Lexicon. Also Galaxy Quest. An expression of exasperation. Kids today say FML, but that’s not a cute reference to a (today) 24 year old movie, so it’s clearly inferior.
“This episode was badly written!”
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Category Archives: Humor
“Does the rolling help?”
Lexicon. From Galaxy Quest. Sometimes re-worked to, “Does the {x} help?” where x is something odd.
“Push the button, Max!”
From Blake Edwards’ other great movie, The Great Race. Lexicon, obvs.
Verbing weirds language
Lexicon, but usually misquoted as, “Verbing weirds nouns.” Close reading shows Watterson tosses in adjectives as well.
One liner
All these applications, but I never get the job.
(Sure, it’s applications of an ointment upon me by nurses, but leave that aside.)
Rainbow Connection, a Benoit Blanc Joint
By way of the usually reliable Mr. Kottke comes this fun mash-up:
Nicky K. and running shoes
Here’s a cute ad from Brooks shoes. Back in 1979, 1980 or so, they would take the back cover of Runner’s World.
Эти туфли убивают меня.
(Eti tufli ubivayut menya)
It’s Khrushchev (Хрущёв) banging his shoe on the podium at the UN. A fairly famous incident.
The slugline reads, “Sometimes a comfortable shoe can make all the difference in the world.”
Not being a Russian speaker, I took the magazine to my high school cross-country coach, Greg Baranoff, who is. And he started laughing at great length. When he finally caught his breath, he translated:
“These shoes are killing me!”
Rhino snot pie
Lexicon. Mildly derivative of Bill Cosby’s routine of having a rhino for a pet. This takes it one step further, and refers to how servers sometimes get stuck with specials they know are dubious, but they have to flack to the diners anyway.
“Tonight we have artisanal, free-range rhino snot pie as our special dessert…”
By extension, anything hoisted on service people as something they have to enthuse over:
“Well, they seem all-in for the 7-cylinder hybrid sports wagon.”
”Rhino snot pie. I just loooove this car!”
Gruff and lovable
Lexicon. No real context, just oft cited. It’s from Trout Fishing in the Reflecting Pool, or The Fireside Watergate. A mass market paperback, Nicholas von Hoffman wrote the text, and Garry Trudeau did single-panel, editorial page style cartoons. One shows senator Sam Ervin saying,
Ah am not bein’ harassin’ towards the witness. Ahm bein’ gruff, and lovable, and yew know it.
The book also has the only drawings I know of Nixon by Trudeau. (Nixon was always shown speaking without being seen, in Doonesbury.)
“I’m glad…”
Bernard: I believe you know each other.
Sir Humphrey: Yes, we did cross swords when the Minister gave me a grilling over the estimates in the Public Accounts Committee.
Hacker: I wouldn’t say that.
Sir Humphrey: You came up with all the questions I hoped nobody would ask.
Hacker: Well, Opposition’s about coming up with awkward questions.
Sir Humphrey: And Government is about not answering them.
Hacker: Well, you answered all mine anyway.
Sir Humphrey: I’m glad you thought so, Minister.
— Yes, Minister, S1E1, “Open Government,” written by Antony Jay & Jonathan Lynn
Lexicon for the final line, which those who know me have oft suffered from. Here’s the bit as performed: