# The Weird Disclaimer on 'Mythbusters': Why 'We're what you call experts'?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-weird-disclaimer-on-mythbusters-why-were-what-you-call-experts/980884>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Tags:** documentary-bio\
**Created:** [March 8, 2023, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-weird-disclaimer-on-mythbusters-why-were-what-you-call-experts/980884 "2023-03-08T18:07:41Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\
**Post date:** [March 9, 2023, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-weird-disclaimer-on-mythbusters-why-were-what-you-call-experts/980884/22 "2023-03-09T14:44:33Z")

</div>

> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#):
>
> Some of their supposed ‘myths’ I could have dismissed out of hand with a whiteboard, a calculator, and a _Marks’_ but almost nobody wants to spend twenty minutes watching some nerd draw freebody diagrams

What’s a _Mark’s_? From the context I get that it’s some sort of science or math reference tome.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\
**Post date:** [March 9, 2023, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-weird-disclaimer-on-mythbusters-why-were-what-you-call-experts/980884/23 "2023-03-09T15:20:58Z")

</div>

> [@TriPolar](#):
>
> Yes. And let that be a lesson to you. I mean go ahead and do the boring explanation, you’re pretty good at that. But do that after you smash or blow something up!

That is generally an indication of [a bad day in this business](https://youtu.be/8kwLktfhVyc&t=35s).

> [@HeyHomie](#):
>
> What’s a _Mark’s_? From the context I get that it’s some sort of science or math reference tome.

[_Marks’ Standard Handbook for Mechanical Engineers_](https://www.amazon.com/Marks-Standard-Handbook-Mechanical-Engineers/dp/1259588505/)

Stranger

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\
**Post date:** [March 9, 2023, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-weird-disclaimer-on-mythbusters-why-were-what-you-call-experts/980884/24 "2023-03-09T17:40:48Z")

</div>

I always understood it to be a cute way for them to point out that they’re experts of a sort, and presumably had the know-how to do these things safely, AND that if there were things they didn’t understand, they knew enough to bring in actual SMEs for those things.

Basically saying “We do this stuff for a living; you don’t, so don’t try making a giant water slide into a pond/blowing up a water heater/ because you saw it on our show.”

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-weird-disclaimer-on-mythbusters-why-were-what-you-call-experts/980884.md?page=1)