This holiday season at home has been jam-packed with Christmas movies, and among the hoopla, of course, was the Grinch.

The Grinch is truly one of my favorite holiday movies. It’s one that I remember seeing in theatres as a kid, and one that continually gets better and more nuanced as I grow up.

Apart from the incredible makeup, Disney World-level set design, and the original backstory, the Grinch stands out in one particular way: the script.

Jim Carey oozes with body humour, the dazzling holiday decorations do wonders to walk you through a plot that has a surprising depth from an adult POV.

So to celebrate the season that’s merry and bright, I’m giving you a selection of the most refined, impressive, and damn-well-delivered Grinch lines:

“Be it ever so heinous there’s no place like home!”

Alliteration is always a nice touch, but a word as harsh as “heinous” really gets the grinchy point across, and quick.

It’s easy for adults to see his smarts. The Grinch studies. He spends long hours booking time with himself, and the way he speaks alludes to the idea that he may very well be spending some of that time with books.

“Must be afraid of reprisals.”

re·pris·al
/rəˈprīz(ə)l/
noun. an act of retaliation

Shortly after we’re introduced to his heinous home, Grinch reflects on scaring Cindy Lou at the post office.

“Funny she didn’t rat on us,” he says before muttering this phrase.

Afraid of reprisals?! Not sure that was front of mind for a petrified Cindy Lou Who, but the Grinch, in all his Grinchiness, is surprisingly analytical.

“The impetus! The audacity! The unmitigated gall!”

This is one of my favorite sing-songy insults ever. I’m sure I’m not alone, either, as I did hear the exact same turn of phrase used on an episode of My Wife and Kids.

im·pe·tus
/ˈimpədəs/
noun. the force that makes something happen

Does it have an even earlier origin than Grinch? None that I could find, leaving me to believe this was truly yet another instance of the Grinch flexing some serious linguistic flavour.

“The avarice never ends!”

av·a·rice
/ˈavərəs/
noun. extreme greed for wealth or material gain.

So Grinch finally goes to the Whobilation but, lo and behold, his Christmas spirit is crushed by the pure materialism of it all.

His choice of words cuts deeper than just saying “Things aren’t important,” alluding to the Grinch’s inner sensitivity… even if he does end up setting their tree on fire.

“The crescendo of my odious opus!”

o·di·ous
/ˈōdēəs/
adj. extremely unpleasant; repulsive.

At the tip-top of Mount Crumpet, the Grinch gets points for both being both alliteration and a well-rounded metaphor.

“The bellowing of the bitterly bummed out.”

bel·low
/ˈbelō/
verb. (of a person or animal) emit a deep loud roar, typically in pain or anger.

Are we seeing a trend here? This is one of the movie’s most complete alliterations, thanks to the fantastic word choice. When was the last time you heard someone choose bellowing? Maybe you have, but I doubt it came packaged as prettily as this.

“It came without ribbons, it came without tags”

You don’t have to be a logophile to enjoy the painfully perfect performance by Carrey. Titular character aside, this movie is a deservedly minted Christmas classic.

With Anthony Hopkins as the narrator, and unceasingly whimsical cinematography by Ron Howard, the movie perfectly toes the line between family-friendly and high-brow. Why? Simple—because, like its source material, it serves us this important reminder:

“Maybe Christmas doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more

Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas