Never mind
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Never mind" was a frequent exclamation of Emily Litella, a character played by Gilda Radner on Saturday Night Live. For instance, see Memorable Quotes from "Saturday Night Live" (1975). It is considered by some to be a shortening of "never you mind".
Miss Litella meant the third of the following Wiktionary definitions of "never mind":
- don't worry
- it doesn't matter
- I was wrong; I withdraw the statement; pretend I didn't say it.
In saying "Never mind", Litella acknowledges her error in misapprehending some expression and speaking out about the perceived issue on national television. However, her cheery two-word apology, which she apparently considers sufficient to set things right, comically shows her lack of understanding of the havoc she has caused. Having learned nothing from the experience, she is back with a similar mistake (and another "Never mind!") in succeeding episodes.
Ironically, as someone whose hearing is obviously impaired, the Litella character is likely to have encountered the words "Never mind" in the second usage above, meaning that the speaker did not consider his or her words worth repeating in such a way that Litella could understand them. People who work with the deaf and hearing impaired are often advised not to say "Never mind" to them, since it can be interpreted as meaning that the person is not considered worth the effort required to re-convey the speaker's previous words.[1]
"Never mind" was a running gag and a catch phrase that entered the vernacular during the character's appearances in the Weekend Update portion of the comedy series. In quoting Litella, a person acknowledges a mistake, or that a previously-expressed concern is no longer to be considered valid. However, by imitating her distinctive way of saying those words, the person ironically conveys a more light-hearted, self-aware tone to the expression than does the character herself.
[edit] References
- ^ Deaf/Hearing impaired: Help for Leaders. Resources for Working with Youth with Special Needs. University of Illinois Extension. Retrieved on February 11, 2007.
