Running gags in Seinfeld
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This article is a list of the many running gags in the US sitcom Seinfeld.
General
- "In the vault": when a character expresses an intention to keep something a secret, he refers to "putting it in the vault." George uses this in "The Pool Guy," and Jerry uses it in "The Fix-Up" and "The Parking Space." Elaine introduces Susan Ross to the term in "The Pool Guy," who subsequently adopts the term, telling George that Elaine "opened up her vault." In "The Betrayal," Jerry says that Elaine's vault is no good because "too many people know the combination," using alcohol to encourage her to reveal secrets.
- "Who is this?": When one character calls another with a frantic request, the person receiving the call will sometimes respond with a playful "Who is this?" Jerry uses this line against George in "The Nap" and "The Bizarro Jerry." Elaine uses it against Jerry in "The Dealership." This gag is sometimes followed by the frustrated caller banging the receiver against the phone, as in "The Boyfriend, Part 1."
- Pseudonyms: George, Kramer, and Jerry use pseudonyms from time to time. George's pseudonym is Art Vandelay. Kramer uses Peter or Martin von Nostrand, but near the end of the series, adopts the persona of H.E. Pennypacker, a "wealthy industrialist." Jerry uses Kal Varnsen.
- "It's gold!": First used by Kenny Bania in "The Fatigues," this phrase is adopted when a character is particularly confident in the quality of something. Jerry uses it in "The Fire" to refer to a comedy sketch he had just written, and Kramer refers to one of his many ideas for inventions as "gold" in "The Voice."
- The beach: Characters often go to the beach when big decisions are at hand: George sits on a bench on a dock to ponder asking Susan Ross to marry him in "The Engagement," and to reflect on his life in "The Opposite"; Jerry goes to consider whether or not to continue a relationship in "The Voice." The beach visit always follows the same pattern: the ruminating character looks around at other people on the dock, and suddenly realizing a plan, runs from the dock quickly, through a flock of seagulls.
- "Talkers": A number of characters that the main four encounter are branded as "talkers" of various types, describing the peculiar manner in which each speaks. A friend of Elaine's dates a "high-talker" in "The Pledge" and a "long-talker" in "The Chinese Woman." Kramer dates a "low-talker" in "The Puffy Shirt," and Elaine a "close-talker" in "The Raincoats, Part 1" and "Part 2."
Elaine
- "Get out!": When surprised by a piece of good news, Elaine will give the bearer of good news a playful (but powerful) shove and will yell "Get out!". One of the first appearances of "Get out!" was in "The Apartment", when Elaine learns that Jerry has gotten her an apartment in his building. Both Jerry (for finding Elaine's watch and giving it to her as a Christmas present) and George (for buying Elaine a cashmere sweater) are targets of the gesture during "The Red Dot." In one episode, she pushes Kramer so hard that he goes through a door into an adjoining room.
George
- Biff Loman: Jerry frequently refers to George as Biff Loman from the famous Arthur Miller play Death of a Salesman, especially when George is unemployed during the third season. In "The Subway", Jerry reminds George not to whistle on the elevator (the same piece of advice that was given to Biff in "Death of a Salesman") and, after George walks into Monk's clothed only in a bedsheet (his clothes and wallet had been stolen in a hotel), Jerry greets him with a surprised "Biff, what...did you whistle on the elevator?"
- Third Person: George will sporadically speak in the third person (e.g. "George is getting upset!") This gag is most often used in the season 6 episode "The Jimmy," when George starts imitating Jimmy, whom George meets while playing basketball in the gym and constantly refers to himself in the third person (e.g. "Jimmy's gonna score!") This actually gets George out of trouble because, when hauled in front of George Steinbrenner after wrongly being accused of stealing baseball equipment from his job with the New York Yankees, George's statements like "Why would George steal from the Yankees?" confuse Mr. Steinbrenner, who thinks the "George" in the question is himself (i.e. Steinbrenner) when "George" really means George Costanza.
- "Lupus! Is it lupus?": During the early seasons, George is often worried that he has contracted lupus. In the season 2 episode "The Heart Attack," a panic-striken George screams "Lupus! Is it lupus?!" at a doctor before he learns that he only needs to have his tonsils removed. The line is used again when George and Elaine later visit a psychic during "The Suicide"; the psychic warns George about a trip that he is going to take, but Elaine gets them thrown out before the psychic can tell George if he will contract lupus if he goes on the trip.
- Cheapness: George is very tight with money, even prompting Elaine to suggest that George is cheap in "The Truth." George often lets Jerry pay for his coffee and meals at the coffee shop (e.g. "The Switch" and "The Alternate Side"). When George does pay, he points out mistakes to waitresses and gives minuscule tips. After Elaine suggested slipping the maitre d' twenty dollars at "The Chinese Restaurant," George said the money should be split three ways, with Elaine and Jerry each paying 7 and him paying 6. When George says, "I'll sniff out a deal. I have a sixth sense." while looking for an apartment-warming gift, Jerry remarks, "Cheapness is not a sense."
- Bathrooms: George seems to pride himself in his knowledge of the city's public restooms and often brings up toiletrie as topics of conversation.
Jerry
- "Hello, Newman": Jerry always greets Newman with the words "Hello, Newman," spoken very contemptuously.
- Superheros: Jerry makes many references to superheroes, particularly Superman. Others include the Lone Ranger, Batman, Spider-Man, Elastic Man (all in "The Cafe"), the Green Lantern and Wonder Woman ("The Stand In"), the Two-Face ("The Strike"), Plastic Man, and a nonexistent Rubberman ("The Statue").
- "Newman!": When vexed or foiled by Newman, Jerry clenches his fist and utters "Newman!" under his breath angrily.
- "That's a shame": When someone suffers a calamity of some sort, major or minor, Jerry says dismissively, "That's a shame." This was used in "The Chaperone," "The Secret Code," "The Money," and "The Finale." The phrase was parodied by characters who were meant to be acting like Jerry, such as Kramer in "The Chicken Roaster" and Jeannie in "The Invitations."
- Minor faults about dates: Jerry frequently finds something minuscule but unfavorable about his dates. Jerry's failed relationships include a breakup with a woman who had "man hands" ("The Bizarro Jerry") and another who ate her peas one at a time ("The Engagement"). Elaine comments in "The Pothole" that Jerry "[finds] fault on a sub-atomic level."
- "I don't wanna be a...": At various times throughout the series, Jerry protested to others' suggestions or ideas with a whiny, "But I don't wanna be a...!" In "The Puffy Shirt," he exclaimed, "But I don't wanna be a pirate!" In "The Mom & Pop Store," it was "I don't wanna be a cowboy!"; in "The Label Maker," "I don't wanna be Switzerland!"; and in "The Sponge," "I don't wanna be a 32!"
Kramer
- Jerry's apartment: Kramer treats Jerry's apartment as his own, entering without knocking, freely taking of Jerry's food and possessions, and acting as if he lived there. In "The Keys," Kramer's privileges to the apartment are revoked, and he comments that having such access "kept me in a fantasy world. Every time I went over to his house, it was like I was on vacation. Better food, better view, better TV...much cleaner...I'm looking at life through Jerry's eyes." In "The Seven," Kramer attempts to reimburse Jerry for the amount of food he takes, but his bill is so large that "few do" "have this kind of cash." In "The Pilot, Part 1," it is revealed that Kramer receives phone calls at Jerry's apartment; similarly, in "The Voice," Kramer calls Jerry's phone line "Line 1" and his own "Line 2." Kramer shaves using "whatever [Jerry] get[s]" for shaving cream ("The Butter Shave"), and has borrowed Jerry's Walkman ("The Reverse Peephole"), suitcases, skis, and tennis racket ("The Maid"). This running gag is explained in the backwards episode "The Betrayal," in which a scene from Jerry and Kramer's first encounter is shown. Jerry tells Kramer that "What's mine is yours and what's your's is mine."
- "Giddy-up!": Kramer uses the phrase "Giddy-up!" to express agreement or approval.
- Nicknames for George: Kramer often uses nonsensical nicknames for George, such as "Gin-ga" ("The Stall") and "Mojambo"[[Citing sources citation needed]].
- Kramer's friends: Kramer references a number of friends who are never seen, including Lomez, Specter, Bob Sacamano, Len Nicademo, Corky Ramirez, and Jay Reimenschneider. His multitude of mysterious friends is joked about, with Jerry asking, "You sure have a lot of friends; how come I never see any of these people?", and Kramer responding, "They want to know why they never see you."
| Seinfeld |
|---|
| Characters |
| Main Characters: Jerry Seinfeld (character)>Jerry Seinfeld | George Costanza | Elaine Benes | Cosmo Kramer |
| Related to Jerry: Helen Seinfeld > Morty Seinfeld | Uncle Leo | Kenny Bania | Sally Weaver | Dr. Tim Whatley |
| Related to George: Estelle Costanza > Frank Costanza | Susan Ross | Mr. Wilhelm | Mr. Kruger | Lloyd Braun |
| Related to Elaine: Jacopo Peterman>J. Peterman | David Puddy | Mr. Lippman | Justin Pitt | Sue Ellen Mischke |
| Related to Kramer: Newman (Seinfeld)>Newman | Mickey Abbott | Jackie Chiles | Bob Sacamano | Babs Kramer | Lomez |
| Other: Soup Nazi > "Crazy" Joe Davola | Minor characters in Seinfeld |
| Culture of the Seinfeld Universe |
| Festivus > Master of Your Domain | Regifting List of fictional films in Seinfeld | Coffee Table Book About Coffee Tables |
| Episodes |
| List of Seinfeld episodes > The Seinfeld Chronicles |
| Other |
| List of Seinfeld references to actual people > Running gags in Seinfeld |
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