the toll of inflation

[Victor]

A few more variations. This time, I went for the more unusual and
imaginative twists. There is some variability: 1) in amount (or whatever
substitute serves the purpose of value), 2) the equal-value object, 3)
amount of irony in the whole expression. There is a lot of snowcloning
going on, but, I don't think, switching from a subway ride to coffee to
phone call to a pack of gum really qualifies as snowclones. On the other
hand, something a bit more distant, like a lap dance, might qualify.
You'd need to call the snowclone experts on this one and there should be
plenty here.


web1.oai.org/oaiweb.nsf/wnews/204A7F90E72AA1D985257545004FFCCC?OpenDocument&sc=2
That and a dollar will get you a cup of _cheap_ coffee. NASA is not
concerned about who most deserves an orbiter.

joehillfiction.com/?cat=4
That and a quarter will get you a half hour psychological therapy
session with Lucy van Pelt.

www.ricenpeas.com/docs/what_can_you_do.html
That and a buck will get you a cup of coffee – _in some places_.

web.israelinsider.com/Views/12855.htm
That and _a few bucks_ will get you a cup of coffee.

www.coldhardfootballfacts.com/Articles/5_1265_Never_let_the_facts_get_in_the_way_of_a_bad_column.html
That and a $2 bill will get you a lap dance at the Pleasure Dome, our
favorite BYOB gentletroll’s club.

www.wavsource.com/tv/saturday_night2.htm
Well, that and a nickel will get you a hot cup o' jack squat!
[A Chris Farley SNL quotation--quoted at quite a number of sites]

[Also note that this use is not unique. Compare the next three.]
brothersjuddblog.com/archives/2005/11/its_not_suppose.html
That and a dime will get you nothing.
carlymilne.net/blog/archives/2005/08/i-have-never-in.php
That and a hill of beans will get you jack shit, but hey – I’ve gotta
take my little victories where I can get them.
stopmebeforeivoteagain.org/the_credentialling_sector/
But that, and a high-school diploma, will get you -- bupkis.

www.courant.com/sports/hockey/nyc-rnc-transportation,0,7422203.story
That and a Metrocard will get you a long way toward arriving at your
destination

[Note, in particular, the evolution of this one. The one above is _not_
an ironic expression. Compare that with th following, which was
definitely ironic:
backwardsbob.com/index.html
I was brought up in New York City, where I always heard my family say,
about a worthless possession; "That and a token will get you on the
subway."]

www.fanfiction.net/s/3849105/1/Konoha_Psych_Ward
“That and a quarter will get you nothing,” he stated.

http://apublicdefender.com/2008/09/24/drive-away-i-dare-you/
We can always argue that the defendant was merely exercising his
Constitutional right to drive away, but that and a dollar will get you
50 cents.

artsovereasy.com/2007/12/27/the-road-to-hell-is-paved-with-theme-art-auctions/
That and a buck fifty will get you _half a latte_ at Starbucks.
[Note the snowclone in the title of this post: The Road to Hell is Paved
with Theme Art Auctions.]

http://www.poetserv.org/SRR31/graham.html
No one had any idea
the senator's wife could be so generous
and yet utterly clueless. I admit it was charming,
but that and a buck will get you a coronary, as they say.

[Another non-ironic use.]
http://books.google.com/books?id=i0v5dfP0MTUC&pg=PA142&lpg=PA142&dq="that+and+a"+"will+get+you"&source=web&ots=In5pXwkKRc&sig=7pHKrivqeAIZrvpxjDYg-1Tb5Ps&hl=en&ei=MRONSbLEJIOftwfOiM2mCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=5&ct=result
That and a piece of fruit will get you home just fine

[Again, not ironic.]
www.travel-wise.com/asia/eastern-asia/china/seven-days-tibet.aspx
That and a smile will get you far with Tibetans



Still more variations include buck/donut, buck-fifty/hot dog,
nickel/stick of gum, quarter/pack of gum, etc.

Any further investigation I'll leave to other Google masochists.

VS-)

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