# I can't believe I don't understand this Marmaduke **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 16, 2006, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-believe-i-dont-understand-this-marmaduke/348652 "2006-03-16T21:26:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Gamaliel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b487fb/32.png) [@Gamaliel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gamaliel)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2006, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-believe-i-dont-understand-this-marmaduke/348652/1 "2006-03-16T21:26:51Z")
[http://www.comics.com/comics/marmaduke/archive/marmaduke-20060315.html](http://www.comics.com/comics/marmaduke/archive/marmaduke-20060315.html) Normally I don’t read Marmaduke (really, I swear), but a blogger I regularly read exclaimed “This Marmaduke Joke Grosses Me Out!” Um, why? I don’t even find a joke, much less a joke to be grossed out about. What am I missing? (In case the link dies, it’s March 15 and the caption reads “I’m calling Mrs. Vanderhorst before she isn’t talking to me forever.” ) ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2006, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-believe-i-dont-understand-this-marmaduke/348652/2 "2006-03-16T21:29:32Z")
I get the impression that old Marmy is looking to get some from the pretty little dog. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2006, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-believe-i-dont-understand-this-marmaduke/348652/3 "2006-03-16T21:31:06Z")
What **Honey** said. ---
**Author:** ![Greenback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/2bfe46/32.png) [@Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greenback)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2006, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-believe-i-dont-understand-this-marmaduke/348652/4 "2006-03-16T21:31:58Z")
Marmeduke is going to deflower the little bitch. ---
**Author:** ![Gamaliel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b487fb/32.png) [@Gamaliel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gamaliel)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2006, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-believe-i-dont-understand-this-marmaduke/348652/5 "2006-03-16T21:43:26Z")
Um. Ewww. I never thought about Marmaduke in that way before. I guess I assumed he’d already been to the vet. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2006, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-believe-i-dont-understand-this-marmaduke/348652/6 "2006-03-16T21:55:30Z")
Either that or he’s about to eat her. Nah…there’s luvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv in his eyes. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2006, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-believe-i-dont-understand-this-marmaduke/348652/7 "2006-03-16T22:08:31Z")
For starters he’ll eat her, but they’ll still have sex. … no, I don’t believe I typed that, either… ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2006, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-believe-i-dont-understand-this-marmaduke/348652/8 "2006-03-16T22:19:21Z")
… Is that sentence even grammatical? ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2006, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-believe-i-dont-understand-this-marmaduke/348652/9 "2006-03-16T22:24:04Z")
> [@Rysto](#): > > … > > Is [del]that[/del] this sentence even grammatical? [editing mine. Askia.] Now it is. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2006, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-believe-i-dont-understand-this-marmaduke/348652/10 "2006-03-16T22:25:20Z")
And, you know, to be fair, given the traditional meme of “that’s a really big dog,” having a joke based off of “that’s a really big dog that’s going to screw somebody else’s dog” is actually pretty risque. I mean, it’s the moral equivalent of Peppermint Patty & Marcie talking about sharing a sleeping bag on a camping trip. ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2006, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-believe-i-dont-understand-this-marmaduke/348652/11 "2006-03-16T23:10:13Z")
> [@Askia](#): > > Now it is. :dubious: I meant the sentence in the cartoon. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2006, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-believe-i-dont-understand-this-marmaduke/348652/12 "2006-03-16T23:19:58Z")
**Rysto.** Oh. :smack: I was so proud of that comeback, too. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2006, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-believe-i-dont-understand-this-marmaduke/348652/13 "2006-03-17T00:10:40Z")
> [@Askia](#): > > **Rysto.** Oh. > > :smack: > > I was so proud of that comeback, too. I must be missing something. Why would **Rysto** have been asking, apropos of nothing else in the thread, “Am I presently typing a grammatical sentence?” -FrL- ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2006, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-believe-i-dont-understand-this-marmaduke/348652/14 "2006-03-17T00:38:22Z")
The caption is actually “I’m calling Mrs. Vanderhorst before she isn’t talking to me **forever**.” The bold type is key: apparently Marmaduke often annoys Mrs. Vanderhorst to the point where she repeatedly stops speaking to Marmaduke’s owner, so the joke is that Marmaduke getting “friendly” with the little dog – ostensibly Mrs. V’s – would send Mrs. V completely over the edge, resulting in a permanent silence. 🙂 (At least, that’s the joke as I saw it!) ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2006, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-believe-i-dont-understand-this-marmaduke/348652/15 "2006-03-17T00:39:51Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > I must be missing something. Why would **Rysto** have been asking, apropos of nothing else in the thread, “Am I presently typing a grammatical sentence?” I think Askia thought Rysto was talking about the bit he (Askia) typed, so Askia ‘corrected’ Rysto’s sentence. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2006, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-believe-i-dont-understand-this-marmaduke/348652/16 "2006-03-17T00:40:58Z")
Marmaduke’s, err, affections might well be, ahhhh, injurious to the little dog as well. If you catch my sick and twisted drift. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2006, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-believe-i-dont-understand-this-marmaduke/348652/17 "2006-03-17T01:20:50Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > Marmaduke’s, err, affections might well be, ahhhh, injurious to the little dog as well. If you catch my sick and twisted drift. > > :eek: Duct tape. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2006, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-believe-i-dont-understand-this-marmaduke/348652/18 "2006-03-17T01:41:53Z")
> [@Tengu](#): > > I think Askia thought Rysto was talking about the bit he (Askia) typed, so Askia ‘corrected’ Rysto’s sentence. Oh! :smack: I was wondering why Askia just randomly decided to “correct” my sentence. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2006, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-believe-i-dont-understand-this-marmaduke/348652/19 "2006-03-17T02:58:10Z")
> [@Rysto](#): > > Oh! > :smack: > > I was wondering why Askia just randomly decided to “correct” my sentence. AWK werrrd. 😛 -FrL- ---
**Author:** ![lawoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2006, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-believe-i-dont-understand-this-marmaduke/348652/20 "2006-03-17T03:34:03Z")
Wouldn’t this be the canine version of _Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex_? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-believe-i-dont-understand-this-marmaduke/348652.md?page=2)