--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Hey this is terrific!\" Zaphod said…" description: "\"“Hey this is terrific!\" Zaphod said. \"Someone down there is trying to kill us!”\" — Douglas Adams" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b65/douglas-adams-122_humor_hey-this-is-terrific-zaphod-said-someone_1400474.png" --- # Hey this is terrific!" Zaphod said. "Someone down there is… ![“Hey this is terrific!" Zaphod said. "Someone down there is trying to kill us!” quote by Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b65/douglas-adams-122_humor_hey-this-is-terrific-zaphod-said-someone_1400474.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b65/douglas-adams-122_humor_hey-this-is-terrific-zaphod-said-someone_1400474.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b65/douglas-adams-122_humor_hey-this-is-terrific-zaphod-said-someone_1400474.png) > ““Hey this is terrific!" Zaphod said. "Someone down there is trying to kill us!”” [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A character’s excitement masks danger, showing humor can arise amid crisis. **In simple terms:** Excitement hides danger. Key Takeaway Stay alert even when amused. Themes adventure danger humor Mood playful witty Type humorous philosophical When to use this quote - space travel - emergency situations - team dynamics - stressful events Key Concepts absurdity survival Questions to Reflect On - When does humor become denial? - How can laughter aid coping in peril? A Different Perspective Humor can distract from real threats. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Scifi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scifi/) [Zaphod beeblebrox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zaphod-beeblebrox/) ## Related quotes > [“One of Zaphod's heads looked away. The other turned round to see what the first was looking at, but it wasn't looking at anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/one-of-zaphod-s-heads-looked-away-the-other-turned-round-to-see-what/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [Hey, this is terrific!" he said. "Someone down there is trying to kill us!" "Terrific," said Arthur. "But don't you see what this means?"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/hey-this-is-terrific-he-said-someone-down-there-is-trying-to-kill-us/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“We already have the Wooden Pillar, the Steel Pillar and the Plastic Pillar. In a moment we will have the Golden Bail…' No, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/we-already-have-the-wooden-pillar-the-steel-pillar-and-the-plastic/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [If there's anything more important than my ego around, I want it caught and shot now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/if-there-s-anything-more-important-than-my-ego-around-i-want-it/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [Much to his annoyance, a thought popped into his mind. It was very clear and very distinct, and he had now come to recognize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/much-to-his-annoyance-a-thought-popped-into-his-mind-it-was-very/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“One of the major difficulties Trillian experienced in her relationship with Zaphod was learning to distinguish between him pretending to be stupid just to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/one-of-the-major-difficulties-trillian-experienced-in-her/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“Zaphod Beeblebrox, adventurer, ex-hippie, good-timer, (crook? quite possibly), manic self-publicist, terribly bad at personal relationships, often thought to be completely out to lunch. President?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/zaphod-beeblebrox-adventurer-ex-hippie-good-timer-crook-quite-2/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“I wonder who this ship belongs to anyway," said Arthur. "Me," said Zaphod. "No. Who it really belongs to." "Really me," insisted Zaphod. "Look,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/i-wonder-who-this-ship-belongs-to-anyway-said-arthur-me-said-zaphod/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“If I ever meet myself,' said Zaphod, 'I'll hit myself so hard I won't know what's hit me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/if-i-ever-meet-myself-said-zaphod-i-ll-hit-myself-so-hard-i-won-t/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“Wow,' said Zaphod Beeblebrox to the Heart of Gold. There wasn't much else he could say. He said it again because he knew it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/wow-said-zaphod-beeblebrox-to-the-heart-of-gold-there-wasn-t-much/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [Zaphod Beeblebrox, adventurer, ex-hippie, good-timer (crook? quite possibly), manic self-publicist, terrible bad at personal relationships, often thought to be completely out to lunch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/zaphod-beeblebrox-adventurer-ex-hippie-good-timer-crook-quite/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [What is this? Some sort of galactic hyperhearse?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/what-is-this-some-sort-of-galactic-hyperhearse/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [I'm up to here with cool, okay? I am so amazingly cool you could keep a side of meat in me for a month.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/i-m-up-to-here-with-cool-okay-i-am-so-amazingly-cool-you-could-keep-a/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [You ARE Zaphod Beeblebrox?' 'Yeah,' said Zaphod, 'but don't shout it out or they'll all want one.' 'THE Zaphod Beeblebrox?' 'No, just A Zaphod…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/you-are-zaphod-beeblebrox-yeah-said-zaphod-but-don-t-shout-it-out-or/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“Zaphod Beeblebrox crawled bravely along a tunnel, like the hell of a guy he was. He was very confused, but he continued crawling doggedly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/zaphod-beeblebrox-crawled-bravely-along-a-tunnel-like-the-hell-of-a/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) ## More by Douglas Adams > [2,000 years ago one man got nailed to a tree for saying how great it would be if everyone was nice to each other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/2-000-years-ago-one-man-got-nailed-to-a-tree-for-saying-how-great-it/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [What a wonderfully exciting cough,' said the little man, quite startled by it, 'do you mind if I join you?' And with that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/what-a-wonderfully-exciting-cough-said-the-little-man-quite-startled/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [The technology involved in making anything invisible is so infinitely complex that nine hundred and ninety-nine billion, nine hundred and ninety-nine million, nine hundred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/the-technology-involved-in-making-anything-invisible-is-so-infinitely/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [One is never alone with a rubber duck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/one-is-never-alone-with-a-rubber-duck/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [This must be Thursday. I never could get the hang of Thursdays.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/this-must-be-thursday-i-never-could-get-the-hang-of-thursdays/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [There are some oddities in the perspective with which we see the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/there-are-some-oddities-in-the-perspective-with-which-we-see-the-world/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“Eight hours West sat a man alone on a beach mourning an inexplicable loss. He could only think of his loss in little packets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/eight-hours-west-sat-a-man-alone-on-a-beach-mourning-an-inexplicable/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“The Universe, the whole infinite Universe. The infinite suns, the infinite distances between them, and yourself an invisible dot on an invisible dot, infinitely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/the-universe-the-whole-infinite-universe-the-infinite-suns-the/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [People always make this totally artificial distinction between what is commercial and what is good. They quote that maxim "Nobody ever lost money underestimating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/people-always-make-this-totally-artificial-distinction-between-what/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [Any man who can hitch the length and breadth of the galaxy, rough it, slum it, struggle against terrible odds, win through, and still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/any-man-who-can-hitch-the-length-and-breadth-of-the-galaxy-rough-it/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [ Does God know he \[exists\]?" "Of course he does. Otherwise, you could not have asked the question, and I could not have answered. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/does-god-know-he-exists-of-course-he-does-otherwise-you-could-not/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“When we told our guide that we didn't want to go to all the tourist places he took us instead to the places where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/when-we-told-our-guide-that-we-didn-t-want-to-go-to-all-the-tourist/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“But Douglas was a genius, because he saw the world differently, and more importantly, he could communicate the world he saw.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/but-douglas-was-a-genius-because-he-saw-the-world-differently-and/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“The bits which did mean anything were often so wonderfully buried that no one could ever spot them slipping past in the avalanche of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/the-bits-which-did-mean-anything-were-often-so-wonderfully-buried/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [You come to me for advice, but you can't cope with anything you don't recognize. Hmmm. So we'll have to tell you something you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/you-come-to-me-for-advice-but-you-can-t-cope-with-anything-you-don-t/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) [Explore all 1,168 Douglas Adams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) ## More Humor quotes > ['Mad TV' is one of my most favorite shows of all time and is a huge part of my obsession with sketch comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-dawson/mad-tv-is-one-of-my-most-favorite-shows-of-all-time-and-is-a-huge/) [Shane Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-dawson/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [In my opinion, sexiness comes down to three things: chemistry, sense of humor, and treatment of waitstaff at restaurants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhoda-janzen/in-my-opinion-sexiness-comes-down-to-three-things-chemistry-sense-of/) [Rhoda Janzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhoda-janzen/) > [“...I haven't guessed where your shirt is from yet Bane, but I don't think it'll matter once it's underwater!' Tristan looked at Bane questioningly.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-k-munt/i-haven-t-guessed-where-your-shirt-is-from-yet-bane-but-i-don-t-think/) S.K. Munt > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [“Not wise, perhaps, to be rude to the Pope's favorite son, but my viper tongue still required a fool now and then on which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-quinn/not-wise-perhaps-to-be-rude-to-the-pope-s-favorite-son-but-my-viper/) [Kate Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-quinn/) > [In the future, I would like to do more films with contemporary themes. Perhaps comedy, which is something I have done in theater but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-evans/in-the-future-i-would-like-to-do-more-films-with-contemporary-themes/) [Luke Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-evans/) > [ “\[S\]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-the-possible-irrelevance-of/) [Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/) > [If you were to send a werewolf to the moon, would he be a werewolf permanently?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-schaal/if-you-were-to-send-a-werewolf-to-the-moon-would-he-be-a-werewolf/) [Kristen Schaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-schaal/) > [“I only have two words to say More or Less”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timbur/i-only-have-two-words-to-say-more-or-less/) TimBur > [“ “Do Southerners laugh at different things than Northerners do? Yes, I say--Northerners.” Roy Blount, Jr., Roy Blount’s Book of Southern Humor”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-ford/do-southerners-laugh-at-different-things-than-northerners-do-yes-i/) [Deborah Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-ford/) > [There's a difference between delivering real funny and just silly funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-rel-howery/there-s-a-difference-between-delivering-real-funny-and-just-silly/) [Lil Rel Howery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-rel-howery/) > [I love being my silly ole self! Lifes a lot better when you have a good sense of humor and you smile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-love-being-my-silly-ole-self-lifes-a-lot-better-when-you-have-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Men circle like bees around honey, buzzing to communicate their sexual despair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carla-h-krueger/men-circle-like-bees-around-honey-buzzing-to-communicate-their-sexual/) [Carla H Krueger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carla-h-krueger/) [Browse all 33,155 Humor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Hey this is terrific!\" Zaphod said. \"Someone down there is trying to kill us!”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Douglas Adams" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/hey-this-is-terrific-zaphod-said-someone-down-there-is-trying-to-kill/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Humor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/hey-this-is-terrific-zaphod-said-someone-down-there-is-trying-to-kill/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b65/douglas-adams-122_humor_hey-this-is-terrific-zaphod-said-someone_1400474.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b65/douglas-adams-122_humor_hey-this-is-terrific-zaphod-said-someone_1400474.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b65/douglas-adams-122_humor_hey-this-is-terrific-zaphod-said-someone_1400474.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Hey this is terrific!\" Zaphod said. \"Someone down there is trying to kill us!” — Douglas Adams", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Douglas Adams", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Hey this is terrific!\" Zaphod said....", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/hey-this-is-terrific-zaphod-said-someone-down-there-is-trying-to-kill/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/hey-this-is-terrific-zaphod-said-someone-down-there-is-trying-to-kill/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```