# What's the joke in this BMW ad?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-joke-in-this-bmw-ad/443794>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 3, 2008, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-joke-in-this-bmw-ad/443794 "2008-04-03T14:08:17Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\
**Post date:** [April 3, 2008, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-joke-in-this-bmw-ad/443794/1 "2008-04-03T14:08:17Z")

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[Fast-poke](http://www.vintageadsandstuff.com/viewautoforeignb4.jpeg) as the headline and then the rest of the ad in pretty plain English. A classic car magazine I read occasionally didn’t get it either.

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**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\
**Post date:** [April 3, 2008, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-joke-in-this-bmw-ad/443794/2 "2008-04-03T14:12:08Z")

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“Fast-poke” would be the opposite of “slow-poke.” Is that the part you don’t get? My dictionary shows “slowpoke” as an informal noun defined as “a person who makes slow progress.”

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**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\
**Post date:** [April 3, 2008, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-joke-in-this-bmw-ad/443794/3 "2008-04-03T14:26:07Z")

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I see, not a term I’ve heard before, is it limited to N. America?

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**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\
**Post date:** [April 3, 2008, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-joke-in-this-bmw-ad/443794/4 "2008-04-03T14:29:43Z")

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We use slow-poke here as well – but it does originate from America.

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**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\
**Post date:** [April 3, 2008, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-joke-in-this-bmw-ad/443794/5 "2008-04-03T14:29:49Z")

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[QUOTE=Pushkin]  
I see, not a term I’ve heard before, is it limited to N. America?  
[/QUOTE]

It’s more common here but I’ve definitely heard it in Britain.

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**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\
**Post date:** [April 3, 2008, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-joke-in-this-bmw-ad/443794/6 "2008-04-03T15:24:54Z")

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Yes, slowpoke is used in the UK quite frequently.

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**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\
**Post date:** [April 3, 2008, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-joke-in-this-bmw-ad/443794/7 "2008-04-03T16:00:19Z")

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FYI, I didn’t get it either when I read the ad, although I’m quite familiar with the word slowpoke (as in Slowpoke Rodriguez).

ETA: I think the joke would have been more obvious had they headlined it as one word instead of hyphenated.