# I don't get the joke on this T-Shirt? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 22, 2014, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-the-joke-on-this-t-shirt/686659 "2014-04-22T05:09:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![WallFloor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@WallFloor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WallFloor)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-the-joke-on-this-t-shirt/686659/1 "2014-04-22T05:09:40Z")
Mac was wearing this shirt on an episode of ‘Always Sunny’ and Dennis didn’t get it. Neither do I. It says ‘Come to Philly for the Crack’ with a picture of the Liberty Bell. Here’s a Picture of It: [http://skreened.com/clintonville/come-to-philly-for-the-crack-tee-shirt/american-apparel-unisex-organic-tee/pomegranate](http://skreened.com/clintonville/come-to-philly-for-the-crack-tee-shirt/american-apparel-unisex-organic-tee/pomegranate) ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-the-joke-on-this-t-shirt/686659/2 "2014-04-22T05:11:38Z")
Crack = Crack cocaine. Also, the Liberty Bell has a Crack in it, and it’s in Philly. Hilarious! ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-the-joke-on-this-t-shirt/686659/3 "2014-04-22T05:13:05Z")
Obviously a pun on [crack,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crack_cocaine) the drug (smokable cocaine), and the crack in the Liberty Bell. Then there’s this version: [Say No to Crack.](http://mommymishmash.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/crack.jpg) (I hope we don’t have to explain that one.;)) ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-the-joke-on-this-t-shirt/686659/4 "2014-04-22T05:28:14Z")
Surely this is ‘Come to Philly for the Craic’ > **[Craic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craic)** > > Craic (/kræk/ KRAK) or crack is a term for news, gossip, fun, entertainment, and enjoyable conversation, particularly prominent in Ireland. It is often used with the definite article – the craic – as in the expression "What's the craic?", meaning "How are you?" or "What's happening?". The Scots and English crack was borrowed into Irish as craic in the mid-20th century and the Irish spelling was then reborrowed into English. Under both spellings, the term has become popular and sig The word c... > [@](#): > > “Craic” (/ʔkræk/ KRAK), or “crack”, is a term for news, gossip, fun, entertainment, and enjoyable conversation, particularly prominent in Ireland.[1][2][3] It is often used with the definite article – the craic.[1] The word has an unusual history; the English crack was borrowed into Irish as craic in the mid-20th century and the Irish spelling was then reborrowed into English.[1] Under either spelling, the term has great cultural currency and significance in Ireland. ---
**Author:** ![BrightNShiny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@BrightNShiny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrightNShiny)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-the-joke-on-this-t-shirt/686659/5 "2014-04-22T05:43:26Z")
> [@eburacum45](#): > > Surely this is ‘Come to Philly for the Craic’ > [Craic - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craic) I’ll see you that and raise you [this](http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/crack?s=t): > [@](#): > > n. the gap between the buttocks. : You wanna get kicked in the crack? Note to readers not familiar with English slang: I don’t think the joke is actually using the word “crack” in this sense. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-the-joke-on-this-t-shirt/686659/6 "2014-04-22T08:11:11Z")
Yeah the t-shirt makes absolutely no sense at all. Everybody knows the best crack is in Maryland. The liberty bell can’t hold a lot of crack because it has that big hole in it. I don’t get “always sunny in philadelphia” either, it’s only sunny, at most, 12 hours at a time. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-the-joke-on-this-t-shirt/686659/7 "2014-04-22T11:50:47Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Then there’s this version: [Say No to Crack.](http://mommymishmash.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/crack.jpg) How about that image with the “Come to Philly” caption… ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-the-joke-on-this-t-shirt/686659/8 "2014-04-22T14:04:28Z")
**ecburacum45** , the word “craic” is virtually unknown in the US, and certainly wouldn’t be used for a joke on a sitcom. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-the-joke-on-this-t-shirt/686659/9 "2014-04-22T14:11:58Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > **ecburacum45** , the word “craic” is virtually unknown in the US, and certainly wouldn’t be used for a joke on a sitcom. Well if it means crack as in the drug, then it’s a pretty lame play on words, because “for the craic” is an actual idiom, whereas “for the crack” isn’t an idiom anywhere, as far as I know (except as an alternative spelling of the former). ---
**Author:** ![tapu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@tapu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tapu)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-the-joke-on-this-t-shirt/686659/10 "2014-04-22T14:32:38Z")
Colophon: You speak in jest. Of course it’s “Come for the crack.” ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-the-joke-on-this-t-shirt/686659/11 "2014-04-22T14:33:59Z")
Crack, the drug, is a recurring plot device on _Sunny_. Dennis and Dee even became addicted in one episode. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-the-joke-on-this-t-shirt/686659/12 "2014-04-22T14:43:49Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > Well if it means crack as in the drug, then it’s a pretty lame play on words, because “for the craic” is an actual idiom, whereas “for the crack” isn’t an idiom anywhere, as far as I know (except as an alternative spelling of the former). Huh. I assumed **ecburacum45** ’s explanation was just a joke, finding an obscure secondary pun. (Or am I beeing whooshed by you?) But, yeah, in the US, that shirt clearly is punning on the slang name for the drug and the literal crack in the Liberty Bell sense. “For the craic” means absolutely nothing to me. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-the-joke-on-this-t-shirt/686659/13 "2014-04-22T14:48:04Z")
Actually, now that I think about it, perhaps the phrase “for the craic” is known in Philly? It’s got a pretty decent Irish community. So maybe it is, in fact, intended to be a pun with three meanings. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-the-joke-on-this-t-shirt/686659/14 "2014-04-22T14:48:56Z")
It’s not “…for the crack” that’s an American idiom; it’s “come for the …”. One might say of a particular city “Come for the food”, or “come for the scenery”, or “come for the shows”, or the like: “Come for the crack” is a logical extension of that. ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-the-joke-on-this-t-shirt/686659/15 "2014-04-22T14:56:01Z")
It also might have to do with plumber’s butt. But the drug seems to make more sense. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-the-joke-on-this-t-shirt/686659/16 "2014-04-22T15:03:22Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > It’s not “…for the crack” that’s an American idiom; it’s “come for the …”. One might say of a particular city “Come for the food”, or “come for the scenery”, or “come for the shows”, or the like: “Come for the crack” is a logical extension of that. Sure, but the phrase “come for the craic” [also exists](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/holidaytypeshub/article-593986/Come-craic.html). So, while I was unaware of the phrase before this thread, it’s not completely inconceivable that there’s a secondary pun going on. Also, the bar in “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” is supposed to be an Irish pub, which gives the “craic” interpretation a bit more plausibility. In fact, at this point, I am thinking it is intentional. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-the-joke-on-this-t-shirt/686659/17 "2014-04-22T15:21:47Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > Crack = Crack cocaine. > Also, the Liberty Bell has a Crack in it, and it’s in Philly. > > Hilarious! This is exactly the right answer (and the first answer) for people still honestly pondering the question. ---
**Author:** ![tapu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@tapu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tapu)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-the-joke-on-this-t-shirt/686659/18 "2014-04-22T15:36:48Z")
Unless I’m still “getting whooshed”… I will bet $1000 right here, right now, that the term “craic” never came up in the development and marketing of that t-shirt. Obviously, I cannot really bet here but if I could, I would, and even raise it. That is hilariously far-fetched. It’s about crack, the drug. With no “third pun.” Hey, what was the name of that movie, “Gas Light”? Is that what you’re doing to me? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-the-joke-on-this-t-shirt/686659/19 "2014-04-22T15:37:52Z")
Holy crap! Now it all makes sense. Almost 20 years ago, I worked for a spell out on the west coast of Scotland, and I met this one Scottish guy with the thickest accent I’ve ever heard, and he said something to me like “Ohwsda crack?” I said, “I’m sorry?” “Ohwsda crack?” I said, “Sorry, I don’t understand” “Ohwsda crack! 'ow are ye?” “Oh, fine, thanks!” Now, because of this thread, I finally understand what phrase was being used. It was “How’s the craic?” And my life just slightly became a little less mysterious. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-the-joke-on-this-t-shirt/686659/20 "2014-04-22T15:47:33Z")
> [@tapu](#): > > Unless I’m still “getting whooshed”… > > I will bet $1000 right here, right now, that the term “craic” never came up in the development and marketing of that t-shirt. I’d take that bet for $100. Looking online for the phrase “for the craic,” it shows up in the States in [Irish-themed bars](http://www.theblueshamrockpub.com/Resources/Menu%20full%20color%206th%20proof.pdf), on [on this website of a Phildelphia area business](http://www.walshorgans.com/main.htm) (“We did it for the craic.”), websites on [Irish Philadelphia](http://irishphiladelphia.com/2010/10/aon-sceal-9/), etc. If this was a shirt being marketed and sold in an Irish pub, that would further suggest that the “for the craic” meaning is intentional. Given that the show is set around an Irish pub, I don’t think it’s too far-fatched to think, especially given that “for the craic” is an established Irish phrase. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-the-joke-on-this-t-shirt/686659.md?page=2)