Editor's Corner

Hello, dear readers.

Last week I returned from vacation to an envelope full of articles from our local paper. My dear coworker, Ron, has been busily gathering them for me, while we haven’t been going to the office. Today is material from Richard Lederer’s column, and this time it is about an early 1970s TV character, Archie Bunker. I think I was still watching Sesame Street when All in the Family came out, but I remember my dad loved it. Even if you didn’t see it, you can certainly appreciate some of his malapropisms.

As a reminder, a malapropism is “the mistaken use of an incorrect word in place of a word with a similar sound, resulting in a nonsensical, sometimes humorous utterance. An example is the statement by baseball player Yogi Berra, ‘Texas has a lot of electrical votes,’ rather than ‘electoral votes’.” (Wikipedia)

The full article is here, but these are the excerpts that give great examples of Archie’s malapropisms.

• It’s a proven fact that capital punishment is a known detergent for crime.
• This woman could be a kidnapper, making you an excessity after the fact.
• There’s something rotten in Sweden, Edith. Call it a father’s intermission.
• Forget it. It’s irreverent. It ain’t German to this conversation.
• Don’t you never read the papers about all them unflocked priests running around? This here priest ain’t kosher and never was.
• (about Meathead) Listen to our world traveler, will ya. Ain’t never been past the Chicago stock yards, and now he’s a regular Marco Polish.
• She’s hanging around my neck like an albacross.
• Just who the hell are we entertaining here tonight? The Count to Monte Crisco?
• Whoever sent ’em obviously wanted to remain unanimous.
• The Mets winning the pennant, that would be a miracle. Yeah, like the immaculate connection.
• If you was half as sick as me, you’d be laying on that floor waiting for Rigor Morris to set in.
• You’ve been standing on that phone like a pillow of salt.
• “Sorry” ain’t gonna clench my thirst.
• The Bunkers is going to Florida as pre-deranged.
• I don’t see why you had to drag me to her doctor, this groinocologist guy.
• (Sniffing a cigar) Edith, this is the nectarine of the gods.
• It smells like a house of ill refute.
• You think he’s nice after coming in here, making suppository remarks about our country. And calling me prejudiced while I was singing, “God Bless America,” a song written by a well-known and respected Jewish guy, Milton Berle.

Kara Church

Pronouns: she/her/hers

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