What do you say that no one else 'gets'?

[digs]

Everyone should get a chance for some cheap therapy, now that the Wisconsin folk here ("Dem dere guys from down by M'waukee, ain'a?") have had their turn (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=571178).

But, hey, I got to tell my "Bubbler" story:

OH! Just remembered my quintessential Bubbler story. Next door neighbors asked a guard at the '64 New York World's Fair where the "bubbler" was.

All in one breath he fired off "Just past the corner there take a right and you can't miss it and how are things in Milwaukee?"

Now, I usually catch myself and use the much-less-efficient, and hoity-toitier, "Drinking Fountain". But there have been cases where the cheese-curds-and-brats in my arteries have clouded my critical faculties and I've said The B Word. And man, does every conversation came to a grinding halt as scores of raised eyebrows swivel towards the interloper.

I've seen it happen to a roommate from PA who asked if we should "red up" after the party wound down. Or my wife's sister from Seattle who referred to a guy as "filthy", meaning cool.

She also orders a "half-skinny harmless wet with an addshot" (but that might just be a coffee snob thing, like her "Are you really ordering a Why Bother?", meaning a decaf skim latte).

So it's your chance to relive those painful moments... like the time a friend visiting from another college said "Oh, oh. I just realized I accidentally blew off my History Prof last night."

And... silence. We had no idea he wasn't discussing a creepy extra-credit policy.

[smiling bandit]

"Silence is Golden. May your mouth be as 24 karats."

[MTCicero]

No one, but no one, gets any of the following three references (which are all from the exact same source):

"Ham! Ham! Ham!"

"More pie, Admiral?"

"I'm a sweet little cupcake... baked by the devil!"

ETA: If anyone is ever able to provide a YouTube link to the source of these, I'd acknowledge their superiority in all things, forever.

[A Monkey With a Gun]

"I'm a sweet little cupcake... baked by the devil!"You can find the WAV file for that one here: http://www.wavsource.com/tv/letterman3.htm It's the last one on the page.

[rolandgunslinger]

Thank you masked man.

[Johnny L.A.]

She also orders a "half-skinny harmless wet with an addshot" (but that might just be a coffee snob thing, like her "Are you really ordering a Why Bother?", meaning a decaf skim latte).

I've been tempted to order the Why Bother (at The Woods Coffee), since I actually like Splenda and skim milk. It's just the decaf thing that stops me. (When I go there, I always get a large drip coffee.)

[digs]

I've been tempted to order the Why Bother (at The Woods Coffee), since I actually like Splenda and skim milk. It's just the decaf thing that stops me. (When I go there, I always get a large drip coffee.)

So up Bellingham way they actually have "WHY BOTHER?" on the menu? That's hilarious. In Seattle, it's said -- dripping with bile (and caffeine)-- of the tourists and yuppies who order "light" drinks.

In the Wisconsonian thread, fiddlesticks said:
I had to break the habit of saying "Tyme Machine" for ATM when I moved away from Wisconsin.

(It stood for Take Your Money Everywhere and all the ATMs had the initials, and the appelation)

So my response to that is that after decades in Madison, WI, I do ask where the "TYME machine" is, but every time I do, I'm always hoping someone will reply: "Over past the end of the bar. And if you're visiting the Saxons, can you bring me back some mead?"

[Silver Tyger]

I've gotten weird looks for saying 'possums' to mean 'awesome' (because they rhyme, you see. It started as 'awesome possum' and got shortened.)

Also the phrase 'eating the elephant' from 'how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time'. It's for when you're diligently plowing through those tasks you don't want to.

[Darth Nader]

No one, but no one, gets any of the following three references (which are all from the exact same source):

"Ham! Ham! Ham!"

"More pie, Admiral?"

"I'm a sweet little cupcake... baked by the devil!"

They pelted us with rocks and garbage!

This, is a shoe.

[Olentzero]

Every time I log into my account to check my balance:

"Tennis... spanking... BANKING!"

Where is the cupcake one from? I've heard it before and it makes me giggle.

[Tim R. Mortiss]

I remember the TYME machines from my days in grad school at Madison! Thanks for the mammaries.

Whenever someone asks how I'm doing, I always say, "Swell." Very, very, VERY few people recognize the Dirty Harry reference. Most just think I am hopelessly retro.....TRM (which I am, by the way)

[Sigmagirl]

And I have celery for him!

[MTCicero]

You can find the WAV file for that one here: http://www.wavsource.com/tv/letterman3.htm It's the last one on the page.

Nice.

Not quite a YouTube link, but it'll do. Thanks!

Of course, after listening to that WAV file, I had to follow it up with a taste of Peggy, the Foul-Mouthed Chambermaid (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_eDBITOvyk).

[Equipoise]

Thank you masked man.I thought you were referring to Lenny Bruce, but that's Thank You Mask Man (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tjWYEMQ70w).

Edit to add I just saw that that YouTube video gives it the wrong name.

[Annie-Xmas]

Whenever I say my phone number, which is basicaly one digit, then three digits in numerical order, than a repeat of the last two digits plus the next numerical digit), I always add "cha cha cha." Like (201) 123-234 cha cha cha)

[digs]

Whenever I say my phone number, which is basicaly one digit, then three digits in numerical order, than a repeat of the last two digits plus the next numerical digit), I always add "cha cha cha." Like (201) 123-234 cha cha cha)

Why don't I have friends that say fun stuff like that (as long as you wouldn't think I was an idiot for constantly asking you for a reference)?

The "cha cha cha" reminds me of our church (hang in there with me, all will be revealed...).

This is a verrry high church (liturgy, robes, incense, looks like a cathedral) with neo-baroque music. I'm assisting, and standing between the Presiding Minister and our Quite Holy Music Director.

Minister: The Lord Be With You.
Congregation: And also with you.
Minister: Let us pray.
Music Director: Okay.

[Sir Rhosis]

I've yet to, in real life, have anyone smile comprehendingly when I shrug and say, "Maybe it was Utah." No doubt most everybody here gets the reference.

Sir Rhosis

[SeaDragonTattoo]

TWOooooooo DOLLLLAAaaaarrrrrrrssssss

I can't help it. Every time something regarding two bucks comes up, I have to say it.

I've only had one person get the reference to Better Off Dead.

[Shirley Ujest]

TWOooooooo DOLLLLAAaaaarrrrrrrssssss

I can't help it. Every time something regarding two bucks comes up, I have to say it.

I've only had one person get the reference to Better Off Dead.



You owe me two dollars! I use this one quite a bit.

[Miss Woodhouse]

We named our kitten Fenchurch. There's only been one person we haven't had to explain it to.

But just for clarification: we are almost positive she was not conceived in the ticket queue at Fenchurch station. She is a North American kitty after all. We just thought it was a nice name for a dignified little gray tabby.

[Darth Nader]

*shnrrphfpt*

(offers nasal spray to SeaDragonTattoo)

[Larry Mudd]

"Get away from me, or I'll hit you with this tire iron" returns two results (http://www.google.ca/#hl=en&source=hp&q=%22Get+away+from+me+or+I%27ll+hit+you+with+this+tire+iron%22&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=&fp=f35d552bedaedd0c) on Google.

Three now, I guess. :o

[Sitnam]

Has anyone seen Sam Lowry!?

[CoolHandCox]

I don't understand the question and I won't respond to it.

[Raguleader]

(Explaining why the US Air Force is one of the most powerful fighting forces in the world)

"If you were to point to any spot on a map of the world, the US Air Force has the capability to put your fingerprint there."

The first person to understand that particular choice of words and what they meant was my squadron commander, who took a good five or ten seconds of staring at me before it clicked. (I do, of course, make a reference to making a big ass crater. I would rather it not come up very often, but we DO have the capability if it's ever needed. Preferably for something utterly awesome, like taking out an invading alien beachhead or a giant mutant squid. Something like that.)

Some of the terminology I brought with me from when I was in college. Howdy, the occasional "Thanks and Gig'em", Pull Out, Whip Out, Drop Handles, Smoking, "Shoot me the *name of object*", and of course, I get funny looks when I respond to good news with a Whoop (though I guess that doesn't count, as most folks can figure out what I mean by "WHOOP!")

Oh, and if I start talking in Chinese, or worse, Chingspaniol (what happens when I try to speak Chinese or Spanish and the words get mixed up). Some canned phrases, like "Duibuqi" (I'm sorry) or "Nihao" (Howdy) get blank looks. Oddly enough, if I start cussing in Chinese, everybody can understand me clearly.

[digs]

I've yet to, in real life, have anyone smile comprehendingly...

[some obscure reference, no doubt hilarious if I'd seen that episode of some Western European comedy troupe]

No doubt most everybody here gets the reference.

No! They don't! And I don't!

And a lot of people here have yet to, in real life, smile comprehendingly. Okay, maybe they're just shrugging and wandering off to MPSIMS. But I have to KNOW! (Y'know, Ignorance Not Going Unfought and all that). And googling usually brings up thousands of hits, or, in at least one case, one hit. This thread.

So... anyone want to explain, or guess at, the references? (or heck, at least just make something up, I mean, it's just words on the internet...) (I keeeedeeeng!)

[digs]

And just to show what an accommodating guy I am:

I keeeedeeeng! = That friend of Andy Samberg... on SNL...aha, Bill Hader! Playing a talk show host on an odd, so-foreign-as-to-be-incomprehensible, celebrity interview show.

So, now, in our family, the kids and I (not the wife, oh, no. Somebody has to be the adult!) can make any outlandish suggestion or insult. As long as it is followed within 20 seconds by "I keeeedeeeng!"

[Pandoranoid]

No! They don't! And I don't!

And a lot of people here have yet to, in real life, smile comprehendingly. Okay, maybe they're just shrugging and wandering off to MPSIMS. But I have to KNOW! (Y'know, Ignorance Not Going Unfought and all that). And googling usually brings up thousands of hits, or, in at least one case, one hit. This thread.

So... anyone want to explain, or guess at, the references? (or heck, at least just make something up, I mean, it's just words on the internet...) (I keeeedeeeng!)

Maybe it was Utah...from the end of the wonderful Coen Bros flick 'Raising Arizona', when H.I. is describing a vision he'd had of his future as a content grandparent in an seemingly idyllic place, far from all the strife and conflict he has encountered throughout the story: '...I dunno...maybe it was Utah.' Classic. The best argument for respecting Nicholas Cage that Hollywood has ever produced.

[Pandoranoid]

In homage to 'Heathers', my favorite expression of exasperation: 'F**k me gently with a chainsaw.' Good for use in lieu of 'cry me a river.'

[Scarlett67]

Oh! Just remembered. About a week ago I was walking into a store, and near the entrance were two kids, boys, just goofing around a bit, probably waiting for their parents. The older one, about 10, was holding a box that contained some sort of toy air rifle (wish I remembered the name of it, but it wasn't, well, you know).

I couldn't help myself. As we walked past, I said, "You'll shoot your eye out, kid!" with a smile and a wink.

His blank look about crushed my heart. So much for beloved Christmas family classics that "everyone" has seen.

[carnut]

My coworkers, all much younger than me, blank out when I say "and they ate Robin's minstrels."

[digs]

Maybe it was Utah...from the end of the wonderful Coen Bros flick 'Raising Arizona', when H.I. is describing a vision he'd had of his future as a content grandparent in an seemingly idyllic place, far from all the strife and conflict he has encountered throughout the story: '...I dunno...maybe it was Utah.' Classic...

Which puts me in mind of the end of Harvey, where the doctor asks the Eponymous Rabbit (no, not a band name):

"Have you ever been...to...Akron...?"

[Sir T-Cups]

One I just used today most people seem to never understand: A red letter day.

I swear this is a real phrase, but every time I use it no one gets what it means. It's just a very important day...one you would mark in red letters on a calender. Also Jesus's words in the good book. Anyone else ever heard of it?

Also if something isn't working for someone I pull a Dr. Evanzan voice from Star Wars and say "He/she/it doesn't like you......I don't like you either!" Few get the reference

[FloatyGimpy]

Other person "Thank you"

Me "You'rerealscum"

Other person *blink*

------

Other person "Should I put some more on?"

Me "whadya call me?!"

Other person *blink*

I'm an unappreciated nerd.

[Raguleader]

One I just used today most people seem to never understand: A red letter day.

I swear this is a real phrase, but every time I use it no one gets what it means. It's just a very important day...one you would mark in red letters on a calender. Also Jesus's words in the good book. Anyone else ever heard of it?

Yeah, it's the name of the second chapter of Half Life 2, IIRC. I had to look it up after Dr. Kleiner used that expression in the game.

[Mahaloth]

One I just used today most people seem to never understand: A red letter day.

I swear this is a real phrase, but every time I use it no one gets what it means. It's just a very important day...one you would mark in red letters on a calender. Also Jesus's words in the good book. Anyone else ever heard of it?


I've heard of it and had no idea people had not heard of it. Weird.

:confused:

[Sir T-Cups]

Yeah, it's the name of the second chapter of Half Life 2, IIRC. I had to look it up after Dr. Kleiner used that expression in the game.

So then what exactly does it mean?

[digs]

Yeah, it's the name of the second chapter of Half Life 2, IIRC. I had to look it up after Dr. Kleiner used that expression in the game.

So then what exactly does it mean?

I think you should ask Sir T-Cups. He had a perfectly serviceable explanation in post 33.

And, yes, I've heard it all my life. And it makes sense, unlike all the other "old sayings" that my mom trots out:

"Maybe I'll have a snack to Tide Me Over."

"Ummm, mom? Did you really want some laundry detergent? Or did you mean 'enough to keep you from being hungry until the tide comes in and we can set sail?' Or did you want to eat something while tied up?"

"Well, I don't know what it means... Oh, you understand..."

"Actually, I don't. And you don't. So why do you use a phrase that you don't know the meaning of?"

"Oh, I'll get myself something..."

[Larry Mudd]

Yeah, it's the name of the second chapter of Half Life 2, IIRC. I had to look it up after Dr. Kleiner used that expression in the game.So then what exactly does it mean?I think you should ask Sir T-Cups. He had a perfectly serviceable explanation in post 33.
I would have thought this was pretty universally-known, but I can see that Sir T-Cups' explanation might not parse well for someone totally in the dark. So...

"Red Letter editions" of the Bible used to be popular. In these, words attributed to Jesus were printed in red, for special emphasis, as something worth paying particular attention to. By extension, a "Red Letter day" is an especially significant day.

I realize that this explanation may disappoint those few who might reasonably have inferred that a "Red Letter day" is one which presents the opportunity for illicit sex.

[Leiko]

Wait, red letter days didn't come from the Sundays being printed on red on the church calendars? That's what I was told it was, and sure enough, the Sundays were always in red on the Episcopal calendars I've seen. (I haven't seen other denominations' calendars.)

[Skald the Rhymer]

When I was in retail, we would periodically get visited by corporate types and have to spend days making sure the store was in a state it could not possibly be kept in on a day-to-day basis if we wanted to actually sell anything, and yet pretend that the store looked this way every day. As a manager I called this hiding the bloody knife--a reference to OJ Simpson. People rarely got it.

[Raguleader]

Yeah, it's the name of the second chapter of Half Life 2, IIRC. I had to look it up after Dr. Kleiner used that expression in the game.

So then what exactly does it mean?

I think you should ask Sir T-Cups. He had a perfectly serviceable explanation in post 33.

And, yes, I've heard it all my life. And it makes sense, unlike all the other "old sayings" that my mom trots out:

"Maybe I'll have a snack to Tide Me Over."

"Ummm, mom? Did you really want some laundry detergent? Or did you mean 'enough to keep you from being hungry until the tide comes in and we can set sail?' Or did you want to eat something while tied up?"

"Well, I don't know what it means... Oh, you understand..."

"Actually, I don't. And you don't. So why do you use a phrase that you don't know the meaning of?"

"Oh, I'll get myself something..."

According to dictionary.com, "Tide over" means to get over an obstacle, to survive, or to help get past a time of difficulty or distress.

So, if it's 4PM and you've got a bad case of the munchies, a banana would tide you over until dinner time.:D

[multimediac17]

I know what a red letter day is but only because the Pet Shop Boys had a hit with a song called 'A Red Letter Day'.

Some things I say that people never get:

"ARE THESE MY FEET?!"

"You leave me only three options..."

"Oh it's you, why are you pestering me?"

"Is it a hat?" and by extension, "Will it be with me forever?"

Basically my entire vocabulary is quotes from Seinfeld and The Simpsons, which people usually get, plus the shows that the above quotes come from, which nobody outside my family ever gets, and I'll be impressed if someone can identify what the shows are (the last one is probably the easiest as it's from the more popular series).

[Maserschmidt]

If I do something incredibly stupid in front of the kids, I'll say "and it's just...that...easy!"

Thank you Flying Karamazovs!

[Harvey The Heavy]

Growing up in San Diego in the 80's, we called cops "Shneds", which is something I've never heard again outside of SD (or outside the 80's), but it still occasionally slips out of my mouth. It doesn't help that I have no idea how it originated.

[newcomer]

Prior to start of ANY business meeting I would look whoever was sitting next to me and ask:

“What would you be rather doing than marching up and down the square?”

A number of times I wanted to shout this after a bad date but kept my cool.

[Wile E]

Whenever I see worms or anything worm related I comment "Such a nice worm" with a bit of a lisp. No one gets it. Even my boyfriend who saw the show this came from and we used to quote it all the time, didn't remember what it was from when I said this recently. Anyone know what it's from?

[Sir T-Cups]

Yeah, it's the name of the second chapter of Half Life 2, IIRC. I had to look it up after Dr. Kleiner used that expression in the game.

So then what exactly does it mean?

I think you should ask Sir T-Cups. He had a perfectly serviceable explanation in post 33.

I love how you answered the question I asked, by referencing my own post. I didn't actually know what it means when I started using it...and still I really don't. I have no idea where I heard the phrase (since I am now certain I didn't make it up) and the explanation I gave people...the one above...is something I just made up using my head/logic. Apparently I was right....

[digs]

"Maybe I'll have a snack to Tide Me Over."

"Ummm, mom? Did you really want some laundry detergent? Or did you mean 'enough to keep you from being hungry until the tide comes in and we can set sail?' Or did you want to eat something while tied up?"

"Well, I don't know what it means... Oh, you understand..."

"Actually, I don't. And you don't. So why do you use a phrase that you don't know the meaning of?"

"Oh, I'll get myself something..."

According to dictionary.com, "Tide over" means to get over an obstacle, to survive, or to help get past a time of difficulty or distress.

So, if it's 4PM and you've got a bad case of the munchies, a banana would tide you over until dinner time.:D

But that doesn't explain WHY "Tide over" means to get over an obstacle or a bad time. So it does NOT make sense until I can find some etymology.

And if I don't know why I "red up" a room til it's "up to scratch", or why I "make no bones about it" when "the writing's on the wall" so I make sure I'm "toeing the mark"...

then I shouldn't USE those phrases! Unless I'm willing to do a little work and look them up (which I just did ;)).

[digs]

So then what exactly does it mean?

I think you should ask Sir T-Cups. He had a perfectly serviceable explanation in post 33.

I love how you answered the question I asked, by referencing my own post. I didn't actually know what it means when I started using it...and still I really don't. I have no idea where I heard the phrase (since I am now certain I didn't make it up) and the explanation I gave people...the one above...is something I just made up using my head/logic. Apparently I was right....


So now you're referencing my post referencing your own post because I knew that you knew what you were saying even though you didn't know that you knew what you were saying? Is that what you're saying?

Because in that case, you clearly know what you're saying.

[Raguleader]

"Maybe I'll have a snack to Tide Me Over."

"Ummm, mom? Did you really want some laundry detergent? Or did you mean 'enough to keep you from being hungry until the tide comes in and we can set sail?' Or did you want to eat something while tied up?"

"Well, I don't know what it means... Oh, you understand..."

"Actually, I don't. And you don't. So why do you use a phrase that you don't know the meaning of?"

"Oh, I'll get myself something..."

According to dictionary.com, "Tide over" means to get over an obstacle, to survive, or to help get past a time of difficulty or distress.

So, if it's 4PM and you've got a bad case of the munchies, a banana would tide you over until dinner time.:D

But that doesn't explain WHY "Tide over" means to get over an obstacle or a bad time. So it does NOT make sense until I can find some etymology.

And if I don't know why I "red up" a room til it's "up to scratch", or why I "make no bones about it" when "the writing's on the wall" so I make sure I'm "toeing the mark"...

then I shouldn't USE those phrases! Unless I'm willing to do a little work and look them up (which I just did ;)).

If I had to make a BS etymological guess, I'd say "Tide over" comes from ships getting stuck at low tide and having to wait for high tide to lift them off of whatever obstacle they're stuck on (like a sandbar or just the beach if it was a boat you landed at high tide). I know that "The writing's on the wall" is from the Book of Daniel. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_writing_on_the_wall) Learning of this book makes the movie StarGate unbelievably more entertaining than it already was.

[Larry Mudd]

If I had to make a BS etymological guess, I'd say "Tide over" comes from ships getting stuck at low tide and having to wait for high tide to lift them off of whatever obstacle they're stuck on.The confusion comes from thinking that "tide"in this sense must be derived from oceanic tides.

It's more straightforward than that. The etymological root, "tid," signifies "a division of time." (As you might guess, the English word "time" itself ultimately comes from the same germanic root.)

Similarly, "tidings" has nothing to do with the sea, but is parallel with "news" in the sense that it denotes "information related to the current period."

To "tide us over" simply means to "get us through the current period."

Ocean "tides" so-called because they relate to regular divisions of time.

[Joey P]

My dad has owned a mom and pop type store for 30 years. I've been working there for about 18 of those thirty. From time to time when telling someone that they'll ask me if I'm going to take it over and then say something along the lines of "Someday this could all be yours." I've yet to have someone understand my reply. Knowing this message board I'm going to guess plenty of people can guess it.
The curtains?

Also, if someone gives me a list of options I like to say "What was the middle thing again?"

[digs]

Do you say "Wha... the curtains?" in a really weak, wimpy, whiny voice?

[CanvasShoes]

A movie line so obscure that only my sister and I know it. We've been searching for said movie title for decades now. I'll describe it in the off-chance someone knows it. This is on my bucket list, to find the name of this darned movie!

The line (whenever anyone clumsily trips over anything) is a drawled "Ah Treeeupped" (I tripped).

The movie was an old B&W (probably mid to late 60s, maybe early 70s) one we watched on Midnight Movies back in the early 80s. We came in after the movie had started. The TV stations that played the late night movies back then were terrible about not ever stating the name of the movie after it'd started.

The premise of the movie was a sort of weird western "whodunit". Several people (on a cattle drive of some sort) were around a campfire and had discovered one of their group dead, stabbed through the heart. So then they all go through a series of flashbacks of the ways in which various members of the group could have killed the guy. It turns out that he'd tripped somehow and landed on the knife, accidentally killing himself. He looks up in surprise and drawls the line "Ah treeupped". It was either the last, or one of the last lines of the movie.

It was one of those "so bad it's good" kind of things, and the stupid line just stuck. So our entire family and our friends use it as one of our family jokes. Makes for great mileage if you can use it after a spectacular fall or trip. :D

My little Sister and I also use a slightly more well-known, but still a bit obscure movie line.

"See, this is why I hate these things, they always jam. Daddy would have gotten us uzis". It always surprises me when I use it and someone I know (especially younger folks) get the reference and can quote other lines. That one is from a cult 80s classic. :D

[CanvasShoes]

I know what a red letter day is but only because the Pet Shop Boys had a hit with a song called 'A Red Letter Day'.

Some things I say that people never get:

"ARE THESE MY FEET?!"

"You leave me only three options..."

"Oh it's you, why are you pestering me?"

"Is it a hat?" and by extension, "Will it be with me forever?"

Basically my entire vocabulary is quotes from Seinfeld and The Simpsons, which people usually get, plus the shows that the above quotes come from, which nobody outside my family ever gets, and I'll be impressed if someone can identify what the shows are (the last one is probably the easiest as it's from the more popular series).
I don't have a clue what any of those are from. Particularly the last one. :)

[madrabbitwoman]

I named my rabbit Bellamy - so far only one person has got the reference and I'm pretty sure they are on this board

[Electric Warrior]

I've gotten weird looks for saying 'possums' to mean 'awesome' (because they rhyme, you see. It started as 'awesome possum' and got shortened.)

Similarly, I started saying danke schoen instead of thank you, which then mutated into 'donkey shin'. People have no idea what I'm talking about when I say 'donkey shin'.

I named my rabbit Bellamy - so far only one person has got the reference and I'm pretty sure they are on this board

This is probably way off but...Matt Bellamy of Muse?

[Larry Mudd]

Similarly, I started saying danke schoen instead of thank you, which then mutated into 'donkey shin'. People have no idea what I'm talking about when I say 'donkey shin'.My standard response to "danke" is "Betavision." 30 years on, I still find it funny. (Although deep down, I understand that it's really, really not.)

And, yeah... increasingly people seem to think that it's just really poor enunciation. Get off my lawn!

[madrabbitwoman]

[

I named my rabbit Bellamy - so far only one person has got the reference and I'm pretty sure they are on this board

This is probably way off but...Matt Bellamy of Muse?

Just a hint or two: It has something to do with rabbits, a famous book/movie and an oldish English comedy program

[Snowboarder Bo]

No one, but no one, gets any of the following three references (which are all from the exact same source):

"Ham! Ham! Ham!"

"More pie, Admiral?"

"I'm a sweet little cupcake... baked by the devil!"

They pelted us with rocks and garbage!

This, is a shoe.

Ohhhh it's so hot, it's so hot, it's so hoooooot.

[Snowboarder Bo]

TWOooooooo DOLLLLAAaaaarrrrrrrssssss

I can't help it. Every time something regarding two bucks comes up, I have to say it.

I've only had one person get the reference to Better Off Dead.

Do you realize the street value of this mountain?

[Snowboarder Bo]

One that I usually mutter but that no one ever gets:

"John Wayne was a fag."

[Pai325]

As a junior high teacher, I'd have to say some days it's everything!

[cochrane]

So it's your chance to relive those painful moments... like the time a friend visiting from another college said "Oh, oh. I just realized I accidentally blew off my History Prof last night."

And... silence. We had no idea he wasn't discussing a creepy extra-credit policy.I've always understood "blow off" in the sense your friend meant, in other words to ignore something or to forget. It's never caused me any confusion when someone says it, nor have I ever confused anybody when I used it. It seemed universal to me, no matter what part of the country I've been in.

[Sir T-Cups]

I love how you answered the question I asked, by referencing my own post. I didn't actually know what it means when I started using it...and still I really don't. I have no idea where I heard the phrase (since I am now certain I didn't make it up) and the explanation I gave people...the one above...is something I just made up using my head/logic. Apparently I was right....


So now you're referencing my post referencing your own post because I knew that you knew what you were saying even though you didn't know that you knew what you were saying? Is that what you're saying?

Because in that case, you clearly know what you're saying.

I say!