Comments for The Snowclones Database http://snowclones.org Snowclones are the new eggcorns. Sat, 04 Feb 2012 18:51:12 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ Comment on The queue by Ivan Zuzak http://snowclones.org/the-queue/#comment-11639 Sat, 04 Feb 2012 18:51:12 +0000 http://snowclones.org/the-queue/#comment-11639 Shit Xs say.

Examples: “Shit VCs say”, “Shit New Yorkers say”, “Shit brides say”, “Shit redditors say”

]]> Comment on The queue by Mark A. Mandel http://snowclones.org/the-queue/#comment-11421 Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:19:05 +0000 http://snowclones.org/the-queue/#comment-11421 Mmff. I should’ve said
Don’t you mean “replacing either ‘can’t’ with ‘can’”?

]]> Comment on The queue by Mark A. Mandel http://snowclones.org/the-queue/#comment-11419 Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:17:59 +0000 http://snowclones.org/the-queue/#comment-11419 ‘Can’t X Can’t Y. Variations include substituting either “can’t” for “can”.’

Don’t you mean “replacing either…”?
“Substitute X for Y” means “Y is there, change it to X”.
“Replace X with Y” means “X is there, change it to Y”.

Sorry if this seems picky, but horrible things can happen (and have) when these get confused, especially when the”[preposition] Y” part is left to context. “Replace X throughout” ≠ “Substitute X throughout”!

]]> Comment on The queue by Mark A. Mandel http://snowclones.org/the-queue/#comment-11418 Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:13:02 +0000 http://snowclones.org/the-queue/#comment-11418 Seconded, all three. (I’m not as old as dirt, but I am older than most of the people I see on the street.)

]]> Comment on The queue by Angelynx http://snowclones.org/the-queue/#comment-11400 Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:59:25 +0000 http://snowclones.org/the-queue/#comment-11400 Apologies if these are already here but: (1) I believe the original of the “bad x, no Y” is not “bad cop, no donut” but “bad dog, no biscuit”. But the cop version is probably the most popular sequel and the one that launched it as a meme. (2) “X is as X does” – may indeed have been used in Forrest Gump, but “Handsome is as handsome” does” is Older Than Dirt, or at least older than me. And please be sure to speak of “Special circles OF Hell”, not “special circles IN Hell” for X who Y–the reference is to Dante’s Inferno. (the one usually referenced is the Ninth Circle.)

]]> Comment on X is the Y of Z by Julholts framtid: en språklig prognos utifrån retoriska schabloner | På svenska http://snowclones.org/2007/12/18/x-is-the-y-of-z/#comment-11333 Fri, 20 Jan 2012 06:12:40 +0000 http://snowclones.org/2007/12/18/x-is-the-y-of-z/#comment-11333 [...] hemsidan för snowclones beskrivs den så här: The metaphor processing that this snowclone induces is more [...]

]]> Comment on The queue by snowclones http://snowclones.org/the-queue/#comment-11114 Wed, 11 Jan 2012 17:51:25 +0000 http://snowclones.org/the-queue/#comment-11114 A key to the joke is that step 2 should be “…”, but even with just the one variable this is pretty snowcloneish.

]]> Comment on The queue by SgtYamm http://snowclones.org/the-queue/#comment-11113 Wed, 11 Jan 2012 17:42:40 +0000 http://snowclones.org/the-queue/#comment-11113 For any task that only requires 2 steps (X and Y) to accomplish:
Step 1: X
Step 2: Y
Step 3: PROFIT!

]]> Comment on The queue by Clare http://snowclones.org/the-queue/#comment-11038 Sun, 08 Jan 2012 12:57:50 +0000 http://snowclones.org/the-queue/#comment-11038 I would like to submit a (possibly) uniquely Australian entry.

Can’t X Can’t Y. Variations include substituting either “can’t” for “can”.

It’s used exclusively (I think!) in cricketing journalism, and originated with a famous sledge on Scott Muller in 1999 “can’t bowl can’t throw”.
For this history, see: http://bit.ly/yhFqJQ and http://bit.ly/wX4Gzt

Now it’s incredibly common. See:
“Can play, can’t behave”: http://bit.ly/zA28Yk
“Can’t bowl, can bat” http://bit.ly/whe7Yt
“Can’t play, can earn” http://bit.ly/zorA2w
“Can’t bat, can’t bowl” http://bit.ly/b8A2Kw, http://bit.ly/gUjhqm, http://bit.ly/xzQMw5

And so on.

]]> Comment on The queue by lousylinguist http://snowclones.org/the-queue/#comment-11002 Thu, 05 Jan 2012 19:21:57 +0000 http://snowclones.org/the-queue/#comment-11002 I’m shocked, shocked! to discover this Snowclone so far ignored:

“shocked, shocked! to discover X…”

From Claude Reins famous line in Casablanca: “I’m shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!”

Examples
“The NY Times is shocked! shocked! to discover that doctors are being bribed by drug companies” http://bit.ly/uJJUqF

“Democrats shocked, shocked! to discover Obama is passive.”
http://bit.ly/fDxhJh

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