# Any other phrases that are examples of themselves? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 8, 2015, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-other-phrases-that-are-examples-of-themselves/714550 "2015-03-08T20:26:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-other-phrases-that-are-examples-of-themselves/714550/41 "2015-03-10T20:41:14Z")
Remember to never split infinitives. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-other-phrases-that-are-examples-of-themselves/714550/42 "2015-03-10T21:35:41Z")
There’s my favorite mathematical joke, which is slightly related, and which I guarantee half of you already know: Q. What does the “B” in “Benoit B. Mandelbrot” stand for? A. Benoit B. Mandelbrot ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-other-phrases-that-are-examples-of-themselves/714550/43 "2015-03-10T21:51:37Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > “Ending sentences with prepositions is something up with which I shall not put!” Because a preposition is not an appropriate thing to end a sentence with. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2015, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-other-phrases-that-are-examples-of-themselves/714550/44 "2015-03-11T03:05:47Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > There’s my favorite mathematical joke, which is slightly related, and which I guarantee half of you already know: > > Q. What does the “B” in “Benoit B. Mandelbrot” stand for? > A. Benoit B. Mandelbrot I didn’t but I love it. ---
**Author:** ![Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/try2b_comprehensive/32/65_2.png) [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try2B_Comprehensive)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2015, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-other-phrases-that-are-examples-of-themselves/714550/45 "2015-03-11T03:45:24Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > There’s my favorite mathematical joke, which is slightly related, and which I guarantee half of you already know: > > Q. What does the “B” in “Benoit B. Mandelbrot” stand for? > A. Benoit B. Mandelbrot lol ---
**Author:** ![jrbor76](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9e8a1a/32.png) [@jrbor76](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jrbor76)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-other-phrases-that-are-examples-of-themselves/714550/46 "2015-03-12T01:25:59Z")
Igpay Atinlay. ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-other-phrases-that-are-examples-of-themselves/714550/47 "2015-03-12T01:34:42Z")
mondegreen – a misheard word or phrase, from Lady Mondegreen, a mondegreen of “laid him on the green”. Eat death, spell checker. [Is it so a word!](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mondegreen) ---
**Author:** ![BobArrgh](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobarrgh/32/2881_2.png) [@BobArrgh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobArrgh)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-other-phrases-that-are-examples-of-themselves/714550/48 "2015-03-13T12:08:46Z")
I remember a contest in a magazine many years ago (either _Omni_ or _Games_). The contest was in providing the best examples of self-referential statements. I think the one that won was a sign in Braille that said, “Do Not Touch”. Another one that may have been in the contest was the real-life example from technical documentation: “This page intentionally left blank.” ---
**Author:** ![Paxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/50afbb/32.png) [@Paxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paxx)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-other-phrases-that-are-examples-of-themselves/714550/49 "2015-03-13T14:15:42Z")
Let me get straight to the point without beating around the bush… Excuse me, I don’t mean to interrupt but … Don’t tolerate intolerance. DON’T YELL!!! ---
**Author:** ![MostlyClueless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@MostlyClueless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MostlyClueless)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-other-phrases-that-are-examples-of-themselves/714550/50 "2015-03-13T16:21:28Z")
“Schmefix”. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-other-phrases-that-are-examples-of-themselves/714550/51 "2015-03-13T20:11:03Z")
> [@BobArrgh](#): > > Another one that may have been in the contest was the real-life example from technical documentation: “This page intentionally left blank.” I never really thought about that. :smack: How about: This page intentionally left blank, starting…NOW! ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2015, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-other-phrases-that-are-examples-of-themselves/714550/52 "2015-03-14T04:15:01Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > I’ve told you a million times: Don’t use hyperbole!!! A slight variant I use with my kids: “I must have told you a million times not to exaggerate.” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2015, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-other-phrases-that-are-examples-of-themselves/714550/53 "2015-03-14T06:32:59Z")
Portmanteau ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2015, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-other-phrases-that-are-examples-of-themselves/714550/54 "2015-03-14T08:51:58Z")
> [@Paxx](#): > > DON’T YELL!!! Our four-year-old has lately been demanding that my wife and I conduct conversations like the Dalai Lama – no raising of voices to emphasize a point, no excited discussion allowed (he thinks we’re arguing when we aren’t). But he tries to enforce this “rule” in the style of Adolf Hitler – indignantly barking commands at us. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2015, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-other-phrases-that-are-examples-of-themselves/714550/55 "2015-03-14T14:53:24Z")
> [@Elemenopy](#): > > I remember reading [a bunch of these](http://www.plainlanguage.gov/examples/humor/writegood.cfm) from William Safire when I was a kid. Here’s a few. > > A writer must not shift your point of view. > It behooves you to avoid archaic expressions. > Eschew obfuscation. Safire dubbed them “fumblerules of grammar.” My favorite has always been “As you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, do not use too many prepositional phrases.” ---
**Author:** ![Paxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/50afbb/32.png) [@Paxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paxx)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2015, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-other-phrases-that-are-examples-of-themselves/714550/56 "2015-03-15T18:11:07Z")
Why are you wasting your time posting in this thread? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2015, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-other-phrases-that-are-examples-of-themselves/714550/57 "2015-03-17T11:15:29Z")
Phrase’s with mispellings and erronneous apostrophe’s [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-other-phrases-that-are-examples-of-themselves/714550.md?page=2)