Obscure references?

[Rii]

I once had to explain my use of John Paul Jones' "I have not yet begun to fight!" as a retort during a card game. I'm not surprised that most folks are unfamiliar with the origin of the expression, but I thought it odd that none of the others present had even heard of it before.

 

[Davros]

My idea of the Martin Luther halloween costume would meet the obscure reference. (He started the protestant reformation on Oct. 31st 1517.)

 

[TheKeeper]

My idea of the Martin Luther halloween costume would meet the obscure reference. (He started the protestant reformation on Oct. 31st 1517.)

The last time I went out trick-or-treating for Halloween, I wore a Nixon mask. It helped that he had just left office earlier that year and was still fresh in everyone's mind. I wonder how many people would get the reference today.

 

[ManOnTheWave]

A few years ago I was running an errand with a coworker. As we drove past an apartment complex named Papillion, I remarked that I was glad I did not live there, as I would have to attempt escape everyday. He laughed. We agreed we both knew no more than three people who'd get that joke.

 

[B.J.]

My idea of the Martin Luther halloween costume would meet the obscure reference. (He started the protestant reformation on Oct. 31st 1517.)

The last time I went out trick-or-treating for Halloween, I wore a Nixon mask. It helped that he had just left office earlier that year and was still fresh in everyone's mind. I wonder how many people would get the reference today.

Well, at least all the Futurama fans would!

 

[scotpens]

. . . During a discussion of the controversy surrounding the construction of the Eiffel Tower, Brown says: “For Catholics, it was the sport of revolutionary Nimrods expounding their secularism in Notre-Dame's parish with phallic arrogance.”

One of my students mentioned that she found this line funny --“nimrods,” hehe. I had to explain that Nimrod was a figure in the Old Testament, who by tradition is associated with the building of the Tower of Babel.

Then I had to explain what the Tower of Babel was.

At least I assume they all understood “phallic arrogance.”

When I was in my high school senior year, a teacher was reading an announcement of auditions for the glee club -- “three altos, four baritones” and so on -- and jokingly concluded by saying, “and one castrato”.

Nobody seemed to know what that was, so the teacher explained, “It's a male soprano -- but they don't do that anymore.”

Half the class still didn't get it.

And to think this was in 1970! Today's teens are exponentially dumber.

. . . Then later the topic of Anne Frank came up, and I used Ricky Gervais' jokes from his Politics standup show, “ends a bit abruptly. No sequel, lazy.”

I still like the one about the stage production of The Diary of Anne Frank that was so bad that when the Nazis came, the audience shouted, “She's in the attic!”

 

[Nardpuncher]

I tossed a pair of sunglasses to my neighbor on Saturday at a pool party and said,

"For better hallway vision."

I was rewarded with a very blank look. On the other hand, I was able to tell his hot girlfriend, right in front of him, that she was the "cat's meow". He had the same blank look. Maybe it was the booze...


In my film studies class in the mid eighties we watched 2001 and some uh, person, asked if "the Discovery was still out there?" -not a reference but the Apollo 13 comment reminded me...

I don't know where the Hallway Vision one comes from.

I find that if I reference The Simpsons that with how long it's been on , no one gets my jokes that refer to the first 4 or 5 seasons.

 

[scotpens]

Here's one for the group. I don't know if it's an age thing or just cultural reference points. My uncle and I were working on getting an old truck started, and he was talking about putting in some fuel additive, but he couldn't come up with the word. I knew what he was talking about, so I said “Additive.” And then he said, “Add-a-give!” And I laughed for at least a full minute, but my cousin looked at us like we were idiotic.

Anybody else get the reference, let alone find it funny?

Was that a reference to the hilarious “charades” sequence in Young Frankenstein?

“Give him a sedagive??”

I tossed a pair of sunglasses to my neighbor on Saturday at a pool party and said,

“For better hallway vision.”

I was rewarded with a very blank look.

I don't know where the Hallway Vision one comes from.

It's from The Breakfast Club, but I didn't know that until I Googled it.

 

[Maestro]

I have a student who didn't know how to use my classroom's tape deck. She didn't understand that the counter always reset to zero when a new cassette was put in. So, every time she popped in the tape for the color guard, she thought it was starting at the beginning, even though it hadn't been rewound.

 

[JoeFromEarth]

I tell people that if I ever own a bidet, I will have it controlled by three seashells. They never get the three seashells reference...

 

[J.T.B.]

Here's one for the group. I don't know if it's an age thing or just cultural reference points. My uncle and I were working on getting an old truck started, and he was talking about putting in some fuel additive, but he couldn't come up with the word. I knew what he was talking about, so I said “Additive.” And then he said, “Add-a-give!” And I laughed for at least a full minute, but my cousin looked at us like we were idiotic.

Anybody else get the reference, let alone find it funny?

Was that a reference to the hilarious “charades” sequence in Young Frankenstein?

“Give him a sedagive??”

Yes, thank you!

--Justin

 

[MetalPants]

I find that most of the time if I make a Star Trek reference, I get the blank stare.

At least most people get my jokes about the Force.

If I ever make jokes about Moses and the Ark, or Noah and the Red Sea, most people don't even bat an eye. Same thing if I tell people I'm unliterate.

 

[CorporalClegg]

A few years ago, I bought a water or some such at a convenience store. The total was like $1.13. I handed the girl at the counter a Sacajawea dollar, a dime, and a nickel. She handed the gold dollar back to me and said, "We don't take Canadian coins."

 

[Yeoman Randi]

For years i used the expression, "She's a stepford wife" and didn't realize that my husband had NO IDEA as to what i meant by that. Who doesn't know what a Stepford Wife is?!?!?!?!?

 

[ManOnTheWave]

A few years ago, I bought a water or some such at a convenience store. The total was like $1.13. I handed the girl at the counter a Sacajawea dollar, a dime, and a nickel. She handed the gold dollar back to me and said, "We don't take Canadian coins."

That's happened to me like three times.

 

[CorporalClegg]

^
Sad.

 

[Mistral]

I tell people that if I ever own a bidet, I will have it controlled by three seashells. They never get the three seashells reference...

"He doesn't know about the three seashells!"


I had a confused customer in line in front of me at the 99C store trying to talk to the Hispanic clerk, who lacked English. So I asked the white lady if she needed help, adding, "I speak jive."

She replied, "I think she's speaking Spanish and I don't know it." The phrase deadpan was invented for this woman. She had no clue what I was referring to.

 

[Goliath]

A few years ago, I bought a water or some such at a convenience store. The total was like $1.13. I handed the girl at the counter a Sacajawea dollar, a dime, and a nickel. She handed the gold dollar back to me and said, "We don't take Canadian coins."

First of all, I just looked up the Sacagawea dollar. That's a nice-looking coin.

Second, as a Canadian, I have to say: WTF?

Did she even look at that coin? There's no way you could mistake it for a loonie.

 

[scotpens]

. . . Did she even look at that coin? There's no way you could mistake it for a loonie.

Loonie??

 

[Finn]

A Canadian Dollar coin, because it has a Loon on it.