




Is there a *particular* “traditional Christmas sweet, cherished for generations” that he fears will be mishandled by American adaptation? And he doesn’t name it? Are we supposed to be able to figure it out; or is it just generalized and hypothetical?
Originally picked up from GoComics, but phsiiicidu was able to locate it at SMBC’s own site. So we can report on the rollover text, as there are those who think an SMBC is incomplete without it. But here it seems to offer nothing to solve those doubts. “One day, molecular printers will allow starbucks to serve every conceivable food as a whipped topping.”

Andréa sent in this one.
Sure, Dilbert has no mouth, but the others do. And there are five balloons for 3 people.

J-L wonders if this might be some Geezer-worthy reference to Jimmy Carter’s presidential run, but even so it’s confusing.



There are likely some Jeopardy fans here. Isn’t is a great feeling when you get Final Jeopardy right, and none of the contestants do?




Chemgal notes that Bug Martini has been very sporadic of late, but this one brings a chuckle.


Hey, doesn’t the layout of the sticks and their backings look eerily like a face? Two eyes, round button nose, wide mouth …?

Okay, it’s nerd-amusing rather than outright hilarious …. But what a good excuse for posting a song!
I think we have in the past counted literalizing figures of speech as a kind of generalized language-play, that can fall under the OY umbrella. But this is a bit long would weigh down the Saturday Morning OYs list, so here it is as a bonus, just to enjoy for itself.


P.S. This Bizarro was discussed in some detail on the Arnold Zwicky blog.



I don’t know, wouldn’t it have been simpler and just as effective to go with the standard “minstrel” spelling?



Okay, I get the general plot of how they’re both mutually surviving (or evading) some sort of sincerity tests. But no, what is the role of the TWSS trope? Is it a save? But in panel 2 it seems, on the contrary, to deepen the trouble, since Lucretia seems not to know the trope … or does she? But in panel 5 she provides a perfect set-up line for the trope as comeback, so she must know it. (And BTW what in fact is the bit about Fiddler getting at? What / how much is the supposed quote?)
I was going to attribute the original TWSS pattern to somebody, but didn’t know who. The entry at dictionary.com includes a surprisingly discursive article illustrating the usage and tracing the origins, after providing the basic compact definition: “That’s what she said is a form of innuendo that takes innocent statements out of context and makes them sound lewd or sexual.” They first find it in a 1973 book, which however calls it an ancient one-liner.