“Dropped off the twig” still slaying 1L students

Chuck Scoggins, The Stool

Hilarity ensued in a recent contracts class when Professor Heidenreich made a reference to Thomas Moore’s death.

“I had heard him say it before, but it always seems to get me,” Betsy Mahler said, referring to Heidenreich’s classic phrase. “Nothing is better than a little humor to brighten up a contracts class,” added Mahler.

The origins of the phrase are shrouded in mystery, but its effect on newly initiated students is not. “The first time I heard him say it, I chuckled,” another student told us on condition of anonymity. “Then it just got funnier for me every time I heard him say it afterwards. When he said it last week I had to excuse myself from class. In fact, I was laughing so hard I ended up [throwing up] in one of the plants outside the classroom. It was really embarrassing.”

As for the future of the phrase, it looks bright. “I plan on going out on top,” Heidenreich said. “’Drop off the twig’ has been very, very good to me, and after consulting with my management team we feel it still has legs. We won’t wait for it to lose effectiveness, though. At some point we’ll pull it and try some new things I’ve been tinkering with.”