Grandfather clocks, also called longcase clocks, have marked the hours in homes for centuries with deep, measured chimes that signalled time long before alarms and phones. That familiar sound became a shorthand in film, television, and online video for age, tradition, and the slow passage of time. Editors now reuse the isolated chime in horror edits, historical scenes, and memes about waiting, because listeners recognise it instantly even without seeing a clock.