Abbott and Costello routine

[Laurence Horn]

At 4:15 PM -0500 3/10/09, Scot LaFaive wrote:
>I'm wondering if young adults even know of the "Who's on first?" routine.
>
>Scot

They probably do if they're baseball fans; it gets played during rain
delays and such.

LH

>
>
>On 3/10/09, Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu> wrote:
>>
>>  ---------------------- Information from the mail header
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>>  Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>  Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
>>  Subject:      Re: Abbott and Costello routine
>>
>>
>>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>  At 2:27 PM -0400 3/10/09, Bill Palmer wrote:
>>  >Good point.  I'm wondering if "Who's on first?" is more ageless.
>>  >
>>
>>  Isn't that the echt A&C routine?  Or is the idea that people are
>>  familiar with the "Who's on first?" routine but don't know that it's
>>  Abbott and Costello?  I find that hard to believe, but I'm probably
>>  just showing my age (again).
>>
>>  LH
>>
>>  >----- Original Message -----
>>  >From: "Scot LaFaive" <slafaive at GMAIL.COM>
>>  >To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>  >Sent: Tuesday, March 10, 2009 2:15 PM
>>  >Subject: Abbott and Costello routine
>>  >
>>  >>---------------------- Information from the mail
>>  >>header -----------------------
>>  >>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>  >>Poster:       Scot LaFaive <slafaive at GMAIL.COM>
>>  >>Subject:      Abbott and Costello routine
>>
>>  >>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>  >>
>>  >>"What is this, an Abbott and Costello routine/skit/bit?"
>>  >>
>>  >>First of all, how prevalent is this for describing a confusing, circular
>>  >>conversation? (I get about 40 google hits.)
>>  >>Second, is this a dying expression with future generation's inevitably
>>  >>forgetting about Abbott and Costello save their names?
>>  >>
>>  >>Scot
>>  >>
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