Why "TGF Friday"
TGF Friday: 3.6.26
“GUESS WHAT DAY IT IS.”
If the image of a camel walking through an office just popped into your head, you got it.
This is from a Geico commercial that aired back in 2013 that even today, still has continued recognition. If you haven’t seen the full version — you can check it out here. The creators of the commercial are obviously making a connection between a camel walking around an office asking what day it is, and the middle of a typical work week (Wednesday) being referred to as “Hump Day.” Over the course of my professional career, I’ve participated in my fair share of “Happy Hump Day’s” as a colloquial way to connect with coworkers about a shared sense of gratitude and relief that the middle of the week has arrived. Because once you’re over the hump that can only mean one thing — Friday is just around the corner.
We’ve done this for years — utilized these types of idioms to connect with others. Here’s a few others to jog your memory:
Manic Monday
Two-for-Tuesday (or better yet — Taco Tuesday)
Thirsty Thursday
Lazy Sunday
Over the hump
It’s all downhill from here
The home stretch
Light at the end of the tunnel
In the bag
Between a rock and a hard place
Keep your nose to the grindstone (ouch…)
Get the ball rolling
Seal the deal
No pain, no gain
You get the idea and probably have used a handful of these this week. One of these idioms that sticks out to me that’s not on the list is this: TGIF.
Thank God It’s Friday.
We’ve probably all said it at some point in time, and if not, at least thought it. Here’s a quick overview of TGIF:
It originated as a slang expression in the 1930s - 1940s to celebrate the end of the workweek
There was actually a TGIF club at the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1941
T.G.I. Friday’s capitalized on this in the 1960s, opening up the restaurant chain as a way to align with “relief at the end of the week”
When I first started The Good Fight on Substack, I had been using the acronym “TGF” with the men who I meet with every Tuesday morning at Fellowship Church to dive into each Scripture and each other’s lives regularly. This comes from 1 Timothy 6:11-12, which says:
(11) But you, man of God, flee from these things, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. (12) Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of eternal life to which you were called and about which you have made a good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
This is a rallying cry and reminder to every man in the world: fight the good fight of the faith.
In times of challenge or adversity, the reminder that Paul shares in these verses keeps me grounded on who I am as a man, what I am called to do, and how I am called to do it.
So why “TGF Friday.”
The original meaning of TGF (Thank God it’s Friday) is focused on escapism and getting to Friday as fast as possible. It’s focused on less intentionality of the in-between and more on arrival. It traditionally speaks to running away from whatever happens in between Monday - Thursday. Is this bad? Not necessarily. I think it’s good to look forward to things in life, like Fridays.
However, I think it is better to reframe this in a way that is positive, challenging, and encouraging. Rather than the position of “Thank God it’s Friday, I made it” - I believe that “TGF (The Good Fight) Friday” reframes this into a position of “Keep fighting the good fight all the way through Friday.”
Move as fast as possible to < fight the good fight through
The goal of TGF Friday is to challenge + encourage — no matter what you’re facing.
Love it Dan! Way to reframe to “The Good Fight.” 🙏