Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200.

Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200. is a phrase from the Monopoly board game that has become widely used in popular culture to describe an action forced upon a person that has only negative results.[1][2]

Origin

The phrase comes from Monopoly, which has decks of cards called Chance and Community Chest which a player must draw from if they land on specific spaces. Each deck has a card that reads "GO TO JAIL: Go directly to Jail. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200."[3] Going to jail usually hurts a player as it prevents them from moving, which regularly leads to earning $200 from passing Go, and from landing on and buying property. The cited phrase, "Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200." distinguishes the effect from other cards that move players; other cards use the phrasing "Advance to [a particular location]", which does allow the player to collect $200 if they pass Go in so advancing.

Meaning

The phrase is used in popular culture to denote a situation in which there is only one immediate, highly unfavorable, irreversible outcome and has been described as a "harsh cliche".[4][5][6] It has also been used in the sense of omitting intermediate tasks while performing an activity.[7]

Examples of usage

The phrase has been used in article titles by Los Angeles Times[8] and Time.[9] It was also used in Tom Lehrer's song "We Will All Go Together When We Go".[10]

References

  1. ↑ Calvin A. Colarusso (30 September 1992). Child and Adult Development: A Psychoanalytic Introduction for Clinicians. Springer. p. 88. ISBN 978-0-306-44285-8. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
  2. ↑ Steve Bucci (28 July 2008). Credit Repair Kit For Dummies. John Wiley & Sons. p. 179. ISBN 978-0-470-27673-0. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
  3. ↑ John Sommers-Flanagan; Rita Sommers-Flanagan (10 February 2012). Counseling and Psychotherapy Theories in Context and Practice: Skills, Strategies, and Techniques. John Wiley & Sons. p. 361. ISBN 978-1-118-28904-4. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
  4. ↑ Ferdi Serim (14 December 2011). Digital Learning: Strengthening and Assessing 21st Century Skills, Grades 5-8. John Wiley & Sons. p. 138. ISBN 978-1-118-13107-7. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
  5. ↑ Morris, Linda (2013-06-10). "Harmony now the name of the game". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
  6. ↑ Lounder, Andrew (2013-05-07). "The Academic Graveyard Shift: IRS Provides Guidance on Identifying Institutional Peers". New America Foundation. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
  7. ↑ Nilofer Merchant (2010). The New How: Creating Business Solutions Through Collaborative Strategy. O'Reilly Media, Inc. p. 5. ISBN 978-0-596-15625-1. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
  8. ↑ Hudson, Laura (2012-10-15). "The Walking Dead' recap: Do not pass Go, do not collect $200". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
  9. ↑ Coatney, Mark (1997-03-26). "Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect $200". Time. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
  10. ↑ The Tom Lehrer Wisdom Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIoBrob3bjI
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