This morning, my wife was showing off some snazzy new blouses she had bought herself this week. One of the blouses had a little pleat in front, and I said, “That kind of looks like a smock.” At exactly the same time, we both said, “Smock, smock, smock, smock, smock, smock!”
Everyone once in a while, my wife reminds me why I love her.
When I read the title my first thought was of an oozy creature creeping down a stone-floored corridor.
Mr Smock.
The sloppy cousin of Mr Spock.
He’s Starfleet’s disgrace, you know.
I knew what the thread would be about, I love that C & H. I often say “smock, smock, smock…” just because it’s fun to say.
“You can tell the quality of the artist by the quality of his smock.”
Ye g-ds, I miss that strip.
Steve Allen used, smock,smock, smock as a catch phrase as he liked to play with words and sounds.He was the Tonite show host a couple decades ago.
Couple of decades? 
Tonight Show 1954-1957
I have been learning to smock (that is, embroider over pleated fabric) and every time I get it out, I have to say “smock smock smock!”
Thank You!
I’ve wondered where that phrase came from for ages. They used it in a panel of the Mad magazine parody of the Alfred Hitchcock movie “The Birds”, and it came completely out of left field, with no explanation, and its been bugging me ever since.
Steve Allen pronounced it more like schmock than the way we pronounce the blouse form.
That comic strip just made me REALLY happy 
Thank you!
Years ago Steve Allen explained that he came up with the SMOCK SMOCK catch-phrase after realizing that he couldn’t say Shmuck on TV.
I didn’t have to click the (zombie) link… that’s one of my favorites. Thanks for the reminder
Yep, he spelledit that way, too.
Then you probably remember that Dave Garro(run)way signed off his show with “…Vootie!”
How’s your fern?
