ve haf vays of making you talk

English

Etymology

A parody of archetypal German pronunciation of "We have ways of making you talk", coupled with the image of World War II-era interrogation. A comedic play on the phrase "We have ways to make men talk." from the 1935 movie The Lives of a Bengal Lancer.

Perhaps that 1935 line contributed to an even nearer version in the 1950 WWII film Odette. A Germanic interrogator (played by Guyri Wagner) tells an uncooperative Odette, “We have ways and means of making you talk.”

Pronunciation

• Audio (Southern England, with a faux-German accent):

  (file)

Phrase

ve haf vays of making you talk

1. (humorous, informal) A catchphrase, usually delivered in a mock German accent, implying a threat of torture to extract information.