On 17/04/13 21:47, Maurice Batey wrote:
On Wed, 17 Apr 2013 02:05:23 +0000, Duncan wrote:
http://www.google.com/search?q=don%27t+call+me+shirley
Many thanks, Duncan, for your always informative attempts to clarify the
situation, but I'm afraid even that URL still leaves me completely in the
dark w.r.t. 'Shirley' - despite having lived in the USA 1986-1987!
We English are renowned (among other things) for a good sense of humour,
but not always on the same plane as Uncle Sam's... :-))
The idea is that somebody says (for example):
"Surely you cannot be serious!"
to which the answer is:
"I am serious, and don't call me Shirley."
based on the alleged similarity in sound between "Surely/Shirley".
I'm not sure where the joke originally came from, but it was made famous by
Leslie Nielson in "Flying High", also known as "Airplane" in the USA.
Even in an American accent, the two aren't really *that* similar. It has more
or less become a running gag based on how terrible it is, a real groaner.
--
Steven
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