The Simpsons

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D'oh (represented in the shows script as "annoyed-grunt") is Homer Simpson's famous catchphrase. It is used when Homer hurts himself, finds out something to his embarrassment or chagrin, is outsmarted, or undergoes or anticipates misfortune.

When Dan Castellaneta,Homer's voice actor, was first asked to voice the exclamation, he rendered it as a drawn out "doooh", inspired by Jimmy Finlayson, the moustached Scottish actor who appeared in many Laurel and Hardy films. Finlayson coined the term as a minced oath to stand for the word "Damn!" The show's creator Matt Groening felt that it would better suit the timing of animation if it were spoken faster so Castellaneta shortened it to "D'oh!"

It was first heard on a Tracey Ullman Show short entitled "Punching Bag", which aired on November 27, 1988. When Bart and Lisa try to hide a punching bag with his face on it, and it knocks him out. Homer's reaction is "D'oh!" The next occasion it was heard was in the first episodes of The Simpsons, "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire", airing on December 17, 1989.

Variations of the catchphrase have been heard in numerous episodes, suiting a different situation, examples include "Ho-ho-d'oh!","D'oheth!","shimatta-baka-ni" and "D'oooooooooooooome!!".

Many episodes have also use (annoyed grunt) in their titles, because d'oh didn't originally have an official spelling, such as Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious and I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot, but other use the shortened term d'oh, such as C.E. D'oh and D'oh-in' in the Wind.

The term d'oh was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2002, with the definition:”Expressing frustration at the realization that things have turned out badly or not as planned, or that one has just said or done something foolish. Also (usu. mildly derogatory) implying that another person has said or done something foolish (Duh).”

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Featured Episode

"Itchy & Scratchy & Marge" is the ninth episode of the second season, airing on December 20, 1990. It is an acclaimed episode which dealt with censorship issues and allowed the writers to have a lot of Itchy & Scratchy cartoons, which many fans had been clamoring for. The episode was written by John Swartzwelder and was the first episode directed by Jim Reardon. Alex Rocco makes his first of three appearances as Roger Meyers.

Plot

Maggie hits Homer on the head with a mallet after seeing Itchy do the same to Scratchy. Marge forbids Bart, Lisa, and Maggie from watching cartoons, after she blames The Itchy & Scratchy Show for Maggie's actions. Marge writes a letter to the producers of the show asking them to tone down their violence. In response, Roger Meyers, Jr.—the CEO of Itchy & Scratchy International—writes a letter to Marge, calling her a "screwball". She says that she will show them "what one screwball can do".

The family pickets outside the Itchy & Scratchy studios, forming SNUH, and her protest gains momentum, and more people join the group. Marge appears on Kent Brockman's show, Smartline, suggesting that Itchy & Scratchy be made less violent. Eventually, a new short airs, but Bart, Lisa, and other kids across Springfield reject the cleaned-up show, going outside to do wholesome childlike things.

Meanwhile, Michelangelo's David goes on a coast-to-coast tour of the U.S. and the members of SNUH urge Marge to protest the sculpture, insisting that the sculpture is offensive and unsuitable. However, Marge argues that the sculpture is a masterpiece. Deciding that it is wrong to censor one form of art but not another, she was forced to give up her protest, much to her dismay.

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Featured Picture

• The promotional image for Coming to Homerica.