# Well, they found the landers!  Hoax over.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-they-found-the-landers-hoax-over/503401>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [July 18, 2009, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-they-found-the-landers-hoax-over/503401 "2009-07-18T02:12:11Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![tbarrie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6f9a4e/32.png) [@tbarrie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tbarrie)\
**Post date:** [August 10, 2009, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-they-found-the-landers-hoax-over/503401/61 "2009-08-10T16:33:44Z")

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> [@Irishman](#):
>
> **foolsguinea** said:  
> But to argue that they are protesting too much? What is this, the third grade?

…do third graders often incorporate Shakespeare references into their taunts?

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**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\
**Post date:** [August 10, 2009, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-they-found-the-landers-hoax-over/503401/62 "2009-08-10T16:59:45Z")

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Every semiliterate Anglophone knows “protest too much”.

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**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\
**Post date:** [August 10, 2009, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-they-found-the-landers-hoax-over/503401/63 "2009-08-10T20:16:22Z")

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**tbarrie** said:

> [@](#):
>
> …do third graders often incorporate Shakespeare references into their taunts?

When they are quotes from Shakespeare that are so famous as to have been absorbed into the common lexicon, i.e. become slang catch-phrases, then yes.

How now, brown cow?

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**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\
**Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-they-found-the-landers-hoax-over/503401/64 "2009-08-13T03:50:54Z")

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Come on people… open your eyes! The conspiracy is much much larger than you may be able to grasp and it has been perpetuated since the dawn of man!

It’s the moon that’s the hoax!😃

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**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\
**Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-they-found-the-landers-hoax-over/503401/65 "2009-08-13T04:06:32Z")

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> [@Irishman](#):
>
> **tbarrie** said:  
> When they are quotes from Shakespeare that are so famous as to have been absorbed into the common lexicon, i.e. become slang catch-phrases, then yes.
> 
> How now, brown cow?

Er…that’s not Shakespeare!

> [@John\_W.Kennedy](#):
>
> Every semiliterate Anglophone knows “protest too much”.

And most literate Anglophones know the line from Hamlet as “The lady doth protest too much, methinks.” I’m not sure if using only “they protest too much” even qualifies as a Shakespearean reference.

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**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\
**Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-they-found-the-landers-hoax-over/503401/66 "2009-08-13T19:26:51Z")

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**Sparky812** said:

> [@](#):
>
> > [@](#):
> >
> > How now, brown cow?
> 
> Er…that’s not Shakespeare!

Okay, not that complete phrase, but “how now” is used as a greeting numerous times in _A Midsummer Night’s Dream_. That was what I misremembered.

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