# Media references that NOBODY ever gets. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 17, 2003, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-references-that-nobody-ever-gets/219498 "2003-12-17T07:55:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![ianzin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ed655f/32.png) [@ianzin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ianzin)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-references-that-nobody-ever-gets/219498/41 "2003-12-17T19:22:33Z")
Er… ‘Kind’ should have been ‘King’. When come back, bring preview facility. ---
**Author:** ![dav01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8491ac/32.png) [@dav01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dav01)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-references-that-nobody-ever-gets/219498/42 "2003-12-17T19:23:23Z")
My two most favorite and rather obscure (I think) are from M_A_S\*H: “Ahh, Bach” and “You know what kind of wood this is?” “Oak?” “Nope, it’s oak.” ---
**Author:** ![saramamalana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/74df32/32.png) [@saramamalana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saramamalana)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-references-that-nobody-ever-gets/219498/43 "2003-12-17T19:27:31Z")
“I hit something! Yes? No?” …anyone know? ---
**Author:** ![photopat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e95f7d/32.png) [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-references-that-nobody-ever-gets/219498/44 "2003-12-17T19:32:30Z")
“Oh sure, I tell you, then you tell somebody else and before you know it we’re in another ice age.” - **Real Genius** One of my favorites - “Aha! Pronoun trouble.” - From, I believe,\*\* Rabbit Seasoning\*\*. ---
**Author:** ![Servo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/49beb7/32.png) [@Servo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Servo)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-references-that-nobody-ever-gets/219498/45 "2003-12-17T19:36:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bienville \* > \*\*“I’ll tell you what the effect is! It’s PISSING ME OFF!” > “Then maybe my theory is correct!” \*\* “You can keep the five bucks – I’ve had it!” I’m always surprised when “It looks like I picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue” doesn’t get any response. I’m also constantly looking for ways to slip in the “but that’s not important now” gag. Me: (Walking up to a busy co-worker) Bob, can I ask you a question. Co-worker: (sigh) What is it? Me: It’s an interogative statement used to test knowledge – but that’s not important right now. Maybe they get it, but they never seem amused. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-references-that-nobody-ever-gets/219498/46 "2003-12-17T19:38:08Z")
I would like to thank everyone who has provided the source of their quotes. Doesn’t do much good to provide “media references that NOBODY ever gets” if you don’t tell us what you’re talking about, does it? And since when are Princess Bride quotes obscure? ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-references-that-nobody-ever-gets/219498/47 "2003-12-17T19:59:46Z")
“And all because of bloody Rod Steiger.” - Good Neighbors, a Britcom of the 70s. Once I solved an extremely obscure coding problem at work, and when complimented on the extent of my experience, I replied, “There have been Bulvertons in De-infestation going back to the bubonic time.” No one got it - it is from the same show. They think I am odd anyway, so no harm done. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![saramamalana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/74df32/32.png) [@saramamalana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saramamalana)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-references-that-nobody-ever-gets/219498/48 "2003-12-17T20:08:03Z")
Okay, so mine is from “Labyrinth.” And I was thinking the same thing about “The Princess Bride.” ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-references-that-nobody-ever-gets/219498/49 "2003-12-17T20:19:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Munch \* > **I would like to thank everyone who has provided the source of their quotes. Doesn’t do much good to provide “media references that NOBODY ever gets” if you don’t tell us what you’re talking about, does it?** I assume that was aimed at me, so: “That’s all there is—there isn’t any more”—what Ethel Barrymore always said after her B’way curtain calls “T’aint funny, McGee”—catchphrase from the radio show _Fibber McGee and Molly_ " . . . and that little girl grew up to be Charlotte Cushman."—line from Robert Benchley, used when a literary cliche came up. . . . So I put them all into one file, marked “Thelma Jordan.”—play on the movie _The File on Thelma Jordan_. ---
**Author:** ![Gamaliel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b487fb/32.png) [@Gamaliel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gamaliel)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-references-that-nobody-ever-gets/219498/50 "2003-12-17T20:22:02Z")
“It’s about yay big.” From an 80s commerical (I forget for what) with two guys in a diner and the waitress naming off a long list of pies. When she gets to rhubarb, one guy asks “what’s a rhubarb?”. The other guy replies…“it’s about yay big.” ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-references-that-nobody-ever-gets/219498/51 "2003-12-17T20:24:16Z")
SUPPLIES! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-references-that-nobody-ever-gets/219498/52 "2003-12-17T20:25:10Z")
“Can I have his stapler?” Not from _Office Space_ — it’s from Matt Groening’s _Life in Hell_ cartoon. Another one from _Life in Hell_ that never fails to crack me up when I get to use it but that _nobody_ ever recognizes: “The fish stick is neither a fish nor a stick. It is a fungus.” Replace the “fish stick” reference with something else, and conclude with “it is a fungus,” and you have instant hilarity. For me, inside my own head, anyway. But that’s what matters. > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Skeezix \* > **Tremors** : When Val and Earl are on the way out of town._\* Ooo, _Tremors_ is **packed** with quotable dialogue. “I found the ass end!” has more uses than you might expect, for example. And “Fuuu-UUU-uuu-uck YOU!” is good also. > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by ArrMatey! \* > “Know what a turtle is? Same thing.”_\* This is _excellent._ I’ll occasionally use “VISIT THE OFF-WORLD COLONIES!” but too many people recognize it. I’ll have to switch to the “turtle” line. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Jurph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/50afbb/32.png) [@Jurph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jurph)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-references-that-nobody-ever-gets/219498/53 "2003-12-17T20:32:54Z")
My girlfriend and I routinely manage to ride each other’s mental wavelength, and riff on the _horrible_ cliche from **Perfect Strangers** , wherein I come up with a plan. ME: “I have–” (finger in air, half-beat pause) HER: “Oh God.” ME: “–a plan.” Whenever figuring out portions or shares, counting _a la_ **Clue** is popular: “No, it’s one plus one plus two plus one.” A Tim Curry voice is especially helpful when ordering curry, herring, or Cantonese cuisine, or any food in Washington _Dee See_. Likewise when discussing the politics of the former Soviet Union, or the current state of affairs in China or North Korea. After a spicy meal, if anyone questions anything you’ve said, affect a Tim Curry voice and reply “N’ho. That’s just the CURRY talking.” ---
**Author:** ![Chastain86](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Chastain86](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chastain86)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-references-that-nobody-ever-gets/219498/54 "2003-12-17T21:03:49Z")
I usually pronounce the word “ruined” as “rooned,” just as an homage to the way Danny Devito pronounced it in “Throw Momma From the Train.” “I grabbed your tie, I didn’t want it to get **rooned.** ” ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-references-that-nobody-ever-gets/219498/55 "2003-12-17T21:15:18Z")
. . . It’s not a pop-culture or media reference, but I have found that “yeah, in _dog years!_” comes in very handy as a retort to nearly anything. “We should get out by five today.” “Yeah, in _dog years!_” “We’re only supposed to get a dusting of snow.” “Yeah, in _dog years!_” “Omigod, that’s a cute outfit.” “Yeah, in _dog years!_” ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-references-that-nobody-ever-gets/219498/56 "2003-12-17T21:35:29Z")
“Get away from me, or I’ll hit you with this tire-iron.” (Brandishing imaginary tire-iron.) For dual-use-- either when a conversation has run its course, or to express extremely minor disapproval. It’s from _Late Night with David Letterman_, around 1985. Nobody apart from me and my best bud remember it, and to be quite honest, I don’t remember the context in which it first appeared. I believe it was “viewer mail” or some other set piece in which items were presented in series on little blue cards. Same goes for “It is I, Dave: The King,” a standard greeting for entryphones and telephone calls, regardless of the other party’s given name. If I recall correctly, it was first uttered by Larry “Bud” Melman, in an Elvis wig. R.I.P., Bud. ---
**Author:** ![hocow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hocow/32/4112_2.png) [@hocow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hocow)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-references-that-nobody-ever-gets/219498/57 "2003-12-17T21:38:31Z")
“Damn the man!” - **Empire Records** ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-references-that-nobody-ever-gets/219498/58 "2003-12-17T21:43:17Z")
**Clue** is a treasure-trove for these things. Whenever someone explains something rather complex, and several of us are trying to get our heads around it, I tend to say “so…whoever knew that the cook was involved…killed her?” And one from **Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade** , used when something doesn’t work out the way it’s been planned: “Our situation has not improved.” Also, just about any Jon Cusack movie, and **The Breakfast Club** , are great for these, as well. Oh, and the first live-action **Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles** , too. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-references-that-nobody-ever-gets/219498/59 "2003-12-17T21:47:17Z")
“That’s CRAZY talk!” - from some cookware commercial where you can cook using water instead of oil. Useful in any situation. ---
**Author:** ![tanstaafl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@tanstaafl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tanstaafl)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-references-that-nobody-ever-gets/219498/60 "2003-12-17T21:56:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Munch \* > \*\*And since when are Princess Bride quotes obscure? \*\* Well, maybe not obscure on the SDMB or even on-line in general, but I know I get enough strange looks around here when I use them to know that most people _don’t_ know where they’re from. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-references-that-nobody-ever-gets/219498.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-references-that-nobody-ever-gets/219498.md?page=4)