year redundancy package.  The site is still open, and they had to spend a lot of money on updating security, making building changes, etc. 

The jumped the shark part of this is that the senior executive responsible for us had taken a six month sabbatical, and the site closure and redundancies was announced the Monday after his sabbatical started after being planned without his knowledge or sign off.  When he came back he apparently had a meeting with the people responsible for this, which resulted in all of them leaving the company within the next six months.

[Andy Gladstone]

@Trudy Claspill thanks for this Miscellaneous Monday post!

My favorite idiom, one I live by, is: Actions Speak Louder Than Words 

There is a Talmudic principle: Words are worth a penny, silence is worth two. That's because in silence action can take place, but while speaking nothing gets done other than hearing your voice. 

Without action, words are empty promises. I believe in a bias to action over debate.

I'll try to put this into extra focus in my day ahead! 

[Shawn Doyle - ReleaseTEAM]

Great topic @Trudy Claspill 

I love jumping the shark and do it a lot.  To protect the innocent I need time to think of which story is the least incriminating. 

[Jacqueline Westermayer]

LOL... I will be waiting for this story!!! 

[Jacqueline Westermayer]

This post seems so cool to me. Maybe it's because I have always been a fan of idioms; with that in mind, my favorite one is "Salt of the Earth."

I always look for those fascinating and good human beings in everything I do, whether working with clients and coworkers or mingling with others. These individuals genuinely make a difference!!!