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March 7, 2017
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“Why should people see bad pictures when they can stay at home and see bad television?”

Jewish Polish American film producer. Samuel Goldwyn, talking about about television's threat to movies, said at a panel discussion at Denver University in September 1950: "Why should…

October 25, 2020
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“Why shouldn’t you run while playing bagpipes?”/“You could trip and get kilt.”

"Don't run with bagpipes. You could put an aye out. Or worse yet, get kilt" is a pun-filled piece of advice posted on Twitter by Justin Staggs Ⓥ on August 28, 2017.…

May 3, 2024
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/CircusSports/Games

“Why was the pitcher from the moon of Endor cut from the baseball team?”/“Ewoked every batter.”

"Ewok" is a fictional species in the Star Wars universe, and the name sounds like "he walk." A baseball riddle is: Q: Why was the pitcher from the moon of Endor cut from the…

July 13, 2018
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“Will I be able to play the banjo after surgery?” (joke)

AN old joke has a patient ask his doctor, “Will I be able to play the piano after the operation?” The doctor assures him "yes," and the patient says, "That's great! I was…

February 4, 2015
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“Will I be able to play the piano after the operation?” (joke)

A popular piano joke has a patient ask a doctor, "Will I be able to play the piano after the operation?" "Certainly," the doctor replies. "That's great! I wan't…

July 27, 2014
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“Women go to the theatre and men are brought there” (theatre adage)

It's long been known that women go to the theatre more often than men. Michael Colgan, artistic director of the Gate Theatre in Dublin, Ireland, said in 2001: "I did coin that phrase…

February 8, 2020
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“Would the makers of a movie about a flat earth accept a Golden Globe award?”

"Would the makers of a movie about flat earth accept a Golden Globe?" is a joke that was posted on Twitter by Zach Stewart on January 8, 2019. "Would the makers of a movie about a…

February 24, 2025
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/CircusRestaurants/Bars/Coffeehouses/Food Stores

“Would you like to hear the specials?” (restaurant joke)

A waiter or waitress often tells diners about the day’s special menu. This doesn't mean that diners want to hear The Specials (an English 2 tone and ska revival band), but there are jokes.…

February 28, 2018
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“Wrote a play about weather, with 100 actors as clouds. It was overcast”

"Overcast" weather is when the sky is covered with clouds. An "over-cast" play has too many actors. There have been many "overcast" puns. "I had an audition for a…

November 29, 2012
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“You can dance anywhere, even if only in your heart”

"You can dance anywhere, even if only in your heart" has been cited in print since about 2003 and quickly became one of the most-cited sayings about dance. The authorship of the saying is…

January 24, 2015
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“You can play a shoestring if you’re sincere”

"You can play a shoestring if you're sincere" is a frequently cited quotation attributed to American jazz saxophonist and composer John Coltrane (1926-1967), but it's not known…

October 1, 2017
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“You can tune a piano, but you can’t tuna fish”

"You can tune a piano, but you can't tuna fish" was the title of REO Speedwagon's double platinum-selling 1978 album. The title is from an old riddle: "Question:…

December 12, 2022
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“You can’t make a Hamlet without breaking eggs”

"You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs" is an old proverb. "You can't make a Hamlet without breaking a few eggs/egos/legs" is a theater joke. "You…

December 12, 2022
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“You can’t make a Hamlet without breaking egos”

"You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs" is an old proverb. "You can't make a Hamlet without breaking a few eggs/egos/legs" is a theater joke. "You…

December 12, 2022
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“You can’t make a Hamlet without breaking legs”

"You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs" is an old proverb. "You can't make a Hamlet without breaking a few eggs/egos/legs" is a theater joke. "You…

May 18, 2020
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“You can’t spell subtext without buttsex”

An anagram of "subtext" is "buttsex." "You can't spell subtext without buttsex" is a saying that has been printed on several images. "Do you seriusly mean to…

January 2, 2024
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“You can’t set a Hallmark movie in Texas. Unexpected snow isn’t magical down here”

The Hallmark Channel is known for its Christmas movies, with many movies featuring an unexpected snow. "You can’t set a Hallmark movie in the South. Unexpected snow isn’t magical down…

January 2, 2024
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“You can’t set a Hallmark movie in the South. Unexpected snow isn’t magical down here”

The Hallmark Channel is known for its Christmas movies, with many movies featuring an unexpected snow. "You can’t set a Hallmark movie in the South. Unexpected snow isn’t magical down…

September 14, 2017
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“You cannot pretend to play the air guitar”

"Air guitar" is pretending to play the guitar by fingering the air. "How do you pretend to play the air guitar???" was posted on Twitter on December 8, 2011. One can't…

March 15, 2026
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“You don’t fully know your own strength until someone tries to pull you onto a dancefloor against your will”

Some people really do not want to dance. This was posted on X/Twitter by cluedont on November 23, 2013, and it received over 900 likes: "You don't fully know your own strength until…

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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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