it is what it is, Monty Python division
Joel S. Berson
Berson at ATT.NET
Sat Feb 25 16:09:27 UTC 2006
This "Miss Elk" skit was on the Graham Chapman retrospective I saw
this week. I must not have been listening to this very carefully,
and less so to the repeat , when I missed it entirely. I think now I
misheard "this is what it is" as "it is what it is".
Joel
At 2/25/2006 10:57 AM, you wrote:
>---------------------- Information from the mail header
>-----------------------
>Sender: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>Poster: "Arnold M. Zwicky" <zwicky at CSLI.STANFORD.EDU>
>Subject: it is what it is, Monty Python division
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>from All the Words, vol. 2, pp. 118-9:
>
>Miss Elk Oh, what is my theory?
>
>Presenter Yes.
>
>Miss Elk Oh what is my theory that it is. Well Chris you may well
>ask me what is my theory.
>
>Presenter I _am_ asking.
>
>Miss Elk Good for you. My word yes. Well Chris, what is it that
>it is -- this theory of mine. Well, this is what it is -- my theory
>that I have, that is to say, which is mine, is mine.
>
>Presenter (beginning to show signs of exasperation) Yes, I know it's
>yours, what is it?
>
>Miss Elk Where? Oh, what is my theory? This is it. (clears throat
>at some length) My theory that belongs to me is as follows. (clears
>throat at great length) This is how it goes. The next thing I'm
>going to say is my theory. Ready?
>
>Presenter Yes.
>
>Miss Elk My theory by A. Elk. Brackets Miss, brackets. This theory
>goes as follows and begins now. All brontosauruses are thin at one
>end, much much thicker in the middle, and then thin again at the far
>end. That is my theory, it is mine, and belongs to me and I own it,
>and what it is too.
>
>-----
>
>i don't see any occurrences of the formula "it is what it is" in
>there -- just literal "what it is".
>
>arnold (zwicky at csli.stanford.edu)
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
More information about the Ads-l
mailing list