Most Obscure Cultural Reference
Dave Wilton
scene where he is talking to Wesley about finding the demon heart to
cure Buffy:
"Who is going to get the demon heart? Burke."
I gather this is an allusion to William Burke, an early 19th century
graverobber and murderer, who sold corpses and body parts to
physicians and surgeons (these were the days before there was a
legitimate industry to supply cadavers for medical training).
Could there be a more obscure reference in the series?
--Dave Wilton
da...@wilton.net
http://www.wordorigins.org
Mack Lundy
news:hbq26uopgrmj6onkf...@4ax.com...
> I was watching Earshot yesterday on FX and noticed Giles saying in the
> scene where he is talking to Wesley about finding the demon heart to
> cure Buffy:
>
> "Who is going to get the demon heart? Burke."
>
> I gather this is an allusion to William Burke, an early 19th century
> graverobber and murderer, who sold corpses and body parts to
> physicians and surgeons (these were the days before there was a
> legitimate industry to supply cadavers for medical training).
>
> Could there be a more obscure reference in the series?
>
If I remember correctly, Giles actually said berk in a rather sarcastic
turn, calling Wesley a" berk." That's Cockney rhyming slang.
Berkshire Hunt = cunt
Chris LeBron
> scene where he is talking to Wesley about finding the demon heart to
> cure Buffy:
>
> "Who is going to get the demon heart? Burke."
>
> I gather this is an allusion to William Burke, an early 19th century
> graverobber and murderer, who sold corpses and body parts to
> physicians and surgeons (these were the days before there was a
> legitimate industry to supply cadavers for medical training).
>
> Could there be a more obscure reference in the series?
Actually, in the scripts, the word he uses is "berk". Its a piece of British
slang; he is basically slamming Wesley for suggesting a course of action
that they can't follow through on. It's sort of like calling someone
'dumbass'.
From a site on British slang:
berk Noun. Idiot. Derived from the rhyming slang Berkshire Hunt or Berkeley
Hunt, meaning 'cunt'. Normally Berkshire and Berkeley would be pronounced
Barkshire and Barkeley. This expression is generally accepted as inoffensive
despite its origins. Derog.
--
CL
DAWN: Are you kidding? It was like a meat party in my mouth. (beat) Okay,
now I'm just a kid and even I know that came out wrong.
Wrecked - BtVS
Dave Wilton
<kod...@nethere.com> wrote:
>"Dave Wilton" <da...@wilton.net> wrote in message
>news:hbq26uopgrmj6onkf...@4ax.com...
>> I was watching Earshot yesterday on FX and noticed Giles saying in the
>> scene where he is talking to Wesley about finding the demon heart to
>> cure Buffy:
>>
>> "Who is going to get the demon heart? Burke."
>>
>> I gather this is an allusion to William Burke, an early 19th century
>> graverobber and murderer, who sold corpses and body parts to
>> physicians and surgeons (these were the days before there was a
>> legitimate industry to supply cadavers for medical training).
>>
>> Could there be a more obscure reference in the series?
>
>Actually, in the scripts, the word he uses is "berk". Its a piece of British
>slang; he is basically slamming Wesley for suggesting a course of action
>that they can't follow through on. It's sort of like calling someone
>'dumbass'.
>
>From a site on British slang:
>
>berk Noun. Idiot. Derived from the rhyming slang Berkshire Hunt or Berkeley
>Hunt, meaning 'cunt'. Normally Berkshire and Berkeley would be pronounced
>Barkshire and Barkeley. This expression is generally accepted as inoffensive
>despite its origins. Derog.
That could be, but where is this script. In
http://www.studiesinwords.de/52earshot.html it's spelled "Burke."
As far as I know the shooting scripts for S3 haven't been published.
Does someone have a real copy of a shooting script so we can verify
the correct spelling?
UN
> scene where he is talking to Wesley about finding the demon heart to
> cure Buffy:
>
> "Who is going to get the demon heart? Burke."
>
> I gather this is an allusion to William Burke, an early 19th century
> graverobber and murderer, who sold corpses and body parts to
> physicians and surgeons (these were the days before there was a
> legitimate industry to supply cadavers for medical training).
>
> Could there be a more obscure reference in the series?
>
Must be some, because I got that one right off.
UN
Jim Shaffer, Jr.
>Could there be a more obscure reference in the series?
For me, Xander's line about "tame the donut" or whatever it was is the most
obscure reference, because not only do I not know anything about the movie it's
from, I can't even remember the name of it.
The references that I identified which I would think would be the most obscure
to the general public were Buffy's speculation that Rasputin was a vampire, and
the customer in the Magic Box who was looking for a copy of "Aleister Crowley
Sings" (which doesn't exist, at least under that name...)
Harry the Horse
news:9Fg88.160$i3....@sydney.visi.net...
>
> If I remember correctly, Giles actually said berk in a rather sarcastic
> turn, calling Wesley a" berk." That's Cockney rhyming slang.
>
> Berkshire Hunt = cunt
>
pronounced 'barkshire'.
Don Sample
<da...@wilton.net> wrote:
> On Wed, 6 Feb 2002 13:24:16 -0800, "Chris LeBron"
> <kod...@nethere.com> wrote:
>
> >From a site on British slang:
> >
> >berk Noun. Idiot. Derived from the rhyming slang Berkshire Hunt or Berkeley
> >Hunt, meaning 'cunt'. Normally Berkshire and Berkeley would be pronounced
> >Barkshire and Barkeley. This expression is generally accepted as inoffensive
> >despite its origins. Derog.
>
> That could be, but where is this script. In
> http://www.studiesinwords.de/52earshot.html it's spelled "Burke."
That's someone's transcript of the episode.
>
> As far as I know the shooting scripts for S3 haven't been published.
> Does someone have a real copy of a shooting script so we can verify
> the correct spelling?
>
> --Dave Wilton
Studies in Words (formerly Psyche) also has scripts.
<http://www.StudiesInWords.de/shooting/earshot1.html>
Not the originals, but very well done copies in HTML, made from OCRed
copies of the actual scripts. They do have the Earshot script, and it
says "Berk." (It's about 1/3 of the way down, in part 2.)
--
Don Sample, dsa...@synapse.net
Visit the Buffy Body Count at http://www.synapse.net/~dsample/BBC
Quando omni flunkus moritati
Harry the Horse
> scene where he is talking to Wesley about finding the demon heart to
> cure Buffy:
>
> "Who is going to get the demon heart? Burke."
>
> I gather this is an allusion to William Burke, an early 19th century
> graverobber and murderer, who sold corpses and body parts to
> physicians and surgeons (these were the days before there was a
> legitimate industry to supply cadavers for medical training).
>
> Could there be a more obscure reference in the series?
>
I suppose obscurity is in the eye of the beholder, but how about 'as Willow
goes, so goes my nation'. That was from season 3, Homehoming, I think. A
reference to General Motors?
Don Sample
Jr. <jmsh...@alltel.net> wrote:
> On Wed, 06 Feb 2002 09:45:04 -0800, Dave Wilton <da...@wilton.net> wrote:
>
> >Could there be a more obscure reference in the series?
>
> For me, Xander's line about "tame the donut" or whatever it was is
> the most obscure reference, because not only do I not know anything
> about the movie it's from, I can't even remember the name of it.
I've never seen the movie, (Magnolia) but the phallicism of what he was
saying and doing was obvious.
just john
> That could be, but where is this script. In
> http://www.studiesinwords.de/52earshot.html it's spelled "Burke."
>
Are these scripts notoriously free of spelling/usage/transcription errors?
'Cuz I heard it, and as used, it was meant as "berk."
Mad Hamish
wrote:
>On Wed, 6 Feb 2002 13:24:16 -0800, "Chris LeBron"
><kod...@nethere.com> wrote:
>
>>"Dave Wilton" <da...@wilton.net> wrote in message
>>news:hbq26uopgrmj6onkf...@4ax.com...
>>> I was watching Earshot yesterday on FX and noticed Giles saying in the
>>> scene where he is talking to Wesley about finding the demon heart to
>>> cure Buffy:
>>>
>>> "Who is going to get the demon heart? Burke."
>>>
>>> I gather this is an allusion to William Burke, an early 19th century
>>> graverobber and murderer, who sold corpses and body parts to
>>> physicians and surgeons (these were the days before there was a
>>> legitimate industry to supply cadavers for medical training).
>>>
>>> Could there be a more obscure reference in the series?
>>
>>Actually, in the scripts, the word he uses is "berk". Its a piece of British
>>slang; he is basically slamming Wesley for suggesting a course of action
>>that they can't follow through on. It's sort of like calling someone
>>'dumbass'.
>>
>>From a site on British slang:
>>
>>berk Noun. Idiot. Derived from the rhyming slang Berkshire Hunt or Berkeley
>>Hunt, meaning 'cunt'. Normally Berkshire and Berkeley would be pronounced
>>Barkshire and Barkeley. This expression is generally accepted as inoffensive
>>despite its origins. Derog.
>
>That could be, but where is this script. In
>http://www.studiesinwords.de/52earshot.html it's spelled "Burke."
>
that appears to be a transcript, the shooting script as linked from
http://www.studiesinwords.de/shooting/index.html
(the relevant part being)
http://www.studiesinwords.de/shooting/earshot2.html
has it as berk.
>As far as I know the shooting scripts for S3 haven't been published.
>Does someone have a real copy of a shooting script so we can verify
>the correct spelling?
--
"Hope is replaced by fear and dreams by survival, most of us get by."
Stuart Adamson 1958-2001
Mad Hamish
Hamish Laws
h_l...@bigpond.com
Aethelrede
And "berk" is pronounced "berk", you berk. Are you looking for a kick
up the Khyber from a hobnailed daisy?
Chris LeBron
news:RMm88.3227$CM1.3...@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
Okay, I can figure Kyhber Pass, but what does 'hobnailed daisy' mean?
Gert Wallage
>> hobnailed daisy?
> Okay, I can figure Kyhber Pass, but what does 'hobnailed
> daisy' mean?
It's English slang for a boot ... but I can't remember why. Sounds like
rhyming slang though.
Gert
Mack Lundy
"Chris LeBron" <kod...@nethere.com> wrote in message
news:u641jcn...@corp.supernews.com...
> "Aethelrede" <æthel...@worldnot.att.net> wrote in message
> news:RMm88.3227$CM1.3...@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
> > Harry the Horse wrote in message
<101304186...@eos.uk.clara.net>...
> > >"Mack Lundy" <mal...@wm.edu> wrote in message
> > >news:9Fg88.160$i3....@sydney.visi.net...
> > >>
> > >> If I remember correctly, Giles actually said berk in a rather
sarcastic
> > >> turn, calling Wesley a" berk." That's Cockney rhyming slang.
> > >>
> > >> Berkshire Hunt = cunt
> > >>
> > >I'd be pretty sceptical of that etymology. If only because Berkshire
is
> > >pronounced 'barkshire'.
Agreed but do a google search on cockney rhyming slang and check out a
couple of the on-line dictionaries. I promise you, it's there.
Sara Kirk
daisy root = boot
sa.
Dave Wilton
wrote:
"As Maine goes, so goes the nation." An aphorism based on the
(incorrect) belief that the state of Maine is a bellwether for
national elections.
Dave Wilton
wrote:
>(the relevant part being)
>http://www.studiesinwords.de/shooting/earshot2.html
>
>has it as berk.
I stand corrected. "Berk" is pretty obviously what was intended. I
knew the "Berkshire Hunt" bit, but I didn't realize that it meant fool
or idiot--I always assumed that it meant what it rhymed with.
But "to Burke" is a British slang term for "to murder" plus with it
following the line about harvesting demon organs I don't think my
original guess was out to lunch. Wrong, but not out to lunch.
Sometimes knowing too much slang isn't helpful.
Harry the Horse
news:RMm88.3227$CM1.3...@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
Chris LeBron
perfumary?
--
CL
DAWN: Are you kidding? It was like a meat party in my mouth. (beat) Okay,
now I'm just a kid and even I know that came out wrong.
Wrecked - BtVS
"Sara Kirk" <sara...@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote in message
news:3C628F45...@blueyonder.co.uk...
Aethelrede
Chris LeBron wrote in message ...
>Thanks. Now, what is a daisy root? Is it used in herbal medicine, or
>perfumary?
Well, root rhymes with boot, and daisy roots are really hard to pull up,
so are some boots, so got figure.
But Cockney rhyming slang had pretty much died out by the 50's: Only
"Let's get down to brass tacks" is used much, and that's atypical because it
uses both halves (What? You say "tacks" and "Facts" don't rhyme? They do
down the bloody Berwick Market. And maybe "Let's go take s butcher's", From
"butcher's hook", a look. And "apples and pairs" for stairs.
I leave it the reader what (the) Berkshire Hunt stands for. And Hampton
Wick, a village that is now a suburb of London.
Admiral Nemo
> turn, calling Wesley a" berk." That's Cockney rhyming slang.
>
> Berkshire Hunt = cunt
>
>
>
England are two nations separated by a common language." We could really
use a list of English slang translated into English.
Admiral Nemo
news:05l36u04ip2f8igsh...@4ax.com:
>
> I'm english, so I get nearly all the literature and movie references.
> But I have difficulty with American brand-names and references to
> American TV. There are tons of Xanderisms that I just don't get at
> all, because most of his cultural references are about names of candy
> bars, American TV presenters, etc. Those are totally lost on a British
> audience.
>
>
Could you give a couple of examples?
Admiral Nemo
> "As Maine goes, so goes the nation." An aphorism based on the
> (incorrect) belief that the state of Maine is a bellwether for
> national elections.
>
Maine? It was Virginia. The saying dates back to when the states were
deciding whether or not to ratify the Federal Constitution. Virginia was
a highly influential state at the time. A compromise was reached with the
anti-Federalists to include a Bill of Rights and as a result Virginia
ratified the Federal Constitution.
The saying took on a deeper meaning just before the civil war when
Virginia finally joined the secession.
I had a history professor back in the late 70's who thought that the
phrase should be updated by replacing Virginia with California. I hope he
turns out to be wrong.
First gallant South Carolina
Nobly made the stand,
Then came Alabama,
Who took her by the hand.
Next quickly Mississippi,
Georgia and Florida
All raised on high the Bonnie Blue Flag
That bears a single star.
Ye men of valor, gather round
The banner of the right;
Texas and fair Louisiana
Join us in the fight.
Davis, our loved president,
And Stephens statesman are;
Now rally round the Bonnie Blue Flag
That bears a single star.
And here's to old Virginia--
The Old Dominion State--
Who with the young Confederacy
At length has linked her fate;
Impelled by her example,
Now other states prepare
To hoist on high the Bonnie Blue Flag
That bears a single star.
Aethelrede
Or even American. But who the hell is Churchil?
BrendanM
[Brendan Shakes his head]
Some people's kids...
I am an American.
I went to public school.
I know who Churchil was...
And yes, I do want a Cookie.
-Brendan
Gert Wallage
> by the 50's: Only "Let's get down to brass tacks" is
> used much
That's the only one? I think not. Use your loaf :-)
Gert
Richard
I could be mistaken, but I don't think it was Churchill who coined that
expression, although I would hardly be surprised if he used it on at least one
occasion. I want to say that it was George Bernard Shaw who first said that
line about America and England being separated by a common language, but I would
not want to swear to it.
Ebi
I think he's a friend of Zander's. Or maybe one of Josh's.
Merry
> Could there be a more obscure reference in the series?
>
The Musical _has_ to be obscure :)
/Merry
Dave Wilton
wrote:
>I could be mistaken, but I don't think it was Churchill who coined that
>expression, although I would hardly be surprised if he used it on at least one
>occasion. I want to say that it was George Bernard Shaw who first said that
>line about America and England being separated by a common language, but I would
>not want to swear to it.
Shaw is generally credited with it. But like many quotes, there is
some doubt whether he actually said it.
Trinity-Infinity
Seriously... he said that!? I'll have to watch closer...
"The sky is blue...and all the leaves are green. My heart's as warm as
a baked potato...."
and also from the movie, "Fudge, Packer?" *rofl*
Admiral Nemo
> This is what Admiral Nemo <ne...@nowhere.com> just wrote:
>
>>> I'm english, so I get nearly all the literature and movie references.
>>> But I have difficulty with American brand-names and references to
>>> American TV. There are tons of Xanderisms that I just don't get at
>>> all, because most of his cultural references are about names of candy
>>> bars, American TV presenters, etc. Those are totally lost on a British
>>> audience.
>>>
>>
>>Could you give a couple of examples?
>
> Well, all the examples are explained when I read episode guides, so I
> know what they mean now... but I guess I can look through
> buffyguide.com to find a few examples to show you what I mean.
>
> (Not all Xanderisms, actually, most characters...)
>
> "Then if you wouldn't mind a little Gene and Roger..."
>
> "He's on this Tony Robbins hyper-efficiency kick."
>
> Xander: Who was the real power? The Captain, or Tennille?
> Buffy: Ummm... Who are these people?
> Xander: The Captain and Tennille? Boy, somebody was raised in a
> culture-free environment!
>
> "Now we're Dr. Laura for the deceased."
>
> Shouldn't you be out destroying the world right now, pulling the sword
> out of Al Franken or whatever his name is?"
>
> "All your lame-ass friends are gonna be Kibbles 'n Bits."
>
> "There's ghosts and shaking and people going all Felicity with their
> hair."
>
To be fair, a couple of these would be a mystery to most Americans over
thirty as well.
Admiral Nemo
news:wPG88.2326$9%6.45...@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net:
Sir Winston Churchill
(1874 - 1965)
Franklin
news:Xns91AFABC10EA5...@209.155.56.84...... snnippage...
> To be fair, a couple of these would be a mystery to most Americans over
> thirty as well.
And the Captain and Tenille reference would be a mystery to most Americans
*under* thirty...
-- Franklin
Aethelrede
Admiral Nemo wrote in message ...
But who the hell is this Churchil character?
Gert Wallage
>> Sir Winston Churchill
>> (1874 - 1965)
> But who the hell is this Churchil character?
Oh, come on, it's so obvious! It was Churchill's *nickname*.
Gert
chibiangi
"BrendanM" <bre...@meteer.net> wrote in message
news:u66m40s...@corp.supernews.com...
> "Aethelrede" <æthel...@worldnot.att.net> wrote in message
> news:wPG88.2326$9%6.45...@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
> > >> If I remember correctly, Giles actually said berk in a rather
sarcastic
> > >> turn, calling Wesley a" berk." That's Cockney rhyming slang.
> > >>
> > >> Berkshire Hunt = cunt
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >I think it was Churchil who said something along the lines of "America
> and
> > >England are two nations separated by a common language." We could
really
> > >use a list of English slang translated into English.
> >
> > Or even American. But who the hell is Churchil?
I'm hoping you were joking in the below, but JIC...
> [Brendan Shakes his head]
>
> Some people's kids...
I think Aeth is old enough to be your daddy.
> I am an American.
>
> I went to public school.
It shows :D
> I know who Churchil was...
So who was he?
> And yes, I do want a Cookie.
Choco-chip or peanut butter?
-- >has both kinds of cookies
----------------------------------------------------------------------
FEB MBC Sushi!Girlie
"When I bite into a York Peppermint Patty, I get the sensation of
performing oral sex
on a poorly constructed snowman standing in the yard of people I have never
met."-ad
"My career lets me travel to all kinds of great overseas places, like
Canada."
-Britney Spears
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Dan Kimmel
"Franklin" <fran...@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:UU198.93$MO7.70...@newssvr13.news.prodigy.com...
My favorite is at the end of Season 4 when the Scoobies break into the
military operation under the campus and get the drop on the general. Buffy
holds a gun to his head and says, "Now you do exactly as I say or I'm going
to pull a William S. Burroughs on you." To which Xander replies, "You're
going to read long, dense prose at him until he's bored to death?"
How many viewers do you think could name the book being referenced?
Ebi
Probably we're talking "books" (plural) being referenced :) If you're
not into the Cut-Up Method or trying to read whilst tripping, you
might not get much from his most famous works (Nekkid Lunch, Nova
Express, The Ticket That Exploded). His later stuff is a lot smoother
-- fewer cut-ups, less jangly, tastes great, less filling, etc.
Admiral Nemo
news:za798.4671$9%6.99...@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net:
> military operation under the campus and get the drop on the general.
> Buffy holds a gun to his head and says, "Now you do exactly as I say or
> I'm going to pull a William S. Burroughs on you." To which Xander
> replies, "You're going to read long, dense prose at him until he's
> bored to death?"
>
> How many viewers do you think could name the book being referenced?
>
>
Bill Reid
book but rather the fact that Burroughs accidentally shot
and killed his best friend while drunk.
---
William Ernest Reid
Ebi
<QUOTE>
BUFFY: Stay back... or I'll pull a William Burroughs on your leader
here.
(Everyone looks confused.)
XANDER: You'll bore him to death with free prose?
(Buffy looks annoyed.)
BUFFY: Was I the only one awake in English that day? (Slowly, like
you'd talk to an idiot) I'll kill him. (To the Colonel) Get him out.
</QUOTE>
Actually Burroughs accidently killed his *wife*, trying to shoot a
highball glass off her head.
Thus spake Lonesome Cowboy Bill:
> I said to Joan, "I guess it's about time for our William Tell act."
> She took her highball glass and balanced it on top of her head.
> Why I did it, I don't know, something took over. It was an utterly
> and completely insane thing to do.
(_Literary Outlaw_, p. 194)
It's the "William Tell" thing that must have stuck out in the BtVS
writer's mind, since Buffy was holding a crossbow to the General's
head when she said it.
This was a central event in his life, and though he felt huge remorse
over it, Burroughs claimed that it wasn't exactly an accident, because
he was momentarily possessed by an Ugly Spirit. (Though AFAIK he
didn't say so to the police of Mexico City, where it happened).
Again from the mouth of the WB:
> I am forced to the appalling conclusion that I would never have
> become a writer but for Joan's death, and to a realization of the
> extent to which this event has motivated and formulated my writing.
> I live with the constant threat of possession, and a constant need
> to escape from possesion, from Control. So the death of Joan brought
> me in contact with the invader, the Ugly Spirit, and maneuvered me
> into a lifelong struggle, in which I have had no choice except to write
> my way out.
(ibid, p 199)
Do I win for being most up on this obscurity :) ?
Dan Kimmel
"Ebi" <sybi...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:6q2b6u4d41132g64q...@4ax.com...
I assuming you're quoting the actual script. I was doing it from memory
from having seen the episode once two years ago.
Not bad.
Bill Reid
>
> >
> >Admiral Nemo <ne...@nowhere.com> wrote in message
> >news:Xns91B05B08CE7E...@209.155.56.83...
> >> "Dan Kimmel" <dan.k...@worldnet.att.net> wrote in
> >> news:za798.4671$9%6.99...@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net:
> >> > My favorite is at the end of Season 4 when the Scoobies break into
the
> >> > military operation under the campus and get the drop on the general.
> >> > Buffy holds a gun to his head and says, "Now you do exactly as I say
or
> >> > I'm going to pull a William S. Burroughs on you." To which Xander
> >> > replies, "You're going to read long, dense prose at him until he's
> >> > bored to death?"
> >> >
> >> > How many viewers do you think could name the book being referenced?
> >> >
> >> You win.
> >>
> >No, maybe he lost. I didn't think it referenced any particular
> >book but rather the fact that Burroughs accidentally shot
> >and killed his best friend while drunk.
> >
> highball glass off her head.
>
How unromantical of you.
> Thus spake Lonesome Cowboy Bill:
> > I said to Joan, "I guess it's about time for our William Tell act."
> > She took her highball glass and balanced it on top of her head.
> > Why I did it, I don't know, something took over. It was an utterly
> > and completely insane thing to do.
> (_Literary Outlaw_, p. 194)
>
> It's the "William Tell" thing that must have stuck out in the BtVS
> writer's mind, since Buffy was holding a crossbow to the General's
> head when she said it.
>
Or his neck, close enough. His ruddy face looked like an apple, though.
>
> This was a central event in his life, and though he felt huge remorse
> over it, Burroughs claimed that it wasn't exactly an accident, because
> he was momentarily possessed by an Ugly Spirit.
>
Oh, I'm quite sure it was an accident, nobody would ever want
to kill their wife, even if she had turned into an Ugly Spirit. Just
ask OJ. Burroughs should have written a how-to book, for dummies.
>
> Do I win for being most up on this obscurity :) ?
>
You are a Jedi Knight of obscurantism.
---
William Ernest Reid
docpoet
goes, so goes Michigan, and so goes the nation." Pre-auto industry
kablooie, of course.
"Admiral Nemo" <ne...@nowhere.com> wrote in message
news:Xns91AEB17B1773...@209.155.56.96...
docpoet
when Xander was blathering incoherently about something when he was trying
to cheer Buffy up. She replies, "Thank you for that Dadaist pep talk. I
feel much more abstract now." I fell out of my chair.
"Dave Wilton" <da...@wilton.net> wrote in message
news:hbq26uopgrmj6onkf...@4ax.com...
> I was watching Earshot yesterday on FX and noticed Giles saying in the
> scene where he is talking to Wesley about finding the demon heart to
> cure Buffy:
>
> "Who is going to get the demon heart? Burke."
>
> I gather this is an allusion to William Burke, an early 19th century
> graverobber and murderer, who sold corpses and body parts to
> physicians and surgeons (these were the days before there was a
> legitimate industry to supply cadavers for medical training).
>
> Could there be a more obscure reference in the series?
>
Isab...@webtv.net
(incorrect) belief that the state of Maine is a bellwether for national
elections.>>>
Odd--I always thought that statement referred to New Hampshire, where
the first primaries are always held.
William George Ferguson
>Dave Wilton <da...@wilton.net> wrote in
>news:cmb56u4p3477mbngi...@4ax.com:
>
>> "As Maine goes, so goes the nation." An aphorism based on the
>> (incorrect) belief that the state of Maine is a bellwether for
>> national elections.
>>
>
>Maine? It was Virginia. The saying dates back to when the states were
>deciding whether or not to ratify the Federal Constitution. Virginia was
>a highly influential state at the time. A compromise was reached with the
>anti-Federalists to include a Bill of Rights and as a result Virginia
>ratified the Federal Constitution.
>
>The saying took on a deeper meaning just before the civil war when
>Virginia finally joined the secession.
>
>I had a history professor back in the late 70's who thought that the
>phrase should be updated by replacing Virginia with California. I hope he
>turns out to be wrong.
[snipped, nice political poem which does not use anything very close
to the phrase 'as goes..., so goes the nation']
Actually, the phrase (with minor variations) 'As goes Maine, so goes
the nation' has been around since the late 19th century, and referred
to the (apocryphal) 'fact' that Maine's vote in the Electoral College
would indicate the national vote. Maine never really was a
'bellweather indicator', it was just the first state to finish voting
(before the 60's, it was first by two months, voting in September).
It also almost always went Republican, so it tended to indicate the
presidential winner only if the winner was Republican (Maine went to
FDR's opponent in all three Roosevelt elections).
--
I have a theory
It could be bunnies
Connie Ogle
docpoet wrote:
> This was a fun thread! My personal favorite Obscure Cultural Reference was
> when Xander was blathering incoherently about something when he was trying
> to cheer Buffy up. She replies, "Thank you for that Dadaist pep talk. I
> feel much more abstract now." I fell out of my chair.
>
That's a good one. I can usually keep up, but Xander's "Great Godfrey
Cambridge!" in Gone threw me. Who the hell...?
Connie
David Samuel Barr
As explained in the numerous previous threads on the subject, Godfrey
Cambridge (1933-1976) was a noted comedian and actor in the 1950s-70s.
He often (though by no means exclusively) took on roles that dealt with
racial issues, from "Take a Giant Step" in 1956 to "Watermelon Man" in
1970. He won an Obie award for his work in Jean Genet's "The Blacks" in
1961; among the other distinguised actors in that production was Maya
Angelou, with whom he wrote, produced and performed "Cabaret for
Freedom" the previous year to benefit the Southern Christian Leadership
Conference. At the same time, he was one of the first black comedians
to become popular with white audiences using a style that mixed sharp
racial material with everyday topics, sort of a cross between Dick
Gregory and Bill Cosby; his first comedy album was nominated for a
Grammy in 1964. Sci-fi fans will remember him from "Make Me Laugh", a
1971 Night Gallery episode written by Rod Serling in which he starred
with Tom Bosley & Jackie Vernon as a hapless genie trying to help a
failed comic, with less-than-perfect results. (On a personal level, I
remember him as a very nice & funny person, and I still have on my desk
at home a gift he gave me some 35 years ago.)
Philip Chien
I'll vote on OMWF Spike commenitng about a chirago demon singing "Yma
Sumac" - that I would have paid to see in the show!
Joss could have just as easily said "Madonna" or "Britney Spears" and it
would have been just as enjoyable. But trust him to go for the obscure
...
Philip Chien, KC4YER (at) amsat.org
Earth News - space writer and consultant
my E-mail address is purposely incorrect to avoid SPAM-bots. I will not
accept any unsolicited E-mail or commercial advertisements.
DE McGhee
> Connie Ogle wrote:
> >
> > That's a good one. I can usually keep up, but Xander's "Great Godfrey
> > Cambridge!" in Gone threw me. Who the hell...?
>
> As explained in the numerous previous threads on the subject, Godfrey
> Cambridge (1933-1976) was a noted comedian and actor in the 1950s-70s.
That is all great. However, and call me daft if you must, I *still*
don't get Xander's line.
DEM
Dan Kimmel
"DE McGhee" <demc...@u.washington.edu> wrote in message
news:Pine.A41.4.44.020211...@dante13.u.washington.edu...
Perry White (in "Superman") would say, "Great Caesar's Ghost." W. C. Fields
(in many movies) would say, "Godfrey Daniels!"
It's an exclamation, that's all.
DE McGhee
Got it. It also occurred to me, belatedly, that the bonus tie-in is
to X's use of the phrase "mack on". Mack started out as Black urban
slang for pimp (cf the 70s Blaxploitation film of the same name) and
has morphed into meaning something like "Ladies Man". As Godfrey
Cambridge was in a blaxploitation flick or two, there's the tie-in.
DEM
Estron
> Xander saying "Schpedoinkal!" in the Gift. A reference to Cannibal:
> The Musical _has_ to be obscure :)
Would you please explain further what "schpedoinkal" is, even in that
context?
--
All opinions are --surprise!-- only that.
Pax vobiscum.
est...@tfs.net
Kansas City, Missouri
Aethelrede
>> But Cockney rhyming slang had pretty much died out
>> by the 50's: Only "Let's get down to brass tacks" is
>> used much
>
>That's the only one? I think not. Use your loaf :-)
Which I haven't heard in a 'coon's age.
As I look for the daisies to put on me plates before I go out in the
cold and snow.
Aethelrede
>In article <u66m40s...@corp.supernews.com>, "BrendanM" says...
>>
>>"Aethelrede" <æthel...@worldnot.att.net> wrote in message
>>news:wPG88.2326$9%6.45...@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
>>> >> If I remember correctly, Giles actually said berk in a rather
sarcastic
>>> >> turn, calling Wesley a" berk." That's Cockney rhyming slang.
>>> >>
>>> >> Berkshire Hunt = cunt
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >I think it was Churchil who said something along the lines of "America
>>and
>>> >England are two nations separated by a common language." We could
really
>>> >use a list of English slang translated into English.
>>>
>>> Or even American. But who the hell is Churchil?
>>
>>
>>Some people's kids...
>>
>>
>>I went to public school.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>I could be mistaken, but I don't think it was Churchill who coined that
>expression, although I would hardly be surprised if he used it on at least
one
>occasion. I want to say that it was George Bernard Shaw who first said
that
>line about America and England being separated by a common language, but I
would
>not want to swear to it.
He did write "Pygmalion", the play on which "My Fair Lady" was based,
which had a lot to say about attitudes towards language. He was also a
person who was all for spelling reform (an eternally lost cause when it
comes to English, which mostly consists of words lifted from every language
the British ever came in contact with). He was also the person who pointed
out that the word "Fish" could equally well be spelled "Ghoti". I can't
remember exactly how, except that the "Gh" is the sound at the end of
"Cough".
But the separated by a common language thing is commonly attributed to
Winston. And Bernard Shaw, and Oscar Wilde
There is the better known thing Churchill is supposed to have said as a
young man when some great woman in London Society accused him of being drunk
at a major Ball "I am indeed very drunk, madam. And you are very ugly. But
I will be sober in the morning".
Or, much later in life, he was doddering through the halls of parliament
and two young MPs were discussing his possible retirement, and commented on
how he was getting "Very Gaga" (i.e., increasingly senile and loony), when
he turned and said "But, unfortunately for you gentlemen, still not at all
deaf".
Don Sample
Aethelrede <æthel...@worldnot.att.net> wrote:
> He was also the person who pointed
> out that the word "Fish" could equally well be spelled "Ghoti". I can't
> remember exactly how, except that the "Gh" is the sound at the end of
> "Cough".
GH as in cough
O as in women
TI as in nation
--
Don Sample, dsa...@synapse.net
Visit the Buffy Body Count at http://www.synapse.net/~dsample/BBC
Quando omni flunkus moritati
Andrew McColl
Don Sample wrote:
> In article <B3Fd8.884$FE4....@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net>,
> Aethelrede <æthel...@worldnot.att.net> wrote:
>
> > He was also the person who pointed
> > out that the word "Fish" could equally well be spelled "Ghoti". I can't
> > remember exactly how, except that the "Gh" is the sound at the end of
> > "Cough".
>
> GH as in cough
> O as in women
> TI as in nation
But that makes 'Foosh'...?? :-)
Cernunnos
"Andrew McColl" <the....@ntlworld.com> wrote in message
news:3C77B97F...@ntlworld.com...
It is pronounced "wimmin"
Ebi
>
> He did write "Pygmalion", the play on which "My Fair Lady" was based,
>which had a lot to say about attitudes towards language. He was also a
>person who was all for spelling reform (an eternally lost cause when it
>comes to English, which mostly consists of words lifted from every language
>the British ever came in contact with). He was also the person who pointed
>out that the word "Fish" could equally well be spelled "Ghoti". I can't
>remember exactly how, except that the "Gh" is the sound at the end of
>"Cough".
Ghoti:
gh as in cough
o as in women
ti as in redemption
I don't know if those were Shaw's points of comparison but you get the
idea...
Kate Collins
news:B3Fd8.884$FE4....@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net:
> He did write "Pygmalion", the play on which "My Fair Lady" was
> based,
> which had a lot to say about attitudes towards language. He was also
> a person who was all for spelling reform (an eternally lost cause when
> it comes to English, which mostly consists of words lifted from every
> language the British ever came in contact with).
>
>Snip
James Nicoll is quoted as having stated,
"The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that
English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don't just borrow
words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways
to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary."
--
-K-----
"I am Scylla, the Rock. At least on my good days."
Robert A. Barr
> But the separated by a common language thing is commonly attributed to
> Winston. And Bernard Shaw, and Oscar Wilde
> There is the better known thing Churchill is supposed to have said as a
> young man when some great woman in London Society accused him of being drunk
> at a major Ball "I am indeed very drunk, madam. And you are very ugly. But
> I will be sober in the morning".
> Or, much later in life, he was doddering through the halls of parliament
> and two young MPs were discussing his possible retirement, and commented on
> how he was getting "Very Gaga" (i.e., increasingly senile and loony), when
> he turned and said "But, unfortunately for you gentlemen, still not at all
> deaf".
http://www.alt-usage-english.org/excerpts/fxwhat04.html
Aethelrede
Not if you speak English: "women" is pronounced "wimmin" as the plural,
while woman, the singular, sounds like "woomun"
--
We put the urn aboard ship
with this inscription:
This is the dust of little
Timas who unmarried was led
into Persephone's dark bedroom
And she being far from home, girls
her age took new-edged blades
to cut, in mourning for her,
these curls of their soft hair.
Andrew McColl
Aethelrede wrote:
> Andrew McColl wrote in message <3C77B97F...@ntlworld.com>...
> >
> >
> >Don Sample wrote:
> >
> >> In article <B3Fd8.884$FE4....@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net>,
> >> Aethelrede <æthel...@worldnot.att.net> wrote:
> >>
> >> > He was also the person who pointed
> >> > out that the word "Fish" could equally well be spelled "Ghoti". I can't
> >> > remember exactly how, except that the "Gh" is the sound at the end of
> >> > "Cough".
> >>
> >> GH as in cough
> >> O as in women
> >> TI as in nation
> >
> >But that makes 'Foosh'...?? :-)
>
> Not if you speak English: "women" is pronounced "wimmin" as the plural,
> while woman, the singular, sounds like "woomun"
I suspect you're confusing poor enunciation, possibly due to accent, with
correct pronounciation, perhaps obscured by accent.