What does the phrase “Catch 22” mean and what is its origin?
Catch-22 This phrase, meaning a situation where one bureaucratic regulation is dependent on another, which in turn is dependent on the first, derives from the 1961 novel of the same name by Joseph Heller: Excerpt: Yossarian looked at him soberly and tried another approach. “Is Orr crazy?” “He sure is,” Doc Daneeka said. “Can you ground him?” “I sure can. But first he has to ask me to. That’s part of the rule.” “Then why doesn’t he ask you to?” “Because he’s crazy,” Doc Daneeka said. “He has to be crazy to keep flying combat missions after all the close calls he’s had. Sure, I can ground Orr. But first he has to ask me to.” “That’s all he has to do to be grounded?” “That’s all. Let him ask me.” “And then you can ground him?” Yossarian asked. “No. Then I can’t ground him.” “You mean there’s a catch?” “Sure there’s a catch,” Doc Daneeka replied. “Catch-22. Anyone who wants to get out of combat duty isn’t really crazy.” There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that a
Catch 22 was a novel by Joseph Heller. It described a situation where, in WWII, you could be excluded from combat if you were crazy. However, the very process of wanting to leave combat proved that you were sane, therefore you had to keep fighting. The phrase has been adopted to describe a no-win situation often caused by crazy rules/laws that contradict themselves or each other. Another Catch-22 would be when you want to get a better job, but you don’t have enough education; so you want to get more education, but you need money to do it, so you need to get a better job. It’s a circular paradox that is difficult to solve.
The phrase comes from Joseph Heller’s WWII novel, Catch-22. “There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that a concern for one’s safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind. Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn’t, but if he was sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn’t have to; but if he didn’t want to he was sane and had to. Yossarian was moved very deeply by the absolute simplicity of this clause of Catch-22 and let out a respectful whistle. “That’s some catch, that Catch-22,” Yossarian observed. “It’s the best there is,” Doc Daneeka agreed. Resulting from its specific use in the book, the phrase “Catch-22” is common idiomatic usage meaning “a no-win situation” or “a double bind” of any type.
1) “Catch-22 is a satirical, historical novel by the American author Joseph Heller, first published in 1961. The novel, set during the later stages of World War II from 1943 onwards, is frequently cited as one of the great literary works of the twentieth century.” “Among other things, Catch-22 is a general critique of bureaucratic operation and reasoning. Resulting from its specific use in the book, the phrase “Catch-22” is common idiomatic usage meaning “a no-win situation” or “a double bind” of any type. Within the book, “Catch-22” is a military rule, the self-contradictory circular logic that, for example, prevents anyone from avoiding combat missions. In Heller’s own words: There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that a concern for one’s safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind. Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have
The phrase has come to mean essentially they say you are allowed to do something, but if you want to you may not, making the provision usless. If I remember correctly Catch 22 is not quite what the other answer portrays… I recall, having read the book, that the only sure way to get out of the war uninjured was a discharge for insanity. If you really were insane, you would not file the paperwork for the section 8 (if I remember right) discharge, since you’d be mentally incompetent. If you really did want to get out and go home, it was adequate proof that you were sane enough not to qualify for the discharge. So catch-22 boils down to approximately: there is a provision to do something, but only if you don’t want to.
