 This led to instances of the archetypical encounter envisioned by the idiom, of an older homeowner's reprimand of careless or disrespectful minors heedlessly shortcutting across his highly valued lawn.Individual instances of these mundane encounters seldom enter the historical record, although some incidents have escalated to notable levels.The idiom was popularized by American baby-boomer television host David Letterman as one of his comedic taglines, beginning in the 1980s.