"Sheer elegance in its simplicity" is an iconic villainous catchphrase in the series, used by villains to describe their nefarious plans. When delivered as a question ("My plan is sheer elegance in its simplicity, isn't it?"), the statement is invariably met with, "No!" from the Middleman, who sometimes goes on to say what about the plan is lacking simplicity or elegance. Users of the phrases are: According to Guy Goddard, villains were using this catchphrase as far back as the 1960s.