lemon party

[Jonathan Lighter]

Ben, it was "Archer."

JL

On Wed, May 11, 2011 at 10:11 AM, Ben Zimmer
<bgzimmer at babel.ling.upenn.edu>wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Ben Zimmer <bgzimmer at BABEL.LING.UPENN.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: lemon party
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> I don't know what cartoon Jon's friend was watching, but "lemon party"
> has received a boost of attention this week because Jon Stewart
> mentioned it on "The Daily Show" on Monday. He was talking about Rick
> Santorum's "Google problem," and offered a "Google break" so viewers
> unfamiliar with Dan Savage's notorious appropriation of "Santorum"
> could learn about it. He then said, "Santorum might as well change his
> name to 'lemon party.' Go ahead, Google that, I'll wait."
>
>
> http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-may-9-2011/indecision-2012---good-luck-motherf--kers-edition---blather-for-elephants
> (starting at about 1:40)
>
> --bgz
>
>
> On Wed, May 11, 2011 at 8:35 AM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
> >
> > A friend called long distnace to ask the meaning of this phrase, which
> he'd
> > heard on his favorite television cartoon. He was mystified and so was I,
> so
> > I made inquiry of another friend, chosen at random.
> >
> > He confessed having heard "lemon party" a few years ago, from Mr. Burns
> > of _The Simpsons_, but had no idea what it meant either.
> >
> > UrbanDictionary instantly revealed that the meaning is (I'm
> > paraphrasing) "an orgy of unclothed, elderly homosexual men."
> >
> > The term seemingly derives from the name of an internationally popular
> > website featuring on-the-spot pictures of such events. My good sense and
> > powers of imagination kept me from going there.
> >
> > But here's the point: in bronto days, when I was a lad, we didn't feel
> the
> > lack, so obvious in retrospect, of a handy designator for that particular
> > referent.
> >
> > Why was that?
> >
> > JL
> >
> > --
> > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
> truth."
> >
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> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
> --
> Ben Zimmer
> http://benzimmer.com/
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>



--
"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org