Jokes you didnt get,

[Reply #40 on:]

Edit--screw this.

[Reply #41 on:]

some people don't know what spooning is? Here's a picture(it's not dirty, i promise) it's easier to understand by looking at the picture than having someone write an essay about it 

it's like cuddling, often after sex, or instead of sex. stereotypical annoying girlfriend would want to spoon after having sex while stereotypical man would either want to sleep or go eat and watch TV.

[Reply #42 on:]

In Parasites Lost, when Zoidberg, Bender and maybe someone else shout "shotgun!" for some reason. What the hell is that all about?

[Reply #43 on:]

Shotgun is called to claim the passenger seat when multiple beings might want it.  As in "riding shotgun" - the person shooting not driving.

[Reply #44 on:]

Yeah, If you want to sit up front you call out "Shotgun!" It's more of an American thing, but I still knew what it meant, although I don't say it much myself.

[Reply #45 on:]

well, now i have to tag this on to the end of someone else's topic and hope it gets read cuz mine got closed down.
Why does Bender yell "Up your face!" in response to Ranger Park's "Where, where?" when Bender tells him Bigfoot is outside.
is this just a really dumb joke, or is there more?

[Reply #46 on:]

In I Dated A Robot, what does Fry mean when he says: "These new hands are great, I'm going to crack them in tonight."

[Reply #47 on:]

Let's just say it's dirty joke that involves killing kittens and making baby Jesus cry. 

And it's a miracle (the good kind of miracle) they managed to sneak it past the censors.

But if you insist on knowing more about this, you better ask PEEL's own expert in that field: Iliketowankalot.

[Reply #48 on:]

He said "I'm going to break them in tonight" (italics mine).  Like, give them their first big trial run.  If you still don't get it, contact me offline and I'll explain it gently 

[Reply #49 on:]

Fry's becoming a bit of a serial wanker really, he said Doctor Z could borrow his right arm to get rid of his male jelly in Why Must I be a Crustacean in Love. And FRY1476 were you just pretending that you didn't get that joke, 'cause I honestly can't believe that you didn't!

[Reply #50 on:]

This is about the most interesting thread I've seen in a while.  I never realized how our international (non-American) viewers might not get even the most obvious jokes.  It's just further proof that humor doesn't translate well -- even if you know the language.

Did anyone bring up the cultural differences yet?  It reminds me if when I was in school watching the Star Blazers cartoon (a.k.a. Space Battleship Yamato -- 宇宙戦艦ヤマ&#12488 .  There were a lot of Japanese cultural references in that cartoon that were easy to overlook as a kid.  As an adult, you see them and realize you don't get it.  It's different from not getting it and not caring one way or the other.

Well, that's my two cents on the matter.  I guess I am lucky that I can get all the jokes -- even the science jokes from being forced to watch PBS (Carl Sagan was my hero) when I was a kid.

P

[Reply #51 on:]

In "A Big Piece Of Garbage", when Farnsworth says "Tonight is the annual Simposium" and Fry says "Wow! I love Simposia!". On the Dvd commentary, they said that the line Fry said was a joke. What does it mean?

[Reply #52 on:]

Okay, I think I got this one.  It's the much less frequently used plural form of "symposium."  We usually say "symposiums", not "symposia."  My dictionary says it's a real word, though.

This is why I love Futurama -- there are jokes for *thinking* people, too, not just the common TV-viewing dumbasses.

W

[Reply #53 on:]

I think this has already been discussed, but what are you gonna do? The "symposia" joke is that Fry is generally stupid, but he can use correct English grammar when most people wouldn't. i.e. Homer Simpson - Oh, no! Cacti!

There's only one joke i can think of right now that I didn't get. In "Bendless love," Angelyne says "Well, my legs are made of rubber." I thought robots legs were just made of metal. Were they making a reference, or is it just a robot joke that fell flat?

[Reply #54 on:]

I think much of the explanation for that joke is in what Bender said just before that line:

Bender: I bet watching me bend girders like this turns your legs all rubbery.

[Reply #55 on:]

I have a question:
In "A Flight to Remember", when everyone is at the dinner buffet, all eyes are on Fry to "kiss his woman".  But when he is trying to decide who to kiss, he just hums a tune(tv show theme song?). 
I remember Fry referencing something he saw on TV beforehand, but I still don't get the joke of the situation.  Was it all just a big reference to a TV show?

[Reply #56 on:]

He was humming a well-known song. It may have been a theme of a particular TV show, although I can't confirm that, because I seldom watch TV.

[Reply #57 on:]

 

Originally posted by JDHannan:
well, now i have to tag this on to the end of someone else's topic and hope it gets read cuz mine got closed down.
Why does Bender yell "Up your face!" in response to Ranger Park's "Where, where?" when Bender tells him Bigfoot is outside.
is this just a really dumb joke, or is there more?

There's a lot of references to the upper human "horn" in this episode - "Up your nose" maybe - Or I remember another episode where Farnsworth is cleaning out all the junk in Bender's head - so it's at least partially hollow - another cavity to promote suggestive behaviour.

[Reply #58 on:]

@Atticus:
Fry's humming the theme from "Three's Company", the same TV show he mentioned. I've never seen it myself, but from what I've gathered it involves a man who lives together with two women.

[Reply #59 on:]

"come and knock on our door, na-na-na-nah-nah-nah"

that's what he was humming wasn' it?

[Reply #60 on:]

 

Originally posted by Mercapto:
I think much of the explanation for that joke is in what Bender said just before that line:

Bender: I bet watching me bend girders like this turns your legs all rubbery.

I knew that, I just wondered why she said her legs were actually made of rubber. It just doesn't make sense.

[Reply #61 on:]

 

Originally posted by M Jackson:
And FRY1476 were you just pretending that you didn't get that joke, 'cause I honestly can't believe that you didn't!

Seriously, I didn't know.

[Reply #62 on:]

 

Originally posted by bassbender:
 

Originally posted by JDHannan:
well, now i have to tag this on to the end of someone else's topic and hope it gets read cuz mine got closed down.
Why does Bender yell "Up your face!" in response to Ranger Park's "Where, where?" when Bender tells him Bigfoot is outside.
is this just a really dumb joke, or is there more?

There's a lot of references to the upper human "horn" in this episode - "Up your nose" maybe - Or I remember another episode where Farnsworth is cleaning out all the junk in Bender's head - so it's at least partially hollow - another cavity to promote suggestive behaviour.

but at that point in the show there were ZERO references to horns.
u cant have a joke that references something that doesnt exist yet

[Reply #63 on:]

Sure you can.  Nobody will get it until the referenced thing appears; then it will all fall into place and they will laugh twice as hard.  As others have said, this show has jokes for smart people, and observant people, and people with good memories.  Note to self: one out of three ain't bad...

[Reply #64 on:]

 

Originally posted by Cap'n McGlurk:
This is about the most interesting thread I've seen in a while.  I never realized how our international (non-American) viewers might not get even the most obvious jokes.  It's just further proof that humor doesn't translate well -- even if you know the language.

Did anyone bring up the cultural differences yet?  It reminds me if when I was in school watching the Star Blazers cartoon (a.k.a. Space Battleship Yamato -- 宇宙戦艦ヤマト  .  There were a lot of Japanese cultural references in that cartoon that were easy to overlook as a kid.  As an adult, you see them and realize you don't get it.  It's different from not getting it and not caring one way or the other.

Well, that's my two cents on the matter.  I guess I am lucky that I can get all the jokes -- even the science jokes from being forced to watch PBS (Carl Sagan was my hero) when I was a kid.

P

I couldnt disagree more, english people are very comedic and have some of the possibly greatest comedy shows and comedians ever. Saying comedy doesn't travel... maybe but definatly not in the case of Futurama. The jokes people dont get arnt the jokes themselves its the people or something their referencing (sic) from that we dont understand. If there was an english show in america you wouldnt get some of the jokes because they would be based for people in england they could refer to anything any person any show anything in any time of england. Its not the comedy you dont understand its the reference. Comedy doesnt always travel but between two countries so simular it does. England have an amazingly broad sense of humour more so than any country and simple things like sarcasm dont seem to be able to be understood by other countries. If you ever watch any sarcasm in an american show its nearly always someone thats a bit of a dick normally half pissed in the corner of a room making witty or scournful comments. not so.
In other words i think you havent really thought about what you were saying and your wrong. anyway thats my two pence 

[Reply #65 on:]

 

Originally posted by SwanMan3000:
 
> If you ever watch any sarcasm in an american show its nearly always someone thats a bit of a dick normally half pissed in the corner of a room making witty or scournful comments. not so.
In other words i think you havent really thought about what you were saying and your wrong. anyway thats my two pence   

 Don't judge the American sense of sarcasm by prime time American programming. 99% of American programming is geared to the lowest common denominator to keep from a: upsetting the church people and B: not scaring the advertisers.

 Look for a show called "Mystery Science Theatre 3000" it was probabaly the most sarcastic thing to ever hit American television.

 It was also a good example of jokes that don't travel well, there was more than enough general humor, but it had an undercurrent of "In jokes" you had to live in Minnesota to get.  And after years of insipid programming with In jokes you had to be from LA to get it was a nice change of pace.

 It was as good as it was becuse it didn't have to go  through the Hollywood system "one of the few popular shows NOT from the California crapworks" till all the things that might (make people feel stupid or frighten them) removed.  "Thanks Fry"

 But a lot of things don't have equivalents
in England and America, and not just phrases like "riding shotgun"

I've always been a fan of English humor so I didn't have the problems translating English/American that a lot of tourists apparently suffer from when I was there last year.  But I often found figues of speech that would not have any common meaning, or even things people take for granted like snack foods, citrus type sodas, or Beef Jerky. The woman we stayed with, her husband was mad for the stuff, and no one there even knew what it was.

 Haynes Motor manuals sold in the US have an "English-American" translating glossary.

 Seriouosly! I love the part where it says "When this manual reffers to a -torch- it means a battery operated light, not an oxy-acetelyne torch"

 But anyway, I digress, all I was trying to say is certain humor does not travel especially well. And you know the old joke about England and America, two countries seperated by a common language"............

 

[Reply #66 on:]

 

Originally posted by M Jackson:
Yeah, If you want to sit up front you call out "Shotgun!" It's more of an American thing, but I still knew what it meant, although I don't say it much myself.

I believe it comes from the old West and the days of the stagecoach.  Two people would sit up front, the driver and the person who would be firing the shotgun in case of bandits, savage Indians, insurance salesmen or whatever.

And with that - I believe I earn the title "Bending Unit".

Edited to say: "Awwww Yeah."

[Reply #67 on:]

 

Originally posted by M Jackson:
Fry's becoming a bit of a serial wanker really, he said Doctor Z could borrow his right arm to get rid of his male jelly in Why Must I be a Crustacean in Love.

There was also one in A Head In The Polls, when Nixon's talking about how much he misses his body...

NIXON: God, I loved it...

FRY: I hear that! I spent most of my teen years loving MY body... Of course it was tough love, but... *gets elbowed hardly by Leela* Ow!

LEELA: Fry, he opened up relations with China. He doesn't want to hear about your ding-dong...

[Reply #68 on:]

 

Originally posted by El Zilcho:
 I knew that, I just wondered why she said her legs were actually made of rubber. It just doesn't make sense.

Like you said before, it was just a robot joke that fell flat. They use a common human expression to point out there robotness. Sort of like when Calculon says "I can't even sleep at night--although, as a robot, I don't do that anyway".

Angelyne's legs look like they're made of metal, and we've seen Bender and other robots sleep, so neither joke works very well.

[Reply #69 on:]

 

Originally posted by Invader_Tak:
 
 Don't judge the American sense of sarcasm by prime time American programming. 99% of American programming is geared to the lowest common denominator to keep from a: upsetting the church people and B: not scaring the advertisers.
 

 

fair enuf. although i cant believe no one in england doesnt know what beef jerky is. Thats another thing i hate, when americans say something like elevator and then stop and say lift for example and other words pants trousers, jelly jam etc. Everyone in england knows what your talking about. any way i love america an will be moving there shortly so there you go....

[Reply #70 on:]

well when you get to america you better damn well not say "lift"   

Three's Company: Jack Tripper (the "guy") was always in complicated sexual situations. He was either pretending to be involved with one, or both of the women he lived with, or was pretending to be gay to avoid getting kicked out of his apartment.

[Reply #71 on:]

I'm English (and DAMM proud sort of) and whenever I don't get a joke I just think "Hm, something funny just happened but I don't know what it means. Meh, I'll just laugh anyway."
Honestly.

[Reply #72 on:]

At the beginning of War is the H-word, Fry says something like "Full price for gum? That dog won't hunt, Monsignor". I didn't really get that, was it a reference or a quote from something else?

[Reply #73 on:]

 

Originally posted by Slashco:
At the beginning of War is the H-word, Fry says something like "Full price for gum? That dog won't hunt, Monsignor". I didn't really get that, was it a reference or a quote from something else?

a southern/texan/western term... That dog won't hunt, Monsignor  =  (That proposition [or argument] won't work, Sir)

[Reply #74 on:]

 

Originally posted by SwanMan3000:
 fair enuf. although i cant believe no one in england doesnt know what beef jerky is.
 Thats another thing i hate, when americans say something like elevator and then stop and say lift for example and other words pants trousers, jelly jam etc. Everyone in england knows what your talking about. any way i love america an will be moving there shortly so there you go....

 I don't know, I didn't see any, My hostess was up north in Barnsley so I can't be sure, it may just be regional. They loved it when I brought them a few big bags, they told me they could not lay hands on it at all.

 During my week in London "Before we went north" my partner broke a bone in her foot and I was stuck in a hotel near Victoria Station till she could walk and I just picked diffrent directions and shopped, and did sightseeing. And I never saw any, including the grocers. "One thing I do miss is those cans of coffee that heat themselves" also REAL Cadbury Chocolate, the stuff they sell here is domestic made and just not the same."

 As to "talking American" I did try to use the "right" words at first, It's not a problem for me,I don't need to stop and correct myself like the ones you mention. But people didn't like it, "not for the reasons I expected though"  especially out further into the country. For example, I mailed myself back a huge box of chicken flavored potato chips and when they asked me what was in it and I said "crisps" I got lectured because I was supposed to say chips like an American ought to. I think I dissapointed them 

 Seems up there, I wasnt enough like a "TV American" and that was the only thing people didn't like. I had to explain that almost NO ONE is like TV Americans.   

 After that I just made a point of it not to bother and just played ignorant tourist.

 It was funny when I was up north they threw a "Meet the Americans party" and I swear the whole neighborhood showed up.

 The people I met in Barnsley were some of the nicest people on earth and if I had to live somewhere other than here, all I can say is that would be choice number two.

 As I merrily go off topic yet again........

[Reply #75 on:]

Amy: So is it true you can make all kinds of shirts and ropes out of hemp?
Dude: Dave's not here, man.
Amy: I also heard hemp makes great shampoo.
Dude: It does?  No way!I got to check out this brochure.

What's with the burger and stuff... Don't get it...

[Reply #76 on:]

The Hemp party guy is having The Munchies.

A side-effect of smoking marihuana (which the guy obviously do) is a severely increased appetite, generally refered to as The Munchies.

Article in Nature

[Reply #77 on:]

 

Originally posted by Invader_Tak:
Haynes Motor manuals sold in the US have an "English-American" translating glossary.

Seriouosly! I love the part where it says "When this manual reffers to a -torch- it means a battery operated light, not an oxy-acetelyne torch"

"Now use a torch to look inside the petrol tank...."

(Maybe they'll be unable to do it because they don't know what "petrol" is.)

[Reply #78 on:]

 

Originally posted by El Zilcho:
 I just wondered why she said her legs were actually made of rubber. It just doesn't make sense.

A Robot could be made of any artificial materials. There would have to be some wires or hydraulic rubber tubes inside her legs  to make them work and some sort of skeleton made of metal or a hard wearing plastic but it is quite possible that the outer covering of her legs is made of rubber.

[Reply #79 on:]

Somehow that makes me thing of Syndicate. That machine in the intro that replaces limbs and covers the agent's skin in rubber.

Anyway, certain jokes/references require you to have seen certain movies/series. Wouldn't it be great if someone enumrated all of them? Such as:
2001 - A space odyssey
Soylent Green
Mad Max 3 - Beyond Thunderdome(the worst in the triology, as often is the case. I have hopes for Fury Road though)
The Twilight Zone("Time enough at last" most of all)

Now, onto my question:

My brother mentioned that this guy is from some movie, but he couldn't remember what. What?