SJG's Munchkin: linguistical questions
Andrés
of Steve Jackson's Munchkin.
In fact, I'm trying to translate the cards for my 'very low
English-speaking' group. I'm sure to be loosing some 'double
meanings'/parodies, e.g. in the card titles. Could you help me?
Amongs the dungeon cards:
is there anything hidden in the titles: Duck Of Doom? Malign Mirror?
Mr.Bones? Maul Rat? 'Help Me Out There!'? Platycore? Face Sucker?
Ghoulfiends? Net Troll? King Tut? Mate?
Crabs cannot be outrun! -> Can't any player escape or what???
Snails On Speed = Snails running?
Pukachu -> any connection between the name and its Bad Stuff?
Shrieking Geek -> 'Geek' with which meaning?
I hope I'm ok with: Leperchaun, Wight Brothers, Harpies, Hippogriff,
SquidZilla, BullRog, LimbUrger And Anchovy Sandwich.
Amongs the Treasure cards:
Transferral Potion? Loaded Die?
I hope I'm ok with: Broad Sword, Gentlemen's Club and Kneecapping
Hammer.
I haven't seen any other double meanings. Can you aid/explain them to
me?
Thanks in advance,
Andrés
Jeff Dougan
Andrés wrote:
> I've several linguistical questions about the (non-collectible) cards
of Steve Jackson's Munchkin.
> In fact, I'm trying to translate the cards for my 'very low
> English-speaking' group. I'm sure to be loosing some 'double
> meanings'/parodies, e.g. in the card titles. Could you help me?
>
> Amongs the dungeon cards:
> is there anything hidden in the titles: Duck Of Doom? Malign Mirror?
> Mr.Bones? Maul Rat? 'Help Me Out There!'? Platycore? Face Sucker?
> Ghoulfiends? Net Troll? King Tut? Mate?
> Crabs cannot be outrun! -> Can't any player escape or what???
> Snails On Speed = Snails running?
> Pukachu -> any connection between the name and its Bad Stuff?
> Shrieking Geek -> 'Geek' with which meaning?
> I hope I'm ok with: Leperchaun, Wight Brothers, Harpies, Hippogriff,
> SquidZilla, BullRog, LimbUrger And Anchovy Sandwich.
- Ghoulfiends is probably a pun related to the pronunciation of
"girlfriends."
-"On Speed" is slang (particularly American slang) for somebody who has
taken a stimulant, typically amphetamines.
-Pukachu might be related to the infamous Pokemon.
-"Mall rat" is slang for somebody, particularly a teenager, who spends
the majority of their non-school hours loitering around a shopping place.
- I'm surprised you didn't get "Net troll" - a troll is usenet slang for
a person who appears in a newsgroup
> Amongs the Treasure cards:
> Transferral Potion? Loaded Die?
> I hope I'm ok with: Broad Sword, Gentlemen's Club and Kneecapping
> Hammer.
>
> I haven't seen any other double meanings. Can you aid/explain them to
> me?
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Andrés
>
> > of Steve Jackson's Munchkin. In fact, I'm trying to translate the
> cards for my 'very low English-speaking' group. I'm sure to be
> loosing some 'double meanings'/parodies, e.g. in the card titles.
> Could you help me?
>
> Amongs the dungeon cards: is there anything hidden in the titles:
> Duck Of Doom? Malign Mirror? Mr.Bones? Maul Rat? 'Help Me Out
> There!'? Platycore? Face Sucker? Ghoulfiends? Net Troll? King Tut?
> Mate? Crabs cannot be outrun! -> Can't any player escape or what???
Snails
> On Speed = Snails running? Pukachu -> any connection between the
> name and its Bad Stuff? Shrieking Geek -> 'Geek' with which meaning?
I hope I'm ok with: Leperchaun, Wight Brothers, Harpies, Hippogriff,
> SquidZilla, BullRog, LimbUrger And Anchovy Sandwich.
- Ghoulfiends is probably a pun related to the pronunciation of
"girlfriends."
-"On Speed" is slang (particularly American slang) for somebody who has
taken a stimulant, typically amphetamines.
-Pukachu might be related to the infamous Pokemon.
-"Mall rat" is slang for somebody, particularly a teenager, who spends
the majority of their non-school hours loitering around a shopping place.
- I'm surprised you didn't get "Net troll" - a troll is usenet slang for
a person who appears in a newsgroup, makes several incendiary remarks
(often on topics that have been beaten to death in that group already),
and keeps feeding the argument.
two easy examples of trolls, both real-life: 1) Saying anything about a
worldwide conspiracy in alt.freemasonry. 2) From
rec.arts.sf.written.robert-jordan, attempting to insist that Rand
al'Thor and Elayne Trakand (two characters from the books which are the
topic of the newsgroup) are half-siblings.
> Amongs the Treasure cards:
> Transferral Potion? Loaded Die?
> I hope I'm ok with: Broad Sword, Gentlemen's Club and Kneecapping
> Hammer.
Just in case: IRL, a loaded die is one which is somehow "dishonest",
often in ways that are very difficult to detect. This can be
accomplished, for example, by drilling our a little bit of plastic from
one of the pips, adding a very small weight, and replacing the plastic
over top. Loaded dice, by design, return certain throws more often than
the statistical average - say, for example, showing a "7" eight times
out of every thirty-six, rather than the six times out of thirty-six
that one would expect due purely to chance.
> I haven't seen any other double meanings. Can you aid/explain them to
> me?
Hope this helped,
Jeff
Tim Fitzmaurice
> Amongs the dungeon cards:
> is there anything hidden in the titles:
A number of these are possibly going to be humourous references to various
RPG issues rather than language ones....
> Duck Of Doom?
Well ducks are pretty inoffensive things..Runequest had them as a
character race and they could be fearsome. It probably extends that joke.
> Malign Mirror?
> Mr.Bones?
Skeleton/bones....I cant remember these from play so I cant really
comment.
> Maul Rat?
Mall Rat is a common slang terms for the hordes of kids who hang about
shopping malls.
> 'Help Me Out There!'?
Again the joke here may not be soleyl in the name but assoted other
details..eg the picture.
> Platycore?
The platypus is something of a cobbled together creature, a beaver, with a
ducks beak and lays eggs.....the manticore is a classic mythological
expample of that mixing of animals.....to make mixed animal beast from an
animal thats already a mixed animal beast itself is mildly amusing.
> Face Sucker?
hmm, nope...
> Ghoulfiends?
Girlfriend???
> Net Troll?
Trolling on the internet is a particularly irritating type of posting,
they are referring to that, with the Troll like monster on the card.
> King Tut?
Common slang for Tutenkhamun, an Eqyptian Pharoah...it is likely to be a
corruption of that...or it might be a straight intro for a mummy.
> Mate?
Mate is a slang term for a friend, as well as being the 2nd in command on
a boat.
> Crabs cannot be outrun! -> Can't any player escape or what???
Would assume they cant escape simply by legging it....likely a reference
to pubic lice termed crabs in slang.
> Snails On Speed = Snails running?
Speed being an amphetamine drug...suggesting snails, not known for there
swiftness of movement on drugs.
> Pukachu -> any connection between the name and its Bad Stuff?
Puking is throwing up, connect that with a corruption of the irritating
pokemon character, Pikachu and there is your connection.
> Shrieking Geek -> 'Geek' with which meaning?
Past.....possibly just an amusing rhyme in the name.
> Amongs the Treasure cards:
> Transferral Potion?
> Loaded Die?
A loaded dice is the english term for one that accidentally or
deliberately is weighted or otherwise interfered with so as to regularly
produce a bias to a particular number.
Tim
When playing rugby, its not the winning that counts, but the taking apart
ICQ: 5178568
Mark Biggar
> I've several linguistical questions about the (non-collectible) cards
> of Steve Jackson's Munchkin.
> In fact, I'm trying to translate the cards for my 'very low
> English-speaking' group. I'm sure to be loosing some 'double
> meanings'/parodies, e.g. in the card titles. Could you help me?
>
> Amongs the dungeon cards:
> is there anything hidden in the titles:
> Duck Of Doom?
No pun, just a funny image.
> Malign Mirror?
No pun.
> Mr.Bones?
no pun
> Maul Rat?
pun on "mall rat" a teenager who spends most of his/her spare time
hanging out at the local shopping mall.
> 'Help Me Out There!'?
pun on phrase "help me out here!"
> Platycore?
pun based on squashing together the words Platypus and Matracore.
A platypus is a strange animal for Australia that looks kind of
like a beaver with a ducks bill. A Matracore is a mythical
beast usually depicted as a lion with a man's face, wings and
a scorpians tail.
> Face Sucker?
See the movie "Aliens"
> Ghoulfiends?
Pun on the word "girlfriends"
> Net Troll?
visual pun (see pocket protector on troll) based on the net nickname
for nerds that post inflamitory messages in newsgroups just to
see what reaction they get.
> King Tut?
Visual pun based on the pharoah Tutankhamun whose tomb found in 1922
started the neo-egyptian sub-movment of Art Deko in the 20's and
whose recent world wide mueseum artifact tour started a similar
pop-cultural fad, remember the pop tune "Walk like an Egyptian"?
> Mate?
no pun
> Crabs cannot be outrun! -> Can't any player escape or what???
no they can't :-) Crabs are a flea like infestation of the crouch, its
very difficult to run away from something that is hiding in your
pants :-)
> Snails On Speed = Snails running?
"On Speed" a lang term for someone hopped up in a simulant like
amphimetamines.
> Pukachu -> any connection between the name and its Bad Stuff?
pun on the name of the pokemon "Picachu". "puke" is a slang term for
for vomit.
> Shrieking Geek -> 'Geek' with which meaning?
"Geek" is slang term meaning the same as "nerd". Originally a "Geek"
was circus sideshow freeak wildman the performed by biting heads
off chickens.
> I hope I'm ok with:
> Leperchaun,
pun based on the similarity in sound between the name of the irish elf
an the desease.
> Wight Brothers,
Pun on the "Wright Brothers" bycyclists and airplane builders.
> Harpies,
no pun
> Hippogriff,
Visual pun: hipogriff is the grneric name for the mythical wings horses
like Pegisus and the fact the Hippopotmus is Greek for
"water horse".
> SquidZilla,
Pun on "Godzilla" adding "-zilla" on the end of something is slang
for "really big monster".
> BullRog,
pun on "ballrog" from LOTR
> LimbUrger And Anchovy Sandwich.
joke about a sandwich that smells so bad it is usable as a weapon.
> Amongs the Treasure cards:
> Transferral Potion?
No pun.
> Loaded Die?
term for a die that is designed to roll unfairly.
> I hope I'm ok with: Broad Sword, Gentlemen's Club and Kneecapping
> Hammer.
no real puns here, "broad" is slang for "woman".
--
Mark Biggar
mark.a...@attbi.com
Geenius at Wrok
> > Mr.Bones?
>
> no pun
Could be a pun on the common name "Mr. Jones." Or a reference to "Bones"
McCoy on "Star Trek."
> > BullRog,
>
> pun on "ballrog" from LOTR
... and also "bullfrog." (BTW, only one 'l' in "balrog.")
> > I hope I'm ok with: Broad Sword, Gentlemen's Club and Kneecapping
> > Hammer.
>
> no real puns here, "broad" is slang for "woman".
... and "gentleman's club" is a euphemism for "strip club." In this case,
I'd call that a pun.
--
Und sperrt man mich ein im finstern Kerker § Keith Ammann is
Dies alles sind nur vergebliche Werke § gee...@cifnet.com
Denn meine Gedanken zerreißen die Schranken § www.cifnet.com/~geenius
Und Mauern entzwei -- die Gedanken sind frei! § Lun Yu 2:24
Allan Goodall
>I've several linguistical questions about the (non-collectible) cards
>of Steve Jackson's Munchkin.
I'll give it a try, as I think some of the other posts missed some things.
> Duck Of Doom?
A duck is not a very scary thing. But what's it doing in a dungeon? Probably
comes from a game where someone put a duck in a dungeon and picking it up
turned out to be a "bad thing".
> Malign Mirror?
Opposite of a "magic mirror". The "malign mirror" curses you.
>Mr.Bones?
Probably a joke on "Mr. Bojangles", a song made famous by Sammy Davis Jr.,
about a dancing entertainer. In this case, Mr. Bones is a skeleton.
> Maul Rat?
As others mentioned, a pun on "mall rat" (kids or teenagers usually, who hang
out at shopping malls) and
>'Help Me Out There!'?
It's "Help Me Out Here!". When you ask for help, you say to someone, "Help me
out, here!" but in this case the card has you "helping yourself" to someone's
items, whether they want you to or not.
> Platycore?
A monster crossed between a manticore (ancient Greek mythological creature)
and the strange animal called a platypus.
>Face Sucker?
"Face hugger" is the name given to the first stage of the alien from the Alien
movies. "Sucking face" was a term given to kissing or making out.
>Ghoulfiends?
Play on the word "girlfriend". Ghouls are undead monsters, and fiends are
usually villains or otherwise nasty folks. Hence, "girlfriend" becomes
"ghoulfiend".
>Net Troll?
An internet troll (or "net troll") is someone who posts messages to cause
fights online, or just to be a "smart ass". A troll is a monster. They made
the "net troll" a monster, but it's also an insult to people who post "troll"
messages, given the picture of the troll.
> King Tut?
Tutankamen (I'm sure I'm spelling it wrong) was an Egyptian pharoah whose
mummified remains were found in the valley of the kings in Egypt. Mummies as
horror movie monsters came out about the same time his remains were found. In
the US, he was called by the newspapers "King Tut".
>Mate?
Not a joke. A person's mate is their "significant other", husband/wife, lover,
etc. This card brings the mate of whatever monster you found, thus an exact
duplicate of the monster.
>Crabs cannot be outrun! -> Can't any player escape or what???
"Crabs" is a slang term for a form of parasitic disease of the genital area,
usually spread by sex. You can't out run it in game terms; once you've got a
case of crabs, it's a pain to get rid of.
>Snails On Speed = Snails running?
"Speed" is the slang term for a narcotic, which is an "upper". "Snails on
speed" are "hyperactive" snails, from them taking the drug.
>Pukachu -> any connection between the name and its Bad Stuff?
Play on the term "Picachu" (a Japanese monster, from Pokemon, I think) and
"puke" (to vomit).
>Shrieking Geek -> 'Geek' with which meaning?
"Computer geek" meaning. As in "nerd", "fan", etc. A joke that one of the
scariest monsters is a "geek" shrieking at the top of his lungs.
>I hope I'm ok with: Leperchaun,
An Irish mythological creature combined with the disease leprosy. There are
jokes about leprosy causing parts of the body to fall off, hence the picture
on the card.
>Wight Brothers
Wights are undead creatures, similar to ghosts. The Wight Brothers is a play
on the bicycle builders-turned-airplane-inventors, the Wright Brothers.
>Harpies
A "harpy" is a Greek mythological creature. In this case, they are actually
playing harps.
>Hippogriff
Hypagriff (probably spelled wrong) is a Greek mythological creature. This one
is a "hippogriff", so it's a cross between that creature and a hippopotamus.
>SquidZilla
Godzilla crossed with a squid.
>BullRog
Balrog, from Tolkien, crossed with a bull.
You don't mention "Gelatinous Octahedron". In Dungeons and Dragons there was a
creature known as a gelatinous cube. This is a play on the octahedron (8 sided
die) and the D&D monster.
>Transferral Potion?
Just gets the monster to transfer the attack on another player.
> Loaded Die?
"Loaded dice" are dice that have been weighted so that they roll a specific
number more often than they really should. Used for cheating at gambling.
>I hope I'm ok with: Broad Sword
Play on the word "broad" (politically incorrect slang for a woman) and the
weapon known as a "broadsword". Hence a sword only usable by female
characters.
> Gentlemen's Club
A gentleman's club was a place where only men could be members, usually high
society men. In this case it's a club (the weapon) that only men can use.
>Kneecapping
>Hammer.
"Kneecapping" is a slang term for a method of injuring someone by breaking
their kneecaps (it's painful and crippling). Supposedly a favourite maffia
punishment. In this case, it's a hammer specifically for that job.
Allan Goodall agoo...@hyperbear.com
http://www.hyperbear.com
"We come into the world and take our chances
Fate is just the weight of circumstances
That's the way that Lady Luck dances
Roll the bones." - N. Peart
Billy Bissette
> On 29 Aug 2002, Andrés wrote:
>> Amongs the dungeon cards:
>> is there anything hidden in the titles:
>
> A number of these are possibly going to be humourous references to
> various RPG issues rather than language ones....
Several tie to the graphics on the card as well, or even rely on the
graphics to get the joke over. (Like one of the "Steal a level" cards
where one of the characters is running off with a construction level.)
>> Malign Mirror?
Nothing really important to this one that I can think of.
>> Mr.Bones?
>
> Skeleton/bones....I cant remember these from play so I cant really
> comment.
Bones/skeleton. Mr. Bones is sometimes used to refer to a skeleton as
well.
>> Maul Rat?
>
> Mall Rat is a common slang terms for the hordes of kids who hang about
> shopping malls.
Yes, its a cross between "mall rats" and a rat carrying a maul/hammer.
>> 'Help Me Out There!'?
>
> Again the joke here may not be soleyl in the name but assoted other
> details..eg the picture.
Just a phrase you might say when you are in trouble and need help.
Crossed with the mechanics of the card and the graphics where you
swipe one of their objects to help you out.
>> Face Sucker?
>
> hmm, nope...
As the picture shows, it sucks your face. Pretty straightforward. :)
>> Ghoulfiends?
>
> Girlfriend???
Girlfriends.
>> Mate?
>
> Mate is a slang term for a friend, as well as being the 2nd in command
> on a boat.
Mate in this case is in the form of husband/wife/significant-other/
life-partner...
Note the picture has the generic monster picture, but with a hairbow
to show she is female.
>> Crabs cannot be outrun! -> Can't any player escape or what???
>
> Would assume they cant escape simply by legging it....likely a
> reference to pubic lice termed crabs in slang.
Pubic lice/crabs.
The bad stuff for them is losing armor worn below the waist as I
recall. (You have to judge by the armor names and pictures as to whether
they are worn below the waist.)
>> Snails On Speed = Snails running?
>
> Speed being an amphetamine drug...suggesting snails, not known for
> there swiftness of movement on drugs.
Yep, a joke on snails using speed.
>> Shrieking Geek -> 'Geek' with which meaning?
>
> Past.....possibly just an amusing rhyme in the name.
Or just a reference to a type of geek, particularly a high-pitched
annoying one.
>> Amongs the Treasure cards:
>> Transferral Potion?
Transfers someone/something in the fight as I recall, so pretty
much straightforward. (More straightforward than Pollymorph, which
is a cross between polymorph and polly/parrot, to turn the creature
into a parrot.)
>> Loaded Die?
>
> A loaded dice is the english term for one that accidentally or
> deliberately is weighted or otherwise interfered with so as to
> regularly produce a bias to a particular number.
Yep. And the picture shows the die is obviously loaded as it isn't
even a cube.
Billy Bissette
> Andrés wrote:
>> Hippogriff,
>
> Visual pun: hipogriff is the grneric name for the mythical wings
> horses
> like Pegisus and the fact the Hippopotmus is Greek for
> "water horse".
A Hippogriff (two p's) is a cross between a horse and a gryphon.
It has a gryphon's head, claws and wings, while the rest is a horse's
body.
"Hippo" is a standard shortened name for a hippopotamus.
So cross Hippo with Hippogriff, and you get something like the picture.
>> I hope I'm ok with: Broad Sword, Gentlemen's Club and Kneecapping
>> Hammer.
>
> no real puns here, "broad" is slang for "woman".
Kneecapping is busting/hitting someone's kneecap.
A gentlemen's club is a "man's club/group/meeting place". A strip
joint would be a gentlemen's club, but one of the old men-only explorer
clubs would be a gentlemen's club as well I think. Or as the picture
has, a club used by a gentlemen. ;)
Jeff Dougan
Allan Goodall wrote:
> On 29 Aug 2002 07:00:13 -0700, i...@k.st (Andrés) wrote:
>
>>Hippogriff
>>
>
> Hypagriff (probably spelled wrong) is a Greek mythological creature. This one
> is a "hippogriff", so it's a cross between that creature and a hippopotamus.
Hippogrif(f) is actually the spelling of the mythological creature, too.
The "hippo-" part of both -griff and -potamus comes from the Greek
word for "horse"
FWIW, my recollection is that the hippogriff is a creature of medieval
legend, rather than ancient Greek.
Jeff
David Brewer
Persian, according to a quick googling, I don't know hold old. An
impossible creature (a cross between horse and griffin, mortal
enemies) rendered mundane by the marvellous editing skills of Mr.
Gygax.
A hippopotamus is literally a "river horse". According to a trivia
quiz I recently took part in, they are known to kill more people
per annum than any other species. Fear them.
--
David Brewer
"The mentally disturbed do not employ the Theory of Scientific
Parsimony: the most simple theory to explain a given set of
facts." - P.K.Dick (from VALIS)
David Brewer
> > Maul Rat?
>
> As others mentioned, a pun on "mall rat" (kids or teenagers usually, who hang
> out at shopping malls) and
and a large hammer.
[...]
> > King Tut?
>
> Tutankamen (I'm sure I'm spelling it wrong) was an Egyptian pharoah whose
> mummified remains were found in the valley of the kings in Egypt. Mummies as
> horror movie monsters came out about the same time his remains were found. In
> the US, he was called by the newspapers "King Tut".
Transliteration from hieroglyphics isn't going to be precise. I
think Tut-ankh-amon is conventional, an ankh as per one of them
loopy crosses, amon as per Thoth-Amon or Amon-Ra.
> >Mate?
>
> Not a joke. A person's mate is their "significant other", husband/wife, lover,
> etc. This card brings the mate of whatever monster you found, thus an exact
> duplicate of the monster.
A bit of a stretch, but "The Monster's Mate" was how Elsa
Lanchester was credited in "Bride of Frankenstein". So monsters
have mates.
Andrés
> of Steve Jackson's Munchkin.
First, I'm very surprised from the speed and the deep analysis of your
answers: thank you very much to all.
The good news for me is that most puns can be converted into my
language. That, by the way, in Italian: some Greek-originating
monsters (harpies, hippogriff) give exactly the same pun in Italian.
Amongs others: thanks for the platypus, I thought it was the beak of a
duck!
I thought 'duck' (of doom) was hiding a pun with a famous weapon or a
'deck of doom' or it had something to do with to dodge/move your head
quickly down...
I'm looking for puns everywhere: Boil an Anthill??? Chicken on Your
Head? Potted Plant? Lame Goblin? Large Angry Chicken? Tongue Demon?
Rat on a stick? Spiky knees?
Thanks for Gelatinous Ochtaedron and Pollymorph; Drooling Slime is
probably from Green Slime, Bow with Ribbons is a serious weapon too?,
buckler of swashing ~ swashbuckler?
5 questions:
a) what is 'General Studliness'?
b) Curse! Lose Two Cards! should say:
'the player to the victim's left draws a card from *his/her* hand'
isn't it?
c) Wishing Ring: cancels any *one* curse?
d) 'Use during any combat' <-> 'Use during combat'. Does any one of
them mean that it must be Your combat?
5) Limburger and Anchovy Sandwich is only connected with limb, or
*limburger* is similar to a most common food?
Thanks,
Andrés
Geenius at Wrok
> I'm looking for puns everywhere: Boil an Anthill??? Chicken on Your
> Head? Potted Plant? Lame Goblin? Large Angry Chicken? Tongue Demon?
> Rat on a stick? Spiky knees?
No puns in that batch, just overall silliness. Except that the "lame" in
"Lame Goblin" is probably being used in the slang sense (= "unimpressive")
as well as the literal sense.
> Thanks for Gelatinous Ochtaedron and Pollymorph; Drooling Slime is
> probably from Green Slime, Bow with Ribbons is a serious weapon too?
Pun on bow = decorative knot.
> buckler of swashing ~ swashbuckler?
Yep.
> a) what is 'General Studliness'?
Studliness = virility.
> 5) Limburger and Anchovy Sandwich is only connected with limb, or
> *limburger* is similar to a most common food?
Nothing to do with "limb." "Limburger" is a stinky cheese.
Larry Levy
> >Mr.Bones?
>
> Probably a joke on "Mr. Bojangles", a song made famous by Sammy Davis Jr.,
> about a dancing entertainer. In this case, Mr. Bones is a skeleton.
You're closer than the others, but I think this is a reference to a
standard character in old Negro minstrel shows called "Mr. Bones".
(There was a second character he was always teamed with, but I can't
remember his name.) These shows were very popular around the turn of
the century and often featured white performers in blackface. Mr.
Bones was the very stereotypical loose jointed, shuffling black
dancer, probably not unlike many of the characters that Bill
"Bojangles" Robinson was forced to play in 1930s movie musicals. Mr.
Bones and his partner were also part of a two-man comedy act in these
shows. Pitney Bowes had an ad campaign not that long ago that made
reference to this ("Absolutely, Mr. Pitney?" "Positively, Mr.
Bowes!").
Larry
Dan Blum
You're right about "Mr. Bones" coming from vaudeville, but I think the
Pitney Bowes campaigns (which I'm pretty sure have been around for a while)
are a reference to a specific vaudeville act, Gallagher and Sheen, which used
those lines and cadence.
--
_______________________________________________________________________
Dan Blum to...@panix.com
"I wouldn't have believed it myself if I hadn't just made it up."
Kevin J. Maroney
wrote:
>You're closer than the others, but I think this is a reference to a
>standard character in old Negro minstrel shows called "Mr. Bones".
>(There was a second character he was always teamed with, but I can't
>remember his name.)
Mr. Bones seems to have been frequently paired with Mr. Tambo (who is
not to be confused with the character of the same name from the They
Might Be Giants song "Weep Day").
--
Kevin J. Maroney | k...@panix.com
Games are my entire waking life.
Billy Bissette
> I'm looking for puns everywhere: Boil an Anthill???
It's an RPG (particularly D&D) play-style joke. Your munchkin or power
player would do pretty much whatever it took to get experience points.
This can include the wholesale slaughter of any and every living creature
they can get away with, particularly easy targets. Even if it gave only
a little xp, if you killed enough of them it was worth it.
So comes the "Boil an Anthill" card. One way to take out an anthill is
to boil a few gallons of water and pour it onto the anthill, where it seeps
into the ground and kills the ants. It's a fairly enviromentally friendly
way to do this, and can kill the queen if you use enough water and she's
not far enough down. (Other enviromentally friendly methods let the queen
live, and thus the anthill lives.)
As per the picture, one of the munckin players has figured out that even
though ants give miniscule xp, if you kill a few hundred or thousand of
them, it might be enough for a level. :p
> Chicken on Your Head?
Chicken (or Duck) on your head plays a part in a variety of stupid jokes
of the "A man walks into a bar" variety.
> Potted Plant?
Look at the picture and the text. It is marijuana.
> Lame Goblin?
Goblins are the generic really weak fodder enemy for fantasy rpgs.
This one is not just pathetically weak, its even lame, and thus an
excessively easy kill.
> Large Angry Chicken?
Comes up a few times in jokes and such... For example, if you want
something more embarassing than a lame goblin... Or you liked Chicken
Boo in Animanics...
But it is most likely mainly there for the "killed with fire" clause,
and is large and angry to actually look like a threat rather than dinner.
(The "fire" bit is of course a fried/grilled/barbecued chicken reference.)
> Rat on a stick?
Its a rat on a stick. almost as popular as soap on a rope. :)
Such things show up in a variety of things... Somewhat unappetizing
animals "on a stick". Fallout had lizard-on-a-stick from what I recall.
Dwarfs with rat-on-a-stick, or golbins, or whatever...
> Bow with Ribbons is a serious weapon too?
Elves are seen as effeminate. Ribbons are seen as effeminate. So if
you find a bow with ribbons, its an effeminate bow, which is pretty fitting
for a flashy effeminate elf. (Similar for Yuppie Water, which compares
elves to yuppies.)
> buckler of swashing ~ swashbuckler?
yup.
> 5 questions:
> a) what is 'General Studliness'?
potions of augmentation (stat boost) are pretty cliche. You get potions
of intelligence, wisdom, strength, etc...
A potion of general studliness is just that, a potion that just boosts
your general studliness. Basically a joke on augmentation potions, this
one simply makes you more studly (powerful/cool/able/etc).
> b) Curse! Lose Two Cards! should say:
> 'the player to the victim's left draws a card from *his/her* hand'
> isn't it?
Don't remember the text of the card.
A person (the victim) is affected by the card. The player to the
left of the victim takes a card from the victim's hand, then the player
to the right of the victim takes a card from the victim's hand.
> c) Wishing Ring: cancels any *one* curse?
The wishing ring is discarded after it is used to cancel a curse, so
yes. You can use it to cancel a curse before it actually activates, or
to cancel a curse's lingering effect (like malign mirror). Either way,
the ring is discarded.
> d) 'Use during any combat' <-> 'Use during combat'. Does any one of
> them mean that it must be Your combat?
From what I recall, it is "any combat" unless it says "your combat".
The rules specify that one shots like potions can be used in any combat
and can be used on any player in combat or any monster in combat.
> 5) Limburger and Anchovy Sandwich is only connected with limb, or
> *limburger* is similar to a most common food?
Limburger is the cliche really smelly cheese.
Steve Kosakowski
>> Allan Goodall <agoo...@att.net> wrote
>>> >Mr.Bones?
>>>
>>> Probably a joke on "Mr. Bojangles", a song made famous by Sammy Davis Jr.,
>>> about a dancing entertainer. In this case, Mr. Bones is a skeleton.
>
>> You're closer than the others, but I think this is a reference to a
>> standard character in old Negro minstrel shows called "Mr. Bones".
>> (There was a second character he was always teamed with, but I can't
>> remember his name.) These shows were very popular around the turn of
>> the century and often featured white performers in blackface. Mr.
>> Bones was the very stereotypical loose jointed, shuffling black
>> dancer, probably not unlike many of the characters that Bill
>> "Bojangles" Robinson was forced to play in 1930s movie musicals. Mr.
>> Bones and his partner were also part of a two-man comedy act in these
>> shows. Pitney Bowes had an ad campaign not that long ago that made
>> reference to this ("Absolutely, Mr. Pitney?" "Positively, Mr.
>> Bowes!").
>
>You're right about "Mr. Bones" coming from vaudeville, but I think the
>Pitney Bowes campaigns (which I'm pretty sure have been around for a while)
>are a reference to a specific vaudeville act, Gallagher and Sheen, which used
>those lines and cadence.
>
The old minstrel show standup routine typically had the Interlocutor, Mr Tambo
(tambourine), Mr Bones, and those lines and that cadence go back before
Gallagher and Sheen. You can hear a bowdlerized pastiche of minstrelcy in the
Mr Bones act of the show Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye put on in White Christmas.
Kos
*-*-* _ - _ - _ *-*-*
hemmed and hawn,
Perestrello's Box
Allan Goodall
>I'm looking for puns everywhere: Boil an Anthill???
I'm not sure how effective it is, but I've heard that you can kill an anthill
by pouring boiling water into it (although various oil based solvents, while
worse for the environment, work better). The joke here is that you go up a
level for pouring boiling water and killing a _lot_ of ants. In Dungeons and
Dragons you got experience points for killing monsters. Even if the monster
was really, really easy to kill, you got at least a small number of points for
killing it. Kill enough of them, you went up a level. In this case, the joke
is that killing an ant is not going to give you very many experience points,
but by pouring boiling water down an ant hill and killing a whole lot of them
at once you got enough experience points to go up a level.
>Chicken on Your
>Head?
I think it's just a silly thing that happens to you. Having a chicken on your
head is going to be distracting, and make you look bad in front of the
monsters.
>Potted Plant?
Another joke about Dungeons and Dragons, I suppose. Even the easiest to kill
creatures gets you experience points. In this case, you'll even get experience
for killing a plant in a pot.
>Lame Goblin?
In D&D goblins were pretty easy to kill. The term "lame" can mean injured or
hurt, but it's more recent meaning is "pitiful, or something to scorn". This
would be, "Oh, man, another goblin to kill. Couldn't you give me a real
monster? Goblins are so lame." In this case, the goblin is literally lame, as
he's got a crutch.
And, again, in D&D you'd even get experience points for killing a goblin that
had to use a crutch.
> Large Angry Chicken?
Same idea as the potted plant. It's a simple critter that you get points for
killing. They are playing on the fact that a chicken, while it shouldn't be a
serious threat, is still powerful enough to be a 2nd Level creature (that's
the joke, that a large angry chicken is nastier than some other creatures
you'll find). In this case, if you use flame you end up with "fried chicken".
> Tongue Demon?
Joke about "french kissing". In other words, someone who uses their tongue
while kissing, in an inappropriate or sloppy manner (i.e. on a first date with
someone you aren't sure you like, or just someone who does it in a very icky
manner). The "Bad Stuff" part mentions a disgusting kiss.
>Rat on a stick?
If you were desperately hungry, you could catch a rat, put it on a stick and
roast it. Rat on a stick, then, would be a form of food. In this case, it's
not much of a weapon but you can give it to a monster (presumably to eat) so
that it will leave you alone and you can escape.
> Spiky knees?
If you notice the miniatures used in RPG fantasy games, they often have spikey
bits all over. This is also found in fantasy artwork. Games Workshop's figures
are bad for "spikey bits". They are inspired by renaissance era armour, often
taking it to extremes. In this case, spikes on the knees (which you wouldn't
think would be all that useful in combat) gives a pretty nice weapon bonus.
So, something silly from fantasy art actually has a good use in Munchkin.
>Thanks for Gelatinous Ochtaedron and Pollymorph; Drooling Slime is
>probably from Green Slime
Yep, or something like it.
>Bow with Ribbons is a serious weapon too?
A "ribbon with a bow" is what you would wrap a Christmas present with. You'd
tie it together with coloured ribbons and make a bow out of it. In this case,
instead of a "ribbon with a bow" it's a "bow with ribbons", the bow in this
case being the other type of bow.
>buckler of swashing ~ swashbuckler?
Yes. A buckler is a small shield. So, this is a small shield (buckler) of
swashing, making you a swashbuckler.
In case you didn't get some of the other Dungeons and Dragons jokes, here are
some others:
- Plutonium Dragon: lots of dragons in D&D are based on metals, and such, like
silver dragons, gold dragons, platinum dragons. This takes the platinum dragon
one step further and comes up with plutonium dragon, plutonium being very
radioactive.
- The Floating Nose: D&D has a monster known as the beholder. It looks like a
floating eye with tentacles. It's sometimes called a "floating eye" in D&D
slang. Instead of a Beholder (floating eye), Munchkin has a "floating nose".
- Stoned Golem: A Stone Golem is a type of monster (a man-like creature formed
out of stone). A stoned golem is, of course, a golem high on drugs.
- Gazebo: based on a famous (possibly apocryphal) story, "The Tale of Eric and
the Dread Gazebo". It's quite funny. Check it out here:
http://www.netfunny.com/rhf/jokes/98/Jul/gazebo.html (A gazebo is, of course,
a covered porch like structure found in gardens.)
- Bigfoot: Sasquatch, yeti, abominable snowman, are all similar creatures. In
the US, one form of this creature is called a "Bigfoot". The picture on the
card, though, is just a literal "big foot".
- 3,872 Orcs: another D&D joke. Orcs are fairly low level monsters in D&D (not
as low as a goblin, but still low). In order to get enough orcs to equal a
10th level monster, you need 3,872 of them. Another part of the joke is the
precision of the number. The dungeonmaster didn't just throw 3,000 orcs at
you, or 4,000, or even 3,800. No, he actually threw "three thousand, eight
hundred and seventy two".
>5 questions:
>a) what is 'General Studliness'?
Being a "stud" is a slang term for being macho, masculine, a "hunk", basically
a good looking man. "General studliness" would be being a good looking,
masculine man in all ways. The joke is in how the term "stud" is changed from
a slang noun into a sillier slang adjective ("studliness").
>b) Curse! Lose Two Cards! should say:
>'the player to the victim's left draws a card from *his/her* hand'
>isn't it?
No, not really. The card is played on a victim. The player to the victim's
left takes one of the victim's cards. The player to the victim's right then
takes another of the victim's cards.
>c) Wishing Ring: cancels any *one* curse?
Yes, it cancels a curse and then the ring is thrown away. Note that it doesn't
have to be a curse against the player using the ring.
>d) 'Use during any combat' <-> 'Use during combat'. Does any one of
>them mean that it must be Your combat?
"Use during any combat" means you can use it during any player's combat,
whether you are involved in it or not.
"Use during combat" implies that you can only use it during combat involving
you (whether as an ally or as the only person fighting).
>5) Limburger and Anchovy Sandwich is only connected with limb, or
>*limburger* is similar to a most common food?
Limburger is a cheese known for its smell (I've never been around limburger to
know if it's really _that_ bad smelling, but the popular belief is that it's
smelly). Like wise, anchovies can be kind of smelly. Anchovies are one of
those foods that a lot of people really don't like. A limburger and anchovy
sandwich would be a smelly food that many people wouldn't "go near", let alone
eat. In this case, they are making a joke that it would be so nasty a food
that it could be used as a weapon. Since halflings (hobbits from _Lord of the
Rings_) are known for eating, this weapon can only be used by a halfling.
> Thanks,
>Andrés
Allan Goodall
>You're closer than the others, but I think this is a reference to a
>standard character in old Negro minstrel shows called "Mr. Bones".
Thanks! That makes sense. I figured it had something to do with minstrel
shows.
Billy Bissette
> - Gazebo: based on a famous (possibly
> apocryphal) story, "The Tale of Eric and the Dread Gazebo". It's quite
> funny. Check it out here:
> http://www.netfunny.com/rhf/jokes/98/Jul/gazebo.html (A gazebo is, of
> course, a covered porch like structure found in gardens.)
Or based off of Knights of the Dinner Table. One of the first issues
was fight against a gazebo. Don't know the date for their story though.
Erich Schneider
The gazebo story was circulating in RPG fandom long before KoDT came
along.
--
Erich Schneider er...@caltech.edu Caltech Information Technology Services
Geenius at Wrok
> Billy Bissette <bai...@coastalnet.com> writes:
>
> > Allan Goodall <agoo...@att.net> wrote:
>
> > > - Gazebo: based on a famous (possibly
> > > apocryphal) story, "The Tale of Eric and the Dread Gazebo". It's quite
> > > funny. Check it out here:
> > > http://www.netfunny.com/rhf/jokes/98/Jul/gazebo.html (A gazebo is, of
> > > course, a covered porch like structure found in gardens.)
> >
> > Or based off of Knights of the Dinner Table. One of the first issues
> > was fight against a gazebo. Don't know the date for their story though.
>
> The gazebo story was circulating in RPG fandom long before KoDT came
> along.
Don't forget the old "Phil & Dixie" cartoon: "GAZEBO BOY finds his
singular power of transformation useless against THE EVIL TERMITE!"
Kevin J. Maroney
>> > funny. Check it out here:
>> > http://www.netfunny.com/rhf/jokes/98/Jul/gazebo.html (A gazebo is, of
>> > course, a covered porch like structure found in gardens.)
>>
>> Or based off of Knights of the Dinner Table. One of the first issues
>> was fight against a gazebo. Don't know the date for their story though.
>
>The gazebo story was circulating in RPG fandom long before KoDT came
>along.
I'm fairly sure that KoDT has specifically cited Richard Aronson's
telling of the story as their inspiration. I have no reason to believe
the story is apocryphal.
Andrés
I missed the "floating nose / floating eye" D&D parody.
Thank you also for the 'Dread Gazebo' history, that I didn't know.
a) Can't be Shrieking Geek in connection with a monster, something
like a schreeching fungus of D&D? (A 'boletus' in Italian, I don't
know if there's a pun in English.)
b) Can't be a Stoned Golem simply a heavily drunk one? (It'd allow a
pun in my language.)
c) So simply Bow with Ribbons ~ ribbon with a bow. Isn't there any
serious D&D bow made of several parts called ribbons, is there?
d) Has 'Net Troll' other puns other than the web troll meaning? I
thought that net could have its importance too: a clean troll, but
also simply a troll.
> Curse! Lose Two Cards! should say:
> 'the player to the victim's left draws a card from *his/her* hand'
> isn't it?
this question was here simply because the text says (an error?) "from
*your* hand"!
Andrés
Kevin J. Maroney
> b) Can't be a Stoned Golem simply a heavily drunk one? (It'd allow a
>pun in my language.)
In American English, "stoned" used to mean "drunk"; now it's used
almost exclusively for other forms of inebriation. But it's fair to
use it to mean "drunk".
Allan Goodall
wrote:
>Or based off of Knights of the Dinner Table. One of the first issues
>was fight against a gazebo. Don't know the date for their story though.
It predates Knights of the Dinner Table. I first heard the story in the early
90s.
Josh Adelson
news:20020831202311...@mb-fb.aol.com...
> The old minstrel show standup routine typically had the Interlocutor, Mr
Tambo
> (tambourine), Mr Bones, and those lines and that cadence go back before
> Gallagher and Sheen. You can hear a bowdlerized pastiche of minstrelcy in
the
> Mr Bones act of the show Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye put on in White
Christmas.
Something people seem to be neglecting here is that "Mr. Bones" was called
that because he played the Bone Castanets, just as Mr. Tambo played
Tambourine. Also, "Negro minstrel shows" is too restrictive a term.
"Minstrel shows" works just fine.
Allan Goodall
>I'm fairly sure that KoDT has specifically cited Richard Aronson's
>telling of the story as their inspiration. I have no reason to believe
>the story is apocryphal.
The web site I quoted mentioned the player being a Paladin. The rest of the
story seemed to suggest a D&D theme. However, the story also said that it
happened "in the early 70s", which would predate the D&D introduction of
Paladins.
The story has obviously been massaged. There is just something about it that
strikes me as a joke rather than a real event. We laugh at Eric, but isn't the
GM just as "out of it" to not realize that Eric doesn't know what a gazebo is?
At any rate, I haven't seen any proof that it's real. It could be, but like
with most such stories on the web you're safer assuming it's an urban legend
until such time as you find authoritative evidence.
Allan Goodall
> a) Can't be Shrieking Geek in connection with a monster, something
>like a schreeching fungus of D&D? (A 'boletus' in Italian, I don't
>know if there's a pun in English.)
No pun that I know of, but if you can make a pun out of it in your translation
I'd say you should go for it!
> b) Can't be a Stoned Golem simply a heavily drunk one? (It'd allow a
>pun in my language.)
"Stoned" used to mean drunk in English, but it's now used entirely to mean
intoxication through drugs. However, "stoned golem" is a pun on "stone golem".
If you can make up a pun based on him being "drunk" instead of "stoned", do
it! It's more in keeping with the spirit of the game than a literal
translation.
> c) So simply Bow with Ribbons ~ ribbon with a bow. Isn't there any
>serious D&D bow made of several parts called ribbons, is there?
Not that I know of.
> d) Has 'Net Troll' other puns other than the web troll meaning? I
>thought that net could have its importance too: a clean troll, but
>also simply a troll.
"Net troll" is itself a pun on "trolling with a net". You can troll for fish
by dropping a big net and pulling it behind a boat.
When someone new to the Internet asks "what is a 'net troll'?" they are
usually given two answers:
- a troll is an obnoxious mythical creature that lives under a bridge. It
loves to annoy/trap unsuspecting travellers.
- trolling is a type of fishing where you drop a net and capture unsuspecting
fish. A net troll is someone who is "trolling" for prey.
Either would work...
>> Curse! Lose Two Cards! should say:
>> 'the player to the victim's left draws a card from *his/her* hand'
>> isn't it?
> this question was here simply because the text says (an error?) "from
>*your* hand"!
>
> Andrés
Allan Goodall agoo...@hyperbear.com
Andy
>
> b) Can't be a Stoned Golem simply a heavily drunk one? (It'd allow a
>pun in my language.)
>
>
since the golem eats the unlucky adventurer. People here generally
associate being hungry or "the munchies" with being stoned, but not so
much with drinking alcohol. However if it's more fun as a pun on
drinking go for it.
Andrés
I didn't understand 'He has the munchies' and it thought it was a
strange manner to say something like 'He munches you'.
It was simpler to translate 'drunk' because only a letter more gave
the pun: as 'stoneD golem', there could be a 'golem Sbronzo' (= drunk
golem), while bronzo = bronze. But I don't remember if in the picture
there's a clear connection with drugs.
What about the 'potted plant' and its text references to marijuana?
Andrés
Jeff Dougan
Andrés wrote:
No, "has the munchies" is (American) English slang for a particular type
of hunger - in which you don't really want to sit down and eat a full
meal, but are instead compelled to snack on junk food (potato chips,
pretzels, nuts, cola, etc.) for a semi-extended period of time.
> What about the 'potted plant' and its text references to marijuana?
Don't own the game; can't help out here.
Jeff
Allan Goodall
> I didn't understand 'He has the munchies' and it thought it was a
>strange manner to say something like 'He munches you'.
"Munch" is a slang term for snacking. "Munchies" is a slang term for junk food
that you snack on: potato chips, candy bars, pizza, etc. "Have the munchies"
means that you have a craving for munching on snack food.
One of the "symptoms" of marijuana is a severe case of "having the munchies".
So, the Stoned Golem has the munchies. He wants junk food. Oh, and look, your
character comes along and he sees your character as junk food and eats you!
> It was simpler to translate 'drunk' because only a letter more gave
>the pun: as 'stoneD golem', there could be a 'golem Sbronzo' (= drunk
>golem), while bronzo = bronze. But I don't remember if in the picture
>there's a clear connection with drugs.
The picture could be for drugs or for being drunk. However, the drug
connotation is what makes the "munchies" reference funny.
> What about the 'potted plant' and its text references to marijuana?
I looked at the card picture. The person who said that the plant is obviously
a marijuana plant has never seen a marijuana plant (neither have I, but I've
seen pictures; the leaves of the plant on the card look nothing like a
marijuana leaf).
So, no drug references at all on the Potted Plant card. It's just what it
appears to be: a plant in a pot. It's just a very, very, very easy thing to
kill, another play on D&D and the fact you could get experience points for
killing everything.
The Bad Stuff text reference says that escape is automatic. Of course, because
you're running away from a plant in a pot!
The other text says that Elves draw an extra treasure after defeating the
potted plant. This is due to the stereotypical view of elves being close to
nature.
Kevin J. Maroney
wrote:
>The web site I quoted mentioned the player being a Paladin. The rest of the
>story seemed to suggest a D&D theme. However, the story also said that it
>happened "in the early 70s", which would predate the D&D introduction of
>Paladins.
Well, depending on your definition of "early". Paladins were
introduced in Greyhawk, which was March 1975, almost immediately after
the second printing of D&D itself.
>The story has obviously been massaged. There is just something about it that
>strikes me as a joke rather than a real event. We laugh at Eric, but isn't the
>GM just as "out of it" to not realize that Eric doesn't know what a gazebo is?
I agree that the story has been polished. I think that the GM twigged
to what was going on fairly quickly, though.
Rick Jones
> I thought 'duck' (of doom) was hiding a pun with a famous weapon or a
> 'deck of doom' or it had something to do with to dodge/move your head
> quickly down...
I'd guess "Duck/Deck of Doom" is the most likely. A satire on all of
those CCG masters and their various "killer decks".
--
Rick Jones
Remove the Extra Dot to e-mail me
JollyBGood
along.
This absolutely correct. When I 'first' heard the story back in 1994 it was at
a party -- the person who told it to me left me with the impression it had
happened in a game SHE had been playing in. I'm not sure if that was her intent
but I ended up giving her writing credit for the strip in KODT#1.
When KODT#1 came out, dozens of readers emailed me to inform me that 'THEY' had
been sitting in on the game where the gazebo story unfolded. Most of the
letters were the, "Hey! I was there!" sort of letter or "That was MY GM who did
that!"
It really was perplexing since the folks writing in were from different parts
of the country. It's no longer a mystery where the story originated.
Without a doubt, Richard Arnson wrote Eric and the Gazebo in 1979 (at least
that's the date I recall off the top of my head) It was published in a small
press gaming rag. (I forget the name of the zine but it was in the
newsletter/zine put out by the group for Gamers who are members of Menza. I'm
sure someone hear knows of the group I speak).
Later Eric and the Gazebo was reprinted in Alarums and Excursions -- I'm sure
that's where the urban myth began to take root.
Richard contacted me several years ago with a kind letter explaining 'HE' was
the source. He even included a copy of the published article and was kind
enough to allow me to republish it in KODT: Bundles of Trouble Volume 1.
I was glad to see SJG further the legend of the 'gazebo'. All gazebos should be
hunted down and killed!
Jolly Blackburn
Jolly R. Blackburn
Vice President, KenzerCO
Editor of KODT Magazine
JollyBGood
introduced in Greyhawk, which was March 1975, almost immediately after
The paladin also appeared the TSR's newsletter which predated Dragon magazine i