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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…

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…

September 14, 2021
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“I used to be in a band called Gravy and Onions. We covered Meat Loaf”

Meat Loaf is the name of an American singer, and, of course, there are "meatloaf" jokes. "I'm thinking about starting a band called Gravy... We're just gonna cover Meat…

November 4, 2017
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“I used to date an opera singer, but it didn’t work out. She was all mi, mi, mi”

Opera singers sometimes rehearse with "mi, mi, mi" ("me, me, me"). "Old gag: Do you have to practise your opera singing so loud? You're so selfish. It's all ME ME…

July 15, 2018
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“I used to play the triangle in a reggae band, but left because it was just one ting after another”

"Life is just one thing after another" is a common saying. "I had to quit my job as quality control manager at the triangle factory It was just one ting after another" is a…

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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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