"Does this come in a boot?"

[James A. Landau]

In a message dated 4/3/2003 1:12:38 PM Eastern Standard Time,
jan.ivarsson at TRANSEDIT.ST writes:

> MATTHEW: [TO JACK] Does this shirt come in anything besides cranberry?
> Because I just don't think it will go with my gooseberry pants. Uh,
> gandaberry, lingonberry, Halle Berry?  <snip>
> JACK: [TO HIMSELF] Me! I'm the fruit that would go with those pants.
>
> WILL: Nice try. Tell me. Does this come in a boot? [WILL HOLDS UP A
> SWEATER.]

The only likely interpretation of "Does this come in a boot?" that would make
the audience laugh is the straightforwards one, "Can I find a pair of boots
in this color and/or pattern?"  This interpretation also fits with the rest
of the quoted dialogue, which is about trying to find color matches to
Matthew's trousers.

The humor seems to lie not in the dialogue itself but rather in what the
sweater looks like---to get a big laugh the sweater will have to have colors
or a pattern that is quite implausible to find in pair of boots.

A speaker of British English might interpret "in a boot" to mean "in the boot
of a car" but I can't see how that would be funny.

                    - Jim Landau

PS. Am I imagining things, or did you find a television program about a
homosexual menage a trois?