# What is the meaning of "P.I.P."

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-meaning-of-p-i-p/256259>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 21, 2004, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-meaning-of-p-i-p/256259 "2004-07-21T22:55:41Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![PaulFitzroy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/2acd7d/32.png) [@PaulFitzroy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaulFitzroy)\
**Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-meaning-of-p-i-p/256259/1 "2004-07-21T22:55:41Z")

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The famous song “Chuck E’s In Love,” by Ricki Lee Jones, begins thusly: “How come he don’t come and P.I.P. with me down at the meter no more?”

What does this mean? The last time I heard “P.I.P.” the person saying it was a television salesman talking about the nifty device which allows you to view two channels at once. Of course, they didn’t have that stuff when Ricki wrote that song. What gives?

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**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\
**Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-meaning-of-p-i-p/256259/2 "2004-07-21T22:59:52Z")

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Put it in Park?  
Picture in Picture?  
Personal Injury Protection?

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**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\
**Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-meaning-of-p-i-p/256259/3 "2004-07-21T23:40:48Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> It’s actually P.L.P. and it stands for Public Leaning Post. Rickie Lee Jones explained this a few years ago on her message board.

From the last post at [http://www.guitarseminars.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/002452.html](http://www.guitarseminars.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/002452.html)

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**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\
**Post date:** [July 22, 2004, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-meaning-of-p-i-p/256259/4 "2004-07-22T01:44:01Z")

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Bah! I heard Casey Kasem say the same thing while “Chuck E’s in Love” was still on AT 40. To add to that, specifically a “public leaning post” was a parking meter.

At least that’s what Casey said.

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**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\
**Post date:** [July 22, 2004, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-meaning-of-p-i-p/256259/5 "2004-07-22T02:36:54Z")

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Casey doesn’t know it all.

I actually _played_ PLP as a kid. It was a dumb game, but it went something like this:

Wise Guy: “Want to play PLP?”  
Victim: “What’s that?”  
Wise Guy (leaning against victim): “Public Leaning Post”  
(Hilarity ensues)

(I said it was dumb).

Anyone want some ABC gum, while we’re at it? 😉

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**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\
**Post date:** [July 22, 2004, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-meaning-of-p-i-p/256259/6 "2004-07-22T12:06:09Z")

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What’s ABC gu–oh.

:smack:

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**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\
**Post date:** [July 22, 2004, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-meaning-of-p-i-p/256259/7 "2004-07-22T16:03:37Z")

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> [@RealityChuck](#):
>
> Casey doesn’t know it all.
> 
> I actually _played_ PLP as a kid. It was a dumb game, but it went something like this:
> 
> Wise Guy: “Want to play PLP?”  
> Victim: “What’s that?”  
> Wise Guy (leaning against victim): “Public Leaning Post”  
> (Hilarity ensues)
> 
> (I said it was dumb).
> 
> Anyone want some ABC gum, while we’re at it? 😉

OH ye gods! How, I wonder, did such a very very silly game manage to be on both sides of the Atlantic at once? Grr - we had that one too. I’d understand older tradition al games and songs travelling, but that one -  
:smack: