Comics I Don’t Understand

Comics That Made Us Laugh and Go ”Ewww!”

Cidu Bill on Aug 28th 2010

Julie:

Filed in Argyle Sweater, Bill Bickel, Ewww, Scott Hilburn, comic strips, comics, comics that made us laugh out loud, humor, lol | 49 responses so far

49 Responses to “Comics That Made Us Laugh and Go ”Ewww!””

rain Aug 28th 2010 at 01:03 pm 1

That one was a CIDU for me. Now that you’ve Ewww’d it, I kind of get it. (Heads over to urbandictionary…) Oh, yeah. That would be Kind of Ewww. Would also take a very long time to cook.
Elyrest Aug 28th 2010 at 01:48 pm 2

I know that I had to look up “dutch oven” in order to get it. I had wondered if “fart chamber” was really that common a usage. Then I looked at the TV shows it had been used on and realized that it’s me. I don’t watch the shows “dutch oven” has been used on.
Keera Aug 28th 2010 at 03:37 pm 3

What Elyrest said. OTOH, CIDU sure is educational!
neff Aug 28th 2010 at 03:47 pm 4

A lot of younger people seem completely unaware that “dutch oven” and “tossed salad” have any meaning OTHER THAN the gross-out slang meanings, judging from how they react with giggly disbelief when they see them on menus or in cookware catalogs.
Keera Aug 28th 2010 at 03:56 pm 5

Comments that make us go eww!!! Neff @4, you sent me off to the urban dictionary (again).
George P Aug 28th 2010 at 04:06 pm 6

I didn’t learn this use of Dutch Oven from television shows. I had no idea it was used on television, but I assume it’s from sitcoms that star goofy men inexplicably married to beautiful intelligent women.
[Fran]cisco Aug 28th 2010 at 04:21 pm 7

[Following a double trip to UD.]

Oh my! And to think that I read this site of my own volition.

Several have recently commented on CIDU introducing them to comics they would not have otherwise known; for me, it’s vocabulary!

But don’t worry; I’ll keep reading. One must never underestimate the value of a first-rate education.
Elyrest Aug 28th 2010 at 05:06 pm 8

I should have listened before I went and looked up “tossed salad”. Live and learn.
furrykef Aug 28th 2010 at 05:22 pm 9

I wonder where the spelling “Esmerelda” comes from. I presume the name comes from the Spanish/Portuguese word for ‘emerald’, but that’s an “esmeralda”. (Italian calls it a “smeraldo”, and French calls it an émeraude, so I doubt it’s just the way it’s spelled in another language…)

Yet any time this name comes up, I almost invariably see it spelled with an “e”.
CIDU Bill Aug 28th 2010 at 05:49 pm 10

Sometimes I seriously consider placing a permanent link to the Urban Dictionary in the CIDU page’s sidebar.
rumpelstiltskin Aug 28th 2010 at 06:06 pm 11

link yes!
Jay Aug 28th 2010 at 06:16 pm 12

I scurried off the urban dictionary (twice) and wish I hadn’t. Is there a page for Comics I Don’t Want To Understand?
Cidu Bill Aug 28th 2010 at 06:40 pm 13

Yes, Jay: Anything on the Saturday Morning Ewww page that you don’t get, you probably don’t want to get.
Jeff S. Aug 28th 2010 at 08:40 pm 14

Wow… I must be a scary sicko. I’ve known what both terms meant, and I’m close to 50!

To me, the comic is WAY more of an LOL than it is an EWWW. The fact it IS an Ewww makes it an LOL to me!
Charles Aug 28th 2010 at 11:17 pm 15

A friend of mine referred to a “dutch oven” once when he meant a room filled with marijuana smoke. This fart-centric thing is a new thing to me. However it’s hard to work out which is worse.
Bethers Aug 28th 2010 at 11:23 pm 16

The things I learn on this website…. (shakes head)
Elyrest Aug 28th 2010 at 11:26 pm 17

Charles (15) - The farts are worse without a doubt. The smoke can even have some benefits.
Proginoskes Aug 29th 2010 at 03:16 am 18

This is a libelous cartoon. Witches do not eat children!
chuckers Aug 29th 2010 at 03:28 am 19

Okay, I didn’t need to learn about “tossed salad” either.

I was aware of “dutch oven” before but I don’t really remember why. Probably just as well.
Kilby Aug 29th 2010 at 03:56 am 20

@ furrykef (9) - The German word for emerald is “Smaragd“. And if you think the “gd” ending looks funny enough already, the weird thing is that it’s actually pronounced as a “kt”. Therefore, the Emerald City is the “Smaragd-Stadt” (pronounced: “smarakt-schtatt”).
Keera Aug 29th 2010 at 04:59 am 21

Kilby @20, it’s the same word in Norwegian, but pronounced exactly as it is spelled, but then, German and Scandinavian languages share a family tree.
[Fran]cisco Aug 29th 2010 at 11:21 am 22

I’m with Jay @12. I nominate CIDWtU as a new tag.
And Bill could add a supplemental tag CYDWtU for situations when a general heads-up is in order. The only remaining obstacle is determining what the criteria could be for the general heads-up.

But Bill @13 makes an excellent point.

Perhaps I can help myself by adopting the following formula:
“Ewww tag” + “I don’t get the comic” + “multiple references in comments to UD”
= “it’s a CIDWtU”
Lihtox Aug 29th 2010 at 02:04 pm 23

A dutch oven is a large cast-iron pot you put in a fireplace, and I don’t care to know different.

But heck, half of the words in the English language can be used as euphemisms for sex, booze, genitals, or various bodily fluids. CIDU probably stands for some sex act too: coitus interruptus down under, maybe?
mitch4 Aug 29th 2010 at 05:36 pm 24

Lihtox quoth:

CIDU probably stands for some sex act too: coitus interruptus down under, maybe?

Ah, so that’s why it hasn’t been so popular in Australia.
Dave in Asheville Aug 29th 2010 at 08:43 pm 25

>A dutch oven is a large cast-iron pot you put in a fireplace

Wow, so I did learn something in this thread.
Anker Simonsen Aug 30th 2010 at 06:45 am 26

German Smaragd-Stadt is pronounced smarakt-statt. Not smarakt-schtatt!
Frank the curmudgeon Aug 30th 2010 at 10:10 am 27

Doesn’t “Dutch Oven” come under the category of hate speech? Like “Dutch Uncle” it demeans a national group.
Kilby Aug 30th 2010 at 11:10 am 28

@ 26 - In almost all of Germany, the standand pronunciation of an initial “ST” is “scht…”, and an initial “SP” is spoken as “schp…” The exception is found in a region of northwestern Germany. The pronunciation there is called “Spitzen-Stein” (”pointy rocks”), precisely because of the lack of the “sch” sound that is familiar to most listeners.
ShadZ Aug 30th 2010 at 11:34 am 29

To Frank the curmudgeon:

I’m pretty sure ‘Dutch oven’ (a fart trapped under blankets) is directly derived from ‘Dutch oven’ (a sealed cooking pot meant to be placed directly in fire) and is not meant to be a slur on the Dutch people (unlike terms like ‘Dutch uncle’, which are slurs).
mitch4 Aug 30th 2010 at 11:56 am 30

Good point about ‘Dutch oven’, ShadZ. But then, on your classification, what is slurring about ‘Dutch uncle’? It’s a stereotype or unjustified generalization, yes — but is it saying anything negative about the person thus characterized?
Keera Aug 30th 2010 at 12:51 pm 31

Mitch4 @30, “Dutch” as something made of two halves is pretty common: Going Dutch (each pays his/her way on a date), Dutch doors (split horizontally halfway up), the aforementioned Dutch oven and double-Dutch: skipping rope with two ropes. “Dutch uncle”, however, refers to a freeloader, someone who shows up and claims to be a relative. In the old pioneering days, people could get away with that. The German immigrants in the US seem to have had a reputation for being cheap, hence the meaning of Dutch (actually, Deutsch) as someone trying to get something for (nearly) nothing. Which reminds me of Dutch courage.
mitch4 Aug 30th 2010 at 01:21 pm 32

Thank you for clarifying ‘Dutch Uncle’. I had no idea of the usage you explain! I thought it meant someone in a sort of avuncular position (quite possibly an actual uncle) who provides a stern talking-to or we might nowadays say “tough love” to a young person in need of some correction.
Texas Dawg Aug 30th 2010 at 03:41 pm 33

Dutch uncle n.: A stern, candid critic or adviser (thefreedictionary.com). One who talks with great severity or directness; sever mentor (urbandictionary.com). I’ve lived a long time and all over the U.S., including the heavily-Dutch state of Ohio. I’ve never heard any other usage of the term than this one— until now. I can’t imagine the original traditional usage being objectional, but the scatological pubescent one certaintly is.
Meryl A Aug 31st 2010 at 03:02 am 34

1 - I find that the use of “dutch” in an expression generally means the item is not what is being described - dutch treat - not being treated, dutch uncle - not your uncle, and dutch oven - not an oven.

2 - I am an American Rev War reenactor and do period cooking over a fire in a dutch oven (sometimes). I did not know of the alternate meaning and now that I do I will be sure to use the correct period term “bake oven” instead. Thank you. Although I have never noticed any sniggering from those I talk to.
Keera Aug 31st 2010 at 12:36 pm 35

I have never heard “Dutch uncle” as in stern uncle before. I learned the usage of “pretend uncle” from my New England grandmother.
Igelino Aug 31st 2010 at 03:01 pm 36

Kilby, the “sss” before a “t” is more common than you imply. Especially if we talk about people older than 60. My mother-in-law grew up in Hamburg and pronounced “s” before “t” as a “sss” rather than a “shhh”. You’re right though, it’s regional. But then, all German is. Most people I’ve known in Germany have had a vague impression that they speak “standard” German, but every region has its own clear variations from what is agreed to be “standard” pronunciation. Even what you hear on the radio is very seldom spoken in the home or in the market. I’ll go out on a limb and say that the “sss” before “t” is more common than speaking “standard” German in their own home.
Elyrest Aug 31st 2010 at 03:11 pm 37

Keera (35) I’m with you on the “pretend uncle” interpretation. I never thought of it as a stern uncle either. My family is originally from New England also - I wonder if that is a variant that is common in that area.
Keera Aug 31st 2010 at 04:04 pm 38

Igelino @36, one thing is certain: When foreigners are taught German in school, we are taught that S before a T is pronounced “sht”. (I’ve had German in both US and Norwegian schools.)
Igelino Aug 31st 2010 at 05:26 pm 39

I’m with you Keera, in the theory. Not a big deal, though, I just like to point out con points. : D In practice, languages have a habit of not following the rules. Oh, and a interesting info: some Scandinavian linguists go to Minnesota to help their study of Scandinavian languages because the languages spoken by the Swedish and Norwegian settlers and passed down a couple of generations hasn’t changed as much as it has back in the home countries.

I like your meaning of “dutch” as being similar to “not”. But for funny’s sake, I like Frank the curmudgeon’s. Anything with a country or race is politically incorrect. ; )
Keera Sep 1st 2010 at 01:01 am 40

Igelino, I hear you but unless the discussion actually was about regional accents, throwing in “but that’s not always right” when discussing a standard seems more like argument than information.

I happen to live in a country that has no official spoken version of its language (no “King’s Norwegian”; Harald V speaks with a Bærum accent) and two official written versions and as many regional accents/dialects as there are mountain tops. I have been asked which Norwegian I speak (”bokmål” or “nynorsk”) and have to tell people neither, like a typical Norwegian. Some dialects come very close to one or the other of our two written languages but are not them. The easiest way to start a fight in Norway, is to pick one of the written languages and claim it’s a load of cr*p. (I wish I were kidding.)

We have a weekly radio program that explores all things language related to Norway or Norwegian. There I heard an interview with some of the Norwegian speakers in the US; I understood every word even though they’d Norwegianized some English words, which standing alone would make no sense, but made sense in context. (”Travel” became their word for “walk” even though it sounds like the Norwegian word for “busy”.) Quite fascinating to hear.
Igelino Sep 2nd 2010 at 04:03 pm 41

Hmm, I see your point, Keera. I could have formulated the thought better.

The comment at 26 isn’t necessarily about a standard, and so I perceived the comment at 28 as a rebuke, and I wanted to reduce some of the spin it seemed to have.

The laws about standard German are “Rechtschreiben” ie “proper writing”. They deal primarily with spelling. The conventions about how to speak aren’t laws, and the actual pronunciations vary from region to region. Even schoolteachers speak dialect in many areas. Like I said in 36: very few people speak “standard” German in their own homes or at the local market. And even at work, if the people you deal with speak a similar dialect, you don’t speak “standard” German.

So all I’m saying is, from the point of view of common usage, the pronunciation in post 26 is acceptable, and in some regions it is correct. From the point of view of “standard” pronunciation, post 28 is correct, but post 28 implies that 26’s pronunciation is rare, which isn’t really true.
Lola Sep 2nd 2010 at 07:49 pm 42

Keera #40 - travel became walk. So this is a sports reference.
Keera Sep 3rd 2010 at 02:47 pm 43

Igelino @41, there seems to be some kind of standard spoken German, as it is taught in foreign schools. Unlike Norwegian, where foreigners here learn the accent/dialect of the place they live in.

Lola @42, that’s a reference I’m not following, unless you mean traveling with a ball. I doubt that’s what the 80-something female interviewee meant.
Kilby Sep 3rd 2010 at 04:30 pm 44

If you aren’t interested in trivia about German, please skip this post.

@ Igelino (41) - I did not mean to imply that the “Spitzen-Stein” pronunciation was extremely unusual, just that it is a local regionalism, and not the generally “correct” pronunciation that the blanket pronouncement (@26) implied.

@ Keera (43) - Although the German codex for spelling and grammar it not legally binding for the general public, it is codified in the regulations for all official (government) business, including schools, and it carries an extreme amount of weight for all German publishing institutions. This is why the recent (long overdue) update was so hotly contested. Many Germans believe that there is (or should be) only one correct way to write or spell, and are uncomfortable (even hostile) towards a system that requires or allows a writer to make a choice among options.

Back to @ 41 (pronunciation): Every region does have their own local dialect (Bavarians and Frisians have extreme difficulty understanding each other), but there very much IS a standard for “correct” German pronunciation (“Hochdeutsch“), it is codified (in the “Duden” reference books, among elsewhere), and it is heard in virtually every national television and radio news broadcast in Germany (some local announcers do speak with more of an accent). This standard pronunciation is so regular that most German dictionaries do not bother to list pronunciations, unless the entry has a non-standard or foreign pronunciation (you have to refer to a “dictionary of pronunciation” to get listings for every word).
paperboy Sep 3rd 2010 at 04:33 pm 45

“Vee haff vays of making you talk!”
Igelino Sep 4th 2010 at 11:24 am 46

Yeah. Anyway, I admit I’m detracting from the funny.

Heh, if Anker Simonsen had said “Smaragd-Stadt” is pronounced “Smaragd-Stadt” it would have been 100% correct. I snicker thinking about it. : )

Keera, if I learned Norwegian in North Dakota, which variant would I have learned?
Keera Sep 4th 2010 at 12:13 pm 47

Igelino @46, I don’t know. The Norwegian descendents tended to speak the same accent that their parents had.
Igelino Sep 7th 2010 at 03:27 pm 48

Hmm, like the German descendants in Iowa and southern Minnesota.
Keera Sep 7th 2010 at 03:39 pm 49

Igelino, I wouldn’t know, really. I know virtually nothing about Norwegian or other immigrants in the midwestern US because I didn’t know any. I’m not Norwegian. I am an immigrant, however, but not in the US.