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September 26, 2024
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“I like my country music at the volume where I can’t hear you complaining about it”

"I like my country music at the volume where I can’t hear you complaining about it" is a county music saying that has been printed on many images. Authorship is unknown. "I like my…

December 27, 2016
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“I like to hold hands at the movies. Which always seems to startle strangers”

American comedian Tom Rhodes posted on Twitter on August 25, 2012: "I like to hold hands at the movies. Which always seems to startle strangers." The line was voted as one of the top…

March 29, 2024
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“I listen to every genre of music. I’m polyjamorous”

"I listen to every genre of music. I'm polyjamorous" is a jocular saying that has been printed on many images. The word "polyjamorous" is a portmanteau of the words…

December 18, 2005
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“I Love New York” (2005)

"I Love New York" is on Madonna's Confessions on the Dance Floor (2005). Perhaps you can dance to it, but the lyrics will win her no awards.…

December 11, 2022
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“I only saw Act I. The program said ‘Act II, one year later,’ and I couldn’t wait that long”

A theater program often says that Act II has the same location as Act I, or that Act II takes place a year later than Act I. There are jokes about both. "I only saw Act I. The program said…

December 11, 2022
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“I only saw Act I. The program said ‘Act II, same as Act I,’ but I didn’t want to see it over again”

A theater program often says that Act II has the same location as Act I, or that Act II takes place a year later than Act I. There are jokes about both. "I only saw Act I. The program said…

December 19, 2021
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“I play a little guitar, but mostly I play the ukulele”

"I play a little guitar" is a popular ukulele joke. The pun is that the meaning of "I play guitar a little" is changed when it's written as "I play a little…

December 19, 2021
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“I play a little guitar” (ukulele joke)

"I play a little guitar" is a popular ukulele joke. The pun is that the meaning of "I play guitar a little" is changed when it's written as "I play a little…

August 8, 2026
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“I play in a band called ‘Paper.’ We cover rock”

Rock music has nothing to do with the game of “rock-paper-scissors,” but there are jokes. "I play in a band called 'Paper'. We cover rock" was posted on Facebook by Adam…

March 24, 2018
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“I run on caffeine, grease, loud music and cuss words”

"I run on coffee, chaos and cuss words" is a one-line saying that has been printed on many images. There have been many "I run on..." variations. "I run on #coffee and cuss…

April 9, 2024
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“I saw an Irish dancing show today called Streamdance. It’s not quite as good as Riverdance, but then it is only a tributary act”

Are there any dance shows similar to Riverdance? "I saw an Irish dancing show today called 'Streamdance'. It's not quite as good as 'Riverdance', but then it is only a…

April 4, 2018
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“I saw trombone players at the park today. Couldn’t swing and kept complaining about the slide”

A trombone riddle was posted on Twitter on April 7, 2012: Q: Why is it no fun to go the park with a trombone player? A: They can’t swing and complain about the slide. Forms of the…

June 16, 2020
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“I think the real reason this generation is so angry is because their music sucks”

Many people -- especially older people -- believe that the music of the 1960s and 1970s is superior to the music of the 2000s. "Maybe the reason that this generation of young people is so…

March 11, 2025
Food/DrinkMusic/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“I thought a flautist was an expert in flautas”

"Flauta" (Spanish for "flute") is a Mexican dish. There are, of course, jokes involving flute players, or "flautists." "Why are people who play the flute called…

April 5, 2021
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“I thought I liked seeing movies, but turns out I like eating candy in a dark room”

Cara Weinberger posted on Twitter on December 10, 2019, a comment about movies that received over 180,000 likes: "I thought I liked seeing movies, but turns out I like eating candy in a dark…

January 20, 2017
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“I took her to a barn dance, but all I got was the same old stall”

A "barn dance" is a traditional dance, usually with traditional or folk music, sometimes (and probably originally) held in a barn. A popular barn dance joke is: "I took her to a barn…

April 30, 2018
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“I tried to write a drinking song once, but I couldn’t get past the first bar”

A "bar" can mean a musical section, but it can also mean a place that serves drinks. A joke was published in the Chicago (IL) Daily Tribune on October 28, 1955: "Uncle Helmer tried…

January 9, 2025
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“I tried watching some belly dancing today, but I just don’t have the stomach for it”

To "not have the stomach for (something)" means to lack the courage, determination, or resolve to do it. The idiom usually doesn't involve the stomach, but there are belly dancing…

January 12, 2017
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“I used to be a tap dancer until I fell in the sink”

"I used to be a tap dancer until I fell into the sink" is a jocular one-line saying that has been printed on several images. "You know, I used to be a tap dancer, but I kept falling…

June 4, 2020
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/CircusPets (Dogs, Cats, Horses)

“I used to be in a band called ‘Missing Cat’. You probably saw our posters”

"I used to be in a band called 'Missing Cat'. You probably saw our posters" is a popular joke that has been printed on several images. "XD RT @sickipediabot I used to be in…

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About the Website and Editor

BARRY POPIK is a contributor to the Oxford English Dictionary, Dictionary of American Regional English, Historical Dictionary of American Slang, Yale Book of Quotations and Dictionary of Modern Proverbs. Since 1990 he has also been a regular contributor to Gerald Cohen's Comments on Etymology.

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