For the snowclone files: "What is this 'X'...?"

[Arnold M. Zwicky]

On Jul 4, 2005, at 6:41 AM, Grant Barrett wrote:

> Sorry I didn't catch on to this until Arnold's post about adding it
> to Language Log, but there's an earlier incident of the expression
> "What is this X of which you speak?" (though not, of course,
> necessarily the earliest incident of the idea of aliens being
> unfamiliar with a basic human concept--almost always despite having
> a four limbs, good English, and spiffy jumpsuits). The incident is,
> I believe, the prime candidate for parent of those that come after...

now addressed at:

   http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/002289.html

with thanks to grant,
   arnold